A lighting apparatus includes an input power terminal, a light source element coupled to the input power terminal, and a current bleeder module that is connected to the input power terminal and is configured to draw a current from the input power terminal responsive to a phase cut input power signal received at the input power terminal during a first portion of a period of the phase cut input power signal and is configured as an open circuit so as not to draw current from the input power terminal during a second portion of the period of the phase cut input power signal.

Solid-state lighting arrays are used for a number of lighting applications. For example, solid-state lighting panels including arrays of solid-state light emitting devices have been used as direct illumination sources, for example, in architectural and/or accent lighting. A solid-state light emitting device may include, for example, a packaged light emitting device including one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), which may include inorganic LEDs, which may include semiconductor layers forming p-n junctions and/or organic LEDs (OLEDs), which may include organic light emission layers.
Solid-state lighting arrays are used for a number of lighting applications. For example, solid-state lighting panels including arrays of solid-state light emitting devices have been used as direct illumination sources, for example, in architectural and/or accent lighting. Solid-state lighting devices are also used in lighting fixtures, such as incandescent bulb replacement applications, task lighting, recessed light fixtures and the like. For example, Cree, Inc. produces a variety of recessed downlights, such as the LR-6 and CR-6, which use LEDs for illumination. Solid-state lighting panels are also commonly used as backlights for small liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, such as LCD display screens used in portable electronic devices, and for larger displays, such as LCD television displays.
A solid-state light emitting device may include, for example, a packaged light emitting device including one or more LEDs. Inorganic LEDs typically include semiconductor layers forming p-n junctions. Organic LEDs (OLEDs), which include organic light emission layers, are another type of solid-state light emitting device. Typically, a solid-state light emitting device generates light through the recombination of electronic carriers, i.e. electrons and holes, in a light emitting layer or region.
Many control circuits for lighting utilize phase cut dimming. In phase cut dimming, the leading or trailing edge of the line voltage is manipulated to reduce the RMS voltage provided to the light. When used with incandescent lamps, this, reduction in RMS voltage results in a corresponding reduction in current and, therefore, a reduction in power consumption and light output. As the RMS voltage decreases, the light output from the incandescent lamp decreases.
An example of a cycle of a full wave rectified AC signal is provided in FIG. 1A, a cycle of a phase cut ("leading edge") rectified AC waveform is illustrated in FIG. 1B and a cycle of a reverse phase cut ("trailing edge") AC waveform is illustrated in FIG. 1C. As seen in FIGS. 1A through 1C, when phase cut dimming is utilized, the duty cycle of the resulting rectified waveform is changed. This change in duty cycle, if sufficiently large, is noticeable as a decrease in light output from an incandescent lamp. The "off" time does not result in flickering of the incandescent lamp because the filament of an incandescent lamp has some thermal inertia and will remain at a sufficient temperature to emit light even during the "off" time when no current flows through the filament.
Recently, solid state lighting systems have been developed that provide light for general illumination. These solid state lighting systems utilize light emitting diodes or other solid state light sources that are coupled to a power supply that receives the AC line voltage and converts that voltage to a voltage and/or current suitable for driving the solid state light emitters. Typical power supplies for light emitting diode light sources include linear current regulated supplies and/or pulse width modulated current and/or voltage regulated supplies.
Many different techniques have been described for driving solid state light sources in many different applications, including, for example, those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,755,697 to Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,167 to Hasegawa et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,881 to Ortiz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,771 to Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,760 to Bebenroth, U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,203 to Latham, II et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,679 to Dimmick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,868 to Peterson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,528 to Choi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,752 to Delay, U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,377 to Anderson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,139 to Ghanem, U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,910 to Reisenauer et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,189 to Fisler, U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,003 to Rahm et al, U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,762 to Xu et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,101 to Biebl et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,890 to Min et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,222,172 to Fossum et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,568 to Kiley, U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,081 to Swanson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,987,787 to Mick, U.S. Pat. No. 7,119,498 to Baldwin et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,420 to Barth et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,287 to Lebens et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,947 to Berg Johansen, U.S. Pat. No. 7,202,608 to Robinson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,995,518, U.S. Pat. No. 6,724,376, U.S. Pat. No. 7,180,487 to Kamikawa et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,358 to Hutchison et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,578 to Swanson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,645 to Hochstein, U.S. Pat. No. 6,528,954 to Lys et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,868 to Lys et al, U.S. Pat. No. 7,038,399 to Lys et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,072 to Saito et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,393 to Illingworth the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In the general illumination application of solid state light sources, one desirable characteristic is to be compatible with existing dimming techniques. In particular, dimming that is based on varying the duty cycle of the line voltage may present several challenges in power supply design for solid state lighting. Unlike incandescent lamps, LEDs typically have very rapid response times to changes in current. This rapid response of LEDs may, in combination with conventional dimming circuits, present difficulties in driving LEDs.
The switch or circuit element that controls the power on-off inside a typical phase control dimmer is typically a type of thyristor device commonly known in the art as a TRIAC. TRIACs generally have a first main terminal MT1 a second main terminal MT2 and a gate terminal G and allow bidirectional conduction through the main terminals, allowing AC to pass through. The TRIAC is turned on and conduction is present between the main terminals when there is a trigger current present between gate G and second main terminal MT2. Once triggered, the TRIAC remains on until a zero crossing of the AC power line at which point the device turns off and awaits the next trigger pulse or zero crossing of the AC power line. This characteristic allows phase angle control to be achieved.
A TRIAC will not remain in the on state after triggering without a current larger than the hold current passing through the main terminals. Because of the need to hold a current, TRIACs may have difficulty remaining on when a low current is drawn through the main terminals, such as in the case of LED lighting. Some TRIACs may have a hold current of around 20 milliamps.
LED lighting is generally more energy efficient that incandescent light. A typical incandescent light bulb can easily draw more than 200 mA during conduction. This value largely exceeds the holding current of typical dimmers. Therefore, there is usually no problem in dimming an incandescent bulb. LED lighting generally draws less current, typically ranging from 10 to 150 mA depending on the circuit design. At smaller current levels, once the dimmer conducts, the load current may not satisfy the hold current requirement of the TRIAC in the dimmer, and the dimmer may enter a retriggering state that causes flickering of the LED light.

Lighting apparatus including a current bleeder module for sinking current during dimming of the lighting apparatus and methods of operating the same


Polysilicon or other material is directionally trimmed using two layers of photoresist and a photoresist etching process, such as ashing. A first layer of photoresist is patterned on a wafer. Portions of the first patterned photoresist are covered with a second layer of photoresist. The photoresist is trimmed to reduce the size of the exposed portions of the first patterned photoresist without reducing the size of the covered portions of the first patterned photoresist. The second layer of photoresist is removed. The selectively etched patterned first layer of photoresist is used as a process mask to define a structure in the underlying material. In a particular embodiment, the second photoresist covers endcap portions of gate photoresist. Directional trimming reduces the width of a polysilicon gate structure (i.e. gate length) over an active area of an FET, without reducing the length of original first patterned photoresist.

