In a travel safety system for a vehicle: a preceding vehicle V1 in a travel direction of a subject vehicle V is detected by a radar device; an overlap amount δ (smaller one of δ(L) and δ(R)), at which the preceding vehicle V1 overlaps a predicted course for the subject vehicle V, is calculated; and when time for which the over lap amount δ exceeding a predetermined value exceeds a predetermined period, it is determined that there is a possibility that the subject vehicle V comes into contact with the preceding vehicle V1, and a safety system comprising a warning or an automatic braking is actuated. Thus, if it is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the subject vehicle V and the preceding vehicle V1 due to course change of the subject vehicle V or the preceding vehicle, it is possible to prevent the safety system from being unnecessarily actuated to provide a sense of discomfort to a driver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a travel safety system for a vehicle, which is designed so that an object is detected by an object detecting means mounted on the vehicle, and when there is a possibility that the vehicle comes into contact with the object, the safety system is actuated to avoid the contact.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-23705 discloses a conventional travel safety system, in which an object existing in a travel direction of a subject vehicle is detected by a radar device, the presence or absence of a possibility of contact between the subject vehicle and the object is determined based on an overlap amount (an avoiding steerage amount) in a vehicle-width direction, and when it is determined that there is the possibility of contact, a warning or an automatic braking is carried out to avoid the contact of the subject vehicle with the object.
However, in the conventional travel safety system, in such a case where the subject vehicle or a preceding vehicle has changed its course to traverse a traffic lane, if the preceding vehicle temporarily traverses the course of the subject vehicle to generate an overlap amount in a vehicle-width direction, it is determined that there is a possibility that the subject vehicle comes into contact with the preceding vehicle, leading to a possibility that the warning or the automatic braking is carried out. If the overlap amount is generated just for a moment in this way, then the warning or the automatic braking is carried out although the possibility of contact is actually low, resulting in a problem that a driver feels a sense of discomfort or vexation.


A method of fabricating printed circuit boards integrating thick film resistor components and thin film circuit portions thereon is disclosed. This is a two-phase process, where the first phase is to create multiple thick film resistors, and the second phase is to create a thin film circuit portion on the substrate with thick film resistors in existence, involving the printing of the electrodes and the resistive coating for the thick film resistors, and the printing of a low temperature passivation layer over the resistors; and the thin film circuit is formed by titanium and copper layers over the substrate, and electroplating of interconnections to form copper plated circuit. The present fabrication process does not require drilling of holes nor electroplating of leads to the resistors, thus the whole process can be automated to a greater extent than with conventional techniques.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a thin film circuit integrating thick film resistors thereon and a method of fabricating the same, in particular to a method for fabricating a hybrid circuit board with integrated thick film resistors on high density printed circuit boards by a combination of screen printing and copper plating.
2. Description of Related Arts
For printed circuit boards, the current trend is towards high density circuit layouts and planarization of components. It has always been a challenge for circuit board manufacturers to produce high density circuit boards with high efficiency.
A large percentage of components used on hybrid circuit boards are resistors and capacitors. These passive components are conventionally coupled onto printed circuit boards with surface mounting technology (SMT), which are often referred to as SMD resistors and capacitors. However, the main disadvantage of using SMD devices is their high profile. When these SMD devices are coupled onto the circuit boards, the SMD devices tend to stand out from the surface of circuit boards. Therefore, these SMD devices cannot be used in present day compact electronic products due to the space requirements. Furthermore, the surface mounting technology requires the creation of contact pads at predetermined positions on the circuit boards before the resistors and capacitors are mounted, which will increase the process time in the fabrication of printed circuit boards and affect the production efficiency. Therefore, SMD resistors and capacitors are gradually being replaced by thick film resistors and capacitors in the planarization of semiconductor devices.

Method of fabricating a thin film integrated circuit with thick film resistors


The invention provides wind flow dissipating units mountable in close relation to one another along the sidewalls of the roadway of a suspension bridge and providing pivotable plates hanging from the units in opposed parallel relation to the sidewalls, the plates being adapted to interfere with and dissipate the force of steady wind blowing toward the sidewalls so as to avoid undesirable resonance swaying of the bridge by the wind.

This invention relates to the provision of new and useful improvements in suspension bridges. More particularly, it is directed to the addition of means to a suspension bridge which will breakup, scatter and deflect high winds flowing toward the bridge, whereby undesirable forces of the winds will be dissipated before they can reach and produce undesirable resonance swaying of the suspended roadway of the bridge.
A particular vexing, potentially dangerous and expensive problem associated with suspension bridges is the swaying of its hanging roadway and the resulting damage to it caused by high winds, particularly strong steady winds. This problem is associated especially to the central part of the roadway, that is the span which usually is the longest and hanging by vertical metal ropes from cables extending between high towers located at opposite sides of a wide waterway or canyon.
A general object of this invention is to improve a suspension bridge with means which will interfere with high wind flowing toward the bridge and will breakup a steady wind in such manner as to avoid the undesirable resonance swaying that it would otherwise bring to the bridge.
In accordance with the invention, wind breakup units are provided to be mounted along opposite sides of the hanging roadway of a suspension bridge. A unit includes a supporting frame which is adapted to be mounted to the sidewall of the roadway, and a metal plate which is pivoted to the frame so as to hang vertically in parallel spaced relation to the sidewall. The units are mountable to the roadway in close relation to one another so as to present along the roadway a wall of closely spaced plates that are swingable on their pivots relative to the frame and to the roadway. In such an arrangement, a driving steady wind flowing toward the bridge will be fragmented and spent in its force and volume in swinging the various plates with an accompanying recoiling, deflection, breakingup and scattering of the wind in various directions. The result will be an exhausted brokenup wind flow reaching the roadway, too spent in energy and volume to produce any undesirable resonance swaying of the roadway.
The particular structure of the invention, its features and advantages will become increasingly apparent as this specification unfolds in greater detail and as it is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein an embodiment of the invention is set forth. However, it is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for purposes of illustration and description, and it is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Wind breakup means for suspension bridges


An adjustable concrete form comprises at least one tube and an adjustable stake having a post and a tube cradle. The tube has at least one drainage aperture providing the form with drainage. The adjustable stake is configured for adjustably supporting the tube in spaced-apart relation to an excavation bottom. The post has at least one slender end to facilitate driving the post partially into the excavation bottom. The tube cradle is configured for releasable engagement with the tube to thereby secure the tube relative to the post and to support the tube in spaced-apart relation to the excavation bottom. The tube cradle is adjustably connected to the post so that adjustment of the post relative to the cradle effectuates adjustment of the tube relative to the excavation bottom.

This invention relates generally to footing/foundation forms for the construction of concrete foundations, and more particularly to such forms having integral drainage systems including a plurality of hollow tubes elevated to grade above an excavation bottom and supported at that level by a plurality of stakes.
Typical building practice requires construction of a footing or foundation upon which vertical concrete walls of a structure rest. A typical outer wall may range from 6-12 inches in thickness and the footing upon which the walls rest is typically wider than the wall width and may have a vertical depth (height) of 6-12 inches. Because these foundations are commonly a substantial distance below ground level, accumulation of water with a head of pressure at the footing level is a problem. To prevent this ground water from entering the building through floor or foundation cracks, or through crevices between the foundation and basement floor, good building practice provides a means for removing the undesired ground water. Standard procedures have developed over the years to construct sturdy footings/foundations and to provide a drainage system to remove future unwanted ground water.
The standard procedures include preparing a trench or excavation to the appropriate depth and dimensions to accommodate the footing/foundation forms and drainage system. Next, the inside and outside corner points of the footing/foundation wall are surveyed and a string or chalk line is placed around the intended footing/foundation perimeter. Historically, planks of seasoned wood were arranged along the surveyed line and secured in place by stakes. Because foundation forms are typically a pair of serpentuitous parallel walls, the prior art planks were cut to appropriate lengths using either mitered ends or special corner pieces to maintain the parallel relationship throughout the footing/foundation perimeters. After completing the entire footing/foundation network, concrete was poured between the forms, appropriately screeded, and allowed to set. When the concrete was sufficiently hard (typically the next day), the forms were removed. Once the forms were removed, a certain amount of re-trenching was required to remove accumulated backfill and debris. Then, after re-trenching, an independent drainage system was installed. It was also customary to place gravel or filler stone around and over the drainage system to create a leach field to facilitate proper draining.
Recognizing the costs associated with the highly labor intensive prior art footing/foundation construction techniques (i.e. excavating, installing forms, pouring the footing, removing the forms, re-trenching, constructing the drainage system, laying a gravel leach field, and backfilling the excavation), attempts have been made to minimize these costs. However, many of these attempts have failed to adequately minimize costs because the methods employed required custom designed materials which to a substantial degree offset labor savings with an increase in material costs.
Many of the problems associated with prior art forms were overcome by the footing/foundation form disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,416 (the '416 patent), which is commonly owned by the inventors herein. The disclosure of the '416 patent is incorporated herein by reference.
The footing/foundation form disclosed in the '416 patent has two substantially parallel spaced apart, serpentuitous walls, each wall including a plurality of hollow tubes elevated to grade above an excavation bottom by stake and clip mechanisms with gravel filled between the elevated tubes and the excavation bottom. The tubes are connected end-to-end and include a plurality of holes to enable water accumulating adjacent the footing/foundation to drain into a sewer, dry well, or sump pump. However, unlike other prior art forms having integral drainage means, the tubes of the '416 patent are preferably standard 10-foot PVC round tubes available at many hardware and construction stores or are easily adapted from commonly available PVC tubes. The stakes of the '416 patent are pieces of reinforcing bar (or other steel rods which are readily available) and the clips are also manufactured from inexpensive materials.
Once the tubes of the '416 patent are elevated to grade, the clips are frictionally and resiliently engaged to the stakes and the tubes to secure the tubes to grade. After the form is constructed, further adjustments in the elevation of the tubes is accomplished by driving the stakes further into, or pulling them out of, the ground.

