Scan conversion or data interpolation is performed on the signal generated by acoustic transducers in an acoustic imaging system before the signal is processed by detecting and limiting it. This processing uses signal phase information, which is normally lost during the image reconstruction process, to increase image resolution. A nonlinear interpolation scheme is used during the scan conversion process used to convert the data generated by acoustic transducers into data suitable for visual display in order to more accurately generate interpolated data points. A nonlinear angular spacing between acoustic lines is used to increase the image frame rate can be increased without decreasing image resolution. The frame rate of the acoustic imaging system can also be increased by interpolating the signals generated by the transducers before they are provided to beamforming circuits.

Ultrasonic imaging systems for producing real-time images of internal portions of the human body are well-known. In one such system, an array of ultrasonic transducers placed in contact with the body converts short electrical pulses into corresponding pressure waves. The electrical pulses can be applied to each individual transducer in the array and by choosing the application time of the pulses to each transducer relative to the other transducers in the array, the pressure waves generated by each transducer can be formed into a "transmit beam" which propagates in a predetermined direction from the array.
As the pressure waves in the transmit beam pass through the body, a portion of the acoustic energy is reflected back towards the transducer array whenever the waves encounter tissues having different acoustic characteristics. An array of receiving transducers (which may be the same as the transmitting array) is provided for converting the reflected pressure pulses into corresponding electrical pulses. The reflected pressure pulses are received by each transducer in the receiving array and by suitably choosing relative delays between the signals generated by each transducer and combining the signals, the received pressure waves located in a "receiving beam" can be emphasized preferentially to other pressure pulses. As with the transmit beam, the relative transducer delays can be adjusted so that the receiving beam extends in any desired direction from the transducer array.
It is also possible to "focus" the received acoustic signals at a point along the receiving beam. This is done by selectively adjusting relative signal delays between the transducers so that the electrical signals generated by the receiving transducers are superimposed in time for signals received from a point along the receiving beam at a predetermined distance from the transducer array, but are not superimposed for other signals. Consequently, when the signals are combined, a strong signal is produced from signals corresponding to this point whereas signals arriving from other points at different times have random phase relationships and therefore destructively interfere.
A two-dimensional image plot or sector image can be generated with this system by adjusting the acoustic transducers to generate or "shoot" a transmit beam at a selected angular direction from the transducer array. The receiving transducers are then adjusted to generate a receiving beam at the same angle as the transmitting beam. The receiving transducers are adjusted to focus the receiving beam at sequentially increasing distances from the transducer array along the predetermined transmit beam angle. The received signals for each sequential focal point are stored. The transmit and receive beams are then moved by a predetermined angular amount and the process of acquiring signals is repeated. The started signals are then processed to generate a wedge-shaped acoustic image called a sector.
Since the distances between any desired focal point along the receiving beam and the various receiving transducers are different, the reflected pressure pulses arrive at the transducers at different times, thereby generating electrical signals at different times. It is therefore necessary to introduce compensating electrical delays between each transducer and the signal summing point so that the time of arrival of all of the electrical signals at the summing point is the same regardless of which transducer is involved. The collection of transducer compensating delays and the signal summing circuitry is normally referred to as a "beamformer" and is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,022 issued to the assignee of the present invention. The description of the beamformer apparatus described therein is hereby incorporated by reference.
The output of the beamformer is generally a radio-frequency signal representing the amplitude of the received pressure pulses. The signals are often a function of the angle (.theta.) of the receive beam and the radial distance (R) along the receive beam at which the focal point occurs. Consequently, the signals are said to be in R-.theta. coordinates. It is also possible, using conventional construction methods, to construct a beamformer which generates scanning information in other coordinate systems, such as a linear scan. However, by considering small, localized areas, signals expressed in these other coordinate systems can be converted to R-.theta. coordinates. Therefore, the following discussion will assume R-.theta. coordinates without loss of generality.
Generally, the signals are displayed on a display monitor such as a television or raster-scan monitor and, thus, the format of the signals must be converted from R-.theta. coordinates to the X-Y coordinates used in the television display. This conversion is performed by a device called an X-Y scan converter. Since actual data is available in R-.theta. coordinates at discrete angular positions, the scan converter must generate the required X-Y values by interpolating between the R-.theta. coordinate values. The construction and operation of such scan converters is well-known. For example, scan converters are discussed in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,468,747 and 4,471,449, both assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The description of these patents is hereby incorporated by reference and, accordingly, the detailed construction of scan converters will not be discussed further herein.
It has been found that with some conventional scan converter systems certain problems occur. One such problem is that the images produced by the system often have "artifacts" in the reconstructed image. Artifacts are visual anomalies that appear in the displayed image but are not present on the actual object. Such anomalies may consist of radiating lines, checkerboard patterns or speckles and are generally related to imperfect reconstruction of the image.
Another problem with prior art systems is that they often have limited resolution. One known method of increasing image resolution is to increase the number of acoustic lines which are shot by reducing the angular increment between lines. Obviously, such an approach increases the overall time necessary to obtain the acoustic data and reconstruct the image. Since many ultrasonic imaging systems are used for imaging moving objects such as heart valves, it is of prime importance to generate an image as fast as possible (by increasing the "frame rate" or the number of images generated per unit time) so that the object motion can be depicted as accurately as possible. The frame rate can be increased by decreasing the number of lines which are shot to produce each image. However, as previously discussed, this also reduces the overall resolution of the image. Consequently, in prior art systems there has been a trade-off between resolution and frame rate.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for increasing resolution without correspondingly reducing the frame rate of the system.
It is a further object of the present invention to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the system or increase the frame rate without correspondingly increasing the amount of circuitry or time involved generating an acoustic image.
It is a further object of the present invention to utilize additional information normally discarded during the prior art reconstruction process to provide better resolution upon reconstruction.
It is a further object of the present invention to reduce artifacts in the acoustic image produced by imperfect prior art reconstruction processes.
It is still a further object of the present invention to increase the resolution without increasing the acoustic line density.