Polysilicon is a material commonly used as a conductor in the fabrication of integrated circuits ("I.C.s"). Polysilicon is particularly desirable for forming gates of metal-oxide-semiconductor ("MOS")-type field-effect transistors ("FETs"). Polysilicon gates for sub-micron FETs are often defined from a layer of polysilicon in a two-step process because of physical limitations of photomask techniques.
First, a layer of photoresist is formed over the polysilicon layer, exposed to light through a photomask, and developed to remove the undesired areas of photoresist. The minimum dimension that can be patterned in the photoresist depends on the wavelength of the light used to expose the photoresist, among other factors. The developed photoresist over the polysilicon gate areas is baked and then anisotropically etched. This etching reduces the size of the photoresist, resulting in a finer linewidth than the pre-etched photoresist. Thus, a linewidth that is narrower than what could be produced by photolithography alone is transferred to the photoresist pattern.
Etching reduces both the length and the width of the gate photoresist. A narrow width is desirable to provide a short channel length to the eventual FET; however, for proper FET operation, the gate extends beyond the active region of the FET to form what is commonly known as a "poly endcap." Providing a poly endcap avoids shorting of the FET terminals. The gate photoresist pattern is then made longer in the direction it extends beyond the active region to compensate for the length that will be lost during the etching process in order to maintain the desired overlap, which is the amount the gate extends beyond the active area to overlap the substrate. This undesirably increases the distance between FETs on a wafer, reducing the packing density.
Thus, it is desirable to selectively trim the linewidth of a photoresist pattern and improve packing density.

Method of directionally trimming polysilicon width


A system is provided including a first waveguide having an optical input and a first optical output. A second waveguide includes a second optical output. A coupling region is between the first waveguide and the second waveguide. The coupling region controllably couples the first waveguide and the second waveguide when a field is applied to the coupling region. The strength of the field is variable to control the coupling. Further, the first waveguide, the second waveguide, and the coupling region may be made of electro-optical material. In another example, a component is provided including a substrate and an electro-optical material formed on the substrate. A first and second waveguide are formed of said electro-optical material. An electrode structure is formed proximal to the first waveguide and the second waveguide. The electrode structure selectively provides an electric field in the electro-optical material when a voltage is applied to the electrode structure.

Current photonic systems (e.g., fiber optic communication systems) use a redundant dual fabric design to achieve high reliability where signals are routed to both a primary and a backup fabric. This is achieved using a fifty-fifty (50/50) splitter to route the input light to both fabrics. A selector is then used at the output to switch light from the primary or backup fabric to the output. However, these systems do not support in-service monitoring, bridge, or merge protection. Additionally, a second light source is required to focus and test the secondary fabric. For reliability, the switch being a necessary component of the system, lowers overall reliability since it is an active component and its functionality cannot be tested without interrupting the signal transmission path.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a component and system having the same capability as a fixed splitter with the advantages of a switch. When used as a splitter, it would be advantageous to split a portion of optical power for monitoring and/or diagnostic functions. When used as a switch, it would be advantageous to transfer all of the optical power to a secondary fabric,


A fire and heat protection wrapping system for wrapping conduits, cable trays, transmission lines, cables and other electrical transmission devices associated with the transmission of electricity and electrical signals, and gas and oil pipelines. The protection wrapping system includes a concentric composite laminate structure having a plurality of concentric layers for the protection of the transmission devices which are exposed to high temperatures in excess of three (3) hours in duration. The plurality of concentric layers incudes an outer first layer, an inner second layer, an inner third layer and an inner core fourth layer for wrapping the electrical transmission device. The outer first layer is a fiberglass textile having an intumescent coating for resistance to fire, heat, water, impact and the outer first layer surrounds the inner second layer. The inner second layer is a metal foil layer for reflecting heat and eliminates the convection transfer of heat; and the inner second layer surrounds the inner third layer. The inner third layer is a low conductivity refractory blanket for reducing the transmission of heat; and the inner third layer surrounds the inner core fourth layer. The inner core fourth layer is a water jacket layer for absorbing heat from the source or fire and absorbing heat from the electrical transmission device and functions as an endothermic layer; and the inner core fourth layer surrounds the core transmission device.

Fire retardant and thermal blankets have been used to provide thermal protection to electrical transmission systems, devices and equipment at temperatures up to 2000.degree. F. for periods of one-half hour (1/2 hr.) to three hours (3 hrs.). Typical electrical transmission systems requiring such thermal protection include cables, conduits, cable trays, junction boxes, hangars, thermal shorts, condulets, transmission lines, and other electrical transmission devices associated with the transmission of electricity and electrical signals; and gas and oil pipelines. These types of fire retardant and thermal blankets used in protective wrapping systems have multiple facility applications for operational uses that include coal, gas or oil generating plants; electrical and gas utilities; power generating stations; nuclear power generating facilities; power distribution stations; chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities; shipping and marine facilities; military installations; telecommunication facilities; airports and the like.
There are two basic types of thermal protection wrapping systems that provide fire and heat protection: 1.) thermal insulation systems and 2.) endothermic systems. Thermal insulation systems rely on wraps, typically ceramic blankets, for reducing thermal conductivity and thereby reducing the temperature rise within the electrical transmission system. Endothermic systems rely on thermal materials that absorb heat from the source, thereby reducing the amount of heat transmitted to the electrical transmission system being protected. Typically, thermal blankets used in thermal insulation systems are bulky, requiring a large amount of space that often is not available. Materials used in endothermic systems are typically very heavy and expensive, and require additional supports or reinforcements for the system. In some cases, the additional weight cannot be accommodated, due to seismic limitations of the facility.
Thus, the current thermal protection wraps used to protect electrical transmission systems for long periods, in excess of three hours, are typically expensive, heavy, difficult and cumbersome to install, and have a large diameter. The limitations for practical application of these wrapping system products are very severe.
Currently, there is no single thermal protection wrapping system having all of the following desirable features:
1. Low heat transmission to the electrical transmission device; PA1 2. Absorption of excess heat generated from the electrical transmission device; PA1 3. Ease of installation on all types and configurations of conduits, cable trays, transmission lines, cables and the like including bends, thermal shorts, hangars and areas near walls and other confined areas; PA1 4. Easily adaptable for variations of configurations encountered during onsite installation; PA1 5. Dry application of thermal material layers for the protection of the electrical transmission device, requiring no liquids or any drying time; PA1 6. A light-weight thermal protection wrapping system, thereby eliminating the requirements for reinforcements and additional supports to the wrapped electrical transmission device; PA1 7. Low ampacity deration within the electrical transmission devices, as in conduits, cables, transmission lines and the like; PA1 8. Multiple facility applications for operational use in coal, gas or oil generating plants; electrical and gas utilities; power generating stations; nuclear power generating facilities; power distribution stations; chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and the like; and PA1 9. Entirely passive system, requiring no active devices.
Additionally, in some applications the current thermal protection wrapping systems are impractical for reasons other than fire and heat protection, as the wrapping system may lack resistance to water and chemicals, impact resistance, temperature fluctuation resistance and resistance to other environmental factors; and because of these factors, these wrapping systems are limited in their applications.
There remains a need for a new and improved thermal protection wrapping system that would provide substantial protection from fire and heat to electrical transmission devices for a long duration of time if a fire were to occur by reducing the flammability of the materials within the composite laminate structure, without adding a large amount of size and weight to the wrapping system. In addition, the thermal protection wrapping system should be easy to install and durable; and adaptable for use on many configurations and types of electrical and transmission equipment.

