The invention provides methods of treatment, pharmaceutical compositions, systems and kits appropriate for first line and/or adjunct therapy with antivenom using at least one active component, in some instances at least two active components and in other instances no more than two active components selected from the group consisting of a selective secretory PLA2 inhibitor (sPLA2 or PLA2 inhibitor), a metalloproteinase inhibitor, a serine protease inhibitor, antivenom, one or more acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or a nAChR agonist paired with a mAChR antagonist, a NMDA receptor antagonist and a spreading factor inhibitor to treat a subject who suffers from an envenomation, preferably at the time of envenomation and often within a period of less than about an hour after an envenomation or 6 hours after an envenomation and throughout the course of treatment at time with or without antivenom as an adjunct therapy after an envenomation by, for example, a snake or invertebrate.

Venoms are a subset of poisons with simple or complex compositions that are generally injected by fang, stinger, spine or projectile containing toxins to immobilize and kill prey or as a means of defense against predators or rivals. Venom is generally delivered to a victim by bite or insertion of a sharp body feature. Although many venoms cause only discomfort, some venoms are highly poisonous and can result in a victim's death, amputation of a limb or permanent disfigurment. Examples of venomous animals include invertebrates (e.g., black widow spiders, box jellyfish, and cone snails), fish (e.g., stonefish and other members of the family Scorpaenidae) and reptiles (e.g., snakes and beaded lizards). Notably, venomous snakebites are a major public health problem in many countries and occur on all continents except Antarctica.
There may be more than five million instances of snakebite per year worldwide, of which as many or more than 400,000 result in severe sequelae. As many as 125,000 deaths and many more permanent disabilities may result from snakebite. It is estimated that over 40,000 snakebite victims (mostly young) die each year in India. In the U.S., about 8,000 venomous snakebites occur each year, and more than 1,500 snakebites per year in Australia are from highly neuro- and hemotoxic snake envenomations despite the absence of vipers from the continent. See Alirol et al., 2010, "Snakebite in South Asia: A Review" PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 4(1): e603; and Kasturiratne et al., 2008, "The global burden of snakebite: a literature analysis and modeling based on regional estimates of envenoming and deaths," PLoS Med. 5:e218.
Variation in venom composition is a ubiquitous phenomenon in snakes and occurs both interspecifically and intraspecifically, limiting cross-reactivity of antivenoms with the venoms of snake for which their use is intended and even more so the more removed the snake is phylogenetically from the antivenom of origin. Venom variation can have severe outcomes for snakebite victims by rendering the specific antibodies found in antivenoms ineffective against heterologous toxins found in different venoms. Casewell, et al., "Medically important differences in snake venom composition are dictated by distinct postgenomic mechanisms", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.25 (2014): 9205-9210. The high variability of the composition and external structural features of snake venoms even within the same species of snake—or even the same individual snake—renders the development of broadly effective antivenoms infeasible.
Many venoms include components that interrupt acetylcholine transmission between nerve and muscle paralyzing skeletal muscles by interfering with transmission or destroying the nerve endings, themselves rendering all treatments except advanced life-support ineffective. Many venoms destroy muscle, connective tissues and skin while others cause severe and often fatal disturbances of bleeding and clotting—or combinations of all these effects (e.g. Many elapid venoms such as those of coral snakes, taipan and cobras and those of vipers such as Russell's viper, European viper and rattlesnake are commonly simultaneously hemo/cytotoxic and neurotoxic). Venoms are often complex mixtures of enzymatic and non-enzymatic toxins with different activities combining, for example, neurotoxicity with hemo- or myo-toxicity.
Although antivenoms are sometimes available, their value in treating victims can be limiting for a variety of reasons. First, venoms even within the same species of snake can vary dramatically in composition and action even within the same, individual snake based on its diet and geographical location. Snakes of the same species separated only by geography can have vastly different venom composition such that a snake species in one part of India (e.g. Daboia russelli) kills primarily by causing bleeding disturbances but in another part of India is more neurotoxic. Similarly, the venom of the European viper (e.g. Vipera berus) can vary such that in some cases the venom is more neurotoxic and in other cases cyto-hemotoxic. In North America, the rates of recurrence of signs and symptoms following initial antivenom treatment requires a higher incidence of re-treatment varying by region. In many instances, if polyvalent antivenom is not available, the snake's identity becomes important so the appropriate anti-venom can be used, but even the correct identification of the animal does not guarantee that an antivenom has been developed. In this instance, the closest matching or "paraspecific" antivenom is used as the best approximation but is frequently ineffective while incurring complications and severe financial burden.
Second, in some cases, such as for North American coral snakes (monospecific) or African snakes (polyvalent), antivenom have been taken off the market. In sub-Saharan Africa, these important commercial preparations have become scarce because manufacturers have decided to discontinue them. In 2015, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) put increased availability of snakebite treatments on its global "Wishlist" (Facebook) and worldwide news reported that much of the continent of Africa would run out of effective antivenom therapies in 2016 and stating (e.g. MSF press releases 4 and 8 Sep. 2015) "Tens of thousands of people will continue to die of snakebite unnecessarily unless the global health community takes action to ensure treatment and antivenom is made available."
Third, and perhaps most importantly, even if the venom's source has been identified and a corresponding antivenom exists, the likelihood that the victim has ready access to the anti-venom is exceedingly low or is economically unaffordable such that victims would rather risk dying than seeking expensive medical care. It has been estimated that more than 75% of deaths by snakebite occur outside the hospital setting, often in the field. Most antivenoms are readily perishable and not generally available outside of a hospital setting because of the cold chain requirements and the high rates of severe adverse reactions requiring either prophylactic or acute care management (e.g. anaphylaxis). Moreover, because venomous bites often occur in remote locations far from population centers, the victim is not likely to be able to reach a hospital in time to receive the needed treatment after symptoms have set in. Thirdly, antivenom cannot effectively penetrate through tissues already damaged by venom because the physical properties of blood clots and necrotic tissue do not allow this and antivenom can only neutralize circulating venom or that with which it comes in direct contact by other means. Antivenom is generally considered ineffective in the setting of neurotoxin-induced pathology because of its inability to penetrate peripheral and central nervous system tissues. Rather, life-support measures such as mechanical ventilation save these patients in most cases. The invention can reduce ICU costs and decrease the overall cost of care to individuals and society by reducing the need for these interventions and can be used as first-line therapy for snakebite by any route of administration alone, co-adminstered or co-formulated with other known interventions such as antivenom.
In addition to antivenom, complementary approaches have been tried to manage snakebite. The acetylcholinesterase inhibitor edrophonium has been administered intraveneously for management of snakebite (Warrell et al., 1983, "Severe neurotoxic envenoming by the Malayan krait Bungarus candidus (Linnaeus): response to antivenom and anticholinesterase," Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 286(6366):678-80; Watt et al., 1986, "Positive response to edrophonium in patients with neurotoxic envenoming by cobras (Naja naja philippinensis). A placebo-controlled study" N Engl J Med. 315(23):1444-8; and Currie et al., 1988, "Resolution of neurotoxicity with anticholinesterase therapy in death-adder envenomation. Med. J. Aust. 148:522-525). Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors (MPIs) and phospholipase A2 inhibitors (PLAI2) have been proposed as potential therapies, but effective, broad-spectrum examples have not been identified Villalta-Romero et al. ACS Med Chem Lett 2012, 3, 540-543 and Marcusi et al. Snake venom phospholipase A2 inhibitors. Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, 2007.
Versatile antivenom snakebite therapies have proven elusive since the outer structures of venomous molecules are highly variable and are known to present a difficult and inefficient target for antivenom. Even more elusive has been the development of pharmacological snakebite therapies with either specific or broad-spectrum efficacy for snakebite envenomation. Thus, there is a clear, unmet need for effective and economical snakebite therapies that can be given in timely fashion. The high cost of antivenom and treatment of snakebite, generally, meets the World Health Organization's definition of a "catastrophic healthcare expense" and because of the limited efficacy of current snakebite treatments- and anticipated financial ruin. Thus the decision to be treated or not to be treated for snakebite poses a dilemma whatever the victim decides to do resulting in often deadly or disabling indecision. Further, many governments are unable or are reluctant to subsidize the production of therapies that are perceived as ineffective and outdated or seek low cost, ineffective antivenoms causing pharmaceutical companies to withdraw from marketing more effective but expensive antivenoms. Traditional serum derived antivenom cannot be safely administered outside of the hospital. An affordable, broad-spectrum, first line antidote to snakebite would have an immediate positive impact on the health of millions of people who are at risk of suffering life and limb-threatening snakebites.

Envenomation therapies and related pharmaceutical compositions, systems and kits


Embodiments of a human-powered bumper car are shown and described, each embodiment allowing the occupant of the car to power the car's movement on a surface with his/her feet. Preferably, no motor, fuel, electricity, or pedal mechanism are needed, and no moving parts are needed except for the wheel assemblies and a seat belt. The bottom of the car has an opening which allows the occupant's feet to reach through the car to the ground. The bumper of the car encircles the car and is typically raised up slightly above the elevation of the driver's seat. The resulting distribution of mass of the car and its occupant results in a safe and fun bumper car that is not prone to leaving its stable, horizontal orientation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to amusement vehicles such as bumper cars. More specifically, this invention relates to a bumper car which is human-powered and which is adapted for stable, not-tipping performance upon impact with other bumper cars and surfaces. The invented design provides a stable and safe bumper car, maneuverable by the driver's feet.
2. Related Art
One and two-person bumper cars have been designed for carnivals and other amusement centers. Many of the bumper cars seen at carnivals operate on an electrically-conductive floor underneath an electrically-conductive ceiling, by means of an electric motor and drive wheels. Other bumper cars are gas-powered, with combustion-engine-powered wheels or tracks. A popular design is to include a blower that creates an air "cushion" underneath the car, in order to give a feeling of floating and to reduce the frictional resistence to movement of the car. The conventional bumper car, therefore, is a motorized vehicle, with the driver typically steering the vehicle by means of a hand-operated steering wheel and accelerating the vehicle by means of a motorcycle-style hand-grip or an automobile-style foot-pedal. The occupant(s) of conventional bumper cars sit inside the car without contacting anything outside the car, and, especially, without contacting the floor or other surface upon which the car operates.
Conventional bumper cars feature a bumper that is low-to-the-ground, and a chair that is high up above the bumper. Typically, the bumper is about a 2-6 inch thick rubber pad surrounding the base of the car, that is, the structure that rests on or within an inch or two of the floor or ground. The chair or other seating for the occupant(s) typically sits well above the padded base of the car, to leave room between the occupant and the base of the car for the motor and other drive equipment. Thus, the horizontal seat is typically 11/2-3 feet above the bottom of the car, and leaving room for the occupant'(s) legs and feet above a passenger compartment floor, and leaving room under the compartment floor to house the motor and drive equipment. Therefore, many conventional bumper cars have a structure that may be likened to a chair or car sitting on top of a thick pad or cushion or on top of a thick padded platform. See, for example, Eyerly (U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,301, issued Apr. 13, 1982) and Reverchon (U.S. Pat. No. Design 250,550 and Design Pat. No. 267,185). Eyerly shows a low-to-the-floor bumper supporting a high-sitting chair. Reverchon discloses bumper car designs reminiscent of personal water-craft or snowmobile bodies sitting on top of pads. Therefore, it may be said that conventional bumper cars are designed for motor-driven movement along a flat surface, with the driver steering and accelerating generally conventional vehicle controls from a seat atop the car.
Alternative styles of bumpers may be viewed in patent literature relating to infant walkers, which hold a child above the ground and protect the woodwork and walls from marring and chipping. See, for example, Danna (U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,138), Ishida (U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,756), Ku (U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,392), and Gerken (U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,242). These baby walkers feature a sling-seat for suspending the baby high in the walker, to approximate the baby standing and walking on its own. The bumpers of these walkers is only about 1-3 inches above the floor, in order to safely bump into baseboards and door jambs.
Other infant/toddler devices feature foot-powered locomotion. For example, some toddler "cars" feature an open bottom through which the child extends his/her feet to push the car around on the floor. One example is the Super Car.TM., made by Today's Kids of the U.S.A. Such toys are molded plastic, automobile-shaped bodies without any significant bumper structure. Because these toys are designed to go generally straight forward or straight backward, the wheels of these cars include at least two wheels which only rotate on their axles, but do not swivel in castor-style.
What is still needed is an amusing bumper car for adults and teenagers. What is needed is a bumper car that is allows the driver to be more in-control of the car and to feel more like a player or combatant in a game, rather than a relatively passive rider on a carnival ride. What is still needed is a safe and enviromnentally-friendly bumper car that may be operated in many venues, such as mall parking lots, charity and school festivals, and small-business environments, without fear of accidents during set-up or operation.


A super steam turbine (100) into which high-temperature steam of 650° C. or more is introduced is provided with an inner steam pipe (120) which is disposed through an inner casing (110) and an outer casing (111), an outer steam pipe (130) which is welded to the outer casing (111) and disposed outside of the inner steam pipe (120) along the inner steam pipe (120) with a prescribed space therebetween, and a radiation heat shielding pipe (140) which is disposed along the inner steam pipe (120) between the inner steam pipe (120) and the outer steam pipe (130) to face a welded portion of at least the outer steam pipe (130), wherein cooling steam (160) is flown between the inner steam pipe (120) and the outer steam pipe (130), respective component parts are made of a suitable heat-resisting steel having prescribed chemical composition ranges.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steam inlet portion of a steam turbine into which high-temperature steam flows as a working fluid, and more particularly to a steam turbine which has its respective component parts made of a suitable heat-resisting steel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Energy saving of the thermal power plant is being performed vigorously after the energy crisis, and technology for suppression of the emission of CO2 has being attracting attention in view of the global environmental protection in these years. As part of it, needs for a highly efficient plant are increasing.
To increase power generation efficiency of the steam turbine, it is very effective to raise the turbine steam temperature to a high level, and the thermal power plant having the steam turbine has its steam temperature raised to 600° C. or more in these years. There is a tendency that the steam temperature will be increased to 650° C., and further to 700° C. in future.
In a case where the steam turbine having high-temperature steam of exceeding 650° C. as a working fluid has its respective portions formed of the same materials as the conventional materials, the steam turbine cannot withstand the high-temperature steam of exceeding 650° C., and it is necessary to use a heat-resisting material for the portions which are exposed to the high-temperature steam or to cool such portions. Besides, it is necessary to connect a turbine casing and a steam pipe at a turbine inlet portion through which the high-temperature steam is introduced into the steam turbine, but the turbine casing and the steam pipe are sometimes formed of different materials at such a portion. If materials having a large difference in coefficient of linear expansion are used to form the turbine casing and the steam pipe, there is a drawback that a large thermal stress is generated in the material-welded portion as a steam temperature increases.
Here, as the materials for the outer casing of a conventional 600° C. class steam turbine, there were used, for example, a cast steel which contained C: 0.05 to 0.15, Si: 0.3 or less, Mn: 0.1 to 1.5, Ni: 1.0 or less, Cr: 9 or more and less than 10, V: 0.1 to 0.3, Mo: 0.6 to 1.0, W: 1.5 to 2.0, Co: 1.0 to 4.0, Nb: 0.02 to 0.08, B: 0.001 to 0.008, N: 0.005 to 0.1, Ti: 0.001 to 0.03 and the balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, and a heat-resisting cast steel which contained C: 0.12 to 0.18, Si: 0.2 to 0.6, Mn: 0.5 to 0.9, Cr: 1.0 to 1.5, Mo: 0.9 to 1.2, V: 0.2 to 0.35, Ti: 0.01 to 0.04 and the balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, and the unavoidable impurities were suppressed to P: 0.02 or less, S: 0.012 or less, Al: 0.01 or less, Ni: 0.5 or less and Cu: 0.35 or less. And, as a piping material, for example, there was used a heat-resisting steel which contained C: 0.08 to 0.12, Si: 0.2 to 0.5, Mn: 0.3 to 0.6, Cr: 8.0 to 9.5, Mo: 0.85 to 1.05, V: 0.18 to 0.25, Nb: 0.06 to 0.10, N: 0.03 to 0.07, and the balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, and the unavoidable impurities were suppressed to P: 0.02 or less, S: 0.01 or less and Al: 0.04 or less. And, the material for the outer casing and the piping material were connected to configure the steam inlet portion of the steam turbine. The piping material is a material corresponding to HI STPA28 described in Interpretation-classified Table 1 of Codes for Thermal Power Generation Facilities.
To suppress the generation of a large thermal stress in the above described welded portion, to secure the strength in the welded portion between the steam pipe and the turbine casing and to prevent high-temperature oxidation, it is general to apply materials not having a large difference in coefficient of thermal expansion to the turbine casing and the steam pipe or to lower the temperatures of the materials by cooling the circumference of the welded portion with low-temperature steam as described in, for example, JP-A Hei 8-277703 (KOKAI), JP-A Hei 6-137110 (KOKAI), JP-A Hei 9-32506 (KOKAI), JP-A Hei 11-229817 (KOKAI) and JP-A 2001-65308 (KOKAI).
For example, as a conventional steam turbine employing a manner of lowering the temperature of the materials by cooling the circumference of the welded portion, a low Cr steel can be used for a steam turbine, into which steam at a level of 593° C. flows, by flowing cooling steam to the steam inlet portion as described in, for example, JP-A Hei 8-277703 (KOKAI). Technology of enhancing the cooling effect by producing a swirl flow of cooling steam is also as described in, for example, JP-A Hei 11-229817 (KOKAI) and JP-A 2001-65308 (KOKAI).
It is expected that the steam turbine which is installed in the thermal power system has a tendency to have higher temperatures of main steam and reheated steam in order to obtain high power generation efficiency in the future. For example, in a case where a steam turbine in which a steam temperature exceeds 650° C. is realized using the same material as those of a related art for the individual portions of the steam turbine, the steam turbine cannot withstand the high-temperature steam. Therefore, it is advisable to use heat-resisting materials such as a Ni-base alloy and an austenitic material as the materials for the steam turbine, but if such heat-resisting materials are applied to all the component parts of the steam turbine, the production cost becomes high. Besides, it is hard to produce integrally large products such as the turbine casing and the turbine rotor from the above heat-resisting materials.
In view of the above circumstances, it is desirable to suppress the applicable scope of the heat-resisting materials to the necessity minimum, and there is used a method that the heat-resisting materials are applied to only the portions exposed to high-temperature steam of 650° C. or more among the steam turbine component parts, the conventional materials are applied to the other portions, and they are connected. Thus, there can be adopted a method that the Ni-based alloy is used as the steam pipe material for the steam inlet portion for guiding the high-temperature steam to the steam turbine, and the conventional material is used for the other portions as much as possible. But, in a case where the above method is adopted, there is a drawback that a large thermal stress is produced in the welded portion between the steam pipe material and the material for the other portions with the increase of the metal temperatures if a difference in coefficient of linear expansion is large between them.