Method and apparatus for increasing the frame rate and resolution of a phased array imaging system


A field effect transistor comprising source and drain regions, a channel region composed of a semiconductor layer formed between the source and drain regions and gate electrodes disposed to at least three surfaces surrounding the channel region. The structure can increase the number of carriers induced in the channel region and enhance the current driving performance and mutual conductance as compared with the single gate structure or double gate structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a field effect transistor for controlling the formation of a channel by the application of a voltage to a gate electrode and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a field effect transistor of a double gate structure in the related art is shown in FIG. 15. In this existent embodiment, n type or p type source/drain regions 13a and 13b are formed on both sides of an n.sup.--, p.sup.--, or i type channel region 12 of a semiconductor layer. Gate electrodes 15a and 15b are disposed on both upper and lower surfaces of the channel region 12 by way of gate insulation layers 14a and 14b.
The field effect transistor described above has been manufactured in the related art by epitaxially growing the semiconductor layer 11 on the gate insulation layer 14a by a so-called lateral solid phase epitaxial growth, introduction of an impurity selectively into the semiconductor layer 11 thereby forming the source/drain regions 13a and 13b.
In the field effect transistor of the related art embodiment shown in FIG. 15, since an electric field can be applied from both of the gate electrodes 15a and 15b to the channel region 12, the number of carriers induced in the channel region is greater and the current driving performance and the mutual conductance are higher as compared with a single gate structure.
Further, various characteristics can be attained easily, without introducing impurities into the channel region 12, by operating the gate electrodes 15a and 15b independently of each other and, for example, applying a bias to the channel region 12 on one side of the gate electrodes 15a and 15b.
However, since the power source voltage has been lowered along with miniaturization of the field effect transistor, the current driving performance and the mutual conductance are no more sufficient even in a field effect transistor of the double gate structure in the related art embodiment shown in FIG. 15. Further, since the crystallinity of the semiconductor layer 11 formed on the gate insulation layer 14a by the lateral solid phase epitaxial growth is incomplete, it was difficult to manufacture a field effect transistor having high carrier mobility and high speed operation.

Method for forming field effect transistor having multiple gate electrodes surrounding the channel region


An information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit adapted to acquire management unit information indicating the management unit of access to a document file, a create/update unit adapted to create or update document management data including correspondence between the document file and the management unit based on the acquired management unit information, a hold unit adapted to hold the document management data, and a control unit adapted to control access to the document file based on the document management data held in the hold unit.