Fire and heat protection wrap for conduits, cable trays, other electrical transmission lines and gas and oil pipelines


An operating device is, while in use, connected to an image processor which generates image data of an image to be displayed on a monitor on the basis of a program. The operating device is provided with an analog joystick in addition to a plurality of switches, and outputs operation signals by which the image data can be modified according to an operation by an operator. The analog joystick includes a lever having a tip end which is protruded from a housing and inclined in an arbitrary direction including North, South, East and West. There is provided with a guide ring which includes a guide wall having an octagonal outer edge around the lever, and the guide wall guides the lever to eight corners, that is, upper, lower, left, right, right-upper, right-lower, left-upper and left-lower corners.

The present invention relates to an operating device with analog joystick. More specifically, the present invention relates to an operating device with analog joystick, which is, while in use, connected to an image processor which generates image data of an image to be displayed on a monitor such as a television receiver and etc., and outputs operation signals which can modify the image data, that is, the image according to an operation by an operator.
A conventional game machine controller 1 (first prior art) shown in FIG. 1 includes a rectangular housing 1a, and a select switch 3 for selecting a game content, a start switch 2 for designating a start of the game, a cross direction switch 4 for designating a moving direction of a game character during the game, and two action switches 5a and 5b for selecting or designating an action of the character, all the switches being provided on an upper surface of the housing 1a. Since a processing ability (a processing ability of a CPU) of a conventional game machine was relatively low in comparison with a present game machine, it was possible to sufficiently enjoy the game with using the first prior art controller 1. However, as the game content becomes more complex, it became impossible to sufficiently control the action of the character with using only the two action switches 5a and 5b.
Therefore, a game machine controller 1 (second prior art) shown in FIG. 2 has been proposed, and put into practical use. In the second prior art controller 1, a various kinds of switches are provided on an upper surface of a housing 1axe2x80x2 having a circular surface. More specifically, in the second prior art controller 1, in addition to the select switch 3, the start switch 2 and the cross direction switch 4, four action switches 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are provided on the surface of the housing 1axe2x80x2, and two switches 6a and 6b are provided on a rear surface of the housing 1axe2x80x2 at positions that index fingers or middle fingers of both hands can reach while palms of the both hands are brought into contact with left and right side surfaces of the housing 1axe2x80x2.
In the second prior art controller 1, an outer shape of the housing is designed in a manner that the side surfaces of the housing 1axe2x80x2 can be fit to the palms of the both hands grasping the housing 1axe2x80x2, and therefore, the switches can be operated without large movements of the fingers while the action switches 5c and 5d, and the left and right switches 6a and 6b are newly provided. Therefore, the operator can operate the respective switches without watching the respective switches on the housing 1axe2x80x2 and with seeing only a screen of the monitor. However, in a case of a game that it is required to frequently and rapidly operate a plurality of switches, there was a possibility that a positional relationship between the controller and the hands, i.e. a positional relationship between the respective switches and the fingers might be deviated from an original positional relationship.
Therefore, a controller 1 (third prior art) shown in FIG. 3, in which no deviation occurs in the positional relationship between the controller and the hands has been proposed and put into practical use. In the third prior art controller 1, a cross direction switch 4a and action switches 5a and 5b, and a cross direction switch 4b and action switches 5c and 5d are arranged on left and right housings 1a and 1b, respectively. Furthermore, there are provided with two grips 7a and 7b extended from the housings 1a and 1b, and grooves 8a and 8b are formed on rear surfaces of the grips 7a and 71b. By firmly holding the grips 7a and 7b by inserting fingers into the grooves 8a and 8b, it is possible to surely restrict hands of an operator, i.e. fingers at constant positions, and therefore, the respective switches can be surely operated.
On the other hand, in the prior art controllers shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a direction signal for designating a direction that an image on the monitor is to be moved is outputted with utilizing the cross direction switch 4 or 4a (and 4b). However, in the conventional cross direction switch, switch contacts are provided at four directions of upper (North), lower (South), left (West) and right (East) on the monitor screen, that is, at four directions of front, rear, left and right in a case where the controller is viewed in plain, and according to a switch contact being turned-on, the direction signal which designates one of the four directions can be outputted. That is, the cross switches provided in the conventional controllers is a kind of digital joysticks. Therefore, there was a problem that the operator cannot designate an arbitrary direction other than the four directions.
Accordingly, it is possible to consider that there is provided with an analog joystick on such a game machine controller. Meanwhile, a term xe2x80x9canalog joystickxe2x80x9d means a device which is provided with a lever, and can determined by a direction that the lever is inclined. In such an analog joystick, there is an advantage that it is possible to designate all directions in 360 degrees. However, there is a further disadvantage to be solved that an operation of the lever is insecure.
More specifically, if a finger is detached from the lever to release the operation of the lever, the lever returns to its home position (normally, a position that the lever stands upright). Although the lever is secure at the home position, a position of a finger of the operator primarily defines a direction that the lever is inclined or an amount that the lever is inclined, and therefore, it is difficult for a person who can not finely control the position of the finger to stably operate the lever. A controller for television game machine for home use is normally held by hands of the operator to operate respective switches or keys provided on the controller. In a case where the analog joystick is provided on such a hand-holdable controller, the above described problem that the operation of the lever can not be securely performed becomes more remarkable.
Therefore, in a case where a controller with analog joystick is adopted in the video game machine for home use, for example, it is possible to easily estimate that there occurs a problem that a movable character can not be moved in a desired direction when a direction that the movable character (image) displayed on the monitor screen is to be finely controlled on the screen with utilizing the analog joystick. Especially, in the video game, there occur a relatively larger number of scenes that the movable character is continuously moved in one direction without zigzagging, and in such a scene, a stability of the operation of the analog joystick is especially required.
Therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel operating device with analog joystick, which is capable of being securely operated while being held by hands.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an operating device with analog joystick, which is capable of securely outputting a direction signal in a desired direction.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an operating device with analog joystick, which is capable of continuously and securely outputting the direction signal even if it is desired that a designated direction is to be finely changed.
An operating device for image processor according to the present invention is, while in use, connected to an image processor which generates image data of an image to be displayed on a monitor, and outputs an operation signal by which the image data can be changed according to an operation by an operator, the operating device comprising: a hand-holdable housing; and an analog joystick provide on the housing, wherein the analog joystick includes a lever having a tip end which is protruded from a hole of the housing and inclined in an arbitrary direction including upper, lower, left and right, and a guide member which is attached to the housing and guides the lever in at least a direction equal to upper (North) on the monitor screen.
When the operator intends to incline the lever toward the direction of upper, only by inclining the lever according to the guide member, it is possible to extremely securely incline the lever in the direction of upper. Therefore, an image processor such as a video game machine for home use and etc., it is possible to surely move the movable character toward the direction of upper, that is, it is possible to make the movable character surely go straight on.
In a preferred embodiment, the guide member has a guide wall which is converged to a point indicative of upper (North) on the monitor screen, and the lever is inclined while the same is being along with the guide wall, and finally, stably held at that point.
In another aspect of the present invention, an operating device is, while in use, connected to an image processor which generates image data of an image to be displayed on a monitor, and outputs an operation signal which can modify the image data according to an operation by an operator, and comprises: a housing; and an analog joystick provided on the housing, wherein the analog joystick includes a lever which is protruded from the housing and operable by a finger of a hand holding the housing and inclined in an arbitrary direction within 360 degrees, and the operating device further comprises at least one grip formed to be extended toward a front side from the housing, and by grasping the grip by the hand, a position of the hand is restricted by the grip.
In this aspect, by grasping the grip by the hand, the hand can be stably supported by the grip, and therefore, the position of the hand is defined by the grip. Therefore, a position of the finger of the hand can be also stably positioned at a constant position, and accordingly, it is possible to securely operate the lever of the analog joystick by the finger of the hand.
In another aspect of the present invention, an operating device with analog joystick is a game machine controller which is connected by a game machine which generates image data according to a game program and displays a game character on a monitor according to the image data, and controls the game character on the monitor, and comprises: a housing having a surface long from side to side; a first operating means formed on the surface at a left side of the housing; a second operating means formed on the surface at a right side of the housing; a third operating means which includes a lever capable of being inclined, and formed on the surface of the housing in an area that the first operating means and the second operating means are not formed; and a protruded portion which is protruded toward a front side from the housing in the vicinity of at least one of the first operating means, the second operating means and the third operating means, and grasped by a palm of a hand of an operator, wherein one of the first operating means and the second operating means is used as a first moving direction designation input means which designates a moving direction of the game character, and the other is used as an action designation input means which designates other actions of the game character, and the third operating means is capable of being used instead of the first moving direction designation input means, and used as a second moving direction designation input means which designates at least the moving direction of the game character in accordance with an inclination of the lever.
Preferably, the third operating means is constructed by an analog joystick.
Since the grip or protruded portion is formed in the vicinity of the operating means, by grasping the grip by the hand, it is possible to easily set a positional relationship between the operating means and the hand.
Furthermore, if a first grip, a second grip and a third grip are provided in correspondence to the first operating means, the second operating means and the third operating means, respectively, and if a grip to be grasped is changed when an operating means which is used is to be changed according to a content of the game, it is possible to securely position the hand at a most suitable position for the operating means which is used.
The above described objects and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A system for second lab testing of genetic materials is presented. The system includes a computing device configured to receive a specimen from a human subject and perform a smart test on the specimen. The smart test includes a first lab test configured to generate a first lab test identifying a first disease agent and a second lab test configured to generate a second lab test identifying a second disease agent, wherein identifying the second disease agent includes generating a second lab machine-learning model, training the second lab machine-learning model as a function of a second lab test training set, and outputting, as a function of the second lab machine-learning model, the second lab test result using specimen data as an input. The computing device is further configured to generate a smart test result as a function of the smart test.

