An electronic appliance is especially easy to assemble and includes a housing and a circuit carrier which is held in the housing. The circuit carrier is guided in the housing in a displaceable manner and is applied by at least one spring element against a housing abutment which accurately centres the circuit carrier.

The circuit carrier provided in an appliance is usually designed in the form of a so-called printed circuit board assembly. This is understood to be a printed circuit board populated with elements of an electronic circuit. The elements may include, in particular, indication elements (e.g. light emitting diodes, etc.), setting elements (e.g. potentiometers and switches, etc.) and also connecting elements (e.g. male strip connectors or terminals, etc.). Moreover, the printed circuit board assembly is often electrically conductively connected to separate elements arranged in the housing, such as e.g. connecting terminals and further electronic components, etc.
A simple, in particular easily automatable mounting of the circuit carrier in the housing is desirable in order to lower production costs. On the other hand, the circuit carrier must be positioned exactly and as far as possible without any play in the housing in order to allow for the setting and connecting elements to be readily accessible from the housing exterior, or to allow for the indication elements to be readily visible through corresponding housing openings or housing windows.
In conventional appliances of this type, the circuit carrier is often pushed into a rigid housing guide in which it is fixed after assembly of the housing. With a rigid guide, however, a play-free mounting of the circuit carrier is technically impossible to realize or realizable only with difficulty.
DE 42 43 656 A1 discloses a carrier material fastening device in which the carrier material can be brought to its final mounted position by pressing away a holder with compliant parts laterally with respect to the mounting device and can be fixed in the position by snapping back the holder between it and a chassis supporting claw. The carrier material can be separated again from the chassis by exerting a lateral pressure on the holder.
DE 196 30 173 A1 discloses a power module having a module lamina which, in order for it to be fixed mechanically, is pressed against an insulating ceramic area by a housing. Further, in order for it to make electrical contact with printed circuit boards, it is acted on by separate rotary contact springs mounted in the housing.

Electronic appliance comprising a floating circuit carrier


In a slid fork comprising a base portion 4, a middle portion 6, and a top portion 8, a driving motor 20 rotates sprockets 22, 24 to drive chains 26, 36, respectively, at different speeds. The middle portion 6 is fixed to the chain 26, while the top portion 8 is fixed to the chain 36. The chains 26, 36 are driven using a predetermined speed and stroke ratios. No sprockets are provided at a leading end of the middle portion. Therefore, no dust is raised from shelves.

To transfer articles in a clean room or the like, a scholar arm is used if it is critical to avoid raising dust. Otherwise a slide fork is used. The structure of the slide fork is described in, for example, the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Tokkai-Hei) No. 10-35819. In this slide fork, one end of a driving member such as chains or belts is fixed to a top portion. The other end is fixed to a base portion. Guide wheels such as sprockets or pulleys are arranged between these ends. In this case, the guide wheels are required at a leading end of a middle portion, and the chains or belts extend up to a leading end of the top portion. Accordingly, when the slide fork is advanced, dust may be raised from shelves or articles by the guide wheel arranged at the leading end of the middle portion.
With the increased sizes of semiconductor and liquid crystal substrates, the scholar arm may fail to provide a sufficient capability of transferring these articles. However, if the slide fork is used to transfer the articles, dust is disadvantageously raised from the shelves or articles.


A tunneling effect element, including an insulating layer that forms a tunneling barrier, a lower electrode that is conductive and non-magnetic, and is formed on a bottom surface of said insulating layer, an upper electrode that is conductive and non-magnetic, and is formed on a top surface of said insulating layer, and a transmission member. The transmission member is made of insulating material that is formed surrounding the insulating layer and the lower and upper electrodes. The transmission member is also formed on a surface of an object to be detected, and transmits deformation of the object to be detected to the insulating layer. The tunneling effect element detects a change in stress of the object to be detected as a change in electric resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tunneling effect element that receives a physical-quantity such as acceleration, pressure, load, displacement or the like and produces a strain, and shows a change in resistance that corresponds to that strain, and relates to a physical-quantity to electrical-quantity transducer such as an acceleration transducer, pressure transducer, load transducer, displacement transducer or the like that converts the aforementioned physical-quantity to an electrical-quantity based on the resistance change of the tunneling effect element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional micro-detector elements, there are elements in which the sensor unit for detecting a pressure change in the detected object comprises a tunneling-magnetoresistive-effect element having a magnetostriction section in part of the magnetic member (for example, see Patent Document 1). Hereafter this technology will be called the first prior art.
Also, in conventional stress sensors comprising a tunneling-magnetoresistive-effect element, there are stress sensors in which the tunneling-magnetoresistive-effect element is surrounded by magnetic shielding (for example, see Patent Document 2). Hereafter, this technology will be called the second prior art.
According to the above mentioned first and second prior art, when compared with a strain gage having a small amount of resistance change on the scale of several hundred mΩ, the first and second prior art have an advantage in that (1) the circuit pattern is simple since there is no need for a Wheatstone bridge circuit or the like, and (2) localized displacement in minute locations can be detected since the area contributing to the pressure sensitivity is small.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Publication Number 2002-148132 (claim 1, paragraphs [0028] and [0035] to [0036], and FIGS. 4 and 5)
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Publication Number 2003-37312 (claim 1, paragraphs [0020] to [0028], and FIG. 1)

Tunneling effect element and physical quantity to electrical quantity transducer


An array substrate includes; a substrate, a gate line and a data line disposed on the substrate, a thin film transistor (“TFT”) electrically connected to the gate line and the data line, a light blocking member disposed on the substrate and a first color filter and a second color filter disposed on the substrate. The light blocking member covers a portion of the first color filter and the second color filter covers a portion of the light blocking member.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an array substrate and method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an array substrate having an enhanced display quality.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display ("LCD") device, which is one type of flat panel display device, includes an array substrate, an opposite substrate facing the array substrate and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the array substrate and the opposite substrate.
A Color-filter On Array ("COA") technology for forming a color filter on the array substrate is used to enhance transmittance of the LCD device by preventing a misalignment between the array substrate and a color filter formed on an opposite substrate.
In order to employ the COA technology on the array substrate, a thin film transistor ("TFT") layer including a TFT is formed on a substrate, a color photo-resist layer is formed on the TFT layer, and a color filter is formed in a pixel area by patterning the color photo-resist layer. Then, a pixel electrode is formed and is electrically connected to the TFT that is formed in the pixel area where the color filter is formed so that a COA substrate is formed. The opposite substrate facing the COA substrate where the color filter is formed typically includes a common electrode facing the pixel electrode and a light blocking member.
When the COA substrate is combined with the opposite substrate where the light blocking member is formed, miss-alignment may occur. Therefore, a Black matrix On Array ("BOA") Technology for forming the light blocking member on the COA substrate has been developed to prevent the miss-alignment.
When the color filter and the light blocking member are formed on the array substrate, the color filter may be formed by an ink-jet process, and a spacing member may be formed when the light blocking member is formed.
With regard to the ink-jet process, in order to produce a color display, a plurality of color filters including a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter are formed by dispensing a liquid ink in a predetermined area so that manufacturing time and manufacturing cost can be reduced.
However, the formation of the spacing member after the light blocking member requires additional manufacturing steps, thereby complicating the manufacturing process and leading to additional manufacturing costs.

Array substrate and method of manufacturing the same


A waste heat recovery structure includes a first exhaust gas flow path provided to each of steel making electric arc furnaces to discharge exhaust gas thereinto; a waste heat boiler disposed on the first exhaust gas flow path to recover waste heat as saturated steam from exhaust gas; a steam accumulator configured to store steam formed by confluence of saturated steam parts, each generated by the waste heat boiler; a steam super heater configured to turn steam into superheated steam by heating; a second exhaust gas flow path configured to lead exhaust gas from the waste heat boiler to the steam super heater to use it for superheating; a third exhaust gas flow path configured to discharge exhaust gas from the waste heat boiler not through the steam super heater; and a switching device configured to switch flow paths between the second and third exhaust gas flow paths.

A steel making electric arc furnace (which may be referred to as "electric furnace") employs an intermittent running operation performed by use of cycles, each of which includes steps as follows. At first, a source material, such as iron scrap, reduced iron (DRI), hot briquette iron (HBI) prepared by processing the DRI at a high temperature, molten iron, or cold iron (ingot iron), is charged into the furnace. Then, an electrode is inserted into the electric arc furnace and an electric power is applied to the electrode to melt the source material. Then, the electric power is stopped, and the molten steel is tapped out.
Iron scrap used as the source material is sometimes accompanied with paint and/or machine oil applied thereto, and so white smoke and/or evil smell may be generated due to unmixed synthetic resins. Further, carbon monoxide is generated due to carbon contained in iron scrap and/or DRI. In light of this, air is forcibly taken into the space between the furnace and furnace lid and/or into the secondary combustion chamber to achieve complete combustion of the exhaust gas.
Since this combustion gas has a high temperature higher than 1,200° C. and thus has a large amount of energy, attempts have been made to recovery its waste heat. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for recovering the sensible heat and/or combustion heat of exhaust gas discharged from a steel making electric arc furnace, by use of a waste heat boiler disposed in the exhaust gas pipe line of the electric furnace.
Further, recovered steam can be used for electric power generation by a steam turbine or the like. When the steam is supplied as a driving source for the steam turbine, the steam is preferably formed of superheated steam to increase the enthalpy at the inlet port of the turbine. In light of this, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique that recovers waste heat from a steel making electric arc furnace as saturated steam and then turns the steam into superheated steam.

Waste heat recovery structure for steel making electric arc furnaces, steel making electric arc furnace facility, and waste heat recovery method for steel making electric arc furnaces


In an image processing apparatus, a limit check procedure compares a capacity necessary for storing designated image files to be transferred and the residual memory capacity of a destination to which the image files should be transferred. The procedure determines whether or not the transfer of the image files is allowable on the basis of the result of comparison. This procedure is executed before and during the transfer of image files. The procedure executed before transfer obviates transfer failure when the image files are transferred to an external storage implemented by a CD-R or similar write limiting type of storing medium; in this case, the procedure is not necessary during transfer. In the event of transfer to a work memory built in the apparatus, even if transfer is allowed before transfer, the procedure is executed during transfer in order to produce an alarm when transfer becomes unallowable.

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for processing and storing image data. More particularly, the present invention relates to the transfer of image data between, e.g., a semiconductor memory, hard disk or similar storage built in an image processing apparatus and a storing device using a CD (Compact Disk) or similar storing medium.
Generally, an electronic filing apparatus, digital copier or similar image input/output apparatus includes an external storage that allows a recording medium to be removably mounted thereto. The recording medium is mainly implemented by a magnetooptical disk or an optical disk. An internal storage built in the apparatus is capable of storing image data representative of document images and output from, e.g., a scanner. When the image data are transferred from the internal storage to the external storage, a transfer system is essential that takes account of the capacity of the external storage capable of dealing with the total number of files and the limited number of times of writing particular to, e.g., a CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable) or a CD-RW (CD ReWritable). A transfer system disregarding such limitations would cause image data to be written to the storing medium randomly, making the medium unusable due to the limited number of times of writing.
Further, when image data are transferred from the external storage to the internal storage, the following problem is given rise to. Usually, the internal storage does not have a capacity great enough to store mass image data. Moreover, the internal storage is implemented by a memory of the type allowing a plurality of write accesses to occur at the same time in the event of the storage of document image data or the processing of images. It follows that the transfer of mass image data from the external storage to the built-in storage fails.

Image data storing device, image processing apparatus including the same and image data transfer control method


An organosilicone emulsion composition comprising (A) 100 parts by weight of an organopolysiloxane having a viscosity of at least 500 Pa·s at 25° C., (B) 1-50 parts by weight of a polyether-containing organosiloxysilicate, (C) 1-50 parts by weight of a nonionic surfactant, and (D) 10-1,000 parts by weight of water is stable.

Organopolysiloxanes find use as textile treating agents, parting agents, water repellents, and cosmetics since substrates can be endowed with smoothness and water repellency by treating them with organopolysiloxanes. Among others, high-viscosity organopolysiloxanes are quite effective for imparting smoothness. Due to the recent enhanced concern about the environment, there are an increasing tendency to use aqueous treating agents and an increasing demand for stable emulsions of high-viscosity organopolysiloxanes. However, the high-viscosity organopolysiloxane has so high a viscosity that no mechanical shears may be uniformly applied. It is thus impossible to form a stable emulsion from the high-viscosity organopolysiloxane. Several methods of producing high-viscosity organopolysiloxane emulsions are known from Patent Documents 1 to 3, but not generally acceptable because they need a special emulsifying technique or device.


There is provided a surface luminous source panel comprising an irregular reflection layer carrying on it a large number of irregular reflector specks and arranged on the surface of a transparent substrate. The reflection layer has a parallel pattern section having an area of irregular reflector specks per unit length of the layer which smoothly increases with the distance from a light source along the panel; and a regulating pattern section located close to the light source and partially surrounded by the parallel pattern section. The regulating pattern section has a hill-shaped contour starting from the edge close to the light source and an area of irregular reflector specks per unit length of the layer also smoothly increasing with the distance from the light source but at a rate smaller than that of the parallel pattern section. Such a surface luminous source panel can provide a luminous source with very evenly distributed brightness and therefore find useful applications in, for example, word processors and display stands.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a surface luminous source panel to be used for a surface luminous source apparatus that finds applications in a variety of illuminations including back illuminations using liquid crystal back lights, display stands and display panels.
2. Prior Art
There have been proposed surface luminous source apparatus provided with a light source arranged on an end surface of a surface luminous source panel that can replace conventional luminous source apparatus of the type having a large number of fluorescent light sources arranged on the back side of an irregular reflector panel.
While such known surface luminous source apparatus can be realized in a very thin and compact form, they have the disadvantage of being incapable of providing evenly distributed brightness. In an attempt to eliminate this drawback, Japanese Patent No. 57-128383 proposes an irregular reflection layer formed by white paint and having a reflectivity that smoothly augments with the distance from the surface and Japanese Patent No. 60-205576 discloses a front irregular reflection layer of a transparent substrate formed by white paint to which glass beads are added, while Japanese Patent No. 62-902 teaches a multi-layered structure of surface luminous source panels each provided with an irregular reflection layer.
Since none of these completely eliminate the problem, the inventors of the present invention proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-208670 an irregular reflection layer carrying on it a large number of irregular reflector specks and arranged on a surface of a transparent substrate, wherein the area of the irregular reflector specks of the irregular reflection layer is smoothly increased with the distance from the light source along the layer. The irregular reflector specks are realized in the form of so many dots or strips arranged at a rate of 30 to 65 rows per centimeter by screen printing using a low concentration ink containing solid by 13 to 30 wt % solids in order to produce a low light transmittivity. When an irregular reflection layer according to the above cited invention is used with 8W fluorescent lamps arranged at its opposite end surfaces to form a surface luminous source panel of A4 size, it produces a brightness as high as 2,000 nit.
While a surface luminous source panel such as proposed by the inventor of the present invention and described above can be used for a surface luminous source apparatus having a variety of practical applications, it is still accompanied by the drawback of producing an undesirably highly bright region near the sources of light when it is used as a liquid crystal back light of a portable word processor, computer or television set.
The region showing an undesirably high brightness of such a surface luminous source apparatus generally has a curved contour, which becomes flat or even straight when the irregular reflection layer extends very close to the edges of the transparent substrate.
Although such a surface luminous source panel provides a practically even distribution of brightness, it has a slight unevenness of brightness which can be emphasized to damage the overall effect of the panel particularly when it is used in an apparatus where the evenness of brightness is rigorously required.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surface luminous source panel which is free from the above problem and ensures a highly even distribution of brightness to meet any rigorous requirements.

Surface luminous source panel with areas having different reflector speck densities


It is an object to supply, to the utmost extent, reactive power according to a demand of a utility grid side while maintaining the power factor within a predetermined range. The wind turbine generator system includes a main controller 19. The controller 19 includes a first controller 31 performing constant-reactive-power regulation, a second controller 32 performing constant-power-factor regulation, a judging unit 34 for judging whether a present operating condition is within a predetermined operating region, and a control-switching unit 35 for switching from the first controller 31 to the second controller 32 when the first controller 31 is performing the constant-reactive-power regulation and the judging unit 34 detects a deviation from the operating region.

Recently, in fields such as wind turbine generator systems, it is required to ensure a power factor within a predetermined range, when electric power is supplied to a utility grid from a wind turbine generator system, in view of stabilizing the power supply in the utility grid.
Accordingly, for example, to keep a constant power factor, constant-power-factor regulation is performed for controlling the active power and the reactive power (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2001-268805).    Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2001-268805

Wind turbine generator system and method of controlling output of the same


In some implementations, a built-in self-test (BIST) circuitry of a memory device is configured to perform an execution of a test sequence to test the memory device, wherein performing the execution comprises generating addresses of the memory device in accordance with the test sequence and advancing a value of a modulo counter as each of the addresses is generated, enable error logging when a generated address and a value of the modulo counter corresponding to the generated address match an address and a value of the modulo counter stored for a previously detected error, detect an error in data read from the memory device after enabling error logging, and store information associated with the detected error.

Memory testing involves determining failed memory locations, typically by writing data to an array of memory locations, reading data from the memory locations, and comparing the read data to the data previously written. A memory can be tested using an external memory tester or a built-in self-test (BIST). An external memory tester has direct access to the memory's control, address, and data pins. As the memory is tested, the row address and the column address of each failed memory location are stored in the external memory tester. A BIST includes testing circuitry that is embedded in the memory to be tested. The BIST executes a set of algorithmic verification tests directly on the memory array.
A BIST scheme for testing a memory includes a "stop and resume" scheme. In the "stop and resume" scheme, the BIST suspends memory testing when an error is detected. After the incorrect test response is read from the BIST, the BIST resumes testing of the memory. The "stop and resume" scheme tests the memory at a speed that may be slower than the rated functional speed or intended operating speed of the memory and may not detect time-related errors that occur at the memory's rated functional speed. To test a memory for time-related errors, the memory is tested at the rated functional speed using a BIST scheme such as a "count" scheme. In the "count" scheme, the BIST gathers error information and increments a counter value when an error is detected. In successive test repetitions, the BIST does not gather error information until the number of errors surpasses the counter value. In the "count" scheme, the number of errors reported may be limited by the maximum counter value, and intermittent errors may interfere with the reporting of consistently repeatable errors.

Test data reporting during memory testing


A confocal scanning microscope, having a light source (1) for illuminating an object (6), which is to be investigated, with exciting light (2), at least two detection channels exhibiting detection light (8, 9) being produced, is configured with regard to a high signal yield and a high signal-to-noise ratio in such a way that at least two detection channels can be optically superimposed by means of a superimposing device (11, 12,13, 15,17, 18).

This invention claims priority of a German patent application DE P 100 04 233.3 filed Feb. 1, 2000 which is incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a confocal scanning microscope, having a light source for illuminating an object, which is to be investigated, with exciting light, at least two detection channels exhibiting detection light being produced.
Microscopes of the type mentioned at the beginning are known in practice and exist in the most varied embodiments. An example of such a microscope is formed by a confocal scanning microscope in the case of which an object to be investigated is scanned with the aid of a light beam or the exciting light. The microscope generally comprises a light source and a focusing optical system with the aid of which the light from the source is focused onto a pinhole stop. In this case, a beam splitter, a scanning device for beam control, a microscope optical system, a detection stop and detectors for detecting detection and/or fluorescent light are provided.
The illuminating light is mostly coupled in via the beam splitter. The focus of the light beam is moved with the aid of the scanning device in a sample plane. For this purpose, it is customary to use two mirrors which are tilted, the deflection axes mostly being perpendicular to one another, such that one mirror deflects in the X-direction and the other deflects in the Y-direction. Tilting of the mirrors is accomplished, for example, with the aid of galvanometer control elements. The fluorescent or reflected light coming from the sample passes in this mostly conventional descanning arrangement via the same scanning mirror back to the beam splitter and passes the latter in order subsequently to be focused onto the detection stop, downstream of which the detectors are located. Detection light which does not originate directly from the focusing region takes a different light path and does not pass the detection stop, and so point information is obtained which leads through scanning of the object to a three-dimensional image. Illumination and detection take place in this case on the objective side, that is to say on sides of the microscope optical system.
It is also possible in a transmitted-light arrangement for the fluorescent light or the transmitted lightxe2x80x94the transmission of the exciting lightxe2x80x94, for example, to be detected on the condenser side, that is to say on the side of a condenser arranged downstream of the object. The detection-light beam then does not pass via the scanning mirrors to the detector. Such an arrangement is denoted as a non-descanning arrangement.
In order to detect the fluorescent light, there would be a need in the transmitted-light arrangement for a condenser-side detection stop in orderxe2x80x94as in the descanning arrangement describedxe2x80x94to achieve a three-dimensional resolution. In the case of two-photon excitation, however, it is possible to dispense with a condenser-side detection stop, since the probability of excitation is a function of the square of the photon density or the intensity, which is naturally much higher at the focus than in the neighboring regions. The fluorescent light to be detected therefore originates with high probability in overwhelming proportion from the focusing region, and this renders superfluous further differentiation of fluorescence photons from the focusing region from fluorescence photons from the neighboring regions with the aid of a stop arrangement. However, the detection of the transmitted light and/or the condenser-side detection of the fluorescent light can be helpful in the case of single-photon excitation, as well.
Particularly against the background of a yield of fluorescence photons which is low in any case for two-photon excitation, a non-descanning arrangement in which less light is generally lost on the detection-light path is of interest.
It is known from EP 0 627 643 A1 to raise the signal yield by electronic addition of the signals of the descanning and non-descanning detectors. Two detection channels are thus superimposed electronically in this case.
In the known electronic addition or superimposition of the signals, it is a problem that this form of electronic superimposition of the detector signals is complicated and slow. In particular, the detectors used have to be set in a complicated fashion.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a confocal scanning microscope which achieves a high signal yield and a high signal-to-noise ratio by the use of simple means.
The above object is achieved by a confocal microscope which comprises: a light source defining exciting light for illuminating an object, a scanning device, a first and second detection light being generated in the object wherein the detection light defines at least two detection channels, a superimposing device for optically superimposing the at least two detection channels and a detector assembly with at least one detector for detecting the detection light.
In a way according to the invention, it has firstly been realized that raising the signal yield can be achieved not solely by electronic addition of the signals of the detectors used. Also in a way according to the invention, optical superimposition of at least two detection channels by means of a superimposing device is provided for this purpose. With the microscope according to the invention, it is possible to dispense entirely with vulnerable electronic components which have additionally to be integrated in the known microscope. In this case, the complicated setting of the detectors used is also eliminated. Finally, the optical superimposition provides a quicker superimposition or addition technique than the conventional electronic addition technique.
Consequently, the microscope according to the invention realizes a microscope in which a high signal yield and a high signal-to-noise ratio is achieved by simple means.
In concrete terms, the detection light of at least two detection channels could be detected in a common detector assembly having at least one detector. However, it would also be possible to detect more than two detection channels in a common detector assembly.
The location of the superimposition of the detection light of the respective detection channels is not prescribed in principle. In a structurally particularly simple design, it would be possible, however, for the detection light of the detection channels to be optically superimposed in the detector assembly. In this case, the detection light of the respective detection channels is fed to the detector assembly in a suitable way.
The detector assembly could be a descanning detector assembly, it being rendered possible in a practical way to make use for optical superimposition of a descanning detector assembly frequently already present in a microscope. An additional detector assembly is therefore not required.
The detector assembly could, however, also be a non-descanning detector assembly. It would then be necessary when extending a conventional microscope which originally has a descanning detector assembly to provide a further detector assembly with the aid of which it is then possible to detect the detection light of all the detection channels. In particular, it would be possible thereby for the detection light of at least one detection channel to be guided to the detector assembly before it traversesxe2x80x94as originally plannedxe2x80x94a scanning device. For this purpose, the detection light could preferably be guided to the detector assembly by splitting between an objective and the scanning devicexe2x80x94from the original beam path. For splitting purposes, a color beam splitter could, in a particularly simple way, be arranged in a beam path of the microscope.
In a concrete refinement, a first detection channel could exhibit detection light which is emitted on the side of the object facing the light source, and a second detection channel could exhibit detection light which is emitted on the side of the object averted from the light source. Expressed more accurately, the first detection channel could exhibit reflected and/or fluorescent light. The second detection channel could, by contrast, exhibit transmitted and/or fluorescent light.
The detector assembly could be assigned to the first detection channel. In other words, it could be a detector assembly which is already present in the descanning arrangement in the case of a conventional microscope.
With regard to a concrete superimposition of two detection channels, the detection light of the second detection channel could be guided to the detector assembly by means of the superimposing device. This case could, in particular, concern an already present descanning detector assembly.
In an alternative refinement, both the detection light of the first detection channel and the detection light of the second detection channel could be guided to the detector assembly by means of the superimposing device. In this case, the detector assembly could be a detector assembly which is provided specifically for the superimposing technique and which is, if appropriate, implemented in addition to a descanning detector assembly already present. The detector assembly could be a nondescanning detector assembly, in particular.
With regard to effective optical superimposition of the detection channels, it could be possible to detect reflected light of the first detection channel and transmitted light of the second detection channel jointly, preferably in one and the same detector. Reflected light of the first detection channel and transmitted light of the second detection channel could in this case be approximately in the same wavelength region.
Furthermore, with reference to effective superimposition of the detection channels, fluorescent light of the first detection channel and fluorescent light of the second detection channel could be detected jointly, preferably in one and the same detector. Fluorescent light of the first detection channel and fluorescent light of the second detection channel could in this case be approximately in the same wavelength region.
Depending on the number of wavelength regions to be detected, it would be possible to provide a plurality of detectors which could then detect different wavelength regions.
The superimposing device could have a light-guiding device in order to ensure reliable superimposition of the detection channels. In a structurally particularly simple way, the light-guiding device could have an optical fiber. Glass fibers, in particular, can be used in this case. In particular, the light-guiding device could have an optical conductor filled with a liquid.
In an alternative refinement, the light-guiding device could have at least one mirror. One or more lenses could be assigned to the mirror or the mirrors. This renders it possible to construct mirror/lens arrangements which likewise permit reliable light guidance.
With regard to a particularly selective detection of the detection light, the detector assembly could be assigned a light-splitting device for splitting the detection light into different wavelength regions. The light-splitting device could have at least one color beam splitter in a particularly simple way.
As an alternative or addition hereto, the light-splitting device could have at least one partially transparent mirror. A bandpass or blocking filter could be arranged downstream of this mirror or these mirrors. In the case of the use of mirrors as splitting component, as well, it would also be possible to arrange a plurality of such mirrors in series, if appropriate with a downstream bandpass or blocking filter. Splitting the fluorescent light into a plurality of spectral regions is also possible thereby.
As an alternative to the use of color beam splitters or mirrors, it would be possible to use for splitting purposes a multiband detector. Splitting the fluorescent light into a plurality of spectral regions is also possible with the aid of such a multiband detector.
A laser could be used in a particularly advantageous way as light source. However, it is also conceivable to use other suitable light sources.


Systems and methods of displaying panorama images can provide for copying a first portion of a panorama image to a first memory space, and mapping a display to the first memory space. A copy may be initiated of a second portion of the panorama image to a second memory space in response to a scroll view associated with the display transitioning to a predetermined position. In addition, the display may be mapped to the second memory space in response to a transition of the scroll view into an overlap region that is shared by the first and second portions of the panorama image.

Certain digital cameras may support panorama photographing of wide scenes such as landscapes and skylines. Viewing panorama pictures on certain devices, however, can be challenging. For example, using a device such as a conventional set top box to scroll across a panorama picture may result in choppy playback due to limited graphics memory compared with the size of the panorama image.


An inhibiting agent against the proliferation of tumor cells comprises a lower condensation polymer or oligomer of an .alpha.-hydroxy acid, an oligopeptide containing at least one pyroglutamic acid residue, and a stabilizer. The lower condensate and the lower polymer of an .alpha.-hydroxy acid comprise mainly compounds formed by condensing and polymerizing 2 to 10 molecules of an .alpha.-hydroxy acid and their metal salts. The weight ratio of the components is such that the ratio of the lower condensate and the lower polymer of an .alpha.-hydroxy acid is 10, the ratio of the oligopeptide containing at least one pyroglutamic acid residue is 1 to 4, and the ratio of the stabilizer a saccharide or a sugaralcohol comprising is 1 to 3.

In spite of the fact that the study of development of carcinostatics are being carried out energetically on a worldwide scale, none of currently used effective carcinostatics are employed without anxiety because of the side effects. Also, in view of the current state that, among physicotherapies, there is no effective and noticeable one that gives less load, it is desired to develop satisfactory carcinostatics as soon as possible.
Taking this into consideration, the present applicant suggested inhibiting agents against the proliferation of malignant tumor cells of human beings in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,810,495 and 4,963,358 and a process for the preparation of an inhibiting agent against the proliferation of malignant tumor cells of animals in U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,657.
However, in those patents, the substances that inhibit the proliferation of malignant tumor cells were unclear.
Further, the present applicant suggested an inhibiting agent against the proliferation of malignant tumor cells of human beings comprising 2-hydroxy-1-(P-hydroxyphenyl)-5-methylhexane-3-one in Japanese Patent Tokkai-hei 2-247121 (Laid-Open No. 247121/1995), an inhibiting agent against the proliferation of malignant tumor cells of human beings comprising a monoglyceride in Japanese Patent Tokkai-hei 2-247125 (Laid-Open No. 247125/1995), and an inhibiting agent against the proliferation of malignant tumor cells of human beings comprising 2-heptadecanol in Japanese Patent Tokkai-hei 2-247120 (Laid-Open No. 247120/1995).
The object of the present invention is. to provide an inhibiting agent against the proliferation of tumor cells which is not any of the substances that were suggested in the above inventions, does not affect at all, in a toxicity test using normal cells, their proliferation, further in a test of the inhibition of proliferation of tumor cells of human beings transplanted in nude mice, stops the proliferation several days after the start of the administration as well as permits the tumor to reduce significantly in spite of the absence of followed administration, shows stable effectiveness by hypodermic administration, and has a stable prolonged action in organisms.

Inhibiting agent against the proliferation of tumor cells


A particulate loader for transferring particulates. The particulate loader comprises an air-particulates separating chamber for separating the particulates from an air stream caused by suction provided thereto. A suction mechanism is connected to the air-particulates separating chamber for providing the suction thereto. The particulate loader comprises a conveying mechanism for conveying the separated particulates from the air-particulates separating chamber to a remote location. A vacuum pickup hose is in fluid communication with the air-particulates separating chamber for transmitting the airstream with the particulates therethrough. An inlet conduit is in fluid communication with the vacuum pickup hose at a first end and with the air-particulates separating chamber at a second end for transmitting the airstream with the particulates from the vacuum pickup hose to the air-particulates separating chamber. The inlet conduit is elongated between the first end and the second end and a cross-section of the inlet conduit increases from a first cross-section at the first end to a second cross-section at the second end.

Particulate loaders are well known, and as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,537, are used by farmers and others to load and transfer grain and other particulates in a convenient manner. These devices include a suction mechanism such as, for example, one or more blowers, to create suction within an air-particulates separating chamber. A vacuum pickup hose is attached to the air-particulates separating chamber to transport grain or other materials from a first location into the air-particulates separating chamber. A conveying mechanism such as, for example, an auger, is positioned in the bottom of the air-particulates separating chamber for transferring the grain or other particulate material from the air-particulates separating chamber to a second location such as, for example an open truck, container.
State of the art particulate loaders have a separating drum of a generally perforated nature disposed within the air-particulates separating chamber for separating the particulates from the air. Typically, the drum is affixed to a fore-and-aft extending shaft about whose axis the drum is rotated during operation. Air drawn through the air-particulates separating chamber passes through the separating drum through small perforations therein, the separating drum's small perforations thereby separating the particulates from the air, leaving the particulate in the air-particulates separating chamber while the air which has passed through the perforations into the separating drum is exhausted through the suction mechanism of the particulate loader.
Unfortunately, a large suction mechanism is required for producing a sufficiently low suction (vacuum) pressure in the air-particulates separating chamber to cause a sufficient air velocity in the vacuum pickup hose to entrain the particulate in the air stream for conveyance. Furthermore, the subsequent high velocity of the air stream entering the air-particulates separating chamber substantially reduces the efficiency of the separation process.
It may be desirable to provide an inlet conduit that reduces the velocity of the air stream with the particulates entering the air-particulates separating chamber.
It also may be desirable to provide an inlet conduit that increases the velocity of the airstream with the particulates through the vacuum pickup hose while a suction pressure provided by the suction mechanism is substantially the same.
It also may be desirable to provide an inlet conduit that has the above desirable characteristics, is simple, and is implementable absent substantial changes to an existing particulate loader design.


A slurry process for polymerizing ethylene is disclosed. The process comprises polymerizing ethylene in the presence of an α-olefin, hydrogen, and a catalyst comprising an activator and a supported, dimethylsilyl-bridged bis(indenoindolyl)zirconium complex. The process has high catalyst activity and produces polyethylene having a broad molecular weight distribution.

Many olefin polymerization catalysts are known, including conventional Ziegler-Natta catalysts. While these catalysts are inexpensive and can provide a broad molecular weight distribution, they exhibit low activity and are generally poor at incorporating α-olefin comonomers. The large variety of active sites in Ziegler-Natta catalysts makes it difficult to control polymer architecture. To improve polymer properties, single-site catalysts, in particular metallocenes are beginning to replace Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Often, single site catalysts provide polyethylene with narrow molecular weight distribution.
Slurry reactors are in widespread use for production of polyethylene homo- and copolymers. Slurry reactors include stirred-tank reactors and water-jacketed tubular reactors arranged in a series of continuous horizontal or vertical loops. A "slurry solvent" in which polyethylene has low solubility constitutes the continuous phase in such reactors. The slurry is intensely stirred in a continuous stirred-tank reactor or series of reactors or, in the case of slurry loop reactors, is driven around the loop at relatively high speed by one or more rather massive pumps. Ethylene, supported catalyst, comonomers, and processing additives are injected into the reactor where polymerization takes place, creating a slurry of polyethylene in solvent.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,232,260 and 6,451,724 disclose the use of transition metal catalysts based upon indenoindolyl ligands. Indenoindolyl catalysts are remarkably versatile because substituent effects and bridging changes can often be exploited to provide polymers with tailored physical or mechanical properties. Unbridged indenoindolyl complexes (as exemplified in the '260 patent) usually provide favorable activity although they sometimes fail to provide polymers having high enough molecular weights. Bridged indenoindolyl complexes (as taught, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,908,972) readily copolymerize α-olefins and provide polymers with low densities. In the '972 patent, several bridged complexes are exemplified in a slurry process and the molecular weight distribution ranges from 2.66 to 7.20. U.S. Pat. No. 6,995,216 uses a silica-supported dimethylsilyl-bridged indenoindolyl complex with hydrogen and 1-butene in a two-stage slurry ethylene polymerization process. The molecular weight distribution is 3.7.
Despite the considerable experience with single-site catalysts generally and indenoindolyl catalysts in particular, there is a need for improvement. Many single-site catalysts produce polyethylene with narrow molecular weight distribution. For many applications, a broad molecular weight distribution is often required. One solution to this has been the use of mixed catalysts or blending of polyethylenes of two different molecular weight distributions. While these techniques provide broad molecular weight distribution, they increase process complexity and cost. Some catalysts, such as Ziegler-Natta catalysts, provide broad molecular weight distribution, but they have lower activity and poor comonomer incorporation. Catalyst activity is important because at low activity, the cost increases as does the potential for undesirable effects of the residual catalyst in the final polyethylene. Generally, when one needs broad molecular weight distribution, a compromise is made. A valuable process would enable high activity, broad molecular weight distribution, and preferably good comonomer incorporation from a single catalyst.


Apparatus and associated methods relate to a reflectively-illuminated safety symbol attachable to an article of clothing. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a safety device may include a first side of reflective material and a second side of reflective material. Each side of reflective material may be separately illuminated by a light source positioned between the two sides, such as for example one or more strings of LEDs. In some embodiments, the first side is a first color and the second side is a second color. In some embodiments, the safety device may provide for removable attachment to an article of clothing. For example, the safety device may utilize a magnetic attachment. In another exemplary embodiment, the safety symbol may utilize a hook and loop attachment. In various embodiments, the safety device may provide for an increased awareness of a wearer through removable attachment of an illuminated safety symbol.

A recent awareness in people's health has increased the number of individuals exercising by running, jogging, walking, hiking, sitting, or biking on streets, sidewalks, and other public places. Because of people's busy schedules, individuals choose to or are forced to exercise during low lit hours of the day, such as dusk or dawn thus resulting in a lessened chance of passing vehicles seeing the individuals and a greater chance of the passing vehicles colliding with the pedestrian. Further, national statistics show that almost fifty percent of individual fatalities occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and midnight.
Attempts to make pedestrian more visible have resulted in individuals wearing bright or reflective colored clothing, gloves, and/or carrying a flashlight, for example. However, for various exemplary reasons, such as the clothing blending into the surrounding environment, the reflective material covering only a small area of the wearer's body, or the clothing or individual being hidden from a vehicle driver's view, the bright colored clothing is not always a satisfactory method of alerting the vehicle driver of the pedestrian's presence. The danger for the pedestrian is compounded in that many drivers unfortunately don't pay enough attention to their surroundings and individuals can be especially hard to see amongst oncoming headlights. This results in an increased risk of a collision with the vehicle and the pedestrian.
Other safety devices may include reflective material embedded in the wearer's clothing. These safety devices can result in heavy and awkwardness of the clothing, as well as difficulty in maneuvering while wearing the clothing, and difficulty in cleaning the clothing. Improvement of safety devices and related articles for individuals running, jogging, walking, hiking, sitting, or biking on streets, sidewalks, and other public places can yield drastic reductions in road accidents and fatalities and are thus highly desirable.

Illuminated safety device for attachment to an article of clothing


A multi-sided, integrated circuit die includes a plurality of read only memory (ROM) circuits, positioned only at the corners of the die, to simplify qualification testing of new package designs. During qualification testing, electrical and environmental stresses are applied to the package and die combination. The package and die are electronically evaluated at predetermined intervals to determine whether a failure has occurred during testing. When a failure occurs during testing, the package and die are diagnosed to isolate and determine the cause or source of the failure. Package design parameters are adjusted accordingly to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of the failures. An optional 12-bit counter is fabricated onto the die for each ROM circuit to exercise the ROM during qualification testing. An optional process monitor is also fabricated onto the die for each ROM circuit to determine the strength of the fabrication process and the resulting quality of circuit elements produced therefrom.

As a quality control measure, integrated circuit chip manufacturers verify the reliability of integrated circuit package designs by stress testing the package to ensure that it will withstand electrical and environmental conditions normally experienced during operation. During qualification (burn-in) tests, electrical and environmental stresses are applied to the package while periodically observing the ability of the package to withstand the applied stresses and adequately protect the device circuitry. The test package is typically a production package having a production die (a semiconductor substrate with integrated circuitry) assembled in the test package.
Production dice typically employ the most advanced technology and are therefore usually large, complex, and suffer from low production yields. As a result, production dice are expensive, not only to manufacture, but also to use for package qualification testing. When a failure occurs during qualification testing, determining the cause of the failure can be very difficult due to the complexity of the production die. Thus, the use of production dice unnecessary complicates qualification testing of integrated circuit packages.
Therefore, a need exists for an integrated circuit die specifically designed for package qualification testing. The die should be inexpensive to manufacture and use, and it should simplify failure analysis.

Semiconductor package qualification chip


A collapsible device includes a base, a cover, and a hinge. The hinge includes a first connecting member fixed to the base, a second connecting member defining a through hole, a sleeve member fixed to the second connecting member, a shaft movably mounted to the first connecting member, and a fastener. The sleeve member defines a spiral slide groove therein. A clamping protrusion extends from the first connecting member for slidably engaging in the slide groove. The shaft includes a fixing portion rotatably passed through the sleeve member and the through hole. The fastener is fixed to a distal end of the fixing portion. The second connecting member is fixed to the cover. During the rotation of the cover relative to the base via the hinge, the cover is synchronously moved transversely relative to the base along the axial direction of the hinge.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a collapsible device.
2. Description of Related Art
A collapsible device, such as a notebook computer, or a clamshell mobile phone, generally including a base, a cover, and a hinge often used to interconnect the base and the cover. The hinge allows the cover to be rotatable with respect to the base, and to be folded with the base for saving space. However, the cover can only be rotated relative to the base, but can not be transversely moved along the base, which is quite inconvenient for users.


Disposed between a sprung element and an unsprung element is a shock absorber of multi-degree variable-damping-coefficient type. The change control of the damping coefficient is carried out so that an actual damping force generated by the shock absorber can harmonize with a target damping force, Fa. The foregoing target damping force, Fa, as functions of the sprung vertical displacement velocity Xs and the unsprung vertical displacement velocity Xu, is obtained by the formula: Fa=-Xs.multidot.gs-Xu.multidot.gu, wherein both gs and gu are coefficients and the relations of gs>0; gu.gtoreq.0 hold. Thus, while controlling the sprung vertical motion, cushioning action of the wheels can be enhanced to improve traveling stabilization.

This invention generally relates to automobile suspension systems. More particularly, it pertains to an improved automobile suspension system with a shock absorber of multi-degree variable-damping-coefficient type between a sprung element and an unsprung element.
An automobile suspension system generally includes between a body (i.e., the sprung element) and wheels (i.e., the unsprung elements) shock absorbers to damp up-and-down vibration of the wheels. Many types of shock absorbers are known in the art. For example, there is known a shock absorber of bi-degree variable-damping-coefficient type so that the damping coefficient can vary from a greater degree to a lesser degree, and vice versa. A shock absorber of multi-degree or infinitely variable-damping-coefficient type is likewise known.
Conventionally, such a shock absorber employs a control method that its damping coefficient is changed and controlled so as to harmonize an actual damping force, generated by the shock absorber, with a target damping force (i.e., the skyhook damper force) that causes no sprung vertical motion. Japanese Patent Application Laying Open Gazette No. 60-248419 discloses a shock absorber control method which checks for the agreement between a sign of the relative displacement between the sprung element and the unsprung element and another sign of the differentiated value thereof, (i.e., the relative velocity between the sprung element and the unsprung element). At the time when these two signs agree with each other, the damping coefficient of the shock absorber increases, which results in the increase of the damping force generated by the shock absorber. On the other hand, at the time when the two signs disagree with each other, the damping coefficient of the shock absorber decreases, which results in the decrease of the damping force generated by the shock absorber.
Although in the foregoing conventional control method the target damping force is so set that it causes no sprung vertical motion, traveling stabilization decreases because the wheels tend to separate from the road surface at an oscillation frequency in the vicinity of the unsprung resonant point.

Automobile suspension including control of variable damping coefficient shock absorber


A locking mechanism (6) is provided to block the internal combustion engine (1) at prepositioned cranking angle after shutting down. Preferably, the crankshaft of the engine is positioned at a crankshaft angle that is favorable for cranking. Prepositioning of the crankshaft angle results in a lower first compression torque and therefore increases kinetic energy stored in the crankshaft lumped inertia. The required maximum torque of the cranking aid (2a, 2b, 2c) can therefore be reduced.

A method and a device for controlled shutdown and restart of an internal combustion engine are described in WO 01/48373 A1 in which the engine is actively or passively positioned at a predetermined crank angle at rest. The position is stored and later available at restart. The predetermined angle is then used to initiate cylinder-specific fuel injection and ignition.
Typically, an internal combustion engine is started by a starter motor, which brings the crankshaft to a minimum rotational speed. The motoring torque to rotate the engine varies as a function of crank angle due largely to the compression and expansion of air in the cylinders. The peaks in the motoring torque are overcome by the torque delivered by the starter and the inertial energy stored in the rotating components, namely the starter and engine.
The motoring torque increase as the temperature decreases. Thus, a starter with enough low-speed torque to overcome the motoring torque peaks at low temperature is desired. At warmer temperatures, a smaller electric motor would be sufficient. However, a larger motor is needed to cover the range of operating temperatures.

Locking mechanism for the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine


A pigment dispersant that is useful in a cathodic electrocoating composition is prepared by bringing into contact the following compounds: a cyclic alkylene urea amine, a polyepoxide and a dialkanol amine; this pigment dispersant has an advantage of allowing for the high pigment to binder ratios and minimizes the volatile organic content (VOC) in the electrocoating composition.

This invention is related to a pigment dispersant this is useful in a cathodic electrocoating composition.
The coating of electrically conductive substrates by an electrodeposition process (also called an electrocoating process) is a well known and important industrial process. Electrodeposition of primers to automotive substrates is widely used in the automotive industry. In this process an autobody or an auto part, is immersed in a bath of an electrocoating composition containing an aqueous emulsion of film forming polymer and acts as an electrode in the electrodeposition process. An electric current is passed between the article and a counterelectrode in electrical contact with the aqueous emulsion until a desired thickness of coating is deposited on the article. In a cathodic electrocoating process, the article to be coated is the cathode and the counter-electrode is the anode.
Resin compositions used in the bath of a typical cathodic electrodeposition process also are well known in the art. These resins typically are made from a polyepoxide which has been chain extended and then an adduct is formed to include amine groups in the resin. Amine groups typically are introduced through reaction of the resin with an amine compound. These resins are blended with a crosslinking agent and then neutralized with an acid to form a water emulsion which is usually referred to as a principal emulsion.
The principal emulsion is combined with a pigment paste, coalescent solvents, water, and other additives to form the electrocoating bath. The electrocoating bath is placed in an insulated tank containing the anode. The article to be coated is the cathode and is passed through the tank containing the electrodeposition bath. The thickness of the coatings that is deposited on the article being electrocoated is a function of the bath characteristics, the electrical operating characteristics, the immersion time, and the like.
The resulting coated article is removed from the bath after a set period of time and is rinsed with deionized water. The coating on the article is cured typically in an oven at a sufficient temperature to produce a crosslinked finish on the article.
Cathodic electrocoating compositions, resin compositions, coating baths, and cathodic electrodeposition processes are disclosed in Jerabek et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,253 issued Nov. 25, 1975; Wismer et al. U.S. Pat No. 4,419,467 issued Dec. 6, 1983; Belanger U.S. Pat No. 4,137,140 issued Jan. 30, 1979 and Wismer et al. U.S. Pat No. 4,468,307 issued Aug. 25, 1984.
Pigments are a necessary component in a typical electrocoating automotive primer composition. Pigment dispersants are used to disperse the pigment in the composition and keep the pigment dispersed in the composition and thus are a very important part of any electrocoating composition. Useful pigment dispersants for cathodic electrocoating compositions are disclosed in Gebregiorgis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,393 issued Jul. 7, 1992, Gebregiorgis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,507 issued Aug. 7, 1990 and Gebregiorgis U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,903 issued May 26, 1992.
In the process for forming pigment dispersions for cathodic electrocoating compositions, primary pigment particles are separated from agglomerates or aggregates of these particles; accluded air and absorbed water are displaced and the surface of the pigment is coated with the pigment dispersant. Ideally, each primary particle which has been mechanically separated during the dispersion process, also is stabilized against flocculation. If the pigment particles are not properly dispersed and stabilized in the composition, the advantages built into the pigment by the manufacturer may be lost. For example, the pigment may settle in the electrodeposition bath which can result in loss of corrosion protection of the substrate. In addition, appearance of a film deposited by the electrodeposition process and the operating characteristics of an electrocoating bath may be adversely affected by inadequate pigment dispersion. The better the pigment dispersant used in a coating composition or electrocoating bath, the less dispersant is required and the pigment to binder ratio can be increased in the composition. This can result in a savings on dispersant costs, improved processability, and a lower VOC (Volatile Organic Content) of the electrocoating bath.

Pigment dispersant for cathodic electrocoating compositions


A liquid crystal device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer that is provided between the pair of substrates, a first seal material that is arranged along the periphery of the liquid crystal layer between the pair of substrates and seals the liquid crystal layer, and a second seal material that is arranged along the periphery of the liquid crystal layer between the pair of substrates and has water-hardening properties.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a seal structure, a seal method, a liquid crystal device, a manufacturing method thereof, and a projector.
2. Related Art
In a liquid crystal device that is used as a light-modulation unit in a projection-type display device such as a liquid crystal projector, a sealing material is provided along a peripheral part between a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer is sealed in the center. An electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer is provided on the insides of the pair of substrates. An alignment film is provided on the inner side of the electrode, and controls the alignment of the liquid crystal polymer when applying a nonselective voltage. Based on change in the alignment of the liquid crystal polymer when applying a nonselective voltage and when applying a selective voltage, light from a light source is modulated to produce image light.
A high-polymer film of polyimide with an added side-chain alkyl group whose surface has been processing by rubbing can be used as the alignment film. In this rubbing process, the surface of the high-polymer film is rubbed in a predetermined direction using a roller consisting of a soft cloth, so that the high-polymers are aligned in a predetermined direction. The liquid crystal polymers are distributed along the aligned high-polymers due to a reciprocal effect between the high-polymers and the liquid crystal polymers. That is, the liquid crystal polymers are aligned in the predetermined direction when a nonselective voltage is applied. The side-chain alkyl group imparts a pre-tilt to the liquid crystal polymer.
When a liquid crystal device including an organic alignment film is used as a light-modulating unit in a projector, there is a possibility that the alignment film gradually breaks down due to heat and strong light emitted from the light source. After the liquid crystal projector is used for a long period of time, the alignment control function of the liquid crystal polymers may deteriorate (e.g., the liquid crystal polymers may not be arranged at the desired pre-tilt angle), with a consequent deterioration in the display quality of the liquid crystal projector.
Accordingly, an alignment film consisting of an inorganic substance having excellent light-resistant and heat-resistant properties is being considered for use. Proposed methods for manufacturing an inorganic film include ion bean sputtering and diagonal evaporation (e.g., see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 57-157214). In these methods, particles of the inorganic substance are injected to a substrate at a predetermined incidence angle, forming an inorganic alignment film consisting of column-like structural bodies of the inorganic substance. In a liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal polymers are aligned along the column-like structural bodies of the inorganic alignment film. That is, the inorganic alignment film controls alignment and imparts a pre-tilt to the liquid crystal polymers.
To seal a liquid crystal layer between the pair of substrates, a seal material must be provided on the surface of the inorganic alignment film. However, since the inorganic alignment film consists of column-like structural bodies, the inorganic alignment is porous; hence there is a possibility that a comparatively large gap is formed at the interface between the seal material and the inorganic alignment film. When water, impurities, and the like from outside the liquid crystal device infiltrate the liquid crystal layer through this gap, they inhibit the alignment control function of the liquid crystal polymers, mainly in the liquid crystal device. This reduces the reliability of the liquid crystal projector.

Seal structure, seal method, liquid crystal device, manufacturing method thereof, and projector


Feeding a diet supplemented with DDGS or another supplement containing UFA at a level above a threshold to animals such as swine, cattle, and poultry can have negative effects on carcass fat, certain growth parameters, and meat characteristics. However, if this diet is provided with a second supplement that contains CPFA at specified levels in the diet, the negative effects otherwise expected are wholly or at least partially countered. The invention recommends employing a supplemental source of CPFA between about 0.001% and about 0.5% of the diet by weight. Negative effects on carcass characteristics caused by ractopamine can also be countered by the addition of this amount of at least one source of CPFA in the diet.

Livestock production requires careful application of both science and animal husbandry practices in order to obtain the meat quality characteristics desired by the consumer. Feed costs are a livestock producer's most significant cost and it is desirable to manage expected carcass characteristics, include supplements in the diet that improve those characteristics, improve the health of the animal, and minimize the costs of the feed and other costs associated with livestock production.
Saturated fatty acids (SFA) tend to positively influence fat quality by increasing firmness when included in the diet; UFA tend to negatively affect fat by causing it to have a softer composition which translates to higher levels of oxidation, and increased slicing and processing difficulties. Fat firmness can be monitored by determining the fatty acid profile and calculating an iodine value (IV). Acceptable IV scores vary depending on the processor; however, as an example, at the present time, an IV score over 73 for swine frequently indicates soft fat and a less desirable carcass.
In recent years, ethanol production in the Midwest has become commonplace. The basic process includes cooking corn into mash, adding yeast and fermenting the mash, distilling off the ethanol, and thereafter separating the solids remaining from the liquid. Some of the liquid can be used as backset in the process, oil might be separated from the liquid, and additional solids might be separated from the liquid. The remaining and/or separated solids are called wet distiller's grains (WDG) and typically include around 70% moisture. Although high in protein and well suited for use as an animal feed supplement, the shelf life of WDG is very short. Therefore, WDG are often dried to around 10% moisture, creating a feed ingredient called dried distillers grains or dried distillers grains with solubles (both referred to herein as DDGS) with a much longer shelf life.
The interest in uses for ethanol process byproducts has grown since their more abundant availability due to the ethanol industry's growth since 2000. The DDGS is the result of removal of corn starch which results in concentration of non starch components of corn approximately three fold in the DDGS. DDGS includes nutritional and economic values that make them attractive for use as animal feeds or feed additives. Specifically, DDGS has about 9-10% fat (about double that of whole corn), around 8-9% fiber (approximately four times that of whole corn), about 25-30% crude protein (which is about 3½ times that of whole corn), around 0.6-0.9% lysine (about triple that of whole corn) without significant loss of calcium or phosphorus. However, DDGS also typically contains about 10% corn oil, which is high in UFA, so despite DDGS significantly lowering feed costs at higher inclusion rates, feeding only low levels of DDGS was recommended due to the negative carcass impact. For swine, DDGS was recommended at 10% of the diet for grow finish hogs, with a maximum of 20%. (Plain, Ron, "Feeding Distiller Grains to Hogs" Factsheet, Livestock Marketing Information Center, State Extension Services, University of Missouri-Columbia, Fall 2008). Iowa State University Extension recommended up to 20% DDGS in nursery, grow-finish, and lactating sow diets, and up to 40% for gestating sows; this paper further reported that diet levels above 20% DDGS can produce a softer, oilier fat in pigs. (Mark Honeyman, Peter Lammers, "Feeding Bioenergy Coproducts to Swine", Iowa State University Extension, IPIC 11a May 2007). Feeding DDGS can also reduce carcass yield in swine production. DDGS recommended supplementation rates in diets for cattle are also varied according to the growth stage or end purpose of the animal. Poultry diets can also be supplemented with DDGS.
Other than the effect on carcass yield and carcass fat mentioned herein, feeding DDGS does not change quality or grades of carcasses. Further, feed cost of gain will typically be reduced if the cost of DDGS is not at a level that is much greater than the cost of corn grain on a dry basis. In short, DDGS has high protein and fat content and can be included into a number of livestock diets.
The fat component of DDGS is corn oil and is known to affect carcass fat softness. (BioEnergy "The Influence of Dried Distillers' Grains on Carcass Fat in Swine" Mickey A. Latour, A. P. Schinckel, Purdue University, Purdue Extension ID-345-W 8/07). As a basic premise, pig body composition is affected by the feed's fat content. This is because pigs can directly deposit dietary fat into their fat depots. The transfer from diet to body fat is well characterized in grow-finish pigs. Id. Cattle and poultry do not share this mechanism of fat deposition, however, adding certain fat or increasing the level of fat in the diet does affect the hardness of the fat of poultry and bovine carcasses as well.
The addition of DDGS increases the level of UFA in the diet. In short, the acceptable level of DDGS in the diet is limited by its negative result of producing softer carcass fat and undesirable IV scores. There are other sources of UFA used in swine, cattle and/or poultry diets, including but not limited to, dried bakery product, corn oil, soybean oil, poultry fat and yellow grease, that also contribute to soft carcass fat. The present invention comprises a method of feeding that allows higher inclusion of DDGS and other sources of UFA while managing the softness of carcass fat and IV scores.
The economic advantages offered by substituting DDGS (or other less expensive feed materials that have increased fat content) for other more traditional feed components can be significant. Swine producers, poultry producers and cattle producers have continued to use DDGS as a feed supplement but do so at levels chosen to manage or avoid the negative effects that feeding more DDGS would be expected to cause. In other words, the full economic and nutritional benefits of DDGS supplementation are not being fully realized.
Ractopamine is a feed additive used to improve carcass leanness and growth rate in swine and cattle. Pharmacologically, it is a beta-adrenergic agonist that functions to increase protein synthesis resulting in increased muscle fiber size. Ractopamine is typically fed to growing swine during the last 3-5 weeks prior to slaughter to increase carcass lean and growth rate. Ractopamine is very commonly used as a feed additive in U.S. swine diets. It is estimated that over 70% of the swine produced in the U.S. have been fed ractopamine (personal communication with Elanco, makers of ractopamine). Ractopamine is used for similar purpose and with similar effects with cattle. However, ractopamine also has unfortunate negative impacts on meat quality. Carr et. al., (2005) observed that feeding ractopamine at 10 or 20 ppm for 25 to 41 days pre-slaughter resulted in poorer color scores, reduced tenderness and reduced flavor scores. Stoller et. al., (2003) reported that feeding ractopamine at 10 ppm for 28 days resulted in reduced color score, reduced tenderness score, increased chewiness score and increased Instron force of loin muscle. Aalhus, et. al., (1990) found that feeding ractopamine at 10 ppm for 35 days prior to slaughter increased sheer force of loin muscle and reduced hardness of fat samples taken from the loin.
Overall, desirable carcass characteristics can be measured and relate to lean color, marbling, lean firmness, water holding capacity, muscling, fatness, and softness of fat. What was needed was a method of feeding animals that would allow the maximum nutritional advantage of employing DDGS as a feed ingredient, would allow realization of the maximum economic advantage of employing DDGS, and would counter the negative effects otherwise expected from feeding relatively high levels of DDGS or other feed ingredients high in UFA. Further, what was needed was a method for countering the negative effects on carcass characteristics associated with the use of ractopamine. Finally, what was needed was a method for improving carcass characteristics expected from standard diets.
It is a first objective of the present invention to provide a method for feeding an animal a feed containing high levels of UFA without decreasing the melting point of the carcass fat or without the expected decrease in melting point of the carcass fat.
A second objective of the method is to provide a method for feeding livestock and poultry higher levels of UFA without increasing the IV score.
A third objective of the method is to provide a method for feeding meat-bearing livestock that improves meat quality (e.g., fat hardness, cooking loss, and belly thickness) while not adversely impacting the productivity of the animal (e.g., growth rate, feed efficiency) either when including DDGS or other supplements containing UFA at levels above the generally accepted levels, or when the UFA levels have not been increased.
A fourth objective of the method of the present invention is to reduce costs of animal feed by supplementing DDGS or other supplements with UFA, and decrease the IV score otherwise expected for UFA supplemented diets. One of the objectives is to increase the fat firmness over that which would have otherwise been expected from a diet supplemented with more than 20% DDGS in the early swine growth phase or more than 0% DDGS in the late swine growth phase.
A fifth objective of the method of the present invention is to reduce the negative effects otherwise expected when swine or cattle feed is supplemented with ractopamine.
A sixth objective of the method of the present invention is to improve the carcass characteristics of swine or cattle or poultry fed standard diets without the addition of ractopamine and without higher than normal levels of UFA.

Method of feeding livestock to improve carcass characteristics


A high security locking device is disclosed especially adapted for use as a vehicle anti-theft and passenger security system. In one embodiment, the device comprises a frame, a bolt and a motor driven bolt actuator. The bolt resists slim-jim tampering and may be instantly locked and unlocked by means of a suitable switch. In a second embodiment of the present invention, a high security locking device is disclosed which comprises a frame; a coaxial slide bolt, having an inner core and an outer sheath, slideably positioned within the frame; a cylinder assembly positioned within the frame; an outer sheath positioning means coupled to and operated by said cylinder assembly; and a motor driven bolt actuator. The outer sheath is extended and withdrawn by means of the outer sheath positioning means controlled by a keyed cylinder mounted upon the outer surface of a door and optionally by means of a latch located within the vehicle. The inner core is operated by means of a motor driven bolt actuator.

Despite the increased manufacture and sale of automotive security devices, automobile theft remains a major problem throughout the world. In recent years, assault of vehicle occupants has also become a common event. Despite the tremendous increase in the development and sales of anti-theft devices, professional thieves have no difficulty in breaking into vehicles and over-riding existing devices. Automobile sirens announcing these burglaries attract little attention to a car thieve's efforts as these sounds have become as common a sound in urban areas as the sound of crickets in the countryside.
Once a thief has gained entrance to an automobile, he has little difficulty in distorting or cutting a steering wheel to remove a wheel lock or hot wiring an ignition system to defeat a starter or ignition kill alarm system. It is painfully obvious that access for over-riding these deterrent systems simply requires a thief to defeat the o.e.m. door locks baring his immediate entry into a vehicle. Unfortunately, the majority of o.e.m. locks may be opened, possibly faster than with a key, utilizing a "slim-jim" (a flat metal lock-tripping theft device). Therefore, the time a thief remains in view, and vulnerable to discovery, is minima.
The slim jim may also be utilized to allow entry through a locked car door for assault of individuals who erroneous believe they are safe within their cars. As discussed above, the slim jim allows a thief or assailant almost immediate entry into a locked vehicle. Therefore, an individual may be taken by surprise by a criminals entry into a vehicle while waiting at a traffic light or a highway entrance ramp.
What is needed is a device which effectively resists unauthorized entry into a locked vehicle. It would be highly desirable if such a device could be instantly operated from within a vehicle to provide added passenger security. It would be further desirable for such a device to additionally include a keyed mechanism for operation thereof from outside a vehicle.


An internal combustion engine operates so that it delivers zero or negative torque. The engine operates in either a deceleration cylinder cut off (DCCO) mode or skip cylinder compression braking mode. In the skip cylinder compression braking mode, selected working cycles of selected working chambers are operated in a compression release braking mode. Accordingly, individual working chambers are sometimes not fired and sometimes operated in the compression release braking mode while the engine is operating in the skip cylinder compression braking mode.

Most vehicles in operation today (and many other devices) are powered by internal combustion (IC) engines. Internal combustion engines typically have a plurality of cylinders or other working chambers where combustion occurs. Under normal driving conditions, the torque generated by an internal combustion engine needs to vary over a wide range in order to meet the operational demands of the driver. Over the years, a number of methods of controlling internal combustion engine torque have been proposed and utilized. Some such approaches contemplate varying the effective displacement of the engine. Engine control approaches that vary the effective displacement of an engine can be classified into two types of control, multiple fixed displacements and skip fire. In fixed multiple displacement control some fixed set of cylinders is deactivated under low load conditions; for example, an 8-cylinder engine that can operate on the same 4 cylinders under certain conditions. In contrast, skip fire control operates by sometimes skipping and sometimes firing any given cylinder. In general, skip fire engine control is understood to offer a number of potential advantages, including the potential of significantly improved fuel economy in many applications. Although the concept of skip fire engine control has been around for many years, and its benefits are understood, skip fire engine control has only recently started to be used in commercially available engines.
It is well understood that operating engines tend to be the source of significant noise and vibrations, which are often collectively referred to in the field as NVH (noise, vibration and harshness). In general, a stereotype associated with skip fire engine control is that skip fire operation of an engine will make the engine run significantly rougher, that is with increased NVH, relative to a conventionally operated engine. In many applications such as automotive applications, one of the most significant challenges presented by skip fire engine control is vibration control. Indeed, the inability to satisfactorily address NVH concerns is believed to be one of the primary obstacles that has prevented widespread adoption of skip fire types of engine control.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 10,077,726 describes an engine capable of cylinder deactivation. The engine is capable of operating in a number of engine cylinder mode regions where only selected cylinder firing patterns can be activated. The boundaries of the engine cylinder mode regions may be adjusted based on the vehicle mass or vehicle weight. The patent describes making a boundary adjustment based on interpolation between a baseline weight and maximum gross vehicle weight. While this type of adjustment may provide acceptable performance in some cases, it fails to recognize how a change in a vehicle's mass or mass distribution may affect the position and magnitude of vehicle resonances that impact the transfer of engine noise and vibration into the engine cabin. The patent also fails to disclose how to select a cylinder firing pattern among the allowed firing patterns within an engine cylinder mode region. The present application describes improvements over the prior art that provide additional skip fire control features and enhancements that can improve performance in a variety of applications.
Compression release braking (CRB) is a method of opening a cylinder exhaust valve at or near top dead center (TDC) of a compression stroke of a working cycle. Compression release braking is commonly used in heavy trucks to provide engine braking, reducing use and wear of the truck's friction brakes. In the prior art, CRB is typically controlled manually by the truck operator using dashboard or stalk controls, which select fixed sets of cylinders to operate in CRB while the other cylinders operate in a fuel cutoff mode continuing to pumping air through the engine. For example, a 6-cylinder engine may operate with for example 2, 4 or 6 cylinders selected to operate with CRB. The overall level of engine braking is controlled by the operator's selection of transmission gear along with this multi-level choice of the number of CRB cylinders.
While the advantages of CRB are well known, manual determination of the number of CRB operating cylinders may be cumbersome is some situations. It would be desirable if use of CRB could be more automated so an appropriate level of engine braking may be determined automatically without driver intervention. It would also be desirable to deactivate cylinders that are not operating in CRB mode to reduce the pumping of air through the engine.


A method controls a motion of a vehicle using a model of the motion of the vehicle that includes an uncertainty. The method samples a control space of possible control inputs to the model of the motion of the vehicle to produce a set of sampled control inputs and determines a probability of each sampled control input to move the vehicle into state satisfying constraints on the motion of the vehicle. The method determines, using the probabilities of the sampled control inputs, a control input having the probability to move the vehicle in the state above a threshold. The control input is mapped to a control command to at least one actuator of the vehicle to control the motion of the vehicle.

Several control systems employed by vehicles, either autonomous vehicles or vehicles executing in autonomous-driving mode, predict future, safe motions of the vehicle toward some target state, both in order to avoid obstacles, such as other vehicles or pedestrians, but also to optimize some criteria associated to the operation of the vehicle. The target state can either be a fixed location, a moving location, a velocity vector, a region, or a combination thereof. The surroundings, such as road edges, pedestrians, and other vehicles, are sensed by the sensors of the vehicle and/or are at least partially known by a priori given information. However, the sensor information is noisy and uncertain, the exact parameters of the vehicle are unknown, and the environment is only partially known. The control of the vehicle should therefore account for such uncertainties.
For example, if an autonomous road vehicle travels along a road segment, the control system of the autonomous vehicle can generate a motion that minimizes one or combinations of deviations from the middle of the lane and speed variations to provide a smooth ride for the passenger and to provide a smooth traffic flow. The sensors of the vehicle detect potential obstacles on the road. The location and velocity of the obstacles are uncertain, due to sensing noise and other sources of uncertainty. The vehicle control system should take the uncertainty into account when computing suitable accelerations and steering input for the vehicle, and the corresponding resulting motion, to avoid unnecessary jumps in control inputs or other unwanted behaviors of the vehicle.
Since the models of the vehicle and the environment used by some control systems of the autonomous vehicle are only simplified mathematical descriptions of the real world, the predicted future motion must be computed fast, such that it can be updated in real time whenever necessary. Therefore, the motion needs to be computed recursively, either at a fixed update rate or whenever new sensor information arrives.
Several systems determine either the path U.S. Pat. No. 8,666,548 or the motion of the vehicle by generating random configurations or control inputs U.S. Pat. No. 7,447,593, US 88825207, and connect different random samples to each other, to grow a tree of possible motions. When only considering predictions of future paths, the computational complexity of the method is reduced, but it can result in a nondrivable path. On the other hand, when motions of the vehicle are predicted, the quality of the motion is determined by evaluating the entire motion. The result is either that the quality of the motions cannot be guaranteed in real-time operation, or that the motion the autonomous vehicle should follow is not determined sufficiently fast, or a combination of the both.
A cause of the lack of quality of motion in combination with computational/memory load is that the quality of the motion is determined by investigating the entire motion, from initial state to target state. Therefore, the tree of possible motions becomes unnecessarily large. In such a case, the computational/memory load can be overwhelming.
Fast computations and reliable performance are ubiquitous in several applications. For example, consider a situation when a road-bound autonomous vehicle travels on a highway and a future motion cannot be found. The predicted motion should not only be safe, but it should also be computed by considering different situations. For example, consider a scenario where the vehicle operates on a road with two lanes and there are two other vehicles present; one in front of the car and one vehicle approaching from behind in the other lane. In such a scenario, the motion must be determined by deciding whether to slow down, stay behind, or initiate overtaking.

System and method for controlling autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having shallow trench isolation includes steps of forming a hard mask layer on the substrate surface, etching a trench through the hard mask, filling the trench with an isolation material, forming a recessed trench, and forming a serpentine gate structure to connect electronic sources and drains.

Integrated circuits are manufactured by fabricating electrical devices on semiconductor substrates and interconnecting the various electrical devices. Shallow trench isolation (STI) is a technique used to electrically isolate transistors or electrical devices and is a facilitating technology for the fabrication of advanced microelectronic devices, for example, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS). STI has largely replaced localized oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) isolation methods in the fabrication of advanced microelectronic devices. STI involves creating oxide isolation trenches for electrical separation or segregation in integrated circuits in order to avoid electromechanical interference (EMI) and/or parasitic leakage paths between the various devices. The oxide trench is etched into the silicon substrate utilizing, for example, reactive ion etching (RIE), followed by employing a thermal oxidation process to line the trench walls with a thin layer of oxide, for example, SiO2. The trench is then filled with a gap-filling oxide isolation material. The structure is subsequently chemically mechanically polished (CMP) to create a planar STI structure such that electrical devices (inner active areas) can be formed within regions bounded by the STI, often referred to as moats.
The Wg (gate width) of small transistors, for example, static random access memory (SRAM) transistors is limited by the process constraints of the required "footprint" of the device. Given specific pitch and space limitations, the Wg of the SRAM is constrained within specific physical limits. A small gate width (Wg) can lead to small drive currents (ION) in minimum size transistors. An increase in drive current (ION) at no or a small increase in leakage current (IOFF), for a given "footprint", would provide a significant benefit over the current available technology.
FinFET structures, currently being used in some of the smallest memory devices (e.g., SRAM), are not suitable for wide transistor type applications, for example, large switches. FinFET transistors generally have higher current densities than most CMOS devices; however, the fins of FinFETs are not as wide as the "fins" of wide transistors because most of the FinFET world is aimed at narrow transistors. FinFETs are typically less than 100 nm in width and therefore not suitable for wide transistor applications.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved system and method for creating wide transistors with increased drive current with little or no increase in leakage current. In other words, there exists a need for improving the drive current (ION) per unit width without a proportional increase in leakage current (IOFF).