In recent years, along with the prevalence of markup languages such as XML (Extensible Markup Language) and the like, the configuration of document data has diversified. Conventional document data generally consists of one file. However, in recent years, document data is configured using various configurations:
(1) a configuration that configures one document using a plurality of files (XML, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), and the like), and
(2) a configuration that configures a plurality of documents using one file (XML, archive file, and the like).
Conventionally, a document management system that manages one file as one document is known. When document data with configuration (1) is stored in such a document management system, a plurality of files are stored and managed as independent documents. On the other hand, when document data with configuration (2) is stored, one file including a plurality of documents is stored and managed intact as one document. Note that document management mainly includes access right control, attribute assignment, classification/arrangement, and the like, and the same applies to the following description unless otherwise specified.
A different document management system is also widely known. That is, in this system, when some processing instruction (e.g., move, copy, delete, or the like) is issued to a main body file (e.g., an HTML file or the like) of a document such as an HTML document to which an attached file (e.g., an image file or the like) is associated with the main body file, the same processing is automatically done for the attached file. Such document management system allows the user to easily manage the main body file and attached file as one document together.
Upon storing a structured document including a plurality of entities (minimum units of a document) like document data with configuration (2), a document management system which divides a file for respective entities, and manages the divided data as a document is also known (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-167086).
In the aforementioned conventional document management systems, management is uniformly made using an identical management unit, i.e., one of a file or document as a unit for either of document data with configuration (1) in which one document is configured by a plurality of files, and document data with configuration (2) in which a plurality of documents are configured by one file.
The system that manages one file as one document is not suited to manage document data in which one document is configured by a plurality of files.
The document management system which allows to manage a main body file and attached file as one document together can handle a plurality of files as one document for a document with a specific format such as an HTML document which is defined in advance based on extensions and the like. However, such document management system cannot handle a plurality of files as one document for a document which is not compliant with the specific format.
In the document management system which divides a file into respective entities and manages divided data upon storing a structured document including a plurality of entities like the system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-167086, an attribute as a single file of the original structured document file cannot be utilized. For example, a system that derives a hash value from binary information of a file itself, and attaches a signature to that hash value so as to attain falsification detection is available. However, in this case, if a source file is divided and stored, binary characteristics of an actual file itself are destroyed, and when such divided files are stored in the document management system, falsification is undesirably detected, resulting in poor collaboration between the two systems.
The conventional document management system cannot easily manage an internal structure that combines structures (1) and (2). Such a drawback will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a document having a combined structure.
Reference numeral 501 denotes a structured file group which includes Base.xml as a main file (main body file); and 502 and 503, data contents of Base.xml and Spec.xml.
Referring to FIG. 5, Spec.xml and Detail.xml are sub-files (attached files) of Base.xml. This fact is described by reference tags 506 and 507 to Spec.xml and Detail.xml in the data contents 502 of Base.xml. The reference relationship of these files is visualized since browse software automatically loads and merges Spec.xml and Detail.xml and displays them as one document upon browsing Base.xml using the browse software. This is the same scheme as that of Internet browse software (Web browser or the like) which automatically loads image files of an HTML document to configure and display images.
Concept.xml, Report.xml, and other jpeg files are also sub-files of the corresponding host files.
Upon managing such documents, a case will be examined below wherein the user wants to manage Base.xml as independent documents in correspondence with entities 508, 509, and 510 in <News> and </News>, and Spec.xml, i.e., four files including Concept.xml, Package.jpg, and Map.jpg as sub-files as one document.
However, when data with such configuration are fetched by a conventional document management system 504 described above, since one file is fetched as one document, files are registered as independent documents, as indicated by 505. In the conventional document management system, once files are stored in the system in units like 505, the document management units cannot be changed by merely changing the storage locations or status in the system.
Also, an arrangement which separately comprises a document creation area for temporarily storing a created document, and a document publish area for publishing and sharing a created document to be shared in a team of a plurality of users, has been proposed. In such an arrangement, security of each individual information must be enhanced in the process of creating a document, and there is a need for setting access rights for respective entities (e.g., chapters or clauses). However, after the document is published, if the respective entities are separately published, it is difficult manage them as an integral product. For this reason, after the document is "published", there is also a need for publishing these entities as one document together. However, the conventional document management system cannot satisfy the above needs since it cannot change a management unit in correspondence with changes in storage location or status of a document.