The need for fast patient results is the key to controlling and maintaining infections rates low. Moreover, the need for accurate results is a major factor in containing infections. Currently, the average turnaround time for a SARS-COV-2 test is one day for priority patients and 3-5 days for other populations. There are several different types of tests in which each tests varies in turnaround time, accuracy, and method of testing. In a climate where faster turnaround times would help to isolate those who test positive quicker in order to prevent further spread, it would be an advantage to improve testing procedures to decrease turnaround times to obtain results as well as better data management to make better predictions as to potential "hot spots." Furthermore, it is important for labs to manage the data surrounding these samples in an efficient manner.

Systems and methods for smart testing of genetic materials

Specialty Diagnostic (SDI) Laboratories, Inc.


In one aspect, an oven is provided and includes a drum oriented with a vertical axis and a motor for rotating the drum about the axis, a conveyor belt having a length helically surrounding the drum, and having an infeed end and outlet end, a chamber defined by walls surrounding the drum and the length of the conveyor belt, and a plenum within the chamber and being curved substantially concentrically with the drum. The plenum forms a substantially closed air pathway having an inlet at one end and an outlet at an opposite end passing air into the chamber. The oven also includes a fan arranged to circulate air within the chamber and force air into the plenum inlet, through the plenum and out of the plenum outlet, and a heat exchanger arranged in the plenum.

Various spiral oven systems are known.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,781 describes a multi-heating zone, single spiral oven. A spiral conveyor helically winds around a rotating drum. Heating is provided in zones within the oven. The zones are arranged vertically, i.e., an upper zone and a lower zone. Each zone has at least one ventilation device and heating device for circulating hot air through the zone. Each zone preferably has two ventilators, each with a heating device, which cover approximately half of each spiral conveyor winding.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,107,899 and 5,329,916 describe dual spiral ovens. In these patents two rotating drums within the oven are helically surrounded by conveyors wherein the output of one spiral conveyor communicates products onto the input of the next spiral conveyor. Heating elements in U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,899 are arranged as helical electrical coils or hollow tubes that underlie the spiral conveyor. The heating elements in U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,916 are arranged in overhead air ducts.
The present inventor has recognized that it would be desirable to provide a compact spiral oven that provides an optimized and efficient cooking.