Concrete form with integral drain and adjustable stake therefor


Disclosed is a light-sensitive element for lithographic printing plates excellent in stain resistance and water-carrying capacity which comprises a support and, coated thereon in succession, at least one undercoat layer, a silver halide emulsion layer and a physical development nuclei layer wherein at least one of the layers on the silver halide emulsion layer-provided side of the support contains 0.1-2.0 g/m.sup.2 of a matting agent of 5.mu. in average particle size and the light-sensitive element has an arithmetical mean deviation of profile Ra of 1.2 or less.

The present invention relates to a photographic element for the production of lithographic printing plates by the silver complex diffusion transfer process.
Lithographic printing plates consist of greasy ink receptive oleophilic image portions and ink repellent oleophobic non-image portions and the non-image portions are generally water receptive hydrophilic areas. The usual lithographic printing is carried out by feeding both water and ink to the printing plate surface to allow the image portions to receive preferentially colored ink and the non-image portions to receive preferentially water and then transferring the ink deposited on the image portions onto a substrate such as paper.
Accordingly, in order to obtain prints of good quality, it is necessary that oleophilic activity of the image portions and hydrophilic activity of the non-image portions are both strong enough so that when water and ink are applied, the image portions may receive sufficient amount of ink while the non-image portions may completely repel the ink.
Light-sensitive elements used for making lithographic printing plates utilizing the silver complex diffusion transfer process (DTR process), especially those which comprise a silver halide emulsion layer and a physical development nuclei layer provided thereon have been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,728,114, 4,134,769, 4,160,670, 4,336,321, 4,501,811, 4,510,228 and 4,621,041. According to these techniques, exposed silver halide crystal undergoes chemical development by DTR development to become black silver, which constitutes hydrophilic non-image portions and unexposed silver halide crystal is converted to a silver complex salt by the silver halide complexing agent contained in the developer, which diffuses to the surface physical development nuclei layer and undergoes physical development in the presence of the nuclei to form the ink receptive image portions mainly composed of physically developed silver.
In these lithographic printing plates, silver images precipitated on the physical development nuclei layer provided on gelatino-silver halide emulsion layer are utilized as ink receptive image portions. Therefore, these printing plates are inferior to general lithographic printing plates such as PS plate in resistance to mechanical wear of image portions and have the defects that the image portions wear off or the ink receptivity of the image portions is gradually lost during printing.
If hardness of gelatin is enhanced or amount of the physical development nuclei is increased in order to solve the above defects, staining resistance of the printing plates much lowers. Further, in the above lithographic printing plates hydrophilicity of the non-image portions is realized mainly by hydrophilicity of the surface of gelatin and this has the defect that staining resistance is apt to be reduced by printing as compared with hydrophilized aluminum surface which is mainly used in general lithographic printing plates.
Influence of surface roughness of lithographic printing plates on printability has also been known in the field of PS plate and it has become clear that the surface roughness is also an important factor in the lithographic printing plates made utilizing the silver complex diffusion transfer process of the present invention. Especially, in the lithographic printing plates made using the silver complex diffusion transfer process, the non-image portions are composed mainly of gelatin film and although the gelatin film is inherently high in hydrophilicity, generally the surface has been designed to have high matte property (high irregularity) by matting agents used for improving printing endurance of the image portions. The inventors have studied the correlation between the matte property of the surface and staining caused by printing and have found that staining of non-image portions caused by printing can be markedly reduced by specifying the arithmetical mean deviation of profile (Ra value) of the light-sensitive element in which a matting agent is contained in an undercoat layer.
For printing, water-carrying capacity (or ink/water balance) is important and higher response is preferred in setting the proper printing conditions by changing feeding of ink and that of water. Especially, in the field where offset rotary presses are used, the etching by dampening solution is often omitted at the beginning of printing in order to prevent breaking of paper and thus, ink deposits on non-image portions. Therefore, at the beginning of printing, it is important to clear the ink and fast start up is required.
There is the field of plate making by using commercially available process camera having no reversing mirror as one application of light-sensitive elements for making lithographic printing plates using the silver complex diffusion transfer process. Hitherto, printing plates can be directly obtained by using a process camera provided for reprophotography and by using light-sensitive elements to be exposed from back side thereof and utilizing the silver complex diffusion transfer process. With recent spread of composer cameras such as for opti-copies, the above-mentioned improvements have also been demanded for improving printability of lithographic printing plates made by exposure from back side of light-sensitive elements.
Furthermore, lithographic printing plates made by exposure from back side have the restriction that compounds which increase total transmission density of respective constituting photographic layers through which light passes in exposure from back side, such as titanium oxide, cannot be used since much reduction in sensitivity is brought about although they are effective for diminishing stains caused by printing.


A hair iron is provided which includes a hair curling body having an outer peripheral surface on which hairs are wound, a clip for holding the hairs between the inner surface of the clip and the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body and a heater for heating the hair curling body. The clip is made of low heat conductive materials. A plurality of rib-shaped guards, which extend in a circumferential direction of the hair curling body, are provided at least on an area of the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body other than the area facing the clip. The guards are made of low heat conductive materials. The guards are disposed at certain spaced intervals in an axial direction of the hair curling body. The guards are connected by connecting rods which are buried in the hair curling body such that upper surfaces of the guards are positioned so as to be at the same level as or below the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body so that the connecting rods never cause hairs to be displaced from the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body and prevent hairs from clinging to the rods.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a hair iron for curling hairs.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Conventionally, this kind of hair iron comprises a hair curling body having an outer peripheral surface on which hairs are wound, a clip for holding the hairs between the clip and the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body and a heater for heating the hair curling body. In using the hair iron, it is likely that the user will feel heat, and there is a slight chance that the user might be burned, if the user were to allow the heated hair curling body to come into contact with the skin.
To avoid the risk of getting burned, Japanese unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Sho 52-74868 suggests that a plurality of rib-shaped guards extending in a circumferential direction of the hair curling body are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body. The guards are connected by a plurality of connecting rods and are disposed at certain intervals in an axial direction of the hair curling body. The guards prevent the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body from coming into direct contact with the skin of the user of the hair iron. The guards are formed so as to be rib-shaped members which extend in the circumferential direction of the hair curling body so as not to disturb the hairs, when the hairs are wound around the hair curling body of the hair iron.
In the hair iron disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, there have been the following drawbacks. The connecting rods connecting the guards are positioned above an outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body. Thus, when hairs are wound around the hair curling body to curl the hairs, the presence of the connecting rods causes the hairs not to come into direct contact with the outer peripheral surface of the hair curling body. As a result, heat is not sufficiently transferred from the hair curling body to the hairs to be curled, resulting in insufficient hair curl and leaving marks on the hairs. Furthermore, when the curled hairs wound around the hair curling body are removed from being curled around the hair curling body, the hairs tend to cling to the connecting rods, resulting in uneasy detachment of the hairs from the hair curling body.


The invention relates to an oscillating arm suspension assembly for a heavy vehicle, in particular for a track vehicle. According to the invention, the oscillating arm comprises a housing receiving firstly a shock absorber of the type in which a semi-solid elastomer is hydrostatically compressed, said shock absorber being mounted coaxially about the oscillation axis of said arm, and secondly an oleo-pneumatic spring of the two-chamber type, having a hydraulic chamber closed by a sliding piston with a piston rod hinged thereto whose end opposite from the piston is hinged to a fixed member inside said housing.

Known assemblies comprise an arm mounted to oscillate on a fixed structure that is secured to the chassis of the vehicle, said arm also being fitted with a wheel axle (or stub axle), or with a track wheel when the vehicle is a tracked vehicle such as a tank, said axle being offset relative to the oscillation axis of the arm and being situated beneath it.
In the text below, reference is made to a suspension assembly for a tracked vehicle, however the invention is naturally not limited to that particular application.
Modern tanks include a series of track wheels on either side, generally five or six of them, which support the total static load, and each of which is mounted on a respective oscillating arm. By way of example, the suspended mass per track wheel is of the order of four (metric) tonnes, such that the suspension elements need to be adapted accordingly.
The suspension elements are required not only to support the mass of the vehicle, but also to minimize effects due to movements of the body and effects due to the ground, in particular when going over obstacles at high speed.
More and more use is being made of systems that are integrated within the oscillating arm so as to achieve optimum compactness and protection, with such systems appearing to be more attractive than suspensions having transverse torsion bars, which are bulky and difficult to adjust, without mentioning the drawbacks inherent to passing through the structure.
Suspension assemblies are already known that comprise a housing receiving a shock absorber comprising interleaved friction disks and a single-chamber oleo-pneumatic spring. The shock absorber includes members enabling hydraulic compression to be exerted on the interleaved disks to implement the shock absorbing function (e.g. a cam secured to the housing of the oscillating arm, with a control finger bearing thereagainst that co-operates with the hydraulic braking system).
Such systems are advantageous insofar as the spring and shock absorbing functions are uncoupled from each other, thereby making the suspension less sensitive to temperature variation, however such systems are complex in structure because of the way in which the hydraulic compression members associated with the interleaved friction disks are organized, and consequently because of the sealing required for the corresponding portion of the suspension assembly. In addition, control of the moving finger may suffer from weaknesses under difficult conditions of use.
An object of the invention is to provide an oscillating arm suspension assembly whose structure is both simple and reliable, enabling it to be implemented in highly compact manner that is compatible with a minimum amount of space available therefor (thus making it possible to take little space from the structure of the vehicle).
Another object of the invention is to provide a suspension assembly which suffers little from temperature fluctuations, be they internal or external, and which is as independent as possible therefrom so as to have as small an effect as possible on the vehicle's ground clearance.
Another object of the invention is to provide a suspension assembly making it possible simultaneously to have good dynamic stability for the vehicle and to pass over obstacles in satisfactory manner at high speed.

Suspension assembly for a heavy vehicle, in particular for a tracked vehicle


To provide the structure of a filament lamp having a plurality of independent power supply pathways, the structure being capable of preventing the power supply pathways from electrically shorting to each other, a filament lamp formed of a straight-tube shaped luminous part having multiple filaments (F1, F2, F3) divided in the axial direction, and sealing parts (20) on each of opposite ends of the luminous part (10) in which are embedded metal foils (31, 32, 33) corresponding to the number of filaments in an aligned manner, and leads for supplying electricity independently to each filament, the luminous part (10) having a first housing space (11) for housing the filaments and a second housing space (12) for housing the leads (51, 52, 53), the housing spaces be connected and extending in the axial direction.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a filament lamp, particularly to a filament lamp for heating an object to be treated.
2. Description of Related Art
The production steps for solar cells include a thermal diffusion step for diffusing a P type semiconductor and a baking step for baking silver paste to make electrode material. In both steps, a semiconductor wafer and a glass substrate are heated to a high temperature of around 800° C. to 900° C. using a thermal diffusion furnace and a baking furnace, respectively.
In such a heating device, an object to be treated must be heated uniformly in order to avoid a locational variation of temperature. For this reason, what has been proposed is a structure capable of providing multiple power supply pathways inside the luminous tube of a filament lamp as a light source and independently supplying a desired amount of electricity to each pathway (Japanese Laid-open Application No. 2006-279008 and corresponding U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0197454). However, the temperature to which an object to be treated is heated in the production steps noted above has been increasing, and the amount of electricity to be supplied to a lamp has also been increasing. On the other hand, the size of a lamp cannot be increased, and there is a demand for reducing the size thereof instead.
Each filament is connected with an internal lead for supplying electricity, and internal leads form complicated pathways inside a luminous tube. For this reason, there occurs a problem that an internal lead and a filament or two internal leads electrically short to each other or that a filament comes off a specified position. In other words, in a filament lamp having a plurality of independent power supply pathways, the lamp has an extremely complicated structure so that an object to be treated can be heated uniformly. As a result, the abovementioned problems occur.


System, methods and apparatus are described that improve signaling in a three-wire multiphase communication link. A method for data communications includes determining a transition in signaling state of three wires of a communication link between a pair of consecutive symbols transmitted on the communication link, and enhancing or attenuating energy of a signal prior to the transition in signaling state of the three wires when the transition in signaling state includes a change in signaling state of a wire on which the signal is transmitted. Each symbol may define a different signaling state of the three wires of the communication link. For each symbol transmitted, two of the three wires are differentially encoded and the third wire is in a neutral state. Different wires are differentially encoded during transmission of consecutive symbols.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to high-speed data communications interfaces, and more particularly, signaling in multi-wire, multi-phase data communication links.
2. Background
Manufacturers of mobile devices, such as cellular phones, may obtain components of the mobile devices from various sources, including different manufacturers. For example, an application processor in a cellular phone may be obtained from a first manufacturer, while the display for the cellular phone may be obtained from a second manufacturer. The application processor and a display or other device may be interconnected using a standards-based or proprietary physical interface. For example, a display may provide an interface that conforms to the Display System Interface (DSI) standard specified by the Mobile Industry Processor Interface Alliance (MIPI).
Higher frequency components of a high-speed signal traveling through a channel can be significantly attenuated due to channel bandwidth limitations and the degree of attenuation may correlate to the frequency of the signal. The losses of high frequency components can cause inter-symbol interference (ISI) and can increase jitter. A commonly-used compensation technique employs pre-emphasis at the transmitter, which may also be referred to as feed-forward equalization (FFE). FFE can be employed in single-ended and differential line drivers, but has limited effect on other types of drivers.
In one example, a three-wire interface (C-PHY) defined by MIPI uses a trio of conductors rather than differential pairs to transmit information between devices. Each of the three wires may be in one of three signaling states during transmission of a symbol over the C-PHY interface. Clock information is encoded in a sequence of symbols transmitted on the C-PHY link and a receiver generates a clock signal from transitions between consecutive symbols. In a C-PHY interface, the maximum speed of the communication link and the ability of a clock-data recovery (CDR) circuit to recover clock information may be limited by the maximum time variation related to transitions of signals transmitted on the different wires of the communication link.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to improve signaling capabilities of multi-wire interfaces.

Programmable pre-emphasis circuit for MIPI C-PHY


A hanger for a bra has a body section in a shape of a female torso. The body section has a front surface having a neck and a pair of concave members located below the neck. The concave members being formed in a predetermined cup size for retaining a shape of a bra positioned on the body section. A container is formed on a bottom

Presently, many bras, bikini tops, and the like (hereinafter bras) contain padding in the cup regions to provide a larger, fuller shape for the wearer. A problem with the padding is that the padding compresses and distorts in shape when the bra is washed and dried. The padding also compresses and distorts in shape when the bras are placed in drawers for storage or suitcases for travel since the padding becomes crushed and creased. The creases tend to remain in the bra and when worn under tight or knit clothing tend to show through the clothing. Consequently, the smooth and natural appearance desired from use of the padded bra is defeated.
Presently, there are different devices which allow one to hang a bra. U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,102 discloses a bra support device having a substantially rigid cup support portion having two concave cup portions. A substantially flat portion connects the concave cup portions. A device is used for retaining a bra in the cup portions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,816 discloses a combination garment display and hanger. The display has a molded plastic shell having a front face depicting at least part of a human torso. The shell further contains a hanger slot recessed into the upper part of the shell that is specifically contoured to complement display racks of various sizes and shapes.
While the above bra hangers do work, they both have drawbacks. The main problem with both designs is that neither hanger has storage space for placing the bras, matching undergarments, or other accessories. Another problem is that neither hanger comes with a device with allows the bras to be properly washed.
Therefore, there remains a need for a device to overcome the above problems. The device must prevent compression and creasing of the cups of bras during storage, shipment and hanging. The device must further provide storage space for placing matching undergarments or other accessories.

Device for hanging and storing undergarments and method therefor


A method for processing data on a particular storage device in a plurality of storage devices is disclosed. A system and a computer program product for processing data on a particular storage device in a plurality of storage devices are also disclosed. All the storage devices from among the plurality of storage devices are not powered-on at the same time. A storage device, which is powered-off is selected for background processing. Further, a data-enhancing operation is selected. The selected storage device is powered on and the selected data-enhancing operation is processed on the storage device.

The present invention relates generally to data storage systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to background processing of data in data storage systems.
Data, stored in large volumes, requires the use of large-scale and high-capacity storage systems. The large volumes of data occupy large storage space. This can create non-optimal usage of the available storage space. Additionally, large volumes of data not used for long periods of time can become corrupted, and may not be available when needed. Processing time and other resources may be required for searching large volumes of data. These considerations can be more complicated to deal with when a storage system uses devices that are not all powered-on at the same time.

Method and system for background processing of data in a storage system


A method of providing banking services by use of a mobile communication system having a removable built-in integrated circuit (IC) card chip in which personal identification number (PIN) information and related information on financial accounts of a user are stored. The method includes selecting an electronic bankbook service and selecting any one from financial transactions for the electronic bankbook service and comparing the PIN information input at the mobile communication system with the PIN information stored in the IC card chip, and authenticating access to data stored in the IC card chip on the mobile communication system. The method further includes displaying financial account information of the user stored in the IC card chip in a display window of the mobile communication system and forming a financial transaction request message using the related information of the selected financial account through a banking application built in the mobile communication system, and transmitting the financial transaction request message to the banking server. The method further includes performing a predetermined customer authentication process with respect to the financial transactions and financial accounts at the banking server, and transmitting a financial transaction response message to the mobile communication system and displaying the resulting transaction history in the display window of the mobile communication system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for providing banking services by use of a mobile communication system, more particularly, in which the mobile communication system is provided with a removable integrated circuit (IC) card chip in which personal identification number (PIN) information, financial account information, etc. are stored, and a banking application for financial transactions which is driven on a Java Virtual Machine and mobile banking such as mobile account inquiry, transfer/remittance, loan/payment and so forth are used, thereby maximizing convenience of a user with regard to the mobile banking, and simultaneously minimizing network loads of a communication network and reinforcing security against data and financial information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, as mobile communication systems become enhanced in their performance together with communication networks, there are provided a variety of mobile banking services by use of the mobile communication systems such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and etc. In particular, such mobile banking services make it possible for any customer to conveniently use banking services, such as account inquiry; transfer, remittance and payment; and inquiry and payment of a loan, anytime and anywhere without visiting their correspondent banks in person.
Generally, conventional mobile banking services including an account inquiry, transfer or remittance of funds have employed a wireless Internet system on the basis of WAP (wireless application protocol). Specifically, the conventional mobile banking services allow any Internet banking user to drive a WAP browser of a terminal (e.g. personal computer), to have access to the URL (uniform resource locator) of a banking server of interest, to input his/her own ID (identification) and password for authentication, and after authentication, to deal with banking services such as account inquiry, transfer/remittance, and inquiry of a loan account overview and payment of its interest and etc.
These conventional mobile banking services merely change Internet banking services over a wired Internet into that over the wireless Internet based on the WAP. Because mobile communication systems still fail to provide large sized screens, easy input procedure and storage capability like personal computers, there is much inconvenience in actual use.
Further, whenever using his/her desired banking service, the customer must input various kinds of information, such as ID, password, account number and so forth, through the mobile communication system. Thus, the customer encounters difficulty in using the banking service. Further, because of the vulnerability of security of the mobile communication system, it is next to impossible to store and use data related to personal information in the memory of the mobile communication system.
In addition, once the mobile communication system has access to a banking server, a series of processes, for example, inputting the account number, performing customer authentication, inquiring of financial transaction history, inquiring of an overview of a loan account, paying interest on a loan and etc. are performed during the session. Hence, there are problems in that the user or customer is weighted with the charges for a phone call, etc., and the communication network is heavily loaded.

Method for providing banking services by use of mobile communication system


In a method for manufacturing carbon fibers by means of a thermal CVD method through catalysts, the method capable of obtaining a uniform film thickness regardless of a growth position and a growth area on a substrate is provided. The substrate on which a catalyst layer is formed is disposed in a reaction container. An atmosphere in the reaction container is set to be a reduced pressure atmosphere including a carbon containing gas having a partial pressure of 10 Pa or less, and the substrate is heated in the atmosphere to grow carbon fibers on the catalyst layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing(generating) carbon fibers by means of a thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method using catalysts and a gas including carbon. Moreover, the present invention relates to methods for severally manufacturing an electron-emitting device and a light bulb, both using the carbon fibers as electron-emitting members, an electron source configured by using the electron-emitting devices, an image display apparatus such as a display configured by using the electron source, a secondary battery using the carbon fibers as cathodes, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electronic device such as a circuit and a transistor using the carbon fibers.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a method for forming a plurality of carbon fibers in a desired region by means of the thermal CVD method performed successively after disposing a catalyst layer on a substrate. Moreover, there is a technique for using the carbon fibers manufactured by the thermal CVD method as electron-emitting members for an electron-emitting device, and further for an image-forming apparatus. Patent Documents 1–5 disclose electron-emitting devices using carbon fibers. Patent Documents 6–8 disclose methods for manufacturing carbon fibers. The thermal CVD method is a method for performing the excitation of source chemical species by heating them, and is generally inexpensive in comparison with a plasma CVD method and an optical CVD method.    Patent Document 1: European Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1,245,704    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-150925    Patent Document 3: U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,422    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-289086    Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-229806    Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-181842    Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-11917    Patent Document 8: Japanese Patent Publication No. H2-46691

Methods for manufacturing carbon fibers, electron-emitting device, electron source, image display apparatus, light bulb, and secondary battery using a thermal CVD method


A whiteboard marking pen includes an ink-containing pen casing having an ink applicator extending from a first end of the casing and a plug socket in a second end of the pen casing; a cylindrical pen cap including a socket end surrounding the ink applicator in a capped storage state and a plug first end insertible into the pen casing plug socket in a pen uncapped marking state; and a whiteboard eraser juxtaposed to a cylindrical portion of the pen cap and extending cantilevered outwardly with respect to a distal surface of the cap socket end, such that, when the pen cap is plugged into the pen casing plug socket, a peripheral edge of the cantilevered eraser is positioned for erasing a minor area of an ink image on a whiteboard.

A white laminate display panel commonly known as a `whiteboard`, has all but replaced the classic chalkboard (a.k.a. blackboard) everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms.
Like a chalkboard, use of a whiteboard involves writing on the board that can later be erased, allowing reuse of the board indefinitely. This writing is accomplished with a pen containing ink specially formulated for quick drying and the ability to be erased. Necessarily, the pen must be kept capped when not being used. Erasure of any significant magnitude is normally accomplished with a very light rubbing of the surface using a felt brick--quite similar to those used with chalkboards. However, whiteboard erasure is generally easier then with a chalkboard. Consequently, even more often than with chalkboards, one frequently observes presenters using their fingers for minor erasures. Reasons for doing this are varied but can be generally summed up in two ways. For small erasures, it is much quicker and easier to use a finger then taking the time (and disruption of the presentation) to reach for an eraser. Second, the stick-like shape of a finger allows for naturally more accurate small edits of an image then with a brick style eraser. This use of a finger for erasing does of course have the undesirable result of leaving residue `ink dust` on the finger or of leaving a finger skin oil impression on the whiteboard.
What is desired is an eraser that has both the immediacy of use and the accuracy of a finger, without impact to the natural usability of the existing marking pen or cleanliness of the user.
No known prior invention addresses a solution to these needs. Some attempts, in particular U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,483, have focused on combining the features of the brick eraser (broad planer eraser surface area for bulk erasing) with those of the marking pen. In the '483 patent a curved cloth covering is attached around a portion of a marking pen cap, or attached to a planar plate extending somewhat tangentially from the cap, or on a parallel grip portion extending from the cap, or extending from a cap having opposite and apertures for receiving two types of writing instruments. However that invention like others, does not have an attachment of the eraser i.e. the curved or flat covering 22 to the pen in a manner that allows its immediate use while the pen is in a marking state. This lack of immediacy continues the incentives to use a finger with its attendant advantages and disadvantages. Neither does the shape of that invention allow for the continued natural usability of the pen shape or cleanliness of the user. It is also obvious to infer from the provided drawings of the '483 invention that during erasures of even a moderate degree the pen may `fly off the handle` from the eraser. Nor does the '483 patent present a shape that is conducive to fine erasures. Certainly any beneficial results that may accrue from '483 patent compete with, rather then supplement those of the brick eraser, and yet do nothing to address the incentives for using one's finger. Likewise U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,973 incorporates a brick-type whiteboard eraser on a holder for three marking pens.

Combined whiteboard marking pen and eraser


Data paths, memories, and methods for providing data from memory are disclosed. An example read data path includes a delay path, and a clocked data register. The data path has a data propagation delay and is configured to receive data and propagate the data therethrough. The delay path is configured to receive a clock signal and provide a delayed clock signal having a delay relative to the clock signal that models the data propagation delay. The clocked data register is configured to clock in data responsive at least in part to the delayed clock signal. The clocked data register is further configured to clock out data responsive at least in part to the clock signal.

Integrated circuits often operate based on a system clock signal that may be used to synchronize operation of components of the system. As faster operation of the system is desired, a clock frequency of the system clock will typically be increased. The operability of the integrated circuits should scale with the higher clock frequency to ensure error free operation at the higher speed.
An example of a circuit that is clocked at the frequency of a system clock is a read data path that provides data from, for example, a memory array to be output. FIG. 1 illustrates a read data path 100. The read data path 100 includes a multiplexer 112 coupled to a data cache register (DDC) and a databus 110. The DDC is segmented into two portions DDC0 and DDC1, each of which provides read data to a respective input of the multiplexer 112 in response to a clock signal CLK. The read data is provided from the DDC to the multiplexer 112 in an interleaved manner. The multiplexer 112 is controlled by the CLK signal to switch back and forth between providing read data from DDC0 and providing read data from DDC1 to a clocked data register 130, e.g., READ FIFO 130, over the databus 110. Read data is clocked into (and out of) the clocked data register 130 responsive to the CLK signal.
Operation of the read data path 100 is described with reference to FIG. 2A. At time T0 a rising edge of the CLK signal clocks DDC0 and at time T1, after a propagation delay of DDC0, data "A" is provided (e.g. output) from DDC0 to the multiplexer 112. A falling edge of the CLK signal at time T2 clocks DDC1 and also controls the multiplexer 112 to couple the input from DDC0 to the databus 110 to provide read data A to the clocked data register 130. At time T3 read data "1" is output from DDC1 (delay relative to the falling edge of the CLK signal caused by DDC propagation delay) and at time T4, after a propagation delay of the multiplexer 112 and the databus 110, read data A arrives at the clocked data register 130. The data register is clocked by the rising edge of the CLK signal at time T5 (i.e., the next rising edge of the CLK signal following the rising edge that clocked DDC0 to release data A) to capture (e.g. clock in) read data A. Data 1 is provided by the multiplexer 112 over the databus 110 to the clocked data register 130 in response to the rising edge of the CLK signal at time T5. After the propagation delay of the multiplexer 112 and the data bus 110, data 1 arrives at the clocked data register 130 at time T6 and is captured by the falling edge of the CLK signal at time T7. Data captured by the clocked data register 130 are later output (e.g. clocked out) responsive to the CLK signal.
FIG. 2B illustrates operation of the read data path 100 with a CLK signal having twice the clock frequency of the CLK signal of FIG. 2A. At time T0 a rising edge of the 2X CLK signal clocks DDC0 and at time T2, after a propagation delay of the DDC0, data "A" is output to the multiplexer 112. Due to the higher frequency of the 2X CLK signal, a falling edge of the CLK signal occurs at time T1 before data A is provided to the multiplexer 112. The multiplexer 112 is controlled by the falling edge of the 2X CLK signal at time T2 to provide data A to its output, and as a result, when data A is output by DDC0 data A is provided by the multiplexer 112 to the databus 110. Due to the propagation delay of the multiplexer 112 and the databus 110, data A is not provided to the clocked data register 130 until time T5. The rising edge of the 2X CLK signal at time T3, however, is the edge designated to latch data A (i.e., the rising edge after the rising edge clocking DDC0) into the clocked data register 130. Consequently, unknown data on the databus at time T3 and not data A will be captured (e.g. latched) into the clocked data register 130. Similarly, data 1 provided by DDC1 in response to the falling edge of the 2X CLK signal at time T1 will also not be correctly captured by the falling edge of the 2X CLK signal at T5.
As shown by FIGS. 2A and 2B, although the read data path 100 may be operable for a clock signal having a first frequency, it may not be operable when the clock signal is scaled to a higher second frequency.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Data paths using a first signal to capture data and a second signal to output data and methods for providing data


The dockboard in one embodiment includes three upper members and two lower members which can be stored and shipped unassembled and readily assembled in the field for use. Each of the members includes a plurality of spaced apart locking members extending from one side between opposite side edges. The locking members are spaced apart from each other between opposite support edges. The five members are assembled to form a dockboard by engaging selected locking members of the two lower members with selected locking members of the center upper member such that the center upper member overlaps adjacent support edges of the two lower members and sliding the center upper member and the two lower members together. Selected locking members of the two outer end upper members are engaged with the outer locking members of the two lower members and the two outer end upper members are slid onto the assembly to form the dockboard. Adjacent support edges of the upper and lower members have hook and slot side edge locking members to lock adjacent support edges of the upper members together and adjacent side edges of the lower members together.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a dockboard adapted to span the space between a loading dock and a truck or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many types of dockboards used for unloading and loading material from a truck to a dock or vice versa. One type of dockboard is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,468. The known dockboards are made up of components welded together which make storage and shipping costly.


A contact charger for charging an image bearing member includes a support member, a flexible film supported by the support member and having a free end adapted to contact the surface of the image bearing member, and a power device for applying a charging voltage to the flexible film wherein the flexible film has an electrically conductive substrate layer and an electrically insulated overcoat layer superposed onto the substrate layer.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a contact charger for use in image forming apparatus such as electrophotographic copying apparatus, printers and the like.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In image forming apparatus such as electrophotographic copying apparatus, printers and the like, an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum and the like is electrically charged by a charging device, and an optical image is exposed on the charged area of the image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. This latent image is then developed so as to be rendered visible, transferred onto a transfer sheet and fused thereon.
Notable among charging devices of the aforesaid type are contact chargers which produce much less ozone than do conventional corona chargers.
Chargers of the contact type have certain disadvantages in that some use a charging brush which is difficult to fabricate, and some use a charging roller which is not only difficult to manufacture because it requires a driving means, but may also develop "creep" deformation distortion resulting from contact of the charging roller with the image carrier when the image forming apparatus is stopped, thereby causing inadequate charging. Blade type contact chargers are disadvantageous in that the blade is difficult to set with precision. Furthermore, a strong blade coming into contact with the surface of the image carrier may result in damage to the image carrier, and a large torque is necessary to rotate the image carrier. Contact chargers which use a rotating type endless belt for charging tend to enlarge the apparatus overall, and pose a further complexity of a belt drive method.
Contact chargers are difficult to manufacture, complex in construction, and enlarge the apparatus. The complexity of the charger driving means is currently a significant obstacle hindering the production of compact, low cost image forming apparatus.

Contact charger and image forming apparatus incorporating the contact charger


An apparatus for measuring energy usage. The apparatus can include an amplifier having a plurality of gain stages and the amplifier can be for receiving an input signal. The apparatus can also include an analog-to-digital converter that is coupled to the amplifier. Furthermore, the apparatus can include a scaling adjustment module that is coupled to the analog-to-digital converter. Additionally, the apparatus can include a gain control module coupled to the analog-to-digital converter.

Electrical power meters (EPMs) are widely used in residences and businesses to measure power consumption. Electrical power meters are also known as watt-hour meters. Countries such as India, China, Turkey and other populous countries that are quickly industrializing desire many EPMs to connect to the newly developing power grids. Additionally, other more industrialized countries are moving from mechanical power measuring devices to electronic devices in order to measure power more effectively.
Due to the large number of power meters being installed, this market has become very cost conscious, so much so that the power meters have basically become a "commodity". In particular, in developing countries, cost is a major factor in the decision to choose a power meter. As such, it is very desirable to make the power meter as inexpensive as possible.
Conventional power meters may need to support a range of current loads from 10 amperes (A) to over 200 A depending upon the accuracy requirement. Conventional power meters generally utilize a dedicated 12-bit, 14-bit or 16-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Additionally, some conventional power meters use multiplexing to measure more than one channel of data. The processing operations typically required to produce the energy measurement are generally performed using a 16-bit processor or digital signal processor (DSP), or a custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
One of the disadvantages of using a 12-bit, 14-bit or 16-bit ADC is that it typically involves utilizing a high bandwidth processor or DSP in order to manage the sampling rate, which adds additional cost in making the conventional power meter. Furthermore, utilizing a 12-bit, 14-bit or 16-bit ADC can increase the conventional power meter fabrication costs. It is noted that if a custom ASIC is utilized, another microprocessor is typically needed to provide energy management and communication features, thereby adding cost and complexity to the conventional power meter. Moreover, conventional power meters are usually not dynamically scalable.
The invention may address one or more of the above issues.

Extending the dynamic range in an energy measurement device


An ensemble of motion sensors is tested under known conditions to automatically ascertain instrument biases, which are modeled as autoregressive-moving-average (ARMA) processes in order to construct a Kalman filter. The calibration includes motion profiles, temperature profiles and vibration profiles that are operationally significant, i.e., designed by means of covariance analysis or other means to maximize, or at least improve, the observability of the calibration model's structure and coefficients relevant to the prospective application of each sensor.

GPS-denied environments impair performance of guided munitions or similar systems, which need GPS accuracy within missions of ten to twenty minutes. Achieving navigation grade performance in small packages and hostile environments typical of MEMS sensors would be seminal. In fact, ongoing research and efforts are paced to deliver such sensors in a five to ten year timeframe, or so. However, in the interim, no suitable solution is available.

Fused sensor ensemble for navigation and calibration process therefor

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.


The subject invention provides a recombinant nucleic acid molecule which encodes a mutant HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein comprising a V3 loop deletion and a C4 domain.sub.(W.fwdarw.X) point mutation wherein X is an amino acid residue other than tryptophan, and the HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein encoded thereby.. The subject invention further provides a method of obtaining partially purified antibodies which specifically bind to the CD4-binding domain of HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein, the partially purified antibodies produced thereby, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising same. Finally, the subject invention provides methods of treating HIV-1-infected subjects, and of reducing the likelihood of HIV-1-exposed and non-HIV-1-exposed subjects' becoming infected with HIV-1 using the pharmaceutical compositions of the subject invention.

Throughout this application, various publications are referenced by Arabic numerals. Full citations for these references may be found at the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims. The disclosure of these publications is hereby incorporated by reference into this application to describe more fully the art to which this invention pertains.
The life cycle of animal viruses is characterized by a series of events that are required for the productive infection of the host cell. The initial step in the replicative cycle is the attachment of the virus to the cell surface, which attachment is mediated by the specific interaction of the viral attachment protein (VAP) to receptors on the surface of the target cell. The differential pattern of expression of these receptors is largely responsible for the host range and tropic properties of viruses. In addition, an effective immune response against many viruses is mediated through neutralizing antibodies directed against the VAP. The interaction of the VAP with cellular receptors and the immune system therefore plays a critical role in infection and pathogenesis of viral disease.
The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infects primarily helper T lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and monocytes/macrophages--cells that express surface CD4--leading to a gradual loss of immune function. This loss of function results in the development of the human acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (1). The initial phase of the HIV-1 replicative cycle involves the high-affinity interaction between the HIV-1 exterior envelope glycoprotein gp120 and cell surface CD4 (K.sub.d approximately 4.times.10.sup.-9 M) (2). Several lines of evidence demonstrate the requirement of this interaction for viral infectivity. The introduction into CD4.sup.- human cells of cDNA encoding CD4 is sufficient to render otherwise resistant cells susceptible to HIV-1 infection (3). In vivo, viral infection appears to be restricted to cells expressing CD4, indicating that the cellular tropism of HIV-1 is largely determined by the pattern of cellular expression of CD4. Following the binding of HIV-1 gp120 to cell surface CD4, viral and target cell membranes fuse by a mechanism that is poorly understood, resulting in the introduction of the viral capsid into the target cell cytoplasm (4).
Mature CD4 has a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 55 kDa and consists of an N-terminal 372-amino acid extracellular domain containing four tandem immunoglobulin-like regions (V1-4), followed by a 23-amino acid transmembrane domain and a 38-amino acid cytoplasmic segment (5, 6). In experiments using truncated sCD4 proteins, it has been shown that the determinants for high-affinity binding to HIV-1 gp120 lie solely within the N-terminal immunoglobulin-like domain (V1) (7-9). Mutational analysis of V1 has defined a discrete binding site (residues 38-52) that comprises a region structurally homologous to the second complementarity-determining region (CDR2) of immunoglobulin genes (9).
The production of large quantities of sCD4 has permitted a structural analysis of the two N-terminal immunoglobulin-like domains (V1V2). The structure determined at 2.3 angstrom resolution reveals that the molecule has two tightly-associated domains, each of which contains the immunoglobulin-fold connected by a continuous beta strand. The putative binding sites for monoclonal antibodies, class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, and HIV-1 gp120, as determined by mutational analyses, map on the molecular surface (10, 11).
The HIV-1 envelope gene env encodes an envelope glycoprotein precursor, gp160, which is cleaved by cellular proteases before transport to the plasma membrane to yield gp120 and gp41. The membrane-spanning glycoprotein, gp41, is non-covalently associated with gp120, a purely extracellular glycoprotein. The mature gp120 molecule is heavily glycosylated (approximately 24 N-linked oligosaccharides), contains approximately 480 amino acid residues with 9 intra-chain disulfide bonds (12), and projects from the viral membrane as a dimeric or multimeric molecule (13).
Mutational studies of HIV-1 gp120 have delineated important functional regions of the molecule. The regions of gp120 that interact with gp41 map primarily to the N- and C-termini (14). The predominant strain-specific neutralizing epitope on gp120 is located in the 32-34 amino acid residue third variable loop, herein referred to as the V3 loop, which resides near the center of the gp120 sequence (15). The CD4 binding site maps to discontinuous regions of gp120 that include highly conserved or invariant amino acid residues in the second, third, and fourth conserved domains (the C2, C3, and C4 domains) of gp120 (16). It has been postulated that a small pocket formed by these conserved residues within gp120 could accommodate the CDR2 loop of CD4, a region defined by mutational analyses as important in interacting with gp120 (17).
HIV-1 gp120 not only mediates viral attachment to surface CD4 molecules, but also serves as the major target of antibodies which neutralize non-cell-associated virus and inhibit cell to cell viral transmission.
There are two major classifications of HIV-1-neutralizing antibodies: type-specific and group-common (15). Type-specific neutralizing antibodies primarily recognize linear determinants in the highly variable V3 loop of gp120. These antibodies act by inhibiting fusion between HIV-1 and the target cell membrane, and generally neutralize only a particular isolate of, or closely related strains of, HIV-1. Sequence variation within the V3 loop, as well as outside of this region, permits viruses to escape neutralization by anti-V3 loop antibodies. In contrast, group-common neutralizing antibodies primarily recognize discontinuous or conformational epitopes in gp120, and possess the ability to neutralize a diverse range of HIV-1 isolates. These broadly neutralizing antibodies often recognize a site on gp120 which overlaps the highly conserved CD4-binding site, and thus inhibits gp120-CD4 binding.
A structural relationship has been demonstrated between the V3 loop and the C4 region of gp120 which region constitutes both part of the CD4 binding site and part of the conserved neutralization epitopes. It was observed that deleting the V3 loop resulted in significantly increased binding of a panel of broadly neutralizing hMoAbs (neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies) to the CD4 binding site (18).
A major goal in AIDS vaccine development is to develop a vaccine able to protect a subject against the numerous genetic variants of HIV-1 that infect humans. Although cell-mediated immune responses might serve to control infection in HIV-1-infected individuals, several lines of evidence demonstrate that protection against infection is mainly mediated by neutralizing antibodies directed against gp120. Early experiments showed that immunization of chimpanzees with recombinant gp120 induced a protective immune response against challenge with the homologous HIV-1 strain (17). This protection correlated with the presence of high-titer neutralizing antibodies against the V3 loop of gp120. In addition, passive immunization of chimpanzees with a V3-loop neutralizing monoclonal antibody resulted in protection against challenge with the homologous HIV-1 strain (19). Although protection against challenge was demonstrated in these two experiments, recent studies have questioned the clinical relevance of these findings. For example, these neutralizing antibodies recognize the V3 loop determinants of a single strain, and not conserved or discontinuous epitopes. Thus, these antibodies lack the ability to neutralize the broad spectrum of HIV-1 strains present in an HIV-1 population. Furthermore, the challenge virus was the homologous HIV-1 laboratory adapted LAI (HTLV-IIIB) strain and not one of the primary isolates that contain considerable gp120 sequence heterogeneity. Since these experiments showed that gp120 subunit vaccination induces an immune response effective against only the homogeneous HIV-1 strain used as an antigen, it is unlikely that the vaccination regimens used in these studies would be useful in humans.
Individuals infected by HIV-1 typically develop antibodies that neutralize the virus in vitro, and neutralization titers decrease with disease progression (19). Analysis of sera from HIV-1-infected humans indicates that type-specific neutralizing antibodies appear early in infection. Later in the course of infection, a more broadly neutralizing antibody response develops. However this antibody response is of significantly lower titer and/or affinity. Fractionation studies of HIV-1 antibody-positive human sera reveal that the type-specific neutralizing activity is primarily directed against linear determinants in the V3 loop of gp120 (20). There was no correlation found among antibodies between the ability to neutralize divergent HIV-1 isolates and reactivity to the V3 loop of these isolates. In contrast, the broadly neutralizing antibodies present in HIV-1 antibody-positive human sera primarly recognize discontinuous epitopes in gp120 which overlap the CD4-binding site and block gp120-CD4 binding. In other words, the broadly neutralizing activity of neutralizing antibodies is not merely the result of additive anti-V3 loop reactivities against diverse HIV-1 isolates which appear during infection.
Recently, several groups have generated human monoclonal antibodies (hMoAbs) derived from HIV-1 infected individuals which possess type-specific or group-common neutralizing activities (17). The type-specific neutralizing hMoAbs were found to recognize linear determinants in the V3 loop of gp120. In contrast, the group-common neutralizing hMoAbs generally recognize discontinuous epitopes which overlap the CD4-binding site and block gp120-CD4 binding.
The V3 loop is a highly immunodominant region of gp120 which partially interacts with the CD4-binding region. The presence of the V3 loop region on gp120 may skew the humoral immune response away from producing antibodies which specifically bind to the CD4-binding domain of gp120. Furthermore, the advantages of removing the V3 loop to expose the CD4-binding domain of gp120 to the immune system would be countered by the fact that the exposed CD4-binding site would still have a high affinity for cell surface CD4. In other words, a mutant gp120 protein missing only the V3 loop would quickly bind to CD4+ cells and would thus be hampered in generating an immune response against the exposed CD4-binding site.
The subject invention provides a mutant HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein which overcomes both the problems of V3 loop immunodominance and of the high affinity to CD4. The subject invention further provides vaccines comprising the mutant HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein, antibodies which specifically bind to the CD4-binding site of HIV-1 gp120 envelope glycoprotein, pharmaceutical compositions comprising these antibodies, and methods of using these vaccines and compositions to treat or prevent HIV-1 infection.

HIV-1 vaccines, antibody compositions related thereto, and therapeutic and prophylactic uses thereof


The present invention relates to biological control of plant diseases and concerns new Gliocladium catenulatum fungi and their use for controlling fungal infections in plants. The invention concerns also compositions comprising new strains of Gliocladium catenulatum and their use to said purpose.

Cultivated crops are affected with various fungal, bacterial and viral diseases as well as a number of insect pests. Many cultivation technical, chemical and biological control methods have been developed in order to control these. The purpose of such methods is to prevent the qualitative and quantitative crop losses caused by plant diseases and other pests.
In general the term biological control of plant diseases means the control of plant pathogens by another organism, which is then called a biological control organism of plant diseases, and the preparation made thereof a biological control agent or a biopesticide. The mechanisms of the biological control of plant diseases do vary, and the effect is often based on the cooperative action of many different mechanisms. The control effect may be based on inhibitory chemical agents produced by the organism, sometimes the control organism parasitizes the pathogen or competes with it for growth space and/or the nutrients available.
The need of discovering new biological control agents has been increased by the fact that many of the traditional chemical pesticides have turned out to be deleterious to the environment and human beings. A disadvantage of the chemicals is also the fact that many pests have become resistant to one or even a number of pesticides. The development of resistance to biopesticides is instead improbable because the effect thereof is based on a number of mechanisms of different types. The chemicals usually affect faster and more effectively than biopesticides. Biopesticides for their part are often longer-acting than chemicals as their effect is based on a viable and reproducible microorganism.
The most important group of biopesticides are bacterial products targeted against insects. Bioinsecticides based on the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis may be the most commonly used. A biofungicide based on the actinomycete Streptomyces being effective against a number of soil-borne and seed-borne fungal diseases of plants is produced in Finland. Fungi of the genus Trichoderma have also fungicidal activity.
Bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, especially of the species Pseudomonas fluorescens have been studied a lot and nowadays a great amount of P. fluorescens strains are known which have fungicidal activity. See e.g. published patent applications WO 92/18613, FI 92 1722 and WO 90/01327, as well as EP-patent 228 457.
It is known that fungi of the genus Gliocladium have fungicidal activity. Gliocladium virens strains, especially the G. virens strain G1-3, have been described in patent literature. A problem in the use of this species has been, however, that nobody has been able to produce a formulation of this fungus, in which the viability of the fungus would keep on a satisfactory level during the storage of the formulation. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,668,512, 4,724,147 and 4,818,530 besides other fungal strains the use of Gliocladium virens strains is described in the preparation of biofungicidal formulations. Also in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,165,928, 5,194,258 and 5,268,173 the use of Gliocladium virens strains as biofungicides has been described.

Fungus Gliocladium catenulatum for biological control of plant diseases


The invention provides combinations comprising GDC-0068 or GDC-0941, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and ME-HD7945A. The combinations are particularly useful for treating hyperproliferative disorders, such as cancer (e.g., triple negative breast cancer).

Protein kinases (PK) are enzymes that catalyze the phosphorylation of hydroxy groups on tyrosine, serine and threonine residues of proteins by transfer of the terminal (gamma) phosphate from ATP. Through signal transduction pathways, these enzymes modulate cell growth, differentiation and proliferation, i.e., virtually all aspects of cell life in one way or another depend on PK activity (Hardie, G. and Hanks, S. (1995) The Protein Kinase Facts Book I and II, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif.). Furthermore, abnormal PK activity has been related to a host of disorders, ranging from relatively non-life threatening diseases such as psoriasis to extremely virulent diseases such as glioblastoma (brain cancer). Protein kinases are an important target class for therapeutic modulation (Cohen, P. (2002) Nature Rev. Drug Discovery 1:309).
Currently, there remains a need for improved methods and compositions that can be used to treat hyperproliferative diseases such as cancer, e.g., triple negative breast cancer.

Combinations of a PI3K/AKT inhibitor compound with an HER3/EGFR inhibitor compound and use thereof in the treatment of a hyperproliferative disorder


A dishwasher includes wash chamber, a wash system for supplying washing fluid to wash arms to clean articles arranged in the wash chamber, and a washing fluid manifold having an inlet portion, an outlet portion and a passage interconnecting the inlet and outlet portions. A filter chamber is fluidly connected to the washing fluid manifold for removing food soil from the washing fluid. A venturi is provided in the passage for establishing a low pressure region. A sampling port for feeding the filter chamber is located in the low pressure region. In addition, a bleed port is provide near an inlet of the filter chamber. In this manner, washing fluid enters the filter chamber at low pressure to increase the efficiency of a filtering process, while washing fluid enters the wash arms at a high velocity to efficiently perform a washing operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of dishwashers and, more particularly, to a system for limiting pressure in a filter chamber in a dishwasher.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A typical dishwasher includes a closed system where washing fluid is pumped from a sump into upper and lower wash arms such that kitchenware retained on vertically spaced racks within a tub of the dishwasher will be sprayed with the washing fluid for cleaning purposes. The washing fluid is heated, filtered and recirculated. Prior to recirculating the washing fluid, the fluid is directed through one or more filters to remove soil from the fluid, with the soil being collected in a chamber. Periodically, the system is purged in order to drain the collection chamber of the soil.
In general, washing fluid is circulated in the system at a relatively high pressure in order to ensure an adequate fluid supply to the upper and lower wash arms. At some point in the system, washing fluid is passed or diverted into a filter chamber, often at the same, relatively high pressure that is supplied to the wash arms. Unfortunately, supplying the filter at high pressure will often reduce the overall efficiency of the filtering process. When operating at high pressure, the filter becomes clogged quickly, causing food soils to be released back into the wash system to circulate with the washing fluid. Without proper filtration, the level of food soils circulating in the washing fluid will rise, resulting in a decrease in the overall efficiency of the washing operation.
Based on the above, there exists a need for a system to limit pressure in a filter chamber of a dishwasher. More specifically, there exists a need for a system that minimizes the pressure of washing fluid entering the filter chamber while, at the same time, ensuring proper operation of the wash arms.

System for limiting pressure in a fine filter chamber for a dishwasher


For providing a widely usable ornamental hair enriching equipment easy to rake out original hairs and capable of use for a multiple of heads, the ornamental hair enriching equipment comprises a support member made in a manner that an ventilation member with fine meshes is wound on a slightly stiff tape member, fastenings of reversible comb-like clips disposed on the back surface of the support member, a plurality of parallel elastic linear members comprising inside elastic bodies made of hard resin or steel material with adequate elasticity and stiffness, and formed to have a circular arc with a large curvature so as to fit to the curved surface of a general human head, and ventilation members made of tubes with fine meshes, and fitted outside the elastic bodies to engage integrally therewith, supported by the support member at one end of each of them, and disposed on the support member at predetermined intervals, and artificial hairs implanted on at least the elastic linear members. The ornamental hair enriching equipment is worn on a head by the fastenings such that the extension direction of the elastic linear members is along the hair flow direction of original hair.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ornamental hair enriching equipment hardly restricted in attachment position to a head and easy to arrange complex hair of original and artificial hairs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, there are hair enriching equipments in which artificial hair (that artificial or natural hairs have been processed) is attached to a human head, and united together with his or her thin original hair (natural hair growing on his or her head) to make it look like his or her original hair having increased.
Besides, there are ribbons, barrettes, beads, etc., for adorning human heads gaily. In recent years, there are ornamental equipments such as partial wigs and false hairs for producing head adornment by dyeing his or her original hair into a color impossible naturally, or mixing artificial hair of such a color with his or her original hair.
FIG. 6 is a rear view of a hair enriching equipment (wig for hair enrichment) used for hair enrichment as a principal object. The hair enrichment wig 1 shown in the drawing is made in a manner that artificial hairs 3 are implanted to a flexible ventilation (implantation) member 2 with meshes of very large size, e.g., 3 cm square. The ventilation member 2 is fixed to the original hair of a wearer by a suitable method, the artificial hairs 3 are raked away from the above, and original hairs pressed down due to the wear of this hair enrichment wig 1 and lying down under it, are raked out through the meshes with a comb or a brush, and united together with the neighboring artificial hairs 3 to arrange hair.
While the mesh of the ventilation member of a wig is generally very minute, e.g., 1 mm square, the mesh as described above is large because the equipment is made for a person who has relatively rich original hair and is not discomforted even by a small quantity of implanted artificial hairs 3, and because it is formed such that a large quantity of original hairs can easily be raked out.
But, when a person wears it actually and tries to rake out his or her original hairs, teeth of a comb or tips of a brush may be caught by meshes though the meshes are made into a fairly large size, so he or she can not rake out his or her original hairs as he or she wishes. Even when he or she catches his or her original hairs by teeth of the comb or tips of the brush with much effort and is going to rake out them, there may then arise a trouble that the original hairs are caught by meshes and they are only swell in a loop shape and do not easily come out.
Consequently, when such a hair enriching equipment is worn, the wearer must ask an experienced technical expert to rake out his or her original hairs. This was troublesome and dissatisfactory to the wearer of the hair enriching equipment.
FIG. 7 is a rear view of a wig for thin-haired head (wig for hair enrichment) proposed to solve the above problem. The hair enrichment wig 5 shown in the drawing is made by the manner that a plurality of parallel linear members 7 made of a shape memory alloy is attached to an annular base 6, and artificial hairs 8 are implanted on the linear members 7.
In this construction, when a person wears the hair enrichment wig 5 on his or her head and rakes out his or her original hairs, the original hairs are easily to come out merely by moving teeth of a comb or tips of a brush along the linear members 7.
However, when the above hair enrichment wig 5 is actually made and worn by way of experiment, though original hairs are easy to be raked out in the central portion of the annular base 6, linear members 7 are short near both sides of the annular base 6, as a result, there arose the same trouble as that in the hair enrichment wig 1 shown in FIG. 6.
Besides, because the base is limited to such an annular shape, that is, because the curved portion (R: curved shape) of the base that is the engagement portion with a head in wear, is defined, the use portion to the head is restricted and it is hard to use it on different sizes or shapes of the heads. Besides, for using a shape memory alloy for the linear members, an individual wig must be made so as to correspond to the shape of the head of the user of the wig. Consequently, a stock of the wig can not be made as products for wide use. That is, troublesome expensive products at special orders can be supplied only.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a widely usable ornamental hair enriching equipment easy to rake out original hairs and capable of use for a multiple of heads.
Hereinafter, constructions of ornamental hair enriching equipments according to the present invention will be described.
An ornamental hair enriching equipment according to the present invention for use for personal adornment in the manner that artificial hairs of a different color is mixed with original hairs, or for use for hair enrichment in the manner that artificial hairs of the same color as that of original hair is mixed with the original hair having thinned, comprises a plurality of fastenings, a support member provided with said fastenings, a plurality of parallel elastic linear members supported by said support member at one end of each of them and disposed on said support member at predetermined intervals, and artificial hairs implanted on at least the above elastic linear members.
Besides, an ornamental hair enriching equipment according to the present invention for use for personal adornment in the manner that artificial hairs of a different color is mixed with original hairs, or for use for hair enrichment in the manner that artificial hairs of the same color as that of original hair is mixed with the original hair having thinned, comprises a plurality of fastenings, a plurality of support members provided with said fastenings, a plurality of parallel elastic linear members supported by said plurality of support members at both ends of them and disposed on said plurality of support members at predetermined intervals, and artificial hairs implanted on at least the above elastic linear members. The above plurality of elastic linear members may be supported by one support member at its one end, and divisionally supported by a plurality of support members at its other end.
The above plurality of elastic linear members may be disposed such that the end of the end portion supported by the above support member protrudes outward beyond the above support member, and may have a curved shape corresponding to the curved surface of a human head, and a laterally winding shape along the curved surface of the human head.


Fructooligosaccharide (FOS)-related protein nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides and fragments and variants thereof are disclosed in the current invention. In addition, FOS-related fusion proteins, antigenic peptides, and anti-FOS-related antibodies are encompassed. The invention also provides recombinant expression vectors containing a nucleic acid molecule of the invention and host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced. Methods for producing the polypeptides of the invention and methods for their use are further disclosed.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped, non-spore forming, homofermentative bacterium that is a normal inhabitant of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. Since its original isolation by Moro (1900) from infant feces, the "acid loving" organism has been found in the intestinal tract of humans, breast fed infants, and persons consuming high milk-, lactose-, or dextrin diets. Historically, L. acidophilus is the Lactobacillus species most often implicated as an intestinal probiotic capable of eliciting beneficial effects on the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract (Klaenhammer, T. R., and W. M. Russell. 2000. Species of the Lactobacillus acidophilus complex. Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology, Volume 2, pp 1151-1157. Robinson, R. K, Batt, C., and Patel, P. D (eds). Academic Press, San Diego). L. acidophilus can ferment hexoses, including lactose and more complex oligosaccharides (Kaplan and Hutkins (2000) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66, 2682-2684) to produce lactic acid and lower the pH of the environment where the organism is cultured. Acidified environments (e.g. food, vagina, and regions within the gastrointestinal tract) can interfere with the growth of undesirable bacteria, pathogens, and yeasts. The organism is well known for its acid tolerance, survival in cultured dairy products, and viability during passage through the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Lactobacilli and other commensal bacteria, some of which are considered as probiotic bacteria that "favor life," have been studied extensively for their effects on human health, particularly in the prevention or treatment of enteric infections, diarrheal disease, prevention of cancer, and stimulation of the immune system.


In one embodiment, a method of converting an uncompressed bitstream into a compressed bitstream for a programmable logic device (PLD) is disclosed. The method includes embedding a first data frame from the uncompressed bitstream into the compressed bitstream, wherein the first data frame comprises a first data set; embedding a first instruction into the compressed bitstream to load the first data frame into a first row of configuration memory of the PLD at an address associated with the first data frame; identifying a second data frame in the uncompressed bitstream, wherein the second data frame comprises the first data set; and embedding a second instruction into the compressed bitstream to load the first data frame into a second row of the configuration memory at an address associated with the second data frame.

Programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), may be programmed with configuration data to provide various user-defined features. For example, desired functionality may be achieved by programming a configuration memory of a PLD with an appropriate configuration data bitstream.
Unfortunately, the transfer of such bitstreams to PLDs or external memory devices is often cumbersome. In particular, the loading of large uncompressed bitstreams can result in undesirable delays. For example, a bitstream of 10M bits sent through a serial interface operating at 10 MHz may require approximately 1 second to load, and an 80M bit bitstream may require approximately 8 seconds to load. Such delays can significantly affect the time required to power up PLDs during operation and testing. In addition, the use of large capacity boot ROMs to store uncompressed bitstreams can further increase system costs.
Various data compression methods have been developed to reduce these problems associated with uncompressed bitstreams. For example, in one approach, bulk erase bytes (i.e., bytes comprised of eight erase bits) appearing within an 8 byte sequence of configuration data may be represented by an 8 bit header identifying the location of the bulk erase bytes within the sequence. Nevertheless, the compression attainable from this approach is highly dependent on the presence of large sets of continuous bulk erase bytes.
In another approach, adaptive pattern recognition techniques may be used to identify repeated data patterns in a bitstream. The data patterns are associated with brief data codes stored in a mapping table embedded in the beginning of a compressed bitstream, or included as part of a configuration data file. A decompression engine may read the mapping table and use it to de-compress incoming data. However, this approach requires the additional overhead associated with building, sending, and processing the mapping table for each bitstream.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved approach to the compression of configuration data bitstreams. In particular, there is a need for an approach that is well-suited for use with PLDs.

Compression and decompression of configuration data using repeated data frames