Information processing apparatus, method of controlling information processing apparatus, computer program, and storage medium


A method of heat-treating a rack bar includes a step of continuously conveying a rack bar provided with a rack teeth portion and a ball screw portion by a quenching means, and a step of sequentially applying a quenching treatment to each circumferential surface of the rack teeth portion and the ball screw portion. The quenching treatment is preferably and sequentially applied to each entire circumferential surface of the rack teeth portion and the ball screw portion.

A known vehicle steering device is provided with a so-called rack and pinion type steering gear mechanism including a rack bar. The rack and pinion type steering gear mechanism is connected to a pair of knuckle arms for respective right and left vehicle steered wheels via a steering link mechanism so as to steer the steered wheels. Especially, when the steering gear mechanism having the rack bar is used for an electrically powered steering device, the rack bar is integrally provided with a rack teeth portion engaged with a pinion teeth portion provided at an end of a steering shaft connected to a steered wheel, a ball screw portion for the electrically powered steering device, and an end push guiding portion.
According to the steering gear mechanism with the above-described structure, a surface hardening heat treatment such as a quenching treatment is applied to the rack bar so as to assure surface hardness demanded for predetermined portions thereof. More particularly, a resistance quenching treatment is applied to the rack teeth portion so as to assure surface hardness for the teeth portion. The backside of the rack teeth portion, on which teeth is not provided, is not applied with the surface hardening heat treatment. The ball screw portion is applied with an induction quenching treatment so as to assure surface hardness on an entire surface area thereof. The end push guiding portion, which is not demanded with the surface hardening heat treatment, remains unmachined. Therefore, each portion of the known rack bar can be assured with the surface hardness required for each.
However, according to the above-described rack bar and the method of heat-treating the rack bar, respective quenching devices and methods are required independently for the respective portions so as to assure the surface hardness respectively required. This may cause decrease of productivity of the rack bar.
Further, when the teeth of the rack teeth portion is applied with the quenching treatment, the rack teeth portion may be undesirably twisted or warped. In this case, special attentions, special measure, or special quality controls may be required for avoiding the twist or warp of the rack teeth portion. This may also cause the decrease of productivity of the rack bar.
The present invention therefore seeks to provide an improved method of heat-treating a rack bar, which enables to assure surface hardness required for each portion, and which enables to improve manufacturing precision for manufacturing the rack bar, thereby leading to widely enhancing the productivity of the rack bar. Further, the present invention therefore seeks to provide an improved rack bar which can possess portions with required surface hardness, and can be manufactured with an improved manufacturing precision and productivity.


This invention relates generally to water-insoluble but water-swellable and deformable crosslinked PEGylated microgel particles of proteins and protein-based macromolecules that are pseudoplastic (shear thinning) and flow in aqueous media under shear and which can be injected or made to flow, wherein said microgel particles can reform as a cluster of microgel particles when shearing forces are removed. The microgel particles function as a matrix to support cell growth, viability, and proliferation.