A parameter extracting method capable of accurately and effectively extracting parameters used for charged particle beam exposure. The method comprises the steps of forming an unknown parameter layer on a known parameter layer, forming a resist on the unknown parameter layer, subjecting the resist to exposure through patterns changed in an existing range, and extracting parameters of the unknown parameter layer using the exposure result. In the parameter extraction method, parameters of layers lower than the unknown parameter layer are known. Therefore, layer combinations to be considered and the number of experimental data can be drastically reduced. After parameter extraction of the unknown parameter layer, an unknown parameter layer is newly formed on the layer. Then, the parameter thereof is extracted in the same manner. Thus, the parameter is extracted sequentially from lower layers and therefore, the parameter in the multitiered structure having various layer combinations can be accurately and effectively extracted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parameter extracting method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an extracting method of a proximity effect correction parameter used for charged particle beam exposure using electron beams.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, direct drawing exposure by electron beams is used as one of key technologies in producing engineering samples for mass-production of semiconductor devices. When performing exposure using a mask, reedition is often performed particularly in design of multilayer wiring layers. Therefore, the EB direct drawing exposure technology capable of performing exposure without using a mask is extremely effective in view of cost or TAT (Turn Around Time).
It is generally known that in the electron beam exposure, a resolution line width changes depending on a density of an exposure pattern due to a proximity effect. Therefore, influences of the proximity effect are calculated based on the EID (Exposure Intensity Distribution) function to perform the proximity effect correction for optimizing an exposure amount to or size of each pattern so that the same absorbed energy can be finally obtained in each pattern. For example, when a resist in which a pattern is formed is formed on a substrate composed of a single material, the EID function can be empirically represented by the following formula (1):
                              f                                (                          x              ,              y                        )                          =                              1                          π                                            (                                  1                  +                  η                                )                                                                    {                                                            1                                      β                    f                    2                                                                                exp                                                        (                                          -                                                                                x                            2                                                    +                                                      y                            2                                                                                β                          f                          2                                                                                )                                                              +                                                η                                      β                    b                    2                                                                                exp                                                        (                                          -                                                                                x                            2                                                    +                                                      y                            2                                                                                β                          b                          2                                                                                )                                                                        }                                              (        1        )
In the formula (1), βf is a forward scattering length, η is a backward scattering ratio and βb is a backward scattering length. A first term represents a forward scattering intensity distribution and a second term represents a backward scattering intensity distribution. Forward scattering has a large effect on a narrow range. On the contrary, backward scattering has a relatively small effect on a wide range. The backward scattering ratio η is a ratio of a value obtained by integrating influences of the backward scattering in a specific region to that of the forward scattering.
In order to form a pattern having high dimensional accuracy, the selection of βf, η and βb of the formula (1) is important. Conventionally, also a method for extracting the βf, η and βb most suitable for the proximity effect correction is proposed (see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-218014).
In recent years, when actually performing electron beam exposure, a multitiered structure comprised of various materials, such as a wiring layer or a contact hole layer is formed under a resist in many cases. For example, when forming the wiring layer, Al or Cu is used for a wiring and SiO2 is used between wirings. Further, when forming the contact hole layer, W or Cu is used for a via and SiO2 is used between vias.
A heavy metal typified by W is easy to reflect electrons and therefore, is difficult for electrons to be transmitted. On the other hand, a relatively light substance such as Al or SiO2 reflects a small number of electrons and therefore, is easy for electrons to be transmitted. Accordingly, even within the same layer, a scattering state of electrons considerably varies depending on the types of materials constituting the layer. Further, an electron transmitted through a layer enters a lower layer. Also in the lower layer, the scattering state of electrons varies depending on the types of materials constituting the layer. On the other hand, also in a process where an electron which deeply enters returns to a resist, the electron is reflected by a heavy metal within a halfway layer (a screening effect) and therefore, the number of electrons that reach the resist is extremely reduced, as compared with a case where a heavy metal is absent.
As described above, the scattering state of electrons in the multitiered structure is extremely complicated. Therefore, the proximity effect cannot be simply estimated by using the EID function of the formula (1). More specifically, in the case of the multitiered structure, an influence of the backward scattering actually varies depending on a combination of layers constituting the structure. In spite of the fact, when using the formula (1) excluding the combination of layers, the backward scattering intensities are computationally equalized irrespective of the combination of the layers.
On the other hand, also a technique for calculating an influence of the backward scattering while considering the combination of the layers under the resist is conventionally proposed (see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-101501). This proposal is as follows. That is, in each of the layers, a parameter such as a reflection coefficient, a transmission coefficient or a diffusion length is defined for each of the construction materials of the layers. Further, weighing is performed using an area density (a share) of each construction material to calculate a stream of electrons within the layers, in other words, a stream of energy.
FIG. 15 illustrates a principle of a conventional calculation technique of the backward scattering intensity.
As shown in FIG. 15, the following case is supposed. That is, on a substrate (a zeroth layer), (N−1) layers (from a first layer to an (N−1)th layer) are sequentially laminated and then, a resist (an Nth layer) as an uppermost layer is formed. Further, a stream of energy (a stream of electrons) is herein considered as follows.
As indicated by arrows in FIG. 15, electrons of energy (or the number of electrons) EN are first transmitted through the resist to enter an (N−1)th layer. Among them, electrons of energy EN−1 corresponding to a transmission coefficient TN−1 are transmitted through the (N−1)th layer to enter an (N−2)th layer, and electrons of energy EN−1′ corresponding to a reflection coefficient RN−1 are reflected from the (N−1)th layer to return to the resist. Further, among electrons of energy EN−1, which are transmitted through the (N−1)th layer to enter the (N−2)th layer, electrons of energy EN−2 corresponding to a transmission coefficient TN−2 of the (N−2)th layer are transmitted through the (N−2)th layer to enter an (N−3)th layer, and electrons of energy EN−2′ corresponding to a reflection coefficient RN−2 of the (N−2)th layer are reflected from the (N−2)th layer. Thus, among electrons of energy E2, which are transmitted through the second layer to enter the first layer, electrons of energy E1 corresponding to a transmission coefficient T1 of the first layer are transmitted through the first layer to enter the substrate, and electrons of energy E1′ corresponding to a reflection coefficient R1 of the first layer are reflected from the first layer. Further, among electrons of energy E1, which are transmitted through the first layer to enter the substrate, electrons of energy E0′ corresponding to a reflection coefficient R0 of the substrate are reflected from the substrate.
On the other hand, among electrons of energy E0′, electrons of energy E1″ corresponding to the transmission coefficient T1 of the first layer are transmitted through the first layer to enter the second layer. On this occasion, electrons of energy E1″ as well as electrons of energy E1′, which are reflected from the first layer, enter the second layer. Similarly, electrons of energy EN−2″, which are transmitted through the (N−2)th layer, as well as electrons of energy EN−2′, which are reflected from the (N−2)th layer, enter the (N−1)th layer. Finally, electrons of energy EN−1″ corresponding to the transmission coefficient TN−1, which are transmitted through the (N−1)th layer, as well as electrons of energy EN−1′ corresponding to the reflection coefficient RN−1, which are reflected from the (N−1)th layer, return to the resist.
Based on the stream of energy as described above, calculation is recursively performed from the uppermost layer to the lowermost layer, and the energy which finally returns to the resist is qualified as energy absorbed in the resist by the backward scattering. In this calculation technique, a transmission coefficient or reflection coefficient of each construction material is used to add reflection, transmission or screening effects of electrons, which are produced by each construction material of each layer. Therefore, the backward scattering intensity can be accurately calculated.
When calculating the backward scattering intensity of the multitiered structure using the above-described technique to perform proximity effect correction, the parameters such as a reflection coefficient, transmission coefficient or diffusion length of each construction material of each layer must be accurately extracted. These parameters are normally extracted using actual exposure results and calculation results. Further, the proximity effect correction of the objective pattern is performed using the thus obtained parameters. Then, exposure through the pattern is performed according to the correction.
However, in the case of the multitiered structure, numerous combinations of the layers are possible. Therefore, a long period of time is required for a work operation of experimentally performing exposure for all the combinations and extracting a parameter using the exposure result. For example, in the case of a three-layer structure where each layer is composed of two types of materials such as a W plug and an insulating film, when changing a share of the W plug in ten ways, 10×10×10=1000 combinations of the layers are possible. Further, the number of experimental data used for extracting each parameter becomes huge depending on the types of exposure patterns, for example, depending on the share or existing range of the pattern.


A method is presented to control engine valve selection of an internal combustion engine. Electromechanical valves are selected in a manner to reduce fuel consumption and improve engine drivability.

One method to control intake and exhaust valve operation during engine operation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,514. This method provides a method of starting an engine with electromechanical valves. This method provides for an injection sequence for the cylinders that is initialized when a first crankshaft pulse is generated after generation of a first signal pulse representing crankshaft rotation through 720 degrees. The injection sequence and crankshaft position sequence correspond to the position of each cylinder, whereby the opening/closing timing of each intake valve and exhaust valve can be controlled. The cylinders are set to the exhaust stroke, suction stroke, compression stroke, and explosion stroke, respectively.
Once the above-mentioned method has set the stroke of each cylinder, timing of valve opening and closing is determined by retrieving a map based on accelerator pedal position and engine speed. Finally, a further valve timing adjustment is made to correct for air-fuel errors and valve operating conditions. Specifically, valve temperature and power supply voltage are referenced to correct valve opening and closing times.
The inventors herein have recognized that the before-mentioned approach can have several disadvantages. For example, the approach can adjust valve opening and closing times based on power supply voltage, but operating a valve at elevated temperatures may result in increased valve degradation. For example, insulation between valve windings may degrade if a valve is operated at elevated temperatures and with an increased amount of current. Therefore, adjusting valve timing and operating based on a temperature of a valve may be undesirable under certain circumstances. In addition, the method may not perform as desired if a valve has experienced degradation. For example, if a valve has increased or decreased impedance it may not open or close as desired.

Electromechanically actuated valve control for an internal combustion engine


A piston structure body includes: a piston that includes a through hole, an inner circumferential portion, and an outer circumferential portion, the through hole being a hole that is formed to penetrate the piston axially through a center of a first face that is an end face on one end side in an axial direction, the inner circumferential portion defining the through hole and connected to the first face, the outer circumferential portion disposed to surround the inner circumferential portion and connected to the first face; and a piston rod that is inserted through the through hole. A first end face that is an end face of the inner circumferential portion on a back face side of the first face is positioned more closely to the first face than a second end face that is an end face of the outer circumferential portion on the back face side.

In the background art, cylinder devices are used in various fields. For example, such a cylinder device has been used as a tilt cylinder mainly serving for lifting an outboard motor up above water or lifting the outboard motor down below the water, or as a trim cylinder mainly serving for changing an angle of the outboard motor below the water (for example, see PTL 1 and PTL 2).
PTL 1: JP-B-58-028159
PTL 2: JP-A-2-99494

Piston structure body and lifting device of watercraft propulsion apparatus


A metal-to-metal sealing method and apparatus for use on oil and/or gas wells, utilizes an upper seal member and a lower seal member, wherein the energizing of the seal members is staged to cause the lower seal member to become sealingly engaged. before the upper seal member becomes sealingly engaged. The seal members may have two seals of different construction; one seal is an interference type seal, and the other seal is a wedge type seal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a sealing method and apparatus for sealing an annulus between an outer surface of an oil and/or gas well tubing or casing hanger and an inner surface of a wellhead housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Oil and/or gas wells typically include one or more pipe strings extending downwardly into the earth from its surface. The strings are included one within the other and serve various purposes, such as maintaining the structural integrity of the well and for controlling fluid flow and fluid pressures within the well. A "string" is referred to as casing if there is at least one string within that string, and the innermost string is referred to as tubing.
At the wellhead, various types of wellhead members are connected and sealed to the casing and tubing and perform various functions, among which are: to support the casing and tubing from the surface; to provide means for connecting fluid conduits to the tubing as well as to the annuli defined by the tubing and the various casing strings surrounding it; and for maintaining control of the fluid pressures experienced within the wellhead. To maintain control of the often very high fluid pressures, it is necessary to provide seals between the various wellhead members and the tubing and casing. Elastomeric seals have been provided in such devices which provide a seal against the tubing and casing when the seal is pressed inwardly thereagainst. This is achieved in various devices by exerting pressure vertically against the seal causing it to expand inwardly against the tubing or casing thus to seal it off. The elastomeric seal may be urged inwardly also by pressure exerted upon its outer circumferential surface. For example, such seals have been in use for many years wherein fluid pressure is exerted in an annulus surrounding the outer diameter of the elastomeric seal thus to urge it inwardly. The annulus is connected to the exterior of the device by means of a check valve through which fluid under pressure is introduced. In some types of sealing methods, a liquid plastic under pressure is injected through the check valve for forming the seals, and thereafter the plastic hardens so that the seal is permanently maintained.
Many well operators believe that elastomeric seals may be unreliable under extremes of temperature and high pressures, which may cause them to breakdown, leading to an undesirable failure of the seal. Accordingly, metal-to-metal type seals have been adopted for use in order to overcome the foregoing temperature sensitivity problems of elastomeric materials. Various types of metal-to-metal seals have been proposed; however, they suffer from many disadvantages. Examples of such disadvantages include high setting force loads are required in order to force the seal into engagement. In many instances, complex hydraulically-operated systems are required to energize the seal, and typically include additional tools to lock the seal in the desired sealing engagement. Many metal-to-metal type seals utilize a solid wedge to force the seal into engagement with the desired surface; however, temperatures changes experienced by the wellhead and casing or tubing strings, and differential expansion and/or contraction of the various metal parts associated with such temperature changes, can cause the desired sealing to be lost. Some prior art seals permit movement of some components with respect to each other after achieving the desired sealing, whereby it is possible that undesired movement of some components can cause the seal to fail.
Some types of metal-to-metal seals seal against a tapered surface disposed on the wellhead housing and/or tubing or casing hanger. If there is longitudinal movement of either the seal or the adjacent tapered surface, which can be caused by differential expansion or contraction caused by temperature changes or changing tensile force loads on the casing or tubing, the seal may move off the tapered surface and thus destroy the desired sealing. Another disadvantage associated with many types of metal-to-metal seals is that the seals may not be subjected to an external pressure test, nor can the well operator visually determine if the desired sealing has been accomplished. Another disadvantage is that some types of metal-to-metal seals do not provide for a stored energy preload force which takes advantage of the resilience and the elastic/plastic properties of the metal used to make the seal, so as to constantly urge the seal into the desired sealing engagement with its adjacent surfaces. A further disadvantage with many metal-to-metal seals, which utilize multiple seals, is that the multiple seals are set at the same time, rather than independently of one another. It may be difficult to determine whether or not all of the multiple seals have been properly set into sealing engagement.
Accordingly, prior to the development of the present invention, there has been no single sealing method and apparatus for sealing an annulus between an outer surface of an oil and/or gas well tubing or casing hanger and an inner surface of wellhead housing which: does not require high setting force loads; does not require a complex hydraulically operated system and additional tools to lock the seal in its desired sealing engagement; does not use a solid wedge subject to differential temperature changes which could cause the seal to fail; is not sealed against a tapered sealing surface; permits an external pressure test and enables the well operator to visually determine if sealing has been accomplished; has a stored energy preload force to maintain the desired sealing; sets multiple seals independently of each other; and upon sealing becomes a relatively solid seal assembly, the various components of which are not subject to movement relative to each other. Therefore, the art has sought a sealing method and apparatus for sealing an annulus between an outer surface of an oil and/or gas well tubing or casing hanger and an inner surface of a wellhead housing which: does not require high setting force loads; does not require a complex hydraulically operated system to set the seals, and additional tools to lock the seal in the desired sealing engagement with adjacent surfaces; does not utilize a solid wedge subject to differential temperature changes which can cause the seal to fail; seals upon a straight, non-tapered sealing surface; can be tested by an external pressure test and can permit the well operator to visually determine the setting of the seal; has a stored energy preload force to constantly urge the seal into sealing engagement; sets multiple seals independent of each other; and upon sealing becomes a relatively solid assembly with its individual components not subject to movement relative to each other so as to maintain the desired sealing.

Sealing method and apparatus for wellheads


An air data probe includes a probe body including a probe wall. The probe body is formed from a first material by direct energy metal deposition. An insert is positioned in the probe wall. The insert is formed from a second material different from the first material. The insert is encapsulated in the probe wall via the direct energy metal deposition.

Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of aircraft sensors such as pitot tubes, and more particularly to ice prevention and removal from such sensors.
A pitot tube is widely used to determine airspeed of an aircraft or other vehicle, or to measure air or gas velocities in industrial applications. In particular, by measuring stagnation pressure of a fluid driven into the pitot tube, together with a measured static pressure, the airspeed of the aircraft can be determined. In certain flight conditions, the pitot tube may be subject to ice accumulation from moisture in the air. For this reason, pitot tubes are equipped with heating elements to prevent such ice accumulation. Further, in other conditions, the pitot tube may ingest ice crystals which then accumulate inside of the pitot tube and cause failure in its operation. A typical pitot tube is substantially cylindrical with an internal diameter containing the heating elements, or coils. Forward of the heating elements is a tip portion that extends radially from forward tip portion to an outer diameter of the pitot tube. An exterior of the typical tube is cylindrical along its length to the inlet. Such a tube has a large surface area of material in the tip portion forward of the heater, and is difficult to heat effectively and therefore to prevent ice accumulation thereon. Further, a large inlet diameter allows for proportionally more ice crystals to be ingested by the pitot tube. Such ingested ice crystals must be melted by the heating elements and drained from the pitot tube.

Hybrid material aircraft sensors having an encapsulated insert in a probe wall formed from a higher conductive material than the probe wall


In accordance with an embodiment, a resistive random access memory device includes a substrate, first and second wiring lines, and a storage cell. The first and second wiring lines are disposed on the substrate so as to intersect each other. The storage cell is disposed between the first and second wiring lines at the intersection of the first and second wiring lines and includes a first electrode, a resistive switching film on the first electrode, a second electrode on the resistive switching film, and a tantalum oxide (TaOx) layer. The first electrode is electrically connected to the first wiring line. The second electrode is electrically connected to the second wiring line. The tantalum oxide (TaOx) layer is disposed between the first electrode and the resistive switching film and is in contact with the resistive switching film.

In order to reduce current consumption in a resistive random access memory (hereinafter briefly referred to as a "ReRAM") a smaller value has been required as a switching current (a current necessary to shift a resistive element from a high-resistance state into a low-resistance state or to shift the resistive element from the low-resistance state into the high-resistance state). Thus, there has been needed a resistive switching film capable of a switching operation even with a several-μA-level current.

Resistive random access memory device and manufacturing method thereof


The present invention provides a monoclonal antibody displaying excellent specificity against heparan sulfate saccharide chains for the analysis of heparan sulfate saccharide chains specific to dentin. The invention also provides a method of evaluating reproductive dentin using the monoclonal antibody. The anti-heparan sulfate monoclonal antibody reacts against dentin-derived heparan sulfate and in particular the anti-heparan sulfate monoclonal antibody reacts strongly and specifically with uncalcified predentin regions. In the method of evaluating dentin, the antibody is reacted against an isolated dentin-derived sample and the reaction is used in order to evaluate the development of dentin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel monoclonal antibody binding specifically to dentin-derived heparan sulfate and to a method of evaluating dentin development (including regenerative dentin) using the monoclonal antibody.
2. Background Art
Heparan sulfate proteoglycan is present on cellular surfaces and in the extracellular matrix of animal cells and is known to play various roles in organic processes such as cellular differentiation, morphogenesis and cell adherence. Heparan sulfate proteoglycan consisted of core-protein and heparan sulfate chains. Heparan sulfate binds and modulates the activity of extracellular matrix and cell growth factors, and therefore implicates cellular proliferation, differentiation and adherence. Heparan sulfate exists in various structures resulting from modifications such as the sulfation or epimerization of a precursor having repeated disaccharide units of glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine. It is assumed that oligosaccharide chains length is enough for physiological activity. The saccharide chain length and saccharide sequence, as well as the specific position of the sulfate group are important for cellular function. Heparan sulfate displays specific molecular structure related to cellular properties and interacts with specific molecules. Heparan sulfate is thought to be involved in the metastasis of cancer since abnormalities are observed in the saccharide chain structure during diseases such as cancer and heparan sulfate is important for cellular adherence. Furthermore it has been reported that grave abnormal phenotype arise in experimental animals as a result of genetic modification of heparan sulfate synthetase. (Nagai Yoshitaka (Editor) "Sugar-Chain Science Building the Future", Kinpodo (2005))
Heparan sulfate is an important constituent of humans and animals and is modified during stages of morphogenesis or disease. Consequently, analysis of heparan sulfate extracted and isolated from organisms is considered to be an extremely effective method of evaluating a developmental stage of tissue or for diagnosing cancer. In the context of regenerative therapies which are moving towards an application stage, it has been recently suggested that tissue evaluation techniques using heparan sulfate will be useful in evaluating regenerative tissue and moreover in controlling tissue morphogenesis.
Monoclonal antibodies which bind efficiently to heparan sulfate contained in a target tissue type are extremely useful for evaluating that tissue by analyzing the characteristics of heparan sulfate and evaluating the tissue through labeling, detecting or isolating heparan sulfate in the tissue.
Although an antibody against heparan sulfate proteoglycan which binds to core protein has been produced, few antibodies which bind specifically to the saccharide chain region have been produced. Up until the present, reports of an antibody binding to heparan sulfate chain regions have been in relation to an antibody recognizing heparan sulfate produced by isolating heparan sulfate proteoglycan antigen from cells or tissue rich in heparan sulfate (JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63-52889A (1988) (JP Patent. No. 3006943) and JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2007-78705A (2007)). Furthermore a plurality of single-chain antibodies of differing specificity have been screened using a phage display method with respect to heparan sulfate extracted from tissue. (Van Kuppevelt, T. H. et al., J Biol Chem 273(21): 12960-6. (1998)).
However immunization or antibody screening in particular require a large organic sample in order to obtain a corresponding amount of purified heparan sulfate proteoglycan or heparan sulfate. For example, the production of an antibody specific to dentin-derived heparan sulfate has encountered the difficulty of purifying heparan sulfate from tissue such as tooth predentin which does not allow for simple isolation.
As discussed above, the positions of the sulfate group and the sugar chains necessary for heparan sulfate activity highly differentiate (Nakanishi, H. et al., Biochem J 288: 215-224 (1992)) in response to the tissue type, its developmental stage (Ledin, J. et al., J Biol Chem 279(41): 42732-41 (2004) and van den Born, J. et al., J Biol Chem 280(21): 20516-23 (2005)) or in specific states (disease states). Consequently, an antibody specific to heparan sulfate derived from one type of tissue will not display the same reactivity to heparan sulfate derived from another tissue type. In other words, a monoclonal antibody displaying high sensitivity against a heparan sulfate species which is characteristic of a specific region or state (disease) will be a useful tool for distinguishing those tissues or states (diseases).

Monoclonal antibody specific to dentin-derived heparan sulfate


The wave energy convertor using oscillating pendulums includes a buoyant base, a support frame mounted to the buoyant base, and a power generating assembly coupled to the support frame. A plurality of annular rails is disposed on the support frame and a reinforcement member extends diametrically across each annular rail. The power generating assembly includes a plurality of pendulum arms rotatably mounted on a central axle extending coaxially through the reinforcement members. One or more dynamos are mounted to support plates on opposite ends of the pendulum arms, and rotors extend from the dynamos to ride on the inner surface of the annular rails. Undulation of the buoyant base riding the waves of a body of water causes the pendulum arms to oscillate. Rotation of the rotors generates current, which is collected by a current collection assembly and transmitted to an onshore facility for distribution.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power generators, and particularly to a wave energy convertor using oscillating pendulums that is relatively simple in structure and produces power in an economical manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wave energy, or water-wave energy, is one of several alternative sources of energy being pursued as a viable alternative resource for conversion into useful power, such as electricity. The demand for power is relatively high, and due to dwindling resources, such as coal and fossil fuel, economic costs are also on the rise, impacting both the producers and the consumers. Conventional power plants utilizing such fuels as coal, fossil fuel, and even uranium for nuclear power plants, produce wastes that are harmful to the environment. These factors contribute to a persistent demanding need for alternative renewable energy.
Despite existing advances, there is still a need for a power generator harnessing the motion of the waves that is relatively simple and compact in construction and economical in manufacture, maintenance, and production. Thus, a wave energy convertor using oscillating pendulums solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Wave energy convertor using oscillating pendulums


A massage device has a base casing, a cover casing engaging with the base casing, a driving mechanism disposed in the base casing, at least a rotating disk, and at least a massage ball set. The driving mechanism has a motor and at least a gear disk driven by the motor. A shaft is disposed on the gear disk. The massage ball set has a main rod, a three-way frame disposed on the main rod, and three rolling balls disposed on the three-way frame. The shaft is driven by the gear disk. The rotating disk is driven by the shaft. The massage ball set is driven by the rotating disk.

The present invention relates to a massage device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a massage device which has a plurality of rolling balls.
A conventional foot massage machine has a complex mechanism. Therefore, the conventional foot massage machine is easily broken after a long period of usage.
An object of the present invention is to provide a massage device which has a plurality of rolling balls to massage a user conventiently.
Accordingly, a massage device comprises a base casing, a cover casing engaging with the base casing, a driving mechanism disposed in the base casing, at least a rotating disk, and at least a massage ball set. The cover casing has at least a through hole and an upper treading portion having a plurality of protrusions. The driving mechanism has a motor and at least a gear disk driven by the motor. A shaft is disposed on the gear disk. The rotating disk has a center aperture, and a lower collar having a lower round hole, a threaded aperture communicating with the lower round hole, and a threaded hole communicating with the center aperture of the rotating disk. The shaft is inserted in the lower round hole of the lower collar. The massage ball set has a main rod, a three-way frame disposed on the main rod, and three rolling balls disposed on the three-way frame. The main rod is inserted in the center aperture of the rotating disk. The rolling balls pass through the through hole of the cover casing. A first bolt is inserted in the threaded aperture of the lower collar. A second bolt is inserted in the threaded hole of the lower collar.


A method for encoding a binary input sequence x(0,1) to obtain a duobinary output sequence y(+1,0,-1) is provided. The duobinary coding technique always provides an output bit y.sub.k =0 when the corresponding bit x.sub.k =0; bits y.sub.k alternatively assume a logical level "+1" and "-1" whenever an input bit x.sub.k-1 =0 changes to x.sub.k =1, and the output bit y.sub.k maintains the logical level "+1" or "-1" whenever the corresponding bit x.sub.k maintains the logical level "1". A coding device for encoding a binary input sequence x(0,1) to a duobinary output sequence y(+1,0,-1) is also provided, comprising a D-type flip-flop for generating a binary switch signal. A first AND circuit receives the input sequence and the switch signal, and provides a first binary sequence a(0,1), while a second AND circuit receives the input sequence and the complement of the switch signal and provides a second binary sequence b(0,1). These first and second binary sequences are applied to a summer to obtain the output sequence y(+1,0,-1). A method for differentially driving a M-Z modulator using a virtual ground level is also provided, which reduces the peak-to-peak drive voltage by a factor of two.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to an encoding and modulation technique for communication systems, and more particularly to a duobinary coding and modulation technique for optical transmission systems.
2. Background Art
In the long haul, high bit rate optical fiber telecommunications, appropriate coding and modulation of the signal for transmission are essential. As the demand grows for bit rates of 10 Gb/s or more, certain inherent limitations of the transmitter and the fiber come into effect. One of these limitations is the chromatic dispersion, which can be relaxed if modulation bandwidth of the optical signal is reduced.

Duobinary coding and modulation technique for optical communication systems