The present invention is to provide a PLC device having noise detecting and filtering functions, which includes a power receiving port having one end connected to a power supply unit for receiving a power signal and a network signal; a noise filtering circuit having one end connected to the other end of the power receiving port for filtering noise of the power signal passing therethrough; a power output port connected between the other end of the noise filtering circuit and a load; a noise detecting circuit having two ends connected to a line between the first filtering unit and power receiving port and a line between the first filtering unit and power output port, respectively; and a processing unit connected to a line between the first filtering unit and power receiving port for receiving the network signal from the noise detecting circuit and transmitting the same to a network apparatus.

With the increasingly extensive use of network technologies, a great variety of networking devices have been developed to suit user needs. For example, one who needs frequent use of broadband services may require an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) modem coupled to a central office (CO) line or a cable modem coupled to a TV signal cable in order to make Internet connection. As wireless network technologies gradually mature, cable-based broadband Internet connection has given way to the wireless version by degrees, not only because the latter can be implemented with far less cables than required in the former, but also because one who has made such wireless connection through an electronic device is allowed to move about freely. However, despite the huge convenience it brings to network applications, wireless broadband Internet connection has such drawbacks as low data security and high susceptibility to interruption. To overcome these drawbacks while maintaining the advantage of not requiring additional network cables, the power line communication (PLC) technology was devised and is now available for use. Generally speaking, a power line networking device is advantageous over modems and like networking devices in that it does not require extra cabling, provides wide network coverage, allows easy connection, and has high data rate. In fact, a power line networking device relies on no more than a household power line to make broadband Internet connection. Therefore, a client end only has to plug a power line networking device into a wall socket, and broadband Internet connection can be established directly through the power line; in other words, there is no need for a broadband network service provider to install additional wires at the client end.
As its name suggests, power line communication uses existing power lines in a building to transmit network signals. In order to apply PLC technology, PLC devices (e.g., network bridges) are required, which are connected to power line sockets at different locations to convert network signals and thereby enable transmission of network signals via power lines. Now that power lines are essential to each building, using power lines as the backbone medium for network transmission not only spares the trouble of cable distribution, but also reduces the cost and time of installation. Also, the integrity of the interior design of a building need not be compromised. In a nutshell, PLC is an ideal solution to the aforesaid problems. However, as a power line is designed solely as a power-supplying medium in the first place and is not configured for high-quality signal transmission, the voltage carried by a power line will fluctuate with the load of the electronic device being powered or even generate electromagnetic radiation. The electronic device being powered may also generate noise. All the foregoing interferes with network signals. A minor interference can lower the quality of network signal transmission; a significant interference, on the other hand, can damage network signals completely. One solution to the noise interference problem is to install a filter in a PLC device, so as for the filter to filter out noise in the power line. Nevertheless, since not all electronic devices generate a high level of noise, one who has bought a PLC device equipped with a filter can never know if the filter provides the expected filtering effect, or which electronic device should the PLC device be connected to in order to filter out the strongest source of noise.
To effectively solve the problems stated above, the inventor of the present invention developed a PLC device switchable between noise detecting and filtering functions. This PLC device, as shown in FIG. 1, not only can effectively detect noise generated by various electronic devices, but also can filter out the noise detected, thereby increasing the quality of a network environment. Referring to FIG. 1, the PLC device 1 includes a power receiving port 11, a filtering unit 12, a power output port 13, a switching unit 14, and a processing unit 15. The power receiving port 11 has one end connected to a power supply unit 10 in order to receive a power signal transmitted from the power supply unit 10 and a network signal carried by the power signal. The filtering unit 12 has a first end connected to the opposite end of the power receiving port 11. The switching unit 14 includes a first connecting end A1, a second connecting end A2, and a control end A0. The first connecting end A1 is connected to the first end of the filtering unit 12, the second connecting end A2 is connected to a second end of the filtering unit 12, and the control end A0 is switchable into conduction with only the first connecting end A1 or only the second connecting end A2. The power output port 13 has one end connected to the control end A0 and the opposite end connected to a load L. The processing unit 15 is connected to the first end of the filtering unit 12 and includes a bridge module 151, a detection module 152, and a display module 153. Once the control end A0 is switched into conduction with the first connecting end A1, the bridge module 151 receives the network signal transmitted from the power receiving port 11. Once the control end A0 of the switching unit 14 is switched into conduction with the second connecting end A2 instead, the filtering unit 12 can filter out the noise generated in the power signal by the load L.
More specifically, in the state in which the control end A0 has been switched into conduction with the first connecting end A1, both the power output port 13 and the processing unit 15 are connected to the first end of the filtering unit 12 such that the filtering unit 12 is unable to filter out the noise generated by the load L. The detection module 152 in this state receives the power signal from the load end, detects the level of the noise generated in the power signal by the load L, and shows the current noise level. Conversely, in the state in which the control end A0 of the switching unit 14 has been switched into conduction with the second connecting end A2, the power output port 13 and the processing unit 15 are connected via the filtering unit 12, thus allowing the filtering unit 12 to filter out the noise generated in the power signal by the load L. Therefore, after receiving the power signal transmitted from the power receiving port 11, the bridge module 151 can correctly obtain, by conversion, the network signal carried by the power signal and then delivers the network signal to an external network apparatus either through a physical connecting line or wirelessly. When it is desired to lay out a power line network in a place where there are a plurality of electronic apparatuses, the control end A0 of the switching unit 14 can be switched into connection with the second connecting end A2, and then the PLC device 1 is sequentially connected to each electronic apparatus. By doing so, the level of the noise generated by each electronic apparatus during operation can be known. The PLC device 1 is eventually applied to the electronic apparatus generating the highest level of noise, with the control end A0 switched into connection with the first connecting end A1 in order to filter out the strongest source of noise in that place.
The PLC device 1 described above can effectively enhance noise filtering, thus greatly increasing the practical value of the conventional PLC devices in general. However, as the PLC device 1 is so designed as to allow passage of the power signal and the network signal (and the noise generated in the power signal by the load L), the switching unit 14 must be a high current resistant element if the path of the power signal and the network signal is controlled solely by the switching unit 14; otherwise, the switching unit 14 cannot withstand the high current of the power signal. Generally speaking, high current resistant elements are both costly and bulky. Using a high current resistant element as the switching unit 14 not only raises the production cost of the PLC device 1, but also hinders product miniaturization.
Hence, while the inventor of the present invention has devised a practical PLC device featuring excellent performance in application, the spirit of constant pursuit of perfection has driven the inventor to make further efforts and improve the existing design from the perspective of production. The issue to be addressed by the present invention is to bring about PLC device optimization and enable the foregoing PLC device 1 to use a low current resistant element as the switching unit 14, thereby effectively downsize the finished product and greatly reduce production cost.

Power line communication device with noise detecting and filtering functions


The invention is concerned with a process for removing residue comprising a polymeric resist and metal oxide from a metal structure on a semiconductor substrate, the process comprising the steps of: (a) heating up the substrate with the metal structure in the presence of molecular nitrogen gas (N2); (b) a stabilization step in the presence of pure molecular nitrogen gas (N2); (c) a passivation step employing a plasma containing at least one of the group of water, nitrogen and oxygen; and (d) a stripping step containing oxygen to remove the residue, comprising resist.

In semiconductor chips such as DRAM (dynamic random access memory) chips metal structures (e.g., aluminium lines) are used to electrically connect devices on those chips.
The metal structures for semiconductor chips are formed by first depositing the metal with, e.g., a chemical or physical vapor deposition process, on a substrate. Then a polymeric resist material is placed on the metal layer, which is then patterned through lithographic processes.
After the patterning, some of the resist material is removed so that the remaining resist material forms a mask for the following etching of the metal layer. Typical etching chemistries for plasma etching, e.g., for aluminium layers, employ halogen containing etching materials, like BCl3, BCl3/Cl2 or Br and F-containing gases. In general metal layers are etched by halogen containing plasmas.
After the etching of the metal layer, the remaining residue, containing resist with aluminium oxide, is removed by a dry stripping step usually followed by a wet clean process involving commercial or proprietary solutions. Further the residue can also contain silicon (incorporated from the SiO2 layer below the metal layer) and chlorine (which if of sufficient concentration can initiate corrosion of the amphoteric metal lines). Hence the semiconductor substrate can be further processed.
The processing outlined above is described, e.g., in the book by S. A. Campbell "The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication", Oxford University Press, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.
One problem of this known processing is that the residue, containing the polymeric resist with complex aluminium oxide, is difficult to remove in the stripping step without damaging the metal lines, especially aluminium lines. Also, at low dimensional technology nodes (e.g. 90 nm or lower) the use of DUV resist is preferred which can lead to increased sidewall residue thicknesses and reduced strip effectivity.
It is known, e.g., from U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,289 ('289 patent) to strip the polymeric resist and other residues with a plasma containing oxygen and an oxygen activating gas such as CF4 or N2. But as is mentioned in the prior art document, those steps are sometimes ineffective. A passivation step is used to reduce post-etch corrosion problems in the metal lines. The solution described in the '289 patent utilizes a multicycle process of the stripping and passivation steps to improve the removal of the polymeric resist. This makes the process more complex. The '289 patent is incorporated herein by reference.
Furthermore, experience has shown that such known methods are ineffective when the residue has a high metal oxide concentration, e.g., a high aluminium oxide concentration.

Process for removing a residue from a metal structure on a semiconductor substrate


A circuit board fastening structure includes a seat, a fastening plate movably mounted onto the seat, and a circuit board. Anchoring members are provided to confine the circuit board. The seat has a detent wall to anchor a detent member located on the fastening plate so that the fastening plate and the circuit board may be coupled and anchored securely.

With the rapid development of technology, electronic devices are widely used by people in all walks of life. An electronic device generally includes one or more circuit boards to execute different functions, such as computers, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, personal music players, mobile phones and the like. Now many electronic devices have become household articles for everyday use.
In general, the circuit board is fastened to the chassis of an electronic device with screws. This is the most commonly used approach, but is also the most time-consuming for assembly.
Some alternative methods have been developed to fasten the circuit board to the chassis of the electronic device. For instance, latching elements are commonly used. They are inserted into apertures of the circuit board to brace and anchor the circuit board.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,833,480, 5,754,412, and 6,071,131 also disclose related fastening structures. They have at least one bracing portion to hold the circuit board and a latch portion to couple with installation apertures on the circuit board. The bracing portion and the latch portion are spaced at a distance equal to the thickness of the circuit board so that the circuit board can be fastened without shaking.


A device and a method for folding a print substrate web is disclosed. The device has devices for quarter folding and for cross-cutting the print substrate web for severing individual products as well as devices for cross folding. As viewed in the transport direction of the products, an arrangement for dividing the product stream is provided after a second quarter folding device, the arrangement conveying the successive products to a first and a second conveyor belt in an alternating manner.

The invention relates to a device and a method for folding a print substrate web.
It is generally known when producing printed products to print individual pages on a print substrate web using a web-fed rotary printing press and then to put them into the desired page sequence by quarter folding and cross folding as well as to sever the individual products from the print substrate web by cross cutting the print substrate web.
In the process, after being printed in printing units, the print substrate web is cut into partial webs by slitting, which are put on top of each other in a generally known manner and quarter folded using formers. Afterwards, the individual printed products are severed from the print substrate web by cross cutting and cross folded once or multiple times in a folder, i.e., offset at a right angle to the aforementioned quarter fold. The printed products may be transported via tape guides in a known manner to a further folding device, which executes a further, i.e., a second, quarter fold. Then the printed products may be delivered via a fan wheel onto a delivery conveyor in a shingle-like manner.
Furthermore, web-fed rotary printing presses having so-called double circumference plate cylinders are generally known, whose circumference provides double the printing length as compared to conventional impression cylinders. These types of double circumference plate cylinders are able to produce two identical printed products with one revolution of the impression cylinder with so-called double production. However, it is also possible on such a double circumference plate cylinder to arrange different printed images, i.e., printed products. Then one Product A and one Product B with a different content than Product A are printed with every revolution of the impression cylinder.
The object of the invention is creating a novel device for folding a print substrate web.
A folding device according to the invention allows successive different printed products of a web-fed rotary printing press having double circumference plate cylinders to be divided especially advantageously into two separate product streams. Separating the different printed products (A and B products) is possible in the case of a folding device according to the invention with only one second quarter fold device. In other words, in the case of a folding device according to the invention, the investment in a second apparatus for executing a second quarter fold ("third fold") is saved.
Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the dependent claims in conjunction with the description.
The invention will be explained in greater detail in the following based on the associated schematic drawings as follows.

Device and method for folding a print substrate web


A method includes determining weights corresponding to each of a plurality of antennas used to transmit data signals, each weight suitable to modify a corresponding one of the data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the antennas; and transmitting information corresponding to at least one of the weights, the information allowing at least the at least one weight to be determined. Another method includes receiving information corresponding to at least one of a plurality of weights, the plurality of weights corresponding to a plurality of first antennas used to transmit first data signals, where each weight was used to modify a corresponding one of the first data signals prior to transmission using a corresponding one of the first antennas; using the received information, determining the plurality of weights corresponding to the plurality of first antennas; and using at least the plurality of weights; and decoding second data signals received using a plurality of second antennas to create at least one output signal.

The following abbreviations, at least some of which appear in the description below, are defined as follows:
3GPPThird Generation Partnership ProjectBSBase StationBTSBase Transceiver StationCLMClosed loop transmit diversity modeCSIChannel state information (the equivalent to CQI inEUTRAN)CQIChannel quality informationDLDownlinkDPCHDedicated Physical ChannelEUTRANEvolved UTRANFBIFeedback InformationF-DPCHFractional Dedicated Physical ChannelHSDPAHigh Speed Downlink Packet AccessHS DPCCHHigh Speed Dedicated Physical Control ChannelHS DSCHHigh Speed Downlink Shared ChannelHS SCCHHigh Speed Shared Control ChannelMIMOMultiple Input, Multiple OutputNode BBase stationOFDMOrthogonal Frequency Division DuplexSRBSignaling Radio BearerUEUser EquipmentULUplinkUMTSUniversal Mobile Telecommunications System C304UTRA FDDUMTS Terrestrial Radio Access-Frequency DivisionDuplexUTRANUMTS Terrestrial Radio Access NetworkWCDMAWideband Code Division Multiple Access
The DL packet data transmission in UTRA FDD (WCDMA) is a feature included in Release 5 specifications (HSDPA) and is further enhanced in Release 6 with the support of fractional DPCH (F DPCH), and with the support of SRB mapping on the HS DSCH.
Currently there is development work proceeding for Release 7. One HSDPA feature that is of most concern to this invention is relates to the transmit and receive sub-systems of the Node-B and the UE.

Apparatus, method and computer program product providing closed loop transmit antenna operation for systems using multiple antennas


An interpolator testing system and method comprises an interpolator that includes a phase shift module. The phase shift module receives a reference clock signal and generates M clock signals having phase shifts in increments of 360/M degrees relative to the reference clock signal. A phase select module receives the reference clock signal and a recovered clock signal during a normal mode and generates a select signal based on a comparison of the reference clock signal and the recovered clock signal during the normal mode. A selector receives the M clock signals and outputs one of the M clock signals as the recovered clock signal based on the select signal. A recovered clock counter counts an attribute of the recovered clock signal during a test mode. The phase select module sequentially selects the M clock signals N times during the test mode.

Data communications devices such as Ethernet network devices typically include a serializer/deserializer (SERDES) device. SERDES devices include a serializer that converts a parallel data stream into serial data stream on a transmit side. The SERDES also include a deserializer that converts a serial data stream into a parallel data stream on a receive side. The serial data stream that is generated by the SERDES includes an embedded clock signal. Circuits associated with the deserializer recover the embedded clock signal.
Referring to FIG. 1, a data communications device 10 includes a SERDES device 12 that receives and sends parallel data with another device 14, such as a medium access control (MAC) device, a physical layer (PHY) device and/or other suitable devices. The SERDES device 12 includes a serializer device 16 and a deserializer device 18. The serializer device 16 receives a parallel data stream from the device 14 and converts the parallel data stream into a serial data stream. The deserializer device 18 receives a serial data stream and converts the serial data stream into a parallel data stream. The deserializer device 18 outputs the parallel data stream to the device 14 for processing.
A clock generator 20 generates a reference clock signal. For example, the clock generator 20 may include an crystal oscillator (XOSC). A phase-locked loop (PLL) device 22 and the serializer 16 receive a reference clock signal 24 from the clock generator 20. The PLL device 22 includes an interpolator device 25, which adjusts the phase of the reference clock signal 24 to match a recovered clock signal in the received serial data stream.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the SERDES device 12 is usually tested following manufacture and/or during use to verify proper operation. For example, the parallel data stream that is recovered by a deserializer device 18 may be required to have a minimum number of errors when a test signal is transmitted to the deserializer device 18. An automatic testing equipment (ATE) system 32 is typically employed to test the SERDES device 12. The ATE system 32 generates the test signal that is output to the serializer 16. The output of the serializer device 16 is looped back to the deserializer device 18 and is compared to the test signal. If the two sufficiently match, the SERDES 12 passes the test. If not, the SERDES 12 fails the test.
The exemplary ATE system 32 includes a data generator 34 that communicates with a data checker 36. The data generator 34 generates the parallel test signal and outputs the parallel test signal to the serializer device 16. The serializer device 16 converts the parallel test signal into a serial data stream. The output of the serializer device 16 is looped back to the input of the deserializer device 18. The deserializer device 18 converts the serial data stream into a recovered parallel data stream.
The data checker 36 receives the recovered parallel data stream and compares the recovered parallel data stream with the parallel test data signal from the data generator 34 to verify proper operation of the SERDES device 12. The data generator 34 and the data checker 36 may also be included in a built-in self-test module in the SERDES device 12, which may be utilized to test the SERDES device 12.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the interpolator device 25 communicates with the deserializer device 18 and includes a phase select module 50, a phase shift module 52 and a phase selector 54. The phase shift module 52 receives the reference clock signal 24 and generates M clock signals that are offset in phase by 360/M degrees. One of the M clock signals is selected as a recovered clock signal 55. The phase select module 50 receives the recovered clock signal 55 and the reference clock signal 24 and generates a select signal 56, which selects one of the M clock signals. The M clock signals that are output by the phase shift module 52 are input to the phase selector 54, which receives the select signal 56 from said phase select module 50.
The phase select module 50 detects when signal drift occurs and adjusts the select signal 56 to advance or delay a phase of the recovered clock signal 55. The select signal 56 selects a specific phase-shifted copy of the reference clock signal 24 that is output by the selector 54 so that the reference clock signal 24 and the recovered clock signal 55 are synchronized.
The ATE system 32 tests the SERDES device 12 under simulated conditions. However, one important function of the deserializer device 18 is clock recovery. During normal operations, the deserializer device 18 synchronizes the recovered clock signal in the serial data stream with the reference clock signal. Since the output of the serializer device 16 is looped back to the deserializer device 18, the interpolator device 25 is not tested sufficiently. In other words, the serializer device 16 is frequency-locked with the deserializer device 18. If there is a manufacturing defect in the interpolator device 25 or in the phase shift module 52 that generate copies of the reference clock signal, the testing by the ATE system 32 will not detect these errors.


A round bale wrapping mechanism that employs a second roll of wrapping material that is mounted adjacent an active roll. The second roll is powered by an electric clutch that allows a belt drive connected between the first roll and the second roll to rotate the second roll of wrapping material. The wrapping material on the second roll thus feeds onto the wrapping material being fed from the active roll and if fed through the wrapping mechanism onto the bale before the active roll is exhausted of wrapping material.

The present invention relates generally to round balers with net wrapping capabilities, and more particularly to a net wrapping mechanism for a round baler that self-threads a new roll of wrapping material as the initial roll is consumed.
In the crop packaging industry, generally a smaller part of the cattle/dairy industry, round balers have become quite prevalent for their capability of producing a conveniently sized cylindrical bale, very often automatically wrapped with a sheeting material such as net or film. Prior art round balers generally have a bale-forming chamber defined by an apron comprising an array of side-by-side belts, a plurality of rolls or a combination of these various elements, e.g., rolls and belts. Crop material, such as hay, is picked up from the ground as the baler travels across the field, and is fed into a fixed or expandable chamber where it is rolled up to form a compact cylindrical hay package. While still inside the bale-forming chamber in its compacted form, the outer surface of the package is wrapped with twine or other wrapping material, such as film or net, prior to ejection of the wrapped bale from the chamber onto the ground for subsequent handling. The wrapping mechanisms generally dispense wrapping material from a roll, and have a location for a stored roll, but in order to use the stored roll, the operator must stop the machine and manually load and thread the second roll.
Common practice has the baler wrap the bales with twine, net-like or continuous plastic sheeting. With twine, the bale is wrapped back and forth from side-to-side as the bale is turned, from a single dispensing mechanism, or back and forth from middle-to-side as the bale is turned, from dual dispensing mechanisms with twine numerous times, the twine "gripping" the crop material and prior wrappings of twine adequately to hold the package together in a process often referred to as "tying". Net wrap is generally made of a woven or extruded polymer with the appearance of a fish net, generally equal in width to the bale being formed, with regular openings therethrough and is overlapped on itself to hold the package together. An adhesive may be used to improve the holding power of the net wrap. Plastic wrap, or film, is a generally continuous sheet of plastic, also generally the width of the bale being formed, with a somewhat adhesive surface that grips itself when overlapped and the crop material to form the package.
Replacing a sheet roll on current round balers generally requires a substantial amount of work. First, the operator must remove the empty roll and carry a full roll from the storage box to the wrapper assembly. After installing the full roll into the wrapper assembly, the operator must thread the end of the roll around spreader rolls and through the duckbill, or similar, dispensing assembly. The process takes an experienced operator about five minutes, and would be done once or twice during a normal baling day. While this amount of time is small, any improvements made to this reloading cycle will help reduce operator fatigue and stress, and as such will offer significant marketing advantage over competitive units.
It would be a great advantage to provide a self-threading capability to a round baler wrapping mechanism that overcomes the above-identified problems and disadvantages.


Live streaming video content is processed and stored for real-time delivery of the content, future VoD viewing of the content, and time-shifted viewing of the content, by manipulating a common manifest or playlist. Previously stored content may be reordered and/or recombined in order to provide a personalized content viewing experience.

This invention relates in general to over-the-top (OTT) media delivery.
One known technique for OTT media delivery employs segmentation of media objects and the use of playlists or "manifests" by clients (or their proxies) to retrieve the segments in an ordered manner for local client playback of the media object. Among other benefits, segment-based delivery can more easily be provided by general-purpose and widely implemented network protocols such as HTTP, avoiding various costs and complexities that accompany more specialized media delivery protocols.

Rendering content for personal over-the-top network video recorder


A method of diagnosing and determining the disease stage of a degenerative disease of the central nervous system associated with the impairment of integrative brain function is disclosed. The method includes the steps of (a) measuring a cytokine production level of peripheral mononuclear cells from a peripheral blood sample and (b) determining the disease stage by comparing the level determined in step (a) with a level generated by age-matched normal controls.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the onset of which occurs mainly in the later years of life, is a neurodegenerative disease causing progressive dementia.
In AD, neuropathologic examination of the brain reveals in most patients the presence of neuritic plaques, abnormal neurites, and neurofibrillary tangles containing paired helical filaments composed of cross-linked polypeptides that are especially prominent in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal formation. The mechanism of progression of the disease is unknown. The phenotype heterogeneity of the disease makes diagnosis difficult and definite diagnoses can be made only after detection of characteristic pathological changes such as neurofibrilla tangles and neuritic plaques..sup.1 Different etiologies have been attributed to AD, one of which has a possible immunological basis..sup.15
The role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease has been widely researched,.sup.20,25,27 but the exact role of the immune system has not been clearly established. The fact that immune functions change with age is also well documented..sup.16,30,34,40 Published reports indicate a number of discrepancies concerning immunological indices associated with AD,.sup.27 including several studies on cytokine secretion by mononuclear cells of AD patients as compared to age-matched controls,.sup.4,29,36 and cytokine serum levels in patients with AD..sup.8,10 These studies suggest that immune interactions exist between the central nervous system and peripheral blood lymphocytes of AD patients. Since AD is no longer viewed today as a single unified clinical condition, but as a complex syndrome,.sup.14 it has been postulated that the presence of different clinical subgroups may imply a differential involvement of the immune system..sup.23,24,35
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,605 to Fudenberg et al. further teaches the association of the immune system in the pathogenesis of AD, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The presence of cytokines and their receptors in the brain, as well as the endogenous synthesis of cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-3 and IL-6, has been documented..sup.7,9,18,32 The physiological functions of these cytokines are virtually unknown. However, in light of the view that there is an active and highly-regulated communication between the brain and the immune system,.sup.6,28 and as cytokines are known to function via a cascade effect, applicants postulate a link between the cytokine profile in the blood stream and that in the brain which, in turn, may have a bearing on the appearance of neurological diseases and subsequent disease progression.
There are many forms of dementia presenting with symptoms similar to AD. Many of these other conditions are treatable, such as brain tumors, thyroid and other endocrine dysfunctions, depression, infection, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, metabolic disorders, unrecognized injuries and medication side effects. AD is not treatable and so diagnosis is critical. In general, AD is diagnosed using behavioral symptoms and psychological scoring which involve subjective judgements. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,728,605, 4,886,743, 5,015,570, 5,017,470, 5,100,645, and 5,231,001 present objective methods of diagnosing AD.
However, none of the above methods determine the stage or progression of the disease, i.e., the severity of the disease. Specifically, none of the above-listed patents or studies show any correlation between impaired cytokine production in AD and the disease stage of the patient. The determination of disease progression is still dependent on the behavioral symptoms and psychological scoring which involve subjective judgements.
Currently, the only existing FDA-approved drug for Alzheimer's is tacrine hydrochloride (Cognex.TM., Warner-Lambert) which is very expensive, has extensive side effects, and has been shown to be effective only in the mild stages of the disease. Therefore, an objective method of diagnosing AD at the early stages would be useful in eliciting maximal effect from this drug.

Diagnosis of alzheimer disease stage by mononuclear cell cytokine secretions


An embodiment of the present invention pertains to an electroluminescent lighting device for area illumination. The lighting device is fault tolerant due, in part, to the patterning of one or both of the electrodes into strips, and each of one or more of these strips has a fuse formed on it. The fuses are integrated on the substrate. By using the integrated fuses, the number of external contacts that are used is minimized. The fuse material is deposited using one of the deposition techniques that is used to deposit the thin layers of the electroluminescent lighting device.

The use of OLED panels as a lighting device is desirable—such as for area lighting in the workplace and the home. The OLED lighting device has characteristics that are different than an OLED display and these differences can be exploited to improve reliability and ease of manufacture while reducing cost. For example, electrical shorts are a major concern with OLED devices. A short occurs when any imperfection in the OLED causes its cathode to be in direct contact (or very close proximity) with its anode resulting in an area of much lower resistance than the remaining area between the anode and the cathode. Shorts may occur in any of the layers forming the element and may be caused by, for example, substrate imperfections or asperities, anode layer irregularities, non-uniformity of the one or more organic layers, and airborne particles introduced in the element structure during handling. While a pixel failure due to a short in an OLED display renders the display useless, a failure of a strip in the OLED lighting device may be acceptable as long as the resulting output luminance is not significantly deteriorated.
Furthermore, the OLED lighting device has to be significantly cheaper than an OLED display. Therefore, cost and yield considerations dictate that the OLED lighting devices are not manufactured such that electrical shorts are completely eliminated, thus, the lighting device should be manufactured to be fault tolerant. To make the OLED lighting device fault tolerant, either the anode or the cathode is separated into strips. In this case, if one of the strips has a short during device operation, then the shorted strip can be switched off without significantly deteriorating the output luminance of the lighting device. By switching off the shorted strip, the possibility of the entire lighting device failing is avoided. A fuse can be used to switch off a strip by significantly decreasing current flow through it when a large current flows through the fuse due to the short. Typically, a fuse is externally attached to each of the strips (i.e., a fuse is externally attached if it is not on the substrate) and because the fuses are externally attached, each of the strips requires an external contact. Manufacturing the lighting device with the external contacts for each strip is cumbersome. Also, external fuses also increase the complexity of the driver circuitry and the complexity of the connection components (e.g., the contact pad and the flex connector).
For the foregoing reasons, it is desirable to have electroluminescent lighting devices that exploit its unique characteristics to improve device reliability and efficiency while minimizing cost.

Integrated fuses for OLED lighting device


A lithographic system and method are provided that allow for variations of a basic device design to be generated without substantially increasing the cost of the data path hardware. The lithographic apparatus includes an array of individually controllable elements, a control system, a first data buffer, and a second data buffer. The control system provides control signals to the array of individually controllable elements. The first data buffer stores pattern data that corresponds to a pattern to be exposed on a plurality of areas on the substrate. The second data buffer stores pattern variation data, corresponding to at least one change to a part of the pattern. The control system is configured, such that at least one variation of the pattern is exposed on one of the areas on the substrate with the pattern variation data.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus and a method for manufacturing a device.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of flat panel displays, integrated circuits (ICs), micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS), and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional apparatus, a contrast device or a patterning device, which can be referred to as a mask or a reticle, can be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of a flat panel display or other device. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., comprising part of one or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a glass plate). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (e.g., resist) provided on the substrate.
Instead of a circuit pattern, the patterning device can be used to generate other patterns, for example a color filter pattern or a matrix of dots. Instead of a mask, the patterning device can comprise a patterning array that comprises an array of individually controllable elements. Compared to mask-based system, the pattern can be changed more quickly and for less cost.
In general, a flat panel display substrate is rectangular in shape. Known lithographic apparatus designed to expose a substrate of this type typically provide an exposure region, which covers a full width of the rectangular substrate, or which covers a portion of the width (e.g., about half of the width). The substrate is scanned underneath the exposure region, while the mask or reticle is synchronously scanned through the beam. In this way, the pattern is transferred to the substrate. If the exposure region covers the full width of the substrate, then exposure is completed with a single scan. If the exposure region covers, for example, half of the width of the substrate, then the substrate is moved transversely after the first scan, and a second scan is performed to expose the remainder of the substrate.
Another way of imaging includes pixel grid imaging, in which a pattern is realized by successive exposure of spots.
When manufacturing devices using a lithographic process, more than one device can be formed on a substrate. For instance, the same patterns can be exposed at different locations on the substrate to form the features of each device. Subsequently, following the processing to form the devices, the substrate is divided to form the separate devices. In mask-based lithography, an area exposed on the substrate at each area is defined by the mask and therefore fixed. Accordingly, subject to variations caused by processing differences, the patterns exposed on each part of the substrate, and hence the features of each of the devices, are substantially identical for each of the devices formed on a substrate.
When performing a lithographic process using an apparatus that has an array of individually controllable elements, it is possible to expose different patterns on different portions of the substrate. However, the cost of a lithographic apparatus using an array of individually controllable elements can be significantly reduced if it is configured to expose an identical pattern in a plurality of areas on a substrate.
In a particular arrangement, a repeating pattern that is to be exposed on a substrate (which can correspond to the pattern to form a layer of the device to be formed on the substrate) can be divided into a plurality of stripes. During the exposure process, the substrate is scanned beneath the beam of radiation, which is patterned by the array of individually controllable elements to expose one of these pattern stripes in a first area on the substrate. The same stripe is then printed on each of the other areas on the substrate at which the device is to be formed. Once the pattern stripe has been printed at each location, the lithographic apparatus begins printing the next pattern stripe at each location. The benefit of such a system is that it reduces the cost of the processing hardware that is required to control the individually controllable elements in the patterning array.
In one example, the amount of data to define the pattern to be exposed on the substrate can be very large. Accordingly, it is conventionally stored in a vector-based format, which permits a considerable compression ratio compared to a bitmap format. In order to calculate the control signals to drive the array of individually controllable elements, the pattern data is converted into a format, such as a bitmap data format, and stored in a data buffer. This process, commonly referred to as 'rasterization,' is complicated and the rasterizer represents a significant portion of the cost of the lithographic apparatus. Accordingly, it is desirable to minimize the cost of the rasterizer. In one example, this can be achieved by selecting a rasterizer size (and hence speed at completing the rasterization process) such that it can just rasterize the data for the next stripe of the pattern to be printed during the time taken to print the preceding stripe on each of the areas on the substrate that the pattern is required. For example, if twenty identical devices are to be formed on one substrate, the rasterizer can be twenty times slower than it would be if each of the devices on the substrate were to be different. This is because the time provided for the rasterizer to rasterize the next stripe is the time taken to print twenty identical stripes on the substrate rather than the time taken to print a single stripe. The use of a slower rasterizer means that the rasterizer is cheaper, resulting in the cost savings of the lithographic apparatus referred to above. However, in order to achieve this cost saving, the apparatus is limited to providing a plurality of identical patterns on the substrate.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method which are not limited to providing multiple identical versions of a same pattern on a substrate without significantly increasing the cost of the apparatus.

Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method utilizing multiple die designs on a substrate using a data buffer that stores pattern variation data


A new cultivar of Diascia plant named ‘PENDER’ that is characterized by compact habit, green leaves, and flowers that are deep salmon-pink in color. In combination these traits set ‘PENDER’ apart from all other existing varieties of Diascia known to the inventor.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of twinspur, a perennial that is grown for use in raised beds, borders, hanging baskets, and patio containers. The new cultivar is known botanically as Diascia and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name 'PENDER'.
The inventor has been interested and has collected plants of the genus Diascia since the early 1990s. Diascia, which is native to southern Africa, provides showy annual and perennial (in mild climates) plants whose predominant flower color range in nature is in the range of soft to dark pink, also white, lavender-pink, salmon and apricot. Plants of Diascia which are raised from seed are inherently variable in growth habit, ranging from loose, weak plants with brittle stems to plants with significantly shorter internodes resulting in more compact forms and therefore more dense flowering characteristics. Various breeding programs, including the inventor's , have aimed to develop improvements in plant habit and also an extension in the color range into deep pink or red or orange shades and ideally with very similar compact habits for each color.
In 1995, the inventor commenced a deliberate program to develop a range of Diascias whose characteristics would be common throughout, namely an extremely compact plant habit with bright flower colors, and in a range of colors. In 1995 the inventor selected from his collection several plants with the dwarfest habit and hand-pollinated amongst them. The plants involved in the hybridization are unknown although some were numbered selections from prior work.
The seedlings raised during 1995 flowered in the same year and many were retained for further observation in 1996 and 1997. In May 1997, the inventor determined that one plant, PENDAN (unpatented), exhibited exceptional characteristics of dense mounding habit and bright clear saturated pink flowers.
The new Diascia, PENDER was selected in summer of 2002 as a naturally occuring sport found by the inventor to be growing amongst a block of mother plants of PENDAN. The mother plants of PENDAN were all in flower and were growing in 5 liter containers in the inventor's greenhouse in Penhow, Newport, Wales, United Kingdom. Although PENDER exhibited the same overall habit and density of flowering as PENDAN, the inventor was able to distinguish PENDER by its significantly different deep salmon-pink flowers. The inventor considers that the combination of deep salmon-pink flowers and dense mounding habit sets PENDER apart from other cultivars of Diascia known to the inventor.
The distinguishing characteristics of 'PENDER' are compact habit, green leaves, and flowers that are deep salmon-pink in color. The flowers of 'PENDER' bloom profusely spring, summer, and fall. The parent Diascia 'PENDAN' is the closest comparison plant. The new Diascia cultivar 'PENDER' is distinguishable from the parent 'PENDAN' solely by flower colors which are deep salmon-pink and mid pink respectively. In all other traits the two plants are identical.
The first asexual propagation of the new Diascia cultivar 'PENDER' was conducted in 2003 by the inventor at his nursery in Newport, Gwent, England. The method of asexual propagation used was vegetative tip cuttings. Since that time the unique and distinguishing characteristics of 'PENDER' have been determined stable, fixed, and reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.


This invention provides a method for producing acrylic acid by catalytic gas-phase oxidation, which method makes it possible to carry out a continuous operation steadily for a long period of time while a high yield is maintained.

Industrial-scale catalytic gas phase oxidation reaction generally uses a fixed-bed reactor in which a starting compound-containing gas is made to pass through a reaction tube filled with catalyst and is thus allowed, to react. In particular for the production of (meth)acrolein and (meth)acrylic acid by catalytic gas-phase oxidation reaction of propylene, propane, isobutylene, etc., as a raw material compound, there has widely been employed a catalytic gas-phase oxidation reaction with a fixed bed multitubular reactor which is filled with solid particulate heterogeneous catalyst. Solid particulate heterogeneous catalyst which is to be used for this purpose generally includes a molded catalyst (unsupported catalyst) which is composed of active ingredients which have been molded into a specific geometric shape and a supported catalyst which is composed of a carrier material which has a geometric shape like that of molded catalyst and which has been coated with active ingredients (Patent Document 1).
Most popular for producing acrylic acid with a fixed-bed multitubular reactor which is filled with solid particulate heterogeneous catalyst is a method of two-step catalytic gas-phase oxidation by which acrolein is mainly obtained by catalytic gas-phase oxidation of propylene, and, then, acrylic acid is obtained by catalytic gas-phase oxidation of thus obtained acrolein. Also for the second step reaction of producing acrylic acid by the oxidation of acrolein, there have been proposed various methods for producing acrylic acid with a high yield. Most of such proposals relate to molybdenum-vanadium catalysts each of which mainly comprises molybdenum and vanadium which are used in the above-mentioned reaction, in detail to the composition, shape, physical properties of the catalysts and how to produce the same (Patent Documents 2, 3, and the like). There have also been made some proposals which relate to how to fill reaction tubes of a fixed-bed multitubular reactor with catalyst (Patent Documents 4, 5 and 6).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for producing acrylic acid with a fixed-bed multitubular reactor

Abstract: This method is characterized by comprising filling each of reaction tubes of a fixed-bed multitubular reactor with at least two species of catalysts each of which essentially comprises, as catalytically active components, oxide of molybdenum and oxide of vanadium and/or composite oxide of the same, said at least two species of catalysts being different in the ratio of D1/D2, D1 denoting the proportion of the total pore volume of pores whose pore diameter falls within the range of at least 0.03 μm and less than 0.4 μm to the total pore volume of the whole pores, and D2 denoting the proportion of the total pore volume of pores whose pore diameter fails within the range of at least 0.4 μm and at most 5 μm to the total pore volume of the whole pores, in such a manner that at least two reaction zones are formed axially in each of the reaction tubes.


An image processing method and photobooth employing the method are disclosed which produce a composite image using a conventional chroma-key device. The subject in the photobooth is illuminated with low temperature light and is filmed before a backdrop of uniform saturated blue color to provide a foreground image to the chroma-key device. The chroma-key device compares the intensity of the blue color component for each pixel of the foreground image to a threshold intensity level and replaces those pixels of the foreground image that have a blue color component intensity greater than the threshold with a corresponding pixel of a pre-stored background image thereby producing a composite image. By illuminating the subject with low temperature light, the method decreases the intensity of most blue color components in the light reflected from the subject to a level below the threshold level used by the chroma-key device. The output color of the chroma-key device is preferably adjusted to correct for the color-shifting of the subject caused by the illumination with low temperature light. Further, the blue backdrop may be illuminated with a high temperature light to further saturate the blue color and enable the threshold intensity level of the chroma-key device to be increased thereby increasing the likelihood that the chroma-key device will be able to distinguish between the subject and the backdrop in the foreground image. Also disclosed is a photobooth having a separate processor for resetting the photobooth controller in the event it becomes hung-up. Additionally, a photobooth operating system is disclosed that enables an operator to readily add, delete, enable, disable, and update program routines for various user selectable picture-type options in the field without having to replace the photobooth.

The present invention relates to methods and systems for image processing and, more particularly, to a method and system for producing a composite image by combining a foreground image with a background image. Further, the present invention generally relates to a photobooth system and, more particularly, to a software operating system for a photobooth.
One of the most common methods of forming a composite image of a subject in the foreground of a pre-stored background image is the technique known as "chroma-key." As illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, the chroma-key technique typically involves the filming of a first image 24 (FIG. 1A) of the foreground subject 22 in front of a blue backdrop 25 and the subsequent image processing and superimposing of a pre-stored second image 27 (FIG. 1B) of a background 26 over all portions of the first image 24 having the particular color characteristics of the blue backdrop 25 to form a composite third image 28 (FIG. 1C) in which subject 22 appears in front of background 26. The chroma-key technique is currently widely employed in the movie industry, as well as in providing a television broadcast of a weatherman in front of satellite images and other weather maps.
Image processing systems used for chroma-key typically include a video camera or another form of image capturing device that optically filters the received optical image (24) using three different color filters. These three color filters are typically red, green, and blue, and are positioned between an imaging lens and a number of (usually 1 to 3) CCD sensor(s), or the like, such that red, green, and blue (RGB) analog video signals are generated. The RGB video signals represent the intensity of the RGB primary color components of the image 24. Conventional chroma-key devices receive these RGB video signals and compare the intensity of the blue, green, or red component or, in some cases, the relative intensity (or any other color corresponding to the backdrop 25) for each pixel (or point along an analog scan line) of the image 24 to a threshold intensity level (some devices look at the intensity or relative intensity and determine if it is in a range (i.e., between a minimum and maximum)). In most cases the RGB signal is converted to a different color space such as YUV or Y Cr Cb and comparisons are made with one or more of the components to determine the action of the chroma-key device. If the backdrop is saturated blue and the blue component intensity level of a pixel meets the criteria (range or threshold), the chroma-key device replaces that pixel with a pixel from a pre-stored background image 27 (i.e., such as a weather map). Some chroma-key devices mix the pixels of the foreground and background, the resultant pixel color components become a mathematical average (according to a predetermined algorithm) of the individual color components of the foreground pixel and the background pixel. The amount of each pixel's contribution to the resultant pixel is determined by the proximity of the intensity of one color component to a threshold intensity or range of intensities. The mixing method can be useful in some environments and the pixel replacement useful in others. It should be noted that there may be many different types of chroma-key devices available presently or to be developed in the future. For the purposes of this discussion, the term "pixel replacement" shall include mixing where the unwanted pixel is an unobjectable percentage of the resultant pixel. Thus, by utilizing a backdrop 25 that is a saturated blue color and illuminating it with light such that the reflected intensity as seen by the image capturing device is in the proper range such as that shown in FIG. 2A, the foreground subject 22 can be distinguished from the backdrop 25 in the RGB video signals so long as the foreground subject 22 is not wearing clothing that has a blue color component with a reflected intensity meeting the conditions for pixel replacement.
Chroma-key has been widely accepted in the movie and television environments primarily because of the ability to control the colors in the foreground subject's clothing or by controlling the overall colors in the foreground subject 22 itself so as to include color components such as those shown in FIG. 2B while not including the same blue color components as provided in the blue backdrop 25 (i.e., not having a blue component resulting in pixel replacement). However, in some environments such as a photobooth, one may not have any control over the colors of the foreground subject 22. For example, if a photobooth was equipped with chroma-key and someone off-the-street having blue clothing that produces the RGB components shown in FIG. 2C were to have a picture taken, the person 22 would appear transparent since the chroma-key device would superimpose the background image 27 over the person's clothing. Thus, chroma-key has been considered unsuitable for use in a photobooth. The unsuitability of chroma-key in such photobooth applications has been explicitly recognized in U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,313 issued to Blank and U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,536 issued to Blank.
Because of the demand in the market for a photobooth that is capable of superimposing the image 24 of a person(s) entering the photobooth over a background image 27, which may be an image of a famous tourist attraction, there exists the need for a method for providing an acceptable composite image 28 regardless of the colors of the foreground subject 22 entering the booth.
In an attempt to avoid the problems associated with utilizing a chroma-key technique in a photobooth, a technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,536 issued to Blank, which utilizes interactive digital editing techniques. This technique relies on digitally determining the edges of the subject image and assumes that the portion of the image lying between two consecutive edges is all subject (i.e., not to be subject to pixel replacement). This method, however, suffers from the difficulty in determining the edges of a subject if the edges or a portion of the edges are blue (or near in color to the background).
Presently, conventional photobooths are capable of performing only a few different types of image processing techniques such as providing a basic photograph or performing a processing technique known as "morphing" whereby images of two people are obtained and image processing is performed to provide an image of what a child of these two people might look like. Alternatively, an image of a single person may be obtained by the camera and subsequently "morphed" with the pre-stored image of a celebrity. To implement this morphing technique, which has only recently become high in demand, manufacturers of photobooths are having to totally replace their photobooths with new ones that specifically have this capability. However, if the demand for this morphing technique proves to just be a fad, and some new processing technique should subsequently become high in demand, photobooth manufacturers would again have to replace their photobooths with new photobooths to meet the demand for the new picture type. Because of the quickly changing trends in the art of the design and development of photobooths, there exists the need for a photobooth having a photobooth operating system and a versatile input mechanism that allows new functionalities to be implemented in the photobooth merely by writing a computer program within the parameters established by the photobooth operating system and adding the program to the system in a modular fashion.
Because photobooths are often installed in various wide-spread locations and are maintained by a single entity, there exists the need for a photobooth that is low in maintenance and rarely gets hung-up (caused by software lockups, power surges, etc.). Further, there exists the need for a photobooth that allows for the operator to perform diagnostic operations remotely over a telephone line or the like.

Photographic method using chroma-key and a photobooth employing the same


The present invention is drawn to water-soluble compositions for providing hops constituents, particularly alpha acids, iso-alpha acids, and beta acids. A pharmaceutical gel composition can comprise a hops extract and a surfactant. Such compositions can be formulated into products for various therapeutic applications, including oral and topical uses. Such compositions can also be dissolved in water to yield a clear solution containing more dilute hops acids. The invention also provides methods of treatment comprising administering water-soluble hops compositions. The present invention is also drawn to methods for making water-soluble preparations of hops constituents.

Many botanical substances contain chemicals that have been found to be useful for the therapeutic treatment of various medical conditions. Since these chemicals are often present in very small amounts, techniques have been developed to extract these substances and to concentrate the therapeutically active agents. Various methods are available for extraction and purification of such substances, including the use of organic solvents, microwave systems, and supercritical CO2 extraction. Organic solvent-based extractions utilize added solvents that are evaporated to form a concentrated extract, which results in a damp, pasty mass that is typically further spray-dried onto a carrier for delivery. Alternatively, supercritical CO2 extraction is another method of collecting such extracts. This extraction method yields a thick, high viscosity resin, oil, or other fluid-like material that can have a honey-like consistency.
One pharmaceutically useful botanical substance is the extract of hops (Humulus lupulus L.). Hops cone flowers contain a variety of active agents, including alpha acids, iso-alpha acids, and beta acids, as well as a number of flavonoids and essential oils. Humulone, one of the alpha acids found in hops, has been demonstrated to suppress cyclooxygenase-2 activity, inhibit angiogenesis, and decrease bone loss. Some other biologically relevant properties of hops constituents include anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, estrogenic, anti-oxidant, anti-allergenic, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-proliferative properties.
As with other botanical substances, dried hops flowers contain very small amounts of alpha acids. Supercritical CO2 extraction and other solvent-based extractions of dried hops cones produce a thick, high-viscosity resin that can contain a high percentage of active hops constituents. While extraction is an effective means of providing alpha and beta acids in a highly concentrated form, the resulting extracts have very low solubility in water. This property can make digesting such extracts difficult, resulting in delayed absorption of the acids and delayed onset of certain therapeutic effects. It would therefore be useful to provide the primary constituents of hops extracts in formulations that are soluble in water. In addition, methods of making such formulations from hops extract resin would be desirable.

Water-soluble pharmaceutical compositions of hops resins


The present invention provides RNA molecules (e.g., antisense, RNAi, or siRNA) specific for MnSOD, and further provides methods of reducing expression of MnSOD in cells (e.g., cancer cells).

MnSOD plays an important role in protecting cells from injury due to oxidative stress, and is essential for aerobic life. MnSOD catalyzes the conversion of superoxide (O2−) to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). In eukaryotes, MnSOD is a nuclear-encoded protein that scavenges superoxide radicals in the mitochondrial matrix. Most eukaryotic MnSOD polypeptides are homotetramers and have a total molecular weight of about 88 kDa. MnSOD polypeptides are highly conserved and exhibit around 40% sequence homology among human, yeast, E. coli, and B. stearothemophilus.

Methods of inhibiting manganese-containing superoxide dismutase 2 (MnSOD)


In one implementation, a system for automatically profiling pallets includes a frame defining an opening that is sized and shaped for a pallet to pass through, and cameras mounted to the frame, the cameras being configured to capture images of a pallet as it passes through the frame. The system further includes a profiling computer system that is configured to receive the images captured by the cameras and to automatically profile the pallet based, at least in part, on analysis of the images. Automatically profiling the pallet includes generating a point cloud representing the pallet based on the images, determining a size of the pallet based on the point cloud generated from images of the pallet, identifying contents of the pallet based on the images, and providing pallet information identifying, at least, the size and contents of the pallet to a warehouse management system in association with the pallet.

Warehouses receive, store, and distribute pallets of goods based on information specific to each pallet, such as the dimensions of the pallet (e.g., pallet height), the contents of the pallet (e.g., goods contained on pallet), the quantity of items on the pallet (e.g., number of boxes of particular good stacked on pallet), and other details. Pallet information is typically provided by the supplier with a shipment of pallets arriving at a warehouse. For example, a supplier may provide documentation detailing information for all of the pallets that are contained in a truck arriving at a warehouse.
Upon receiving the documentation, the warehouse can add the pallet and its corresponding information to its warehouse management system (WMS), and use that information to make determinations for handling, storage, and distribution of the pallet. For example, the dimension information for a pallet can be used to select an appropriately sized storage location in a warehouse for a pallet (e.g., rack location). In another example, the type of goods contained on a pallet can be used to select a storage environment in a warehouse (e.g., refrigerated room, non-refrigerated room, frozen room) should be used to store the pallet. In another example, the quantity of goods contained in a pallet can be used to select pallets for distribution from a warehouse, for instance, to satisfy particular requirements for outgoing shipments (e.g., shipment requires a particular number of boxes of a good).

Profiling pallets and goods in a warehouse environment


A flexible joint purchase order system in which a sales price is determined based on demand without causing a seller to have a loss, comprising: an accepting means for accepting purchase application information and reporting an application for purchase, an entry price of an article, and a desired quantity; an order data table for storing the application for purchase, the entry price, and the desired quantity; a condition table for registering an initial cost, a fixed cost, and a maximum sales quantity; and a network for comparing a first value (equal to the entry price times the desired quantity of articles entered at prices equal to or higher than the entry price) with a second value (equal to the initial cost added to the product of the fixed cost and the desired quantity), for determining the sales to be made, and for transmitting the entry price as the sales-determined price.

Internet technologies have become rapidly widespread, and have therefore increasingly been adopted for purchase or placement of an order of an article.
In an article sales site called a shopping mall, an article purchase process can be performed through a screen of a terminal device. For example, a user checks an article to be purchased on the screen and specifies a button image of "application for purchase" displayed on the screen, so that the application for purchase is transmitted to a server.
On the other hand, a system for mediating purchase and sales between individuals, called an auction, has also been known. In an auction site, applicants for purchase input desired prices of a provided article through terminal devices, and an applicant for purchase offering the highest desired price among the applicants for purchase wins a bid for the article.
Further, a system for realizing a "reverse auction" shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,207 on a network has recently been known. This system uses a method performed by Priceline in the US (http://www.priceline.com), in which an applicant for purchase of an article (such as an airline ticket) offers a desired price, and a seller meeting a condition of the desired price accepts a bid.
With respect to such auction systems, the inventors of the present invention have filed a prior patent application focusing on a problem inherent in the joint purchase (Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,207
Patent Document 2: JP 2001-155067 A

Article joint purchase system using network


A battery module includes first and second battery cells having positive and negative cell terminals arranged adjacent one another. A buss bar connects the positive cell terminal of the first battery cell to the negative cell terminal of the second battery cell. The connection to the positive cell terminal is a threaded connection. The connection to the negative cell terminal is a quick connect connection.

The subject matter herein relates generally to battery modules.
Battery modules, such as those for electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, typically includes a plurality of cells grouped together to form the battery modules. The battery modules are connected together to form battery packs. Each of the cells includes positive and negative cell terminals that are electrically connected together. Different types of battery modules are formed using different types of cells. For example, one type of battery modules are known as pouch type battery modules, another type of battery modules are known as prismatic battery modules, and a third type of battery modules are known as cylindrical battery modules.
Prismatic battery modules use prismatic battery cells that are stacked together. The positive terminals are aluminum and the negative terminals are copper. The positive and negative cell terminals have either threaded bores or threaded studs that receive threaded screws or threaded nuts, respectively, for terminating buss bars thereto. The buss bars are plates with two openings that are placed over adjacent positive and negative terminals. When using the threaded studs, the threaded studs pass through the openings and the threaded nuts are tightened to the threaded studs. The studs are typically steel studs that are screwed into the positive and negative terminals. When using the threaded screws, the openings in the buss bars are aligned with the threaded bores of the positive and negative terminals and then the threaded screws are loaded through the openings and tightened in the threaded bores. Both mounting techniques require a threaded connection to both the positive terminal and to the negative terminal. Tightening of the threaded nut or the threaded screw is time consuming, particularly since a typical battery module includes ten or more cells, thus having twenty or more nuts or screws to tighten. Tightening of the threaded nut or the threaded screw may cause over torque, under torque and/or cross threading. The over torque may damage the internal components of the cell and affect cell performance.
A need remains for battery modules that may be assembled quickly and reliably. A need remains for battery modules having terminals and buss bars that may be connected in an efficient manner.