The field of hydrogels for use as biologically-compatible macromolecules has been intensively investigated, commencing with their commercial use as monolithic, cross-linked, soft contact lens materials (U.S. Pat. No. 3,408,429). Because of their soft, flexible nature, hydrogels are excellent materials for many biomedical applications, including extended wear silicone-hydrogel contact lenses, delivery of drugs and other pharmaceutically active ingredients, development of new biomaterials, coating of biomaterials, bioadhesives and sealants for cell encapsulation and delivery, and cell culture substrates and scaffolds for tissue regeneration.
Both natural and synthetic polymers can be used to create scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Natural polymers often have inherent biocompatibility and can be biologically active. Commonly used natural polymers that can be used as cell scaffolds include collagen, hyaluronan, fibrin, fibrinogen, silk, alginate, chitosan, dextran, and agarose, among others.
Synthetic polymer-based cell scaffolds allow control over physical and chemical properties, such as stability, degradation kinetics, physical properties, and mechanical strength. Many synthetic polymers have been investigated for use as a matrix for tissue engineering scaffolds, including poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(lactic acid), poly(glycolic acid), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), polycaprolactone, poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s, and poly(vinyl alcohol). In particular, PEG has been widely used as a scaffold material because of its unique chemical and physical properties, such as solubility in water and in organic solvents, nontoxicity, low protein adhesion and nonimmunogenicity. In addition, PEG includes hydroxyl end-groups that facilitate polymer modification, creating novel structures and architectures with different chemical, physical, and biological properties, particularly with biological moieties to enhance their biological activity. Poly(ethylene glycol) has often been used in combination with other polymers, to create scaffolds for the purpose of regenerating a number of tissues, including cartilage, bone, nerve, vasculature and muscle.
Compositions and methods for forming hydrogels in situ are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,818,018 through a combination of physical and chemical crosslinking processes. The in situ formed hydrogels may be applied in conjunction with bioactive molecules that either are dissolved or dispersed within the hydrogels. Methods of using such hydrogels as tissue coatings to prevent postsurgical adhesion, as tissue augmentation or luminal occlusion aids, as matrices for carrying cells, drugs or other bioactive species, as tissue sealants or adhesives, and as medical device coatings also are presented.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,776,240 and 8,323,794, injectable hydrogel microspheres are described by forming an emulsion where hydrogel precursors are in a dispersed aqueous phase and the hydrogel precursors are polymerized, yielding cross-linked microspheres. Preferably, the hydrogel precursors are poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and N-isopropylacrylamide and the continuous phase of the emulsion is an aqueous solution of dextran and a dextran solubility reducer. Proteins, such as cytokines, can be loaded into the microspheres.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2004/0220296 discloses a gel formulation comprising poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), which is also injectable in a liquid form. Solutions of this polymer, copolymers or mixtures of the polymer with a second polymer such as poly(ethylene glycol), polyvinylpyrrolidone or poly(vinyl alcohol) are liquids at room temperature and solids at body temperature. Methods are described of implanting a hydrogel into a mammal by injecting the solution as a liquid at a temperature below body temperature, which then undergoes thermal phase transition to form a solid hydrogel in situ in the body as the implant warms to body temperature.
In U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2008/0268056 a biocompatible substance is described that is useful for repairing a vertebral compression fracture. The biocompatible substance can be made from two or more biocompatible polymeric hydrogels via physical crosslinking. The biocompatible substance thus made is thermoresponsive and exhibits a lower critical solution temperature. It undergoes volume and stage changes with temperature in the range of 25° C.-34° C. The biocompatible substance can be in a liquid injectable form at room temperature and can gel within the human body at higher temperature. Other thermoresponsive hydrogels for injection based upon synthetic polymers are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2009/0053276.
Processes for the preparation of injectable hyaluronan hydrogels are reported in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2005/0281880. The processes include crosslinking one or more polymers and washing the subsequently formed gel, followed by purification and homogenization by impeller stirring to produce an injectable hydrogel. The swelling degree of the gels in phosphate buffered saline can be about 4,000-5,000%. The gels can have particle sizes on the order of 500 micrometers. The crosslinking reaction can be carried out with a bi- or polyfunctional crosslinking agent, such as an epoxide, aldehyde, polyaziridyl or divinyl sulfone. The crosslinking agent can be 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether. The process can be carried out at a pH of 11 or higher at a temperature of 37-60° C.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,066, spheroidal microgels of a water-swellable or water-swollen, crosslinked polymer consisting essentially of water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomers are described that are dispersed in water or other aqueous media and are effective thickening agents which, when dispersed in an aqueous medium, exhibit pseudoplastic rheology. Because of their uniform small particle size, with water-swollen diameters generally within the range from about 0.5 to about 200 micrometers, and their ability to absorb substantial proportions of water, the microgels are particularly suited for applications requiring thickening agents, such as rapid sorption of aqueous fluids, e.g., sanitary articles such as diapers, belt pads and the like, and for applications wherein the swelling or partial plugging properties of the polymer are particularly important, e.g., in the plugging of porous formations or structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,038,721 discloses a soft, non-toxic tissue filler that consists of spherically shaped solid particles having a textured surface of a size range of between about 32 and 90 microns. The particles are suspended evenly in a gel as a carrier, where the solid particles are preferably a non-ceramic cured polymer such as poly(methyl methacrylate). The gel is a combination of a cellulose polysaccharide, such as carboxymethylcellulose, and an alcohol, such as poly(vinyl alcohol), dissolved in water or some other solvent. The filler is used by injection in order to augment a patient's soft tissue as well as to correct soft tissue defects.
An injectable gel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,574,629, comprising a cross-linked biopolymer-based matrix in which previously cross-linked biopolymer particles have been co-cross-linked with the matrix, where the biopolymer is selected from the group consisting of sodium hyaluronate, chondroitin sulfate, keratan, keratan sulfate, heparin, heparan sulfate, cellulose and its derivatives, alginates, xanthan, carrageenan, proteins, nucleic acids and mixtures thereof, and wherein the crosslinking agent is butanediol diglycidyl ether.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2012/0034271 discloses an injectable in situ disulfide-bond crosslinked hydrogel, whose gelation process is completed in a syringe, wherein the thiol groups are oxidized into disulfide bonds to form the cross-linked hydrogel by oxygen dissolved in the crosslinking active solution in the sealed injectable container, where the in-situ crosslinked hydrogel is a derivative of polysaccharides, proteins or synthetic macromolecules produced by one or more chemical modifications.
A slowly polymerizing, biocompatible, biodegradable polymer capable of crosslinking to form a hydrogel that delivers isolated cells into a patient to create an organ equivalent or tissue, such as cartilage, is reported in U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,761. The polymer is selected from the group consisting of modified hyaluronic acids, synthetic modified alginates, polymers that are covalently crosslinkable by a radical reaction and polymers that gel by exposure to monovalent ions. The gels are reported to promote engraftment and provide three-dimensional templates for new cell growth. In one embodiment, cells are suspended in a polymer solution and injected directly into a site in a patient, where the polymer crosslinks to form a hydrogel matrix having cells dispersed therein. In another embodiment, cells are suspended in a polymer solution which is poured or injected into a mold having a desired anatomical shape, then crosslinked to form a hydrogel matrix having cells dispersed therein, which can be implanted into a patient.
A microporous injectable, soft elastic, fully resorbable fibrin-based composition for use as a soft tissue lumen and void filler is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2013/0209370. The composition combines a fibrinogen component, a thrombin component, a plasticizer, and calcium-containing particles having an average diameter between 0.01 μm and 200 μm. The preparation of an injectable soft tissue void filler composition is described by mixing the components together and/or homogenizing said components.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,729, thixotropic and pseudoplastic polymers are described that exhibit shear thinning, whereby a polymer becomes more fluent under shear, and reverts to a high-viscosity or gelled form on cessation of shear. The '729 patent describes the formation of coatings that can be controlled by introducing crosslinking agents, gelling agents or crosslinking catalysts together with the fluent material, or thermoresponsive behavior in the polymer, and then altering the conditions such that crosslinking and/or gelling occurs in situ. A method for controlling tissue repair or in-growth is described that includes applying a polymeric material, at a site where tissue growth may occur, wherein the polymeric material is applied in a first fluent state and then converted in situ to a second non-fluent state.
Methods of preparing an extracellular matrix powder are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2012/0264190. In the '190 Publication, the compositions can be used for the formation of three-dimensional graft constructs for implantation, injection, or the powdered or particulate extracellular matrix material may be dispersed in a gel or ointment for topical use to induce the repair of damaged or diseased tissues in a host. The composition is a thermally responsive hydrogel that is in a liquid form at room temperature and in gel form at a temperature greater than room temperature or at normal body temperature.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,802,436, improved methods of manufacturing bioactive gels from an extracellular matrix that retain sufficient bioactivity to assist in tissue repair are presented by particularizing the extracellular matrix to a particle size in the range of about 1 μm to about 1,000 μm, solubilizing the particularized powder in sodium hydroxide, neutralizing the solubilized extracellular matrix with hydrochloric acid, and, optionally, freezing or lyophilizing the frozen extracellular matrix, and, optionally, reconstituting the lyophilized gel in water or saline. The final consistency of all gels is foam-like.
Injection vehicles suitable for administering particulate suspensions are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,582,311. Examples include polymer-based formulations, associated pharmaceutical formulations, articles of manufacture, and kits. The injection vehicles are reported to include a pseudoplastic composition that improves injectability. The injection vehicle comprises a flexible molecule, such as hyaluronic acid or a derivative thereof, dissolved in a physiological buffer, such as saline.
In U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2004/0208938, injectable compositions having improved injectability and methods for the preparation of such injectable compositions are described. In the '938 Publication, dry microparticles with an aqueous injection vehicle form a suspension, and the suspension is then mixed with a viscosity enhancing agent to increase the viscosity of the fluid phase of the suspension to the desired level for improved injectability.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2010/0330184 describes injection vehicles suitable for administering particulate suspensions, such as polymer-based formulations, as well as associated pharmaceutical formulations, articles of manufacture, and kits. The injection vehicles of the '184 Publication are reportedly superior to conventional injection vehicles in that they include a pseudoplastic flexible polymer composition, such as solutions of hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid derivatives, and combinations thereof, which improve injectability, facilitating delivery of the desired dose.
An injectable polymer composition for use as a cell delivery vehicle is discussed in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2013/0189230. The injectible polymer composition of the '230 Publication includes at least one thermal gelling polymer (methyl cellulose), at least one anionic gelling polymer (hyaluronan), and a water-based carrier, and is reported to be shear-thinning, thixotropic and resorbable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 8,357,402, a flowable wound matrix material is presented that is comprised of particles of a collagen matrix, preferably a collagen/glycosaminoglycan (GAG) matrix, that, when hydrated, reportedly can be effectively delivered to the wound site. Reportedly, the flowable wound matrix can be effectively delivered into wounds having varying depths and geometries and provides a structural framework that serves as a scaffold for cell ingrowth.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,397, methods and materials related to fibrin-based biomatrices are presented, where stem cells or progenitor cells can be delivered to a diseased heart using a fibrin-based biomatrix to assist or restore heart function. The '397 patent reportedly provides a method for repairing damaged tissue in a mammal by introducing, on or into a tissue in need of repair, a fibrinogen solution having stem or progenitor cells under conditions such that a fibrin biomatrix including the cells forms at or near the site of introduction. In one embodiment, the fibrinogen solution is PEGylated. The conditions for forming the fibrin biomatrix can include introducing a solution having a fibrinogen-converting agent (e.g., a serine protease such as thrombin) to the fibrinogen solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,563 reports hydrophilic water-swellable gels consisting of a crosslinked mixture of a bifunctionalized poly(ethylene oxide), activated with a suitable activating agent, dissolved in an aqueous solution and an albumin-type protein. The resulting hydrogels are based on the crosslinking of a protein, namely albumin of various sources including, for example, bovine serum albumin, with a bifunctional poly(alkene oxide), preferentially poly(ethylene oxide), and most preferably poly(ethylene glycol), or a mixture of bifunctional poly(alkene oxide)s of various molecular masses. The mechanical properties of the hydrogels can be improved by adding unreactive poly(ethylene glycol) or other inert polymers of high molecular masses. The novel hydrogels can be used for making contact lenses, controlled drug release devices, immobilization matrices for enzymes or cells of therapeutic interest, wound dressings and artificial skin.
A hydrogel system comprising polymer-conjugated albumin molecules for controlled release delivery of therapeutic agents is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2011/0238000. The polymer is a functionalized synthetic polymer, preferably PEG-diacrylate. The polymer-conjugated albumin is preferably mono-PEGylated albumin. The hydrogel system may comprise a matrix to which the polymer-conjugated albumin molecules are linked via a second functional group of the polymer. The matrix may be formed from the same polymer of the polymer-albumin conjugate.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2010/0137510 reportedly discloses a polymer-protein precursor molecule that comprises a thiolated protein and at least two synthetic polymers covalently attached to thiol groups of the thiolated protein, each of the at least two synthetic polymers having a functional group, the functional group being selected capable of crosslinking with a functional group of at least one other synthetic polymer being covalently attached to at least one other polymer-protein precursor molecule so as to form a scaffold. The functional group may be an acrylate or vinyl sulfone, which are crosslinked by photoinitiation. Soluble proteins of PEG-collagen, PEG-albumin, and PEG-fibrinogen could be combined and photocrosslinked to form hydrogel scaffolds.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2003/0166867 discloses fibrin nanoparticles having a mean diameter of 200-2000 nm (0.2-2.0 μm), and may be obtained by mixing an aqueous solution comprising fibrinogen, thrombin and Factor XIII in an oil emulsion at a temperature of 50-80° C., without the addition of an exogenous chemical crosslinking agent. Related U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,505 reports the preparation of fibrin microbeads of 50-200 μm in diameter by reacting fibrinogen and thrombin, in heated vegetable oil (70-80° C.), in the presence of endogenous factor XIII
U.S. Pat. No. 8,858,925 reportedly discloses biodegradable scaffolds composed of a naturally-occurring protein backbone of fibrinogen crosslinked by a modification of the synthetic polymer poly(ethylene glycol) that generates a PEGylated-fibrinogen scaffold for use in treating disorders requiring tissue regeneration. The '925 patent uses a precursor molecule comprising a fibrinogen protein that is denatured and retains an activity of forming a scaffold and at least two poly(ethylene glycol) molecules covalently connected to free thiol groups of the denatured fibrinogen protein, where each of the at least two PEG molecules comprises a functional group for crosslinking in order to form hydrogel scaffolds. Crosslinking is performed by subjecting the precursor molecules to a free-radical polymerization reaction, preferably by photoinitiation of acrylated PEG's, which is done ex vivo or in vivo.

Composition and kits for pseudoplastic microgel matrices


An apparatus and method for preventing illegitimate outflow of an electronic document. The apparatus includes a taking-out control unit, a taking-out management server unit, and a self-response agent unit. The taking-out control unit generates a virtual disk for storing an electronic document to be controlled, and controls the taking-out of the electronic document. The taking-out management server unit authenticates whether the taking-out of the electronic document is legitimate taking-out. The self-response agent unit performs self-extinction when a result indicating illegitimate outflow is received from the taking-out management server unit.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a method and apparatus for preventing the illegitimate outflow of an electronic document and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus that are capable of, when the illegitimate outflow of an electronic document is attempted, determining whether the electronic document is illegitimately leaked using an authentication process and then preventing the illegitimate outflow of the electronic document via electronic document self-response (or self-extinction) and illegitimate outflow source tracking.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of technologies by companies, the illegitimate outflow of advanced industrial technologies continues to increase.
The illegitimate outflow of technology is chiefly performed by an intelligent hacking scheme or an insider who cleverly makes use of the drawbacks of an existing security system. Accordingly, there is a need for technology for preventing the illegitimate outflow of electronic documents.
Information protection technologies, such as digital rights management (DRM) and data loss prevention (DLP), have been proposed and developed as technologies for preventing the illegitimate outflow of electronic documents.
It is however not easy to completely take measures against the illegitimate outflow of an electronic document because a hacking scheme continues to become increasingly intelligent and an insider cleverly performs the illegitimate outflow of an electronic document.
In particular, existing methods are chiefly intended to protect a system in which information is stored from a threat or to simply encrypt, store, and manage data to be protected, and thus have a limitation in terms of a perfect response when the illegitimate outflow of an electronic document to be protected is attempted.
A related art is disclosed in a paper entitled "Secure Knowledge Management for Prevent illegal data leakage by Internal users" published in No. 2 of Vol. 11 of Korean Society For Internet Information in April of 2010. In this paper, explicit authentication is performed on an internal user, data is provided based on the explicit authentication, and the illegitimate outflow of data by an internal user is prevented using 2MAC.
As another related art, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2008-0029602 entitled "Method and Apparatus for Preventing Illegitimate outflow of Confidential Information" discloses a technology in which the illegitimate outflow of a confidential document is prevented using machine learning (based on a language) and finger printing (not based on a language) in a system for preventing the illegitimate outflow of confidential document.

Method and apparatus for preventing illegitimate outflow of electronic document

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A SAW device having metal electrodes on a surface of the piezoelectric substrate includes a dielectric layer deposited on the surface. Depositing the layer results in seams extending upward from the electrodes extending above the surface of the substrate. An additional seam results from one seam extending from one electrode joining a second seam extending from an adjacent electrode within the dielectric layer and is generally formed above the height of the electrodes. The additional seam is removed through planarization or the like. The dielectric layer may be further planarized for providing a thickness of the dielectric layer above the electrodes as desired.

SAW devices have been widely used for filtering applications in many telecommunication systems. The SAW filter is generally composed of several resonators. Further, there are several SAW resonator configurations that are well known in the art. One configuration for a SAW resonator comprises an interdigital transducer (IDT) embedded between the two reflectors. The SAW resonator is typically fabricated on a high coupling piezoelectric substrate such as Lithium Tantalate (LT) or Lithium Niobate (LN), by way of example. The IDT generally comprises interdigitated metal electrodes connected to opposing busbars. When a radio frequency (RF) field is applied to the opposing electrodes, the piezoelectric material will convert electrical energy to mechanical energy in the form of acoustic waves. These acoustic waves are reflected by the outer reflectors thereby forming a standing wave resonator. A plurality of resonