A spectrally efficient wireless communication system that includes a plurality of base stations communicating indirectly with a plurality of wireless communications devices through a plurality of repeaters. The method can generally comprise communicating indirectly between a first base station and a wireless communication device using a first repeater and a first RF backhaul link. A control processor associated with the first base station can control a first smart antenna system. The system selectively configures the first smart antenna system to spatially isolate communications on the first RF backhaul from communications on a second RF backhaul of a second repeater.

1. Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate generally to mobile telecommunications systems and more particularly to a more efficient use of RF spectrum allocation for repeater/base station backhaul links.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wireless telecommunication system, a base station communicates with mobile communication devices via communication channels, known in the art as ground links. By itself, a base station can only cover a limited area with ground links. This limited coverage area is referred to in the art as a cell. Other devices, such as repeaters, are sometimes used to expand the range of a base station to cover a larger geographic area. To a limited extent, non-translating repeaters extend the range that a base station can cover within the same cell. A frequency translating repeater can provide coverage within the same cell or for a separate cell from the cell of its serving base station. Repeaters are typically placed beyond the range of a base station's ground link so as to expand the base station's service to cover those cells. A group of cells covered by a base station utilizing repeaters is known a cell cluster. The present invention applies generally to the class of repeaters known as frequency translating repeaters.
A backhaul communication link allows the base station to communicate with the repeaters for receiving and transmitting information to/from the mobile communications devices. Some base station units and repeaters are configured with a backhaul channel that operate "in band", i.e. in a portion of the limited frequency spectrum allocated for ground links. Other base stations may support the backhaul in a licensed or unlicensed band other than the band allocated for ground links. However, use of in unlicensed bands is typically undesirable due to interference from uncontrolled sources. Likewise availability of spectrum in a licensed band other than the band used for ground links may be limited as well as costly. In conventional systems, a different backhaul carrier frequency is required for communication between a base station and each associated frequency translating repeater. However, in systems that select the backhaul from a portion of the limited frequency spectrum allocated for ground links, such multiple backhaul frequencies reduce the available ground link bandwidth.
A base station may support a number of repeaters that are geographically distributed in any direction from the base station. The repeater would typically utilize a narrow beam antenna to receive downlink signals and transmit uplink signals to its serving base station. This narrow beam antenna focuses transmitted uplink signal to its serving base station and also limits interference to unintended base stations. However, the base station typically would employ an omni-directional or broad beam directional antenna that could support multiple backhauls to different geographically diverse repeaters. Because the downlink (base station-to-repeater) backhaul is transmitted in a broad direction rather than focused to the intended repeater, this broad transmission generates interference for unintended repeaters thus limiting spectral efficiency. Likewise, more power is required to be transmitted than would be necessary than if the base station antenna were using narrow beamwidth antenna. On the uplink the base station may receive a signal from an unintended repeater on the same frequency as an intended repeater.
Smart antenna systems are known in the art as a way for multiple communication links to improve spectral efficiency by spatially isolating those communications links from each other thus reducing interference. For example, switched beam systems are available that may consist of a plurality of narrow antenna beams arranged in a pattern to cover an omni-directional area. In switched beam systems, each antenna requires one or more dedicated transceivers and transmit amplifiers together with associated RF cabling. This arrangement permits communications between the base station and a plurality of remote transceivers to occur concurrently on the same frequency, but through different antennas.
Another smart antenna system is comprised of an array of antenna elements that are used to perform adaptive spatial processing. The system works by electronically forming RF beams and nulls by adjusting the phase and amplitude of each communication channel through each of the antennas in the array. Adaptive spatial signal processing applied to RF signals of each of the antenna elements permits RF energy to be focused to/from a specific direction to/from the same base station, thus reducing interference between remote communication devices on the same frequency that are spatially separated.
Smart antennas have been applied to support spatial division multiple access (SDMA) systems for improving spectral efficiency. These systems make use of the spatial separation of remote communication devices enabling multiple remote devices to communicate with an SDMA base station on the same frequency. SDMA can be implemented using adaptive antenna systems or switched beam systems.
Much study has been performed to apply SDMA to mobile networks; however, thus far in practice, SDMA systems have been limited to fixed wireless networks, such as wireless local loop (WLL) systems, due to the tremendous computation power required to track a large number of mobiles and monitoring spatial separation of those on the same frequency to prevent unacceptable degradation in signal quality.
Smart antennas have been applied to improve spectral efficiency by reduction of interference allowing higher frequency reuse across a mobile network. Each cell in a cell cluster may use unique RF frequencies for that cell; however, those RF frequencies may be reused in cells of another cell cluster. By reducing interference through the use of smart antennas, cells of different clusters using the same frequencies may be placed geographically closer, allowing those frequencies to be used more often, thus improving spectral efficiency.
Hence, in a network making use of frequency translating repeaters, what is needed is a mobile communication system that can take advantage of existing smart antenna technology for more efficient use of frequency spectrum, in particular the loss of spectral efficiency due to the use of backhaul communication channels.

Method for improving RF spectrum efficiency with repeater backhauls


A modular hybrid vehicle uses multiple different modular battery units in a vehicle. New batteries can be added, or removed. The batteries can each be associated with a separate electric motor. Each battery individually drives a motor, allowing the characteristics of limited slip or all wheel drive. Also, the batteries can be replaced, or added to, to provide more battery power to the vehicle. There may be sensors at the battery that sense various characteristics and report those characteristics wirelessly to a central controller.

Many are concerned about global warming. It is widely believed that the amount of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere is causing significant damage to the earth and its ecosystem.
While accurate numbers are difficult to obtain, it is believed that approximately one quarter of the carbon dioxide is a byproduct of mammal breathing. Another quarter is produced by internal combustion engines such as automobiles. The final half is produced by industrial processes.
Whatever the reality, it is for sure that reducing carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles will reduce, at least partially, global warming. Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from a vehicle is difficult at best and may reduce the vehicle's efficiency.
Different suggestions for reducing the already existing levels of carbon dioxide in the air have been made. A few of these are described here.
A perhaps "obvious" way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is to use plants and trees—to make sure that there are enough plants planted to photosynthesize carbon dioxide back into oxygen. Unfortunately, most studies show that there is not enough free area on the earth to plant enough plants to reverse the CO2 effect. Moreover, the planted area on the earth is reducing, not increasing, as developing nations tear down forests to make way for civilization.
Certain plants, notably bamboo, has a much higher carbon dioxide scrubbing capability than others-bamboo is believed to have triple the CO2 scrubbing capability of other plants. More planted bamboo could reduce the carbon dioxide level. It is unlikely that enough open area on the earth exists (and will remain open) to bring carbon dioxide under control using only plants.
So, how do we reverse the effects?
Suggestions have included carbon dioxide sequestration, where the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is concentrated, and maintained in some isolated locations such as underground. Some have suggested pumping carbon dioxide into the wells that produce oil, or otherwise underground. People have suggested replacing coal powered utilities with nuclear power to avoid carbon dioxide production. Other carbon landfills have also been suggested. It has been suggested to boost the carbon dioxide out into space or orbit. Suggestions have been made to generate power in space from solar power. A solar sunshade has also been suggested, which would reduce the amount of sunlight on the earth.
Hybrid and/or electric vehicles can reduce the amount of fuel consumption. Solar charging of an electric vehicle uses no fuel and causes no carbon dioxide production. However, many have claimed that solar charging for an electric vehicle is impractical.
The use of hybrid vehicles and/or electric vehicles can reduce energy consumption. These vehicles are referred to herein as being "electric" vehicles. These vehicles obtain at least some of their energy from electricity.
Electric vehicles can be used to regenerate energy from otherwise-wasted vehicle momentum, and then later recycled to drive the vehicle.
A purely electric vehicle may use electrical mains charging to charge the batteries, and to use that charge to drive the vehicle. Electric power from the mains can be more efficiently produced, and more aggressive waste gas reduction techniques can be used in such stations. Moreover, there is much more flexibility in the kinds of fuel that can be used to create electricity, e.g., nuclear, coal or other fuels.
Current electric vehicles are limited in the amount of batteries they can hold, and hence in the amount of energy they can save.

Hybrid vehicle with modular battery system


A fruit harvesting machine is provided which may mechanically harvest fruit from fruit trees. Means are provided for a transport assembly to carry an arm housing member which has installed thereon a plurality of arms. The arm housing member provides for repetitive displacement of the arms into and out of a canopy of the fruit trees. Means are provided for arms to deflect during insertion and withdrawal relative to the arm housing member in the event that the respective arm encounters a deflecting obstruction. Means are provided for arms to yield during insertion relative to the arm housing member in the event that the respective arm encounters an impacting obstruction. These actions, both the deflecting and the yielding, act to prevent damage to either the fruit tree or the machine. A plurality of picking fingers, each having unique engaging qualities, extend from each arm. These picking fingers allow for engagement of fruit during a withdrawal action to produce a picking pressure during subsequent withdrawal of the arm following engagement of the fruit. Means are provided to catch the severed fruit prior to contact with the earthen ground for subsequent transfer to a storage or transport container. Automation of the harvesting process allows for the most efficient operation of the harvesting machine by eliminating lag times associated with human control of such operations.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the invention relates to fruit harvesting machines. More specifically, the invention relates to such machines which deploy a plurality of arms, with at least one picking finger extending from each arm, repetitively into and out of the canopy of a fruit tree to facilitate harvesting of the fruit from the fruit tree.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous methods exist to harvest the various fruits currently being cultivated. A first group of such methods employ various mechanical devices which provide for a completely mechanical severing of the individual fruit from the parent tree. A second group of such methods employ various mechanical devices which provide assistance to individual human pickers during a picking procedure to sever the fruit from the parent tree. This group generally is limited to mechanical devices which may be held by the human picker during the picking procedure. A third method, specific to the type of fruit being harvested, involves the physical picking of the fruit from the parent tree by individual human pickers without utilization of any mechanical device.
Referring now specifically to citrus fruits, currently the vast majority of such fruit is harvested by being hand picked by people. This harvesting technique has changed little over the years. Pickers grasp individual citrus fruit members and exert a twisting action, a pulling action or a combination of a twisting and pulling action thereon to separate the fruit from the parent tree. Then, the picker places the severed fruit in a collection bag. This process is repeated until the collection bag has a desired quantity of picked fruit therein. At this point the contents of the collection bag are deposited into a secondary collection container of sufficient dimensions to contain a larger quantity of the picked fruit than that contained by the collection bag. While certain fruit on a tree is accessible while the picker stands on the ground, certain fruit on the tree may only be accessed by elevating the picker above ground level. The most common method of providing such elevation of the picker is by placing a ladder against the tree while the picker ascends the ladder. It is common practice in the industry to apply various chemicals to the tree and/or surrounding ground at various times prior to harvesting the crop. Therefore, chemicals may remain on the tree during the harvesting operation. As can be readily seen, the current method of manual harvesting of citrus fruit is time consuming and exposes the picker to dangerous conditions, including those during the period of time while the picker is elevated above ground level as well as possible exposure to chemicals.
Certain types of fruit are more adapted to such mechanical harvesting than other types of fruit. Reference is now made to machines which harvest fruit under the above identified method where there exists a completely mechanical severing of the fruit from the parent tree. The art is rich with such machines designed to harvest fruit by severing the fruit from fruit trees. Such machines generally employ one of two severing methods. The first method involves producing a shaking action within the canopy of the tree. This shaking action may involve grasping a portion of the tree and generating the desired shaking action on the entire tree or may involve insertion of one or more members into the canopy wherein the member or members produce the desired shaking action to the canopy without statically engaging, or otherwise grasping, a portion of the tree. The second method involves engaging individual fruit members, or engaging individual connecting stems, and producing a severing action between the individual fruit and the parent tree.
Without regard to the severing method employed, there exist three strong desires which need to be fulfilled in order for the specific harvesting machine to be commercially accepted within the industry. The first desire is to avoid any and all unnecessary damage to the parent tree during the harvesting of the fruit attached thereon. This desire relates to actual damage to the parent tree as well as incidental damage as exampled by removal of immature, or second crop, fruit from certain fruit trees which begin to produce the second crop prior to harvesting of a first mature crop. The second desire is to harvest an extremely high percentage of the mature fruit from each of the parent trees. The third desire is that the harvesting performed, which satisfies the above two desires, must be economically competitive compared to existing harvesting techniques.
Various deficiencies exist with machines which rely upon the shaking action principle. These machines universally have a tendency to damage the tree during harvesting therewith while leaving an unacceptable quantity of fruit on the tree. Additionally, it is commonly accepted within the industry that in order to render the fruit releasable from the tree at an acceptable lever of agitation, at least in the case of citrus fruit, that a chemical must be first applied to the tree and allowed to act over a period of days or even weeks.
Various deficiencies exist with machines which rely upon the severing action principle. These machines also universally have a tendency to damage the tree during harvesting therewith while leaving an unacceptable quantity of fruit on the tree.
Various attempts have been made to provide a machine capable of harvesting extremely high percentages of fruit from a parent tree while minimizing damage to the parent tree. These attempts have been less efficient than desired. As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a mechanical harvesting machine which will harvest a high percentage of the fruit from the parent tree while inflicting minimal damage to the parent tree. The present invention substantially fulfills these needs.


An extendible conveyor apparatus includes a first end, a second end, and an adjustable-length bed of rollers extending in between them. A sliding frame (or extension) mounted moveably on a support structure supports a fixed number of the rollers, while a moveable string of rollers connected to a second end of the frame feeds additional rollers into and out of position between the second end of the conveyor apparatus and the frame according to frame movement between retracted and extended positions of the frame. In one embodiment, the bed of rollers includes at least some motor-driven rollers (MDRs) and the string of rollers withdraws to a position below the bed using an extend/retract drive mechanism having a drive chain disposed in a loop, the frame being connected to an upper side of the loop for frame-moving purposes and the string of rollers being connected to a lower side of the loop for string withdrawal purposes.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to conveyors and conveyor systems, and more particularly to an extendible conveyor apparatus with rollers arranged in an adjustable-length bed suitable for any of various conveyor applications.
2. Description of Related Art
Some conveyor applications require a conveyor that the user can adjust in overall length. The user can lengthen or shorten the conveyor to suit operating needs. A typical existing gravity conveyor, for example, might include multiple fixed-length, skate wheel conveyor sections in overlapping relationship. The amount of overlap is adjusted to achieve the desired overall length. An existing form of belt conveyor, might include multiple fixed-length belt conveyor sections and belt-to-belt transfer plates. Yet another existing form of conveyor might include spaced-apart rollers mounted between extendible side rails having crisscrossed members that enable a user to extend them something like a scissors boom.
Although effective in many respects, existing conveyors often have certain problems that make them unsuited for many extendible conveyor applications. Gravity conveyors rely on gravity to move the parcels or other objects being conveyed. They don't work when level or inclined upwardly. In addition, overlapping gravity conveyor sections result in abrupt vertical steps between overlapping sections that may be unacceptable. Multiple-belt conveyors involve weight, noise, and complicated construction, and extendible conveyors with scissor-boom-like side rails cause roller spacing to change when moved between retracted and extended positions. For these and other reasons that will become more apparent from the following description, users need a better extendible conveyor.


A novel method for treating undesired hyperproliferative tissue in a mammal. The method includes the steps of: injecting the mammal with a photodynamic compound having a selective uptake in the hyperproliferative tissue and which is activated at a particular light frequency; injecting the mammal with a xanthenone-4-acetic acid or a Group I metal, Group II metal or quaternary salt thereof near the time of maximum uptake of the photodynamic compound in the hyperproliferative tissue; and exposing the hyperproliferative tissue to light at the particular frequency that activates the photodynamic compound. The method of the invention causes necrosis of the hyperproliferative tissue to an extent greater than can be obtained by either the photodynamic compound or xanthenone-4-acetic acid alone. Further and surprisingly the method enhances immune response of the mammal to the hyperproliferative tissue even after the photodynamic compound and xanthenone-4-acetic acid are no longer present in the mammal.

This invention relates to a method for treatment of hyperproliferative tissues, such as tumors and hyperproliferative blood vessels, e.g. those associated with age related macular degeneration (AMD), using photodynamic methods. Certain photodynamic compounds, e.g. porphyrin related compounds such as derivatives of chlorins, bacteriochlorins and hematoporphyrins such as porfimer sodium compounds, when stable, may be used for that purpose. These compounds have the ability to preferentially collect in hyperproliferative tissues when injected into an organism and to absorb light to cause reduction in growth of the tissue, such as by its destruction. Such reduction in growth of hyperproliferative tissue using photodynamic compounds is collectively referred to herein as photodynamic therapy.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a relatively new modality for the treatment of various types of solid tumors. Many porphyrins and related photosensitive compounds demonstrate the ability to selectively accumulate in neoplastic tissue after intravenous injection and sensitize the tissue to photoirradiation. Activation of the photosensitive agent by visible light, delivered by a laser through fiber optics, results in the generation of cytotoxic agents. It is currently accepted that the production of singlet oxygen, formed from molecular oxygen, formed from molecular oxygen by the transfer of energy directly or indirectly from the activated photosensitizer, is responsible for tumor homeostasis and the observed tumor destruction.
Following absorption of light, the photosensitizer is transformed from its ground singlet state (P) into an electronically excited triplet state (3P*; xcfx84xcx9c10xe2x88x922 sec.) via a short-lived excited singlet state (1P*; xcfx84xcx9c10xe2x88x926 sec.) The excited triplet can undergo non-radiative decay or participate in an electron transfer process with biological substrates to form radicals and radical ions, which can produce singlet oxygen and superoxide (O2xe2x88x92) after interaction with molecular oxygen (O2). Singlet oxygen is the key agent responsible for cellular and tissue damage in PDT, causing oxidation of the target tissue (T); there also is evidence that superoxide ion may be involved.
In 1978, it was reported that a combination of hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) and light was effective in causing partial or complete tumor necrosis in 111 of 113 tumors in 25 patients. PDT with Photofrin(copyright), a purified HpD, has been approved in Canada for bladder and esophageal cancer; in the Netherlands and France for early and advanced stage esophageal cancer; in Japan for early stage lung, esophageal, gastric, and cervical cancer; and in the United States for advanced stage esophageal and lung cancers. More than 10,000 patients worldwide have been treated with PDT for a multiplicity of tumors accessible to light, including skin, lung, bladder, head and neck, breast, and esophageal cancers. PDT exerts its antitumor effect by several mechanisms, e.g. direct toxicity to tumor cells, occlusion and dissolution of tumor vasculature and microvasculature. In spite of these modes of operation, a number of PDT treated tumors are not cured. Further PDT has little or no effect upon metastatic lesions not exposed to light. In addition, known photodynamic compounds are often ineffective against hypoxic tumor cells and do little to enhance immune response of the organism to undesired hyperproliferative tissue. Therefore, photodynamic therapy, while effective, is not as effective as desired and a method for improving overall efficacy is needed.
Chemotherapy is used a) as adjuvant treatment before and after local treatment for primary disease, with the aim of eradicating occult metastasis and b) in combination with other modalities, including other chemotherapeutic drugs, in an attempt to improve their therapeutic effects. This synergy does not lead to therapeutic benefit unless the interaction between the effects is tumor specific. There has been a recent interest in using biological response modifiers (BRM) as single or adjuvant therapies against cancer. BRMs consist of a large number of molecules that may act to regulate various components of the immune response or other defense mechanisms.
The development of agents that can stimulate or augment the host""s immune response against malignancies represents an attractive approach to cancer therapy. Flavone-8-acetic acid (FIG. 1a) is a synthetic flavonoid widely studied in the mid-1980s through 1990s as an agent to treat solid tumors. FAA exerts its antitumor activity, at least in part, by interrupting tumor vascular supply. For example various investigators, using dye perfusion, NMR, RbCl-uptake and Xe-clearance techniques, have shown that FAA causes reduction in tumor blood flow. Little or no alteration in normal tissue blood flow has been observed. While FAA shows in vitro activity against a number of tumor cell lines, in vivo effects, primarily hemorrhagic tumor necrosis are similar to those described following treatment with TNF. FAA induces natural killer cell activity in spleen and other tissues. A comparison of in vitro and in vivo studies using the Lewis lung carcinoma strongly suggested an indirect mode of antitumor action. Mahadevan et al. demonstrated that pretreatment of mice with antiserum to TNF-xcex1 could almost completely abrogate the reduction in Colon 26 tumor blood flow induced by FAA. In the same study, FAA was shown to induce in vitro splenocytes and peritoneal exudate cells to produce and release material with TNF-xcex1-like activity (as determined in a functional assay using TNF-sensitive WEHI 164 cells). These observations suggest that the activity of FAA can be attributed to its ability to induce TNF-xcex1 in tumors.
In spite of the impressive preclinical activity of FAA, clinical trials have been disappointing due to lack of potency and dose limiting toxicity. Structure-activity studies of analogs of FAA were undertaken to find compounds with similar biological profiles but with increased clinical effectiveness. In the earliest study the topologically related mono-substituted fused-ring analog Xanthenone-4-acetic acid (XAA) proved more efficient than FAA in eliminating Colon 38 tumors. Subsequently, a study by the same group showed that some di-substituted derivatives of XAA, in particular 5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA; FIG. 1b), had considerably greater dose potencies than FAA against implanted murine tumors. Like FAA, DMXAA has been shown to induce TNF-xcex1 along with IFN-xcex3. The TNF-xcex1 is produced almost entirely within the tumor by both tumor cells and tumor-infiltrated host cells. Circulating TNF is markedly lower than that obtained by injecting therapeutic levels of TNF-xcex1 or by endogenous induction of TNF-xcex1 by LPS administration. This results in a selective tumor response with moderate systemic toxicity. DMXAA, in contrast to FAA, is active in vitro against cultured human and murine cells. It has been shown that exogenous rHuTNF-xcex1 potentiates PDT without a concomitant increase in either local or systemic toxicity.
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve effectiveness of photodynamic compounds against hyperproliferative tissue including hypoxic tumor cells, to enhance immune response of the organism to undesired hyperproliferative tissue and to provide effectiveness even in the absence of exposure to light.
In accordance with the invention a novel method is provided for treating undesired hyperproliferative tissue in a mammal. The method includes the steps of: injecting the mammal with a photodynamic compound having a selective uptake in the hyperproliferative tissue and which is activated at a particular light frequency; injecting the mammal with a xanthenone-4-acetic acid or a Group I metal, Group II metal or quaternary salt thereof near the time of maximum uptake of the photodynamic compound in the hyperproliferative tissue; and exposing the hyperproliferative tissue to light at the particular frequency that activates the photodynamic compound.
The method of the invention causes necrosis of the hyperproliferative tissue to an extent greater than can be obtained by either the photodynamic compound or xanthenone-4-acetic acid alone. Further and surprisingly the method enhances immune response of the mammal to the hyperproliferative tissue even after the photodynamic compound and xanthenone-4-acetic acid are no longer present in the mammal.

Method for treating hyperproliferative tissue in a mammal


A reagent for extracting immunosuppressant drugs from a whole blood sample for immunoassay includes protein denaturant, proteolytic enzyme, surfactant and pH buffer. A method and an immunoassay kit for detection of the immunosuppressant concentration in a whole blood sample uses the extraction reagent. The extraction reagent doesn't need the use of organic solvent as that in the traditional extraction methods, therefore the adverse effects of the organic solvent on the antibody activity in a detection system and the other relative defects associated to its use are obviated. The drug extraction process doesn't need centrifugation, as the processed sample can be directly applied for immunoassay. The operation for drug extraction is simple, and the detection result based on this extraction method is accurate.

Immunosuppressant is a class of chemical or biological substances used to alleviate tissue damage by inhibiting the cellular and humoral immune responses, and has been widely used for anti-rejection after organ transplantation and for treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia, etc.
Five types of immunosuppressants are mainly used presently: microbial metabolic products, glucocorticoids, antimetabolites, antilymphocyte antibodies and alkylating agents, of which microbial metabolic products such as Tacrolimus (FK506), Cyclosporin A (CsA) and Rapamycin (Rapa) etc. are most widely used because of their potent effect on inhibiting the activation and proliferation of T lymphocytes, mainly by suppressing the activity of calcineurin in cytoplasm and blocking the transcriptions of a series of cytokines such as IL2, etc.
For medication of transplantation patients, insufficient dose of immunosuppressant may give rise to immunologic rejection, while overmedication with immunosuppressant may be toxic for organs such as the liver and kidney, and causes a series of adverse clinical events including infections and tumors. Therefore, reasonable medication of the transplantation recipients requires accurate monitoring of the blood level of these drugs. As commonly used immunosuppressants, tacrolimus, sirolimus and Cyclosporin-A exist mainly in red blood cells bound by proteins despite of the difference in their molecule structure. In order to accurately measure the blood concentration of these drugs, they must be liberated from the binding proteins, and this is the common requirement for the monitoring of blood immunosuppressant drugs.
Current methods for the quantification of blood immunosuppressant mainly include ligand-receptor binding assay, high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA), chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), etc. Among these, ligand-receptor binding assay is used mainly for pharmaceutical research. HPLC-MS/MS is accurate and sensitive, but is mainly used as a reference method because of its inconvenience in operation, long detection time and high cost. MEIA and CMIA are the routine clinic choice for immunosuppressant measurement due to their accurate test results and high degree of automation. However, above methods require the use of organic solvent such as methanol, acetonitrile and diethyl ether, etc. as the extraction reagent to dissolve cells and extract drugs. This not only brings inconvenience for the performing the analysis, but also impair the sensitivity and accuracy of the immunoassay by inhibiting the immunoreaction between the antibodies and drugs, impairing the affinity of antibodies and causing fluctuation of drug concentration via volatilization of the organic solvent in the extraction reagent.
In order to alleviate the adverse effect of the organic solvent on the anti-FK506 antibody binding to FK506, Robert W. Siegel et al. (Clinical Chemistry, 2008, 54: 6, 1008-1017; U.S. Pat. No. 8,022,188 B2) modified the complementary determining region of the antibody by gene mutagenesis, and based on this, improved the detection sensitivity. However, this method requires complicated manipulations including DNA extraction, amplification, sequencing, mutagenesis, cloning and screening etc., so it is not easy to be realized in most laboratories. In order to depress the fluctuation of drug concentration caused by the volatilization of the organic solvent, Frank C. Grenier et al. used low volatile reagent such as DMSO to formulate the drug extraction reagent (US 2008/0020401 A1), but DMSO used in the method also inhibits the binding of antibodies to the drugs obviously. Moreover, just like the above-mentioned organic solvent based extraction reagents, it contains high concentration of divalent metal ions (10 mM-100 mM) to lyse cell, and this can cause additional errors when the concentration of divalent metal ions is inconsistent in different test caused by different amount of the anticoagulation EDTA in each samples.
Moreover, the samples processed by above organic solvent based extraction reagents are nonhomogeneous with precipitated proteins in it, and so need to be centrifuged to remove the precipitate; this step makes the extraction tedious and prolongs the detection time.
In order to avoid the adverse effects of the organic solvent on immunoassay, François Legay et al. proposed a method for FK506 detection with RAPA to displace FK506 from its binding-proteins (U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,547 B1). As FK506 and RAPA in blood share the same binding proteins (mainly the FK-binding protein) with only a small part of the drugs bound by serum albumin and lipoprotein, and both FK506 and RAPA can penetrate cell membranes rapidly due to their high hydrophobicity, the bound FK506 in blood can be effectively replaced by high concentration of RAPA, this makes it unnecessary to lyse cell and denature protein for FK506 release. In this method, RAPA in the reaction mixture does not disturb the FK506 detection because of the high specificity of anti-FK506 monoclonal antibody used. By omitting the extraction steps, the FK506 immunoassay was simple and rapid, and can get accurate measurement for most samples without interference components in it. However, this methods will give wrong results for measuring samples with interference factors in it, especially when patients are remedied with drugs of antibody type.
Therefore, a drug extraction method without the need to use the organic solvent is in urgent need for rapid, simple and accurate detection of the immunosuppressant drugs. Currently, such an extraction reagent and extraction method which have above-mentioned characteristics has not been reported at home and abroad.

Extraction reagent of immunosuppressant drug for immunoassays


A resin worm wheel is formed by injection molding and includes a first end and a second end. The worm wheel is adapted to be driven by a worm. The worm wheel further includes: an engaging portion including a plurality of teeth engageable with the worm and a tooth space formed between the neighboring teeth; a first non-engaging portion adjacent to the engaging portion at the first end of the worm wheel and not engaging with the worm; and a first cutout portion formed at the first non-engaging portion continuously from the tooth space, the first cutout portion extending axially.

A known worm wheel is disclosed in JP2002-310267A (hereinafter, refers to as a reference. The worm wheel is formed with resin and driven by a worm. The worm wheel is provided with: an engaging portion having a plurality of teeth engaged with the worm; and tooth spaces defined between the neighboring teeth and of which bottom surface is recessed radially inwardly. The worm wheel is structured by integrating two members divided perpendicularly to the axis thereof.
Generally at a resin molding with a die, undercut is formed by tooth spaces when the bottom surfaces of each tooth space is recessed radially inwardly. If the amount of the undercut is large, it may be difficult to die-cut the worm wheel after molding the worm wheel in the die, which structures the worm wheel disclosed in this reference with two members.
The worm wheel disclosed in the reference needs to be structured by resin-molding two members separately and by bonding the two members perpendicularly along the axis direction, thus leading to an inevitable increase of man-hours to connect two members.
As a worm wheel, which is not established with plural divided members, a resin base material of the worm wheel can be formed with toothed portions at a peripheral portion by cutting. However, the cutting work is not cost efficient and a certain improvement is considered to be necessary for this method from the viewpoint of productivity.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides a resin worm wheel manufactured with improved productivity.


A communication device, a multicast control method, and a scheduling control method are disclosed. The communication device includes: a decoding buffer that stores a first multicast packet received from a first node and a second multicast packet received from a second node; an encoder that performs network coding of the first and second multicast packets; and a transmitter that transmits the network-coded packets output from the encoder to the first node and the second node.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication device, a multicast control method, and a scheduling control method.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Network coding is a technique which allows a relay node to code multiple packets by linear coupling or an exclusive OR operation (XOR) and forward them, and a receiving node to decode a coded signal and receive the packets during a packet transfer process.
One of the simplest examples is DAF (decode-and-forward) two-way relaying. DAF is applicable when two nodes exchange data.
According to DAF, two nodes, i.e., node A and node B, in a network send data. Relay node R relays between node A and node B.
First, node A sends packet X to relay node R. Then, node B sends packet Y to relay node R. Node A and node B store the packet X and packet Y they have sent in local buffers.
Hereupon, relay node R linearly couples the received packet X and packet Y and at the same time forwards them to node A and node B. Node A and node B decode and receive packet X and packet Y, respectively, using the packet X and the packet Y which have been stored in their local buffers.
However, there is a limitation that the conventional DAF can be applied only when two nodes in a multi-hop network send and receive data in a linear phase.
When using multicasting without network coding in a multi-hop network in the conventional art, packet transmission occurs as follows.
1) node 1 transmits packet (a) to node 2 and node 3, respectively, which are connected to it.
2) node 4 transmits packet (b) to node 3 which is connected to it.
3) node 3 transmits packet (a) to node 4.
4) node 3 transmits packet (b) to node 1 and node 2.
In this way, packet transmission is carried out in four stages in the conventional art.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Communication device, multicast control method, and scheduling control method

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


A swimming pool, Spa or combination of a swimming pool or spa is heated with a heat pump and a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger comprises a water input, a water output, a heating agent input, a heating agent output, an inner coil and an outer coil being disposed about the outer periphery of the inner coil; and a separator device being configured and disposed to separate the coils in order to minimize vibrating and rubbing against each other. The separator device comprises a first separator device portion having two rounded shoulder portions configured to permit the separator device to be rotated into position between the inner coil and the outer coil, a middle portion comprising two substantially C-shaped curves, which substantially C-shaped curves form a dog bone-shape, and a second separator device portion comprising two rounded configured to be turned or twisted upon assembly of the heat exchanger.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a swimming pool, spa, or combination swimming pool and spa, heated with a heat pump with a heat exchanger.
2. Background Information
Swimming and relaxing in a pool or spa are extremely popular pastimes in the United States. Swimming pools, both public and private, offer people relief from the heat while also offering an opportunity for social gatherings and fun for adults and children. Several types of swimming pools and spas exist, including in-ground pools, above-ground pools, wading pools for small children, spas, hot tubs, and whirlpools. Swimming pools and spas can be located outdoors, as in the back yard of a person's house or at a public community pool, or indoors, as in at a hotel pool or a private indoor pool. Further, swimming pools can be found in all different sizes, ranging from a small, above-ground pool that is only a few feet in depth, to a large, Olympic-sized pool, designed for competitive swimming or diving. Spas, hot tubs, and whirlpools can also be found in different sizes.
Many pools, especially indoor pools, are typically heated for the comfort of swimmers. Spas, hot tubs, and whirlpools are also heated for the comfort of users, as well as for therapeutic purposes for users. Since most indoor pools, including hotel pools and community pools, remain open to users year-round, and since most spas also remain open year-round, it is necessary for the heat exchanger to be able to constantly work with as little maintenance or repairs as possible.
Due to the necessity of swimming pool pumps to move or turn over the entire volume of pool water through the pool filter several times a day, any full flow heat exchanger must handle a high flow rate and thus high velocity of the water flowing through the heat exchanger. This high velocity poses several problems, as the high velocity could cause vibration of the coils which naturally have a spring resonant frequency and are prone to vibration. The vibration could be in the hundreds or even thousands of cycles per second, and over a short amount of time, the vibrations could rub a hole in the wall of the thin heat exchanger tube if the wall of the thin heat exchanger tube is allowed to contact either the adjacent tube wraps or the outer shell.
Due to the corrosive chlorine and pool sanitation chemicals used to treat swimming pools, including inorganic chlorinating agents such as calcium hypochlorite, lithium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, and organic chlorinating agents such as trichloroisocyanuric acid, potassium dichloroisocyanurate, or sodium dichlorocyanurate as anhydrous or dihydrate forms, the tube material may comprise an alloy such as titanium or any high alloy stainless steels that can withstand these chemicals without fouling or corrosion, and to ensure continued service over time. The above alloys are typically costly materials, and thus to maximize heat transfer and to minimize expense, very thin wall tubing is commonly used in swimming pool and spa heat exchangers. Alloys such as these develop a hard film oxide coating, which helps to prevent the corrosion caused by chlorine and other pool sanitation chemicals. Because of this very abrasive coating, extra care must be taken to prevent tube damage caused by the wall tubing rubbing together if the wall tubing is allowed to touch and vibrate.
In addition, the tube wraps must be centered for optimum heat transfer uniform velocity. Therefore, a method and device for holding the tube wraps apart and centering the tube wraps would be beneficial to minimize damage and promote optimal operation.
Various methods of holding tube wraps apart and centering tube wraps have been used, including injecting silicone rubber between the tubes at intervals to freeze them in place, spreading the wraps apart and inserting rubber or plastic bumpers between the tubes, or placing long strips of material axially between the inner and outer coils during or after they are formed. All of these methods, however, have the disadvantage of requiring substantial care and time to assemble, and, in some cases, baking or curing time to set up the material before the heat exchanger coils can be used. Further, many of these methods are also costly to manufacture.

Swimming pool, spa, or combination swimming pool and spa, heated with a heat pump with a heat exchanger


A shift lever 1 having an improved structure for holding a conductor wire 3 in position during assembly. The conductor wire 3 has one end 31 thereof disposed in a knob 2 of the shift lever 1. The conductor wire 3 is fitted with a terminal 41 to provide an electrical connection to a switch 4. The conductor wire 3 has a base portion 33 extending from a bent portion 32 formed in an intermediate portion toward the other end 34 of the conductor wire 3. The knob 2 has a conductor wire support hole 21 provided along the base portion 33 of the conductor wire 3. The positioning of the base portion 33 of the conductor wire 3 is performed by inserting a part 51 of a forming die 5 into the conductor wire support hole 21 when forming a flesh portion 23 of the shift lever 1. The shift lever 1 according to the invention holds the conductor wire 3 in a normal position for assembly when the conductor wire 3 is fitted with the terminal 41 of the switch 4 to provide an electrical connection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a shift lever device having a switch provided on a knob thereof and, more particularly, to a shift lever device adapted to fit a terminal of a switch to a conductor wire provided on the shift lever to carry out electrical connection.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional shift lever device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Provisional Utility Model Publication (Kokai) No. S62-21420. This conventional shift lever device comprises a conductor wire provided in a shift lever to which a switch terminal is fitted to perform electrical connection. FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) show sectional views of this conventional shift lever device.
In the conventional shift lever device shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), a conductor wire 3 is inserted in a direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 5(a) into a skeleton section 22 of a knob 2, and the conductor wire 3 at one end 31 is fitted with a terminal 41 of a switch 4, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), thereby providing electrical connection. The portion denoted by reference character 24 is a recessed portion, in which the wall is removed from the skeleton section 22, so that the tip of the terminal 41 fitted with the conductor wire 3 is prevented from being abutted against the skeleton section 22. Also, the portion represented by reference character 25 is a groove through which the conductor wire 3 is guided to the recessed portion 24. The recessed portion 24 and the groove 25 are both formed when forming the skeleton section 22.
In the conventional shift lever device, however, the conductor wire 3 may be retracted, for example, from a position shown by the dashed line B in FIG. 5(a) to a position shown by the solid line C, when assembling the switch 4 onto the knob 2. If the switch 4 is depressed in a direction of the arrow D to fit the terminal 41 to the conductor wire 3 when the conductor wire 3 is retracted, the one end 31 of the conductor wire 3 is deformed into the recessed portion 24, as shown in FIG. 5(a), thus making normal assembly difficult.


A power semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate with an edge termination region between an active region and a lateral rim. Non-metallic electrodes extend in the edge termination region on a front side of the substrate, and include at least three spaced apart non-metallic electrodes. One non-metallic electrode is an inner non-metallic electrode having an inner edge. Another non-metallic electrode is an outer non-metallic electrode having an outer edge. The shortest distance between the inner edge of the inner non-metallic electrode and the outer edge of the most non-metallic electrode is defined as distance p. Each non-metallic electrode is electrically connected to a respective doping region of the substrate by at least two respective metallic plugs each extending through a respective first opening formed in an electrically insulating bottom layer. The shortest distance d between any two metallic plugs of different non-metallic electrodes is larger than the distance p.

Power semiconductor devices may be exposed to harsh conditions. For example, industrial power modules comprising power semiconductor devices may be subjected to changing environmental exposure conditions in some applications. Illustrative examples are employment of power semiconductor devices at non-weather protected locations for renewables wind or solar applications. In such cases, customers need to install the power modules such as inverters in a harsh environment with high humidity. Some customers desire humidity rugged products as they do not want, or are not able, to protect their application systems against these environmental conditions.
Stricter reliability qualification tests such as High Voltage High Humidity High Temperature Reverse Bias (HV-H3TRB) may be used for qualifying technologies or products for humid environment usage. To pass those tests, the power semiconductor devices needs to be suitable protected against environmental conditions for many years since power semiconductor devices are installed for a long time.
In view of the above, there is need for further improvement.


A vacuum control valve connected between a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump includes a control valve main body having a valve seat formed in a vacuum flow passage, a valve body that manipulates the valve opening by performing a linear motion to adjust a lift, a rod that transmits driving force from a linear driving unit that generates the driving force, a sliding/sealing member that seals the vacuum flow passage while allowing the rod to slide, and a cylindrical member that covers a sliding range of the rod. The sliding range includes a range movable from a valve body flow passage side to an exterior side. The cylindrical member has an outer peripheral surface, a working fluid absorption amount per unit area of the outer peripheral surface being smaller than that of an outer surface of the rod.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum control valve that controls a flow of a gas through a vacuum chamber employed in a vacuum apparatus that uses plasma.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacture of a semiconductor device includes a process that uses plasma, such as plasma etching, for example. In the plasma etching process, a vacuum pressure in a vacuum chamber is controlled while introducing etching gas through a vacuum control valve. The vacuum pressure control is performed by manipulating a conductance of the vacuum control valve. In a pendulum type vacuum control valve used widely in plasma etching, conductance manipulation is performed by operating a pendulum-type valve body so as to adjust a valve opening, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-117444. With a method of adjusting the valve opening by operating a pendulum-type valve body, however, controllability is poor in a low flow rate region (a low conductance region), making it impossible to respond to a reduced etching gas flow rate.
A poppet type vacuum control valve, which is capable of responding to a reduced etching gas flow rate, may also be used to control the vacuum pressure. A poppet system is a system of adjusting the conductance by manipulating a distance between the valve body and a valve seat (i.e. a lift) in accordance with a linear motion of a piston, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010-276096 and 2003-194257. However, a metallic bellows of a poppet type vacuum control valve is not plasma-resistant, and therefore a poppet type vacuum control valve cannot be employed in a vacuum chamber that uses plasma. The metallic bellows is a constituent component used to seal a sliding part, which is required for the linear motion of the piston, to maintain a degree of vacuum, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2000-130635 and H3-260072.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Vacuum control valve and vacuum control apparatus


Male and female parts of a buckle have mating shapes which together form ears and depressed eyes of an animal face. The male part has the shape of an anchor with eyes which slide into grooves to lock the parts, and ears which project upward from a slot in the cylindrical female part. Hooks on the female part back secure a cord loop which extends from the female part. A cover snaps on the back of the female part.

The connectors and buckles are commonly used to join the ends of belts, straps, bands and other such linear elements together. The buckles come in a variety of designs and have diverse characteristics such as being adjustable, quick-closing, and quick-opening. From among quick-opening or quick-release buckles, hook and loop fasteners are quite popular because they contain no metal, are generally immune to harsh treatment, and are resistant to most elements such as wind, rain, snow and the like. The buckles comprising two interlocking parts are well known (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,945,614; 5,311,649; 5,791,026; 5,832,573). The patents describe buckles having insert (male) and receptacle (female) parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,460 discloses a male/female-type buckle for belts and lanyards, wherein the insert member can be releasably inserted into the receptacle member and is locked in place be means of two resilient opposed lateral arms extending away from the center of the insert. The arms compress upon insertion, thereby providing a spring loading potential energy for their outward expansion. The arms move into locking slots on the body of the receptacle upon full insertion of the insert and spring out into the locked position within the slot.
The female part of such type of a buckle can be adopted to attach an accessory's string (eg. cell phone, USB flash, digital camera, ID cards etc.).
As a disadvantage, this type of buckle does not allow for adopting the length of the accessory's string, which results in undesirable swinging effect of the hung accessory.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,137 discloses a leash attached to the cell phone case and including a spring retractable leash cord in a housing pivotally attached to the belt that will prevent dropping and damage to a cell phone in a case clipped to the belt. The leash housing is pivotally attached to a locking belt hook that cannot easily be accidentally removed.
Though this type of clipping the cell phone partly eliminates the swinging effect of the hung cell phone, it makes a free manipulation with the cell phone more difficult. Further, the leash housing is exposed to a mechanical strain and thus also to detrition. This detrition dramatically increases when using inadequate pulling force, the real limit of which can very hardly be determined and is different for each user, but it causes an irreversible damage of the leash housing.
Further, it is known that the cords that are used for attaching the accessory to the buckle often have a metal ending, or also a small metal ring, by means of which they are attached to female members of buckles, thus increasing the material demands for their manufacturing.


A coupling is disclosed having an interference fit between its diaphragms and the spacer tube wherein the diaphragm bore and the spacer tube shaft end have mating polygonal shapes. In a preferred embodiment, the polygonal shapes are rounded, with rounded edges and comers to eliminate stress points. Localized stress areas are virtually eliminated because of the lack of concavities in the shaft end. The contact area between the diaphragm and the spacer tube thus increase the torque capacity of the coupling and eliminate fretting associated with splined joints. The coupling may be made utilizing either metallic or nonmetallic parts without loss of integrity. A method of assembling and disassembling the joint using thermal processes is also disclosed. The shaft ends are machined with the polygonal shapes and form shoulders with the central area of the shaft to serve as stops when joining the diaphragms to the shaft.

Flexible power transmission couplings have been used for the transmission of rotary energy from one device to another. Power transmission couplings allow both angular and axial misalignment between rotating machinery, such as the driver and the driving end. Previously, diaphragm type couplings have used a central bore in the diaphragm with a female spline which mates with a male spline formed at the end of the interconnecting shaft. An example of a typical prior art spline coupling is shown in FIG. 1.
Splines, and other convoluted cross-sections, in the interconnections between shafts and diaphragm bores, have failed to perform well in highly stressed torque connections. The splines are typically damaged during use as the torque destroys the spline joint, resulting in inconsistencies in the coupling. The spline couplings fail, in part, because of the large number of stress points 6 created in the interconnection between the diaphragm 2 and the shaft 4. During torque transmission, stress is concentrated on these points 6 which inevitably leads to early failure of the coupling. In addition, rather than an even distribution of torque across the entire surface area of the interconnection, torque transmission is limited to sides 8 during clockwise transmission, and sides 9 during counterclockwise transmission. The limited areas of use of the interconnection during torque transmission not only results in concentrated stress areas which lead to early failure, but also limits the amount of potential torque that could be transmitted.
In addition, some spline couplings are welded together adding expense and possible distortion. Alternatively, the couplings are sometimes bolted or are used with retainers--these additional parts, however, add weight and expense to the coupling. To avoid the additional weight, distortion, and expense caused by extra parts, an interference fit between parts, created through the use of temperature changes, is sometimes used. The diaphragm is heated to allow the splined bore to expand. The shaft is cooled with liquid nitrogen to allow the external splined bore to contract. Then the diaphragm is placed on the shaft to create an interference fit between the spline's grooves. Furthermore, disassembly of a splined diaphragm and shaft, regardless of the method used for assembly, often results in at least some deformity along some part of the spline which makes either or both the diaphragm and the shaft inoperable for further use without time consuming repair.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,634 to Hammelmann discloses a flexible coupling having molded plastic flexible diaphragms and molded composite spacer shaft. The plastic diaphragm with an internal convoluted bore is heated, the shaft with an external convoluted surface is inserted in the bore, and the diaphragm is allowed to cool to produce a shrink fit connection between the shaft and the two flexible diaphragms. The use of plastic, however, is not satisfactory in many desired applications, and the procedure in Hammelmann could not be replicated with metal parts using the convoluted connection disclosed. Although the Hammelmann reference eliminates the sharp stress points of a conventional spline, the wavy spline of Hammelmann still encompasses a large number of stress areas, i.e., torque transmission is limited to one side or the other of a "nub". In addition, as with conventional spline cross-sections, the convoluted cross-section requires a high degree of inspection before use, will result in a large degree of fretting during use, and results in sometimes irreparable deformities upon disassembly after use.
Thus, there is a need for a coupling design which eliminates stress points and areas while enhancing torque transmission. There is further a need for a coupling design which utilizes its entire surface area of interconnection for torque transmission. There is further a need for a coupling design which is shaped for easy assembly and disassembly. There is further a need for a coupling design which is easy to inspect.


A method, device and system for utilizing a pixelized ungated linear array of field emitters and an integrated electrode-media surface to either detect the presence of charge on the surface in a given two-dimensional pattern, or to deposit charge on the surface in a desired two-dimensional pattern. The methods, devices and systems disclosed are particularly useful in the arts of printing, scanning and copying. In one embodiment designed for printing, a pixelized surface may be utilized to receive a charge pattern from the ungated linear field emitter array. In one embodiment designed for scanning, a pixelized transfer sheet may be utilized to transfer a two-dimensional charge pattern from a photostatic surface thereto for sensing and detection by the ungated linear field emitter array.

The invention relates to the fields of printing, scanning and copying, and more particularly to printing, scanning and copying using field emitter arrays.
Current printing processors are inherently serial in nature and rely on the use of light, typically by means of forming an optical image on a light sensitive drum to effect their printing operation. One reference, U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,709, does disclose a printer which utilizes an array of charge deposition structures which deposit an electrostatic latent image on an imaging member. However, this reference is specifically designed for gated electrode operations and utilizes a driving circuit to operate its field emission devices in a voltage range lying below the Paschen curve. The reference clarifies that for gated structures, operation below the Paschen curve is essential in order to prevent shorting of the printing signal between the cathode and the gate.
Referring to the scanning arts, conventional scanners detect patterned information in one of two ways. One method uses CCD based scanners comprising a CCD array for gathering reflected light, and generating a signal representative thereof, and then digitizing that signal. This CCD array is smaller than one scanned line, so that the scanning is physically sequential, not only within the document, but also within the one scanned line.
Other scanning processors are designed around laser scanning, which uses the reflectance of a laser beam from a target surface to create a digital stream of information. The laser process is faster than the CCD process, but is also more expensive. Both of these techniques are serial in nature.

Printer and/or scanner and/or copier using a field emission array

Science Applications International Corporation


A portable propeller drive and steering mechanism for small craft in which a frame is provided with an adjustable seat and a pedal driven chain drive connected to a geared transmission, and which has a chain drive output powering a horizontally arranged jack shaft. The jack shaft is provided with a universal gearbox whose output in turn powers a propeller. A steering handle located adjacent the seat is provided with steering linkage connected to a propeller drive shaft housing which carries the propeller at one end and is rotatably mounted within the gearbox at its other end. Operation of the linkage causes rotation of the propeller drive shaft housing. Raising and lowering of the handle will cause motion between a pair of gears in the gearbox and rotation of the propeller drive shaft housing around the axis of the jack shaft to vertically raise and lower the propeller.

Various propeller-driven devices have been devised which can be attached to or installed in a small craft and which enable the user to propel the craft and at the same time to steer it. Some of these devices are propelled by a hand-driven crank while others are propelled by a bicycle-like foot pedal assembly.
Such a user-propelled craft is often used for fishing, where it is desirable to be able to keep at least one hand free at all times to attend to the fishing gear. It is also desirable to be able to troll and propel the boat in very shallow or weed-clogged water while retaining the maximum maneuverability and still engage in fishing. To accomplish such a result the propeller drive apparatus must be capable of being raised and lowered at will.
Steering of such craft is usually accomplished by mounting the propeller horizontally on a vertical shaft assembly which includes a vertically rotatable housing which enables pivoting of the propeller drive about a vertical axis so that the propeller can be pointed in the direction of desired thrust. Such a device is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,551 issued to Gurries on Apr. 13, 1982. In the Gurries device there is shown a bow-mounted hand-cranked cable-driven propeller drive. Being cable driven, it is believed that the crank can be turned in only one direction, since the cable will unwind, bind or break if the crank is turned in the opposite direction with a load at the other end of the cable drive. Steering of the craft is accomplished by a foot pedal-actuated steering cable which is wrapped around the upper portion of a propeller drive housing. The drive housing is enabled to rotate about a vertical axis. Further, in the Gurries device the propeller drive housing may be raised about a horizontal axis by actuating both steering foot pedals simultaneously and at the same time releasing a retaining pin on a catch bar. To lower the propeller drive such catch bar must be released by pulling on an attached string while again depressing both pedals simultaneously to allow the user to lower the propeller drive by gravity. Such a device is believed to be very awkward when a boat carrying it is attempted to be used for fishing purposes. Both hands and feet are occupied while propelling and raising and lowering the propeller, so that attention to the fishing gear cannot take place at such time. In addition, propeller cannot be simultaneously steered while it is being raised and lowered. Finally, when trying to lower the propeller drive a hand must be released from the hand crank mechanism to release the catch bar.
The ability to actuate a propeller drive by means of hand or foot pedals is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,421 issued to Perkins on Nov. 28, 1961. The Perkins propeller drive is adapted to be mounted on the stern or transom of a rowboat and cannot be raised or lowered while in operation.
Other foot-operated propeller-driven boat propulsion systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,703,065 issued to Gresham on Mar. 1, 1955; 3,211,125 issued to Yarbrough on Oct. 12, 1965; 4,891,024 issued to Benjamin on Jan. 2, 1990; and 4,427,392 issued to Schneider on Jan. 24, 1984.
The Gresham device is bolted to a boat and in order to raise the propeller drive a retaining hinge pin must be physically removed. Powered drive to the propeller in Gresham cannot take place when it is raised or lowered, and powered drive can only occur while the propeller drive is locked vertically, since rotation of Gresham's propeller drive shaft can only occur when a drive belt is fully extended and wrapped around drive sheaves.
The Yarbrough device also requires the physical removal of a drive pin to enable the lifting of the propeller out of the water. Steering cannot occur while the propeller is being raised or lowered in the water since a steering cable is used which will go slack when the pulley it is wrapped around is tilted along with the propeller drive shaft.
In the Benjamin device pivoting of the propeller drive shaft out of the water requires physically releasing a clamp, and steering is accomplished by means of a swivelled seat.
The Schneider device also requires that a hook be physically released to allow tilting upwards of the propeller driver shaft, and the actual tilting requires bodily grasping and moving the propeller drive assembly. In addition, in the Schneider device the operator faces rearwardly, thus necessitating continuous bodily turning movement to ascertain the direction of forward progress. Such an arrangement is believed to be inherently unsafe if there is only one occupant of the craft.
Still other boat drive and steering mechanisms are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,257,987 issued to Liard on Jun. 28, 1966; and 3,244,136 issued to Yarbrough on Apr. 5, 1966.

Propeller drive and steering mechanism for small craft


A source driving sub-circuit includes a shift register circuit and a latch circuit. The latch circuit includes a resetter and a latch. The resetter is coupled to an enabling signal terminal, a reset signal terminal and the latch. The latch is coupled to the shift register circuit and a data signal terminal. The latch is configured to receive signals output from the shift register circuit and at least in response to the signals output from the shift register circuit. And the resetter is configured to receive a signal provided from the enabling signal terminal and a signal provided from the reset terminal, and reset the at least one data signal latched by the latch in response to the signal provided from the enabling signal terminal.

A display panel of a display is provided with crisscrossed gate lines and data lines. The gate lines turn on sub-pixels row by row. When a row of sub-pixels are turned on, data signals are input to the turned-on sub-pixels through the data lines. When all of the sub-pixels receive the above data signals, the display panel displays one frame.

Source driving sub-circuit and driving method thereof, source driving circuit, and display device

ORDOS YUANSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


A coated granular inorganic substance and a method for producing the coated substance are provided. The coated granular inorganic substance includes inorganic particles having outer surfaces at least partially coated with an organic layer which includes a phosphorus-containing, amphiphilic component. A coating composition which includes a phosphorus-containing, amphiphilic component and a fertilizer spreader containing fertilizer particles having outer surfaces substantially coated with an organic layer which includes the phosphorus-containing, amphiphilic component are also provided.

Inorganic substances and more specifically, fertilizers, such as ammonium phosphates, calcium phosphates, ammonium nitrates, potassium nitrates, potassium chlorides, potassium sulfates, etc., are widely used. Methods of manufacturing these inorganic materials, as well as methods of processing the materials into particles via prill and granulation techniques, are also known. The resulting particulate materials, however, often exhibit an undesirable level of dust formation and/or caking. When handled or transported, the granular particles can easily break into smaller particles, resulting in a substantial amount of dust. Additionally, granular inorganic particles, such as fertilizers, often tend to cake when stored and transported in bulk, resulting in substantial amounts of the initial free flowing particulates agglomerating into larger solid masses.
Dust emission is a problem creating a growing concern about atmospheric pollution and its possible ecological and toxicological effects. For example, while it is preferable to produce non-dusty fertilizer particles, special antidust treatments are often applied, due to the difficulty in manufacturing useable particulate fertilizer that does not emit dust.
Dust consists of airborne particles the majority of which are about 10 micron size or smaller created during the production and handling of fertilizers and other inorganic particulates. Depending upon the type of substrate, simple remediations like aspiration and water spray may be applied. To reduce the dust on fertilizer, a petroleum residue or hydrogenated mineral oil is typically sprayed onto the fertilizer. The application of the anti-dusting agent occurs generally during the drying of the phosphate granules in the tumbler. This facilitates the complete coverage of the coating onto the fertilizer particle surface.
Until this time, treatment of inorganic particulates, such as fertilizers, has focused on petroleum-based products, mineral oils, and waxes. There are disadvantages involved in such treatment methods. Oils tend to volatilize and/or soak into the fertilizer with time and lose their effectiveness, while waxes and petroleum-based products are difficult to handle, and can require special heated application equipment. Inorganic particulates coated with petroleum-based products can generate residues on handling equipment, and, in the case of coated fertilizers, typically result in the separation of scum upon dissolution of the fertilizer in water. Other dust treatment methods involve application of an aqueous lignosulfonate solution, other liquid fertilizers, or water to the fertilizer particles. While liquid treatment compositions, such as these, may reduce the fertilizer dust levels, the liquid compositions coated on the fertilizer particles tend to promote caking of the granular fertilizer particles.
A number of conditioning agents have been applied to fertilizers during processing in an attempt to harden and implant anti-caking and anti-dusting properties to fertilizer particles. For example, anti-caking properties have been imparted to fertilizer particles by utilizing clay, talc, surfactants, or a combination of these three conditioners, to coat the particles. Additionally, various oils have been sprayed on fertilizer particles for controlling dust. A phosphoric acid-boric acid compound has also been utilized in phosphate production as a hardening agent. Urea and other fertilizers have also been treated with lignosulfonates alone, or in combination with a co-additive, such as molasses.

Dust reduction agents for granular inorganic substances


A hair clipper with blade angle adjustment is provided, including a clipper housing defining a longitudinal axis and a cutting end, a clipper bladeset operationally connected to the cutting end and including a stationary blade and a moving blade configured for reciprocating laterally relative to the stationary blade. A cam follower is connected to the bladeset and associated with the clipper housing for rotation about a rotation axis relative to the clipper housing, and a bladeset angle control is associated with the clipper housing. A power transmission is member associated with the clipper housing, connected to the cam follower and constructed and arranged so that user manipulation of the bladeset angle control causes linear movement of the power transmission member and associated angular movement of the bladeset through rotation of the cam follower.

The present invention relates generally to powered hair cutting appliances, namely hair clippers and hair trimmers, and more specifically to powered hair cutting appliances with bladesets that are pivotable relative to a clipper housing.
Powered hair cutting appliances, more specifically hair clippers and hair trimmers (here collectively referred to as "hair clippers") are well known in the art, for both cutting and styling hair, and also for trimming edges of a person's hairline to achieve a relatively sharply defined edge. Such devices are used by professional hair stylists and barbers, and also by consumers to trim ones' own hair, or the hair of others.
A common drawback of conventional hair clippers is that when cutting a person's hair to achieve fine edging or detailing, it becomes difficult for the stylist, whether or not a professional, to see the specific area of the scalp being worked on. One attempt to avoid this visibility problem is to configure a working end of the hair clipper so that the bladeset, including a fixed or stationary blade, and a moving blade reciprocating laterally relative to the stationary blade, is movable relative to a clipper housing of the clipper. Many variations of hair clippers with pivoting bladesets are known in the art.
However, known hair clippers are provided where the work area is obscured by the bladeset to the extent where the stylist has difficulty viewing the work area, making fine detail clipping difficult.
Thus, there is a need for an improved hair clipper in which the work area is easily visible to the stylist.

Hair clipper with blade angle adjustment


A computer-implemented method, a system and a computer-readable medium provide useful feedback for a user involved in exercise. A camera is used to track user motion by using image processing techniques to identify key points on a user's body and track their motion. The tracked points are compared to proper form for an exercise, and an embodiment gives feedback based on the relationship between the actual movement of the user and the proper form. Alternatively, silhouette information may be used in a similar manner in another embodiment.

1. Field
Embodiments are generally related to providing useful feedback for a user involved in exercise.
2. Background
Correct form in resistance and other forms of physical training is essential for effectiveness and safety. After developing proper form under supervision, users regularly train on their own without having someone to actively correct them. Lack of supervision can lead to gradual changes in their execution and improper form. An approach that would be able to observe motion by a user and prompt with corrections in real time would help prevent or resolve this problem.
However, there is no current approach that can address the problem directly. One option would be to have another person watch a user periodically and correct the user's exercise form, but this requires another person to participate by observing and offering suggestions. Unfortunately, having another person provide suggestions requires finding another person. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that another person may be able to provide the right feedback, as another person may not be able to guarantee the accuracy of his or her observations or the usefulness or his or her suggestions.
Alternative approaches may use techniques that allow a user to observe himself or herself exercise. For example a user may use a video recording system and then review his or her own execution. However, using a video recording system lacks immediate, realtime feedback, making the feedback of less value. A mirror may provide immediate views to a user of his or her exercise, but a mirror is not useful for many activities and has a limited number of angles of viewing. Furthermore, approaches that rely on user judgement must deal with the problem that a user may not be able to identify problems with his or her own exercise form.
Hence, at present means of providing users with feedback about the correctness of their exercise form have serious deficiencies.


In an apparatus capable of handing data received by a communication function, such as facsimile function or the like, information for generating a file name to be set for received data is registered so as to correspond to receiving conditions (for example, in facsimile reception, a sender's telephone number, an F code, a password and the like). When data has been received, receiving conditions are determined, and a file name based on the information registered for the data is set in accordance with the result of the determination. Thus, the receiving side can easily discriminate the contents of the data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing received data, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for setting an appropriate file name to received data.
2. Description of the Related Art
An approach of processing received data has been known in which a file name of the data is determined, for example, from a time of reception of the data by an apparatus. Another approach has also been known in which character recognition of the contents of received data is performed, and a file name is determined from the contents.
However, when determining the file name of received data, for example, from the time of reception of the data at the apparatus that has received the data, the file name has no relationship with the contents of the received data. Accordingly, it is necessary to open the received data using application software or the like, and confirm the contents of the data by displaying the data, resulting in consumption of a considerable amount of time and procedure.
When performing character recognition using an image of received data, and determining a file name from the contents of the data, there is the possibility of performing erroneous character recognition, sometimes resulting in provision of an inadequate document name. As a result, the user may be confused. Furthermore, since character recognition requires complicated processing, the load of the apparatus increases.

Apparatus and method for processing received data


The device with biofouling control for monitoring aquatic (or gaseous) environment encloses an environmental sensor instrument in a sensor chamber which programmably opens for allowing direct communication between the sensors and the water of interest for sampling and which is closed after the sampling sequence is completed to create an anti-fouling environment in the sensor chamber by adding a biocide into the chamber and exposing the sensors to the anti-fouling environment for a predetermined period of time. The monitoring device includes a microprocessor which is preprogrammed prior to deployment of the device (and which may be re-programmed from a remote host computer during the deployment) into the aquatic environment and which controls the operation of the entire device for a long deployment (up to several months). The opening/closing of the sensor housing, instrument sampling and release of the biocide into the chamber are synchronized to provide the most effective sampling/anti-fouling sequence of operations of the autonomous device.

There is an ever increasing interest in the deployment of autonomous devices for monitoring chemical and physical conditions in aquatic environments. This interest encompasses monitoring fisheries, weather prediction, and global change in the open ocean. It also includes estuaries where interest arises from concerns about pollution, harmful algal blooms, living resources and biological diversity.
Reflecting the need for autonomously collected data, the advances in technology have produced reasonably affordable instrumentation capable of collecting and telemetering data. However, biofouling remains a major problem that to date has not been adequately addressed. The amount of growth that can accumulate in and around sensors over periods as short as two weeks can be great in high nutrient estuarine environments. Biofouling is, for a large percentage of instrumentation deployments, the single biggest factor affecting the operation, maintenance and data quality of in-water monitoring sensors, and therefore biofouling prevention for sensor systems is considered a major issue in aquatic environment monitoring.
The scientific community recognizes that not only sensors of monitoring devices must be protected from biofouling, but additionally the environment surrounding the sensors must also be protected since in some cases, fouling can become so extreme that one can question whether the sensors are sampling the ambient water or a microenvironment controlled by the activities of the fouling organisms.
The biofouling of ships and instrumentation is typically controlled through the use of toxic paints incorporating metal biocides, e.g. cuprous oxide, and organometals, e.g. tributaltine. Also, mechanical systems, such as anti-fouling wipers have been developed and used in multi-parameter monitor devices. However, the anti-fouling paints are extremely toxic and thus are harmful for living organisms, while wipers do not have the capability of complete prevention and removal of bio-fouling, thereby only partially addressing the bio-fouling problem. Such wipers also require additional energy consumption that is undesirable in autonomous devices.
Usually, deployed instrumentation is serviced once a week or biweekly (depending on a region and season) to remove deposits of bio-organisms from the sensors or to replace the deployed sensors with new ones. This is a time and cost consuming endeavor which makes aquatic environments monitoring extremely expensive and labor intensive.
There is therefore a need and ever increasing interest in monitoring of chemical and physical conditions in aquatic environments to provide autonomous devices capable of extended instrument deployment and of obtaining uncorrupted data by controlling the biofouling and eliminating the effect of biofouling on device operations.

Autonomous device with biofouling control and method for monitoring aquatic environment

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science


Photographic materials are processed by color development and a peroxide amplifier solution. The color developer contains an alkali metal phosphate and has a pH of 11 to 12.

Redox amplification processes have been described, for example in British Specification No. 1,268,126 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,748,138, 3,822,129 and 4,097,278. In one aspect of such processes, color materials are developed to produce a silver image (which may contain only small amounts of silver) and are then treated with a redox amplifying solution to form an amplified dye image.
The developer solution contains a color developing agent and the amplifier contains an oxidizing agent that will oxidize the color developing agent in the presence of the silver image that acts as a catalyst.
Oxidized color developer reacts with a color coupler to form the image dye. The amount of dye formed depends on the time of treatment or the availability of color coupler and is less dependent on the amount of silver in the image as is the case in conventional color development processes.
Examples of suitable oxidizing agents include peroxy compounds including hydrogen peroxide and compounds that provide hydrogen peroxide, e.g., addition compounds of hydrogen peroxide.
Published PCT Application WO 92/07299 describes an example of such a process in which the photographic material is processed in separate color developer and amplification baths. The color developer solutions described therein have a pH of 10.3 and contain potassium carbonate as alkaline agent. On standing such a color developer darkens indicating that it is not very stable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,969 describes a process in which the redox oxidant is a Co(III) complex. In Examples 1-3 the photographic material is processed in separate color developer and amplification baths, the color developer solutions having a pH of 10.0-10.1 and contain potassium carbonate as alkaline agent. In Example 4 the photographic element was exposed to X-rays using a fluorescent screen and the color developer solution is said to have a pH of 11.5. The alkaline agent was again potassium carbonate. No improvement in performance or stability is reported.
There is a constant desire to improve redox amplification processes that use a peroxide amplifier to provide better sensitometric results and more stable processing solutions.

Method of forming a photographic color image


A device for measuring a position of a mobile station according to the present invention comprises: first measuring means for measuring the position of the mobile station based on observed data of signals from satellites using a one-epoch measuring method; second measuring means for measuring the position of the mobile station using previous determination result of the position of the mobile station and speed information representative of a speed of the mobile station; third measuring means for measuring the position of the mobile station using solutions of variables derived from previous determination results of the first or second measuring means; and controlling means 60 for selecting one of the respective measuring means which is to execute its measuring process; wherein if reliability of the determination result of the selected measuring means is lower than a predetermined reference value, the controlling means selects another measuring means to make it execute its measuring process.

JP 2006-98246 A discloses a vehicle position measuring device comprising GPS receiving means for receiving GPS signals, first calculating means for calculating a first position of the vehicle based on the GPS signals, travel distance detecting means for detecting a travel distance of the vehicle, direction detecting means for detecting a traveling direction of the vehicle and second calculating means for calculating a second position of the vehicle based the travel distance detected by the travel distance detecting means and the traveling direction detected by the direction detecting means, wherein said device further comprises determining means for determining the reliability of the first position of the vehicle, and said device corrects the second position of the vehicle by the first position of the vehicle considering the reliability determined by the determining means and a calculation time of the first calculating means.
By the way, various ways of measuring the position of the mobile station using the signals from the satellites, INS sensor, etc., have been proposed; however, a technique for combining plural of the measuring ways while considering the advantages and disadvantages of these ways so as to efficiently perform determination with high accuracy has not been proposed.

Device for measuring a position of a mobile station


The invention features a medical guidewire constructed for insertion into the body for providing access to a body passage. The medical guidewire has a main proximal portion in the form of an elongated tube extending the majority of the length of the guidewire, and a distal tubular portion integral with the main proximal portion. The distal portion includes a distal end and a flexible section having a slot cut in the wall of the distal tubular portion. The slot crosses the right sections of the distal tubular portion at an oblique angle and extends continuously about the distal tubular portion, in excess of at least one rotation about the distal tubular portion, to increase the flexibility of the distal tubular portion with respect to the main proximal portion.

This invention relates to medical guidewires which are used by physicians to access body lumens or other remote areas within the body.
Guidewires are widely used in conjunction with therapeutic devices, such as catheters, which are threaded over the guidewire to gain access to an area within the body requiring diagnosis or treatment. Typically, a guidewire has a significantly smaller outer diameter than therapeutic devices and can therefore be inserted into the body to access remote areas more easily. When the guidewire is positioned at the desired location within the body, the therapeutic device is passed over and guided along the guidewire to the location. The therapeutic device is then utilized to diagnose and/or treat the area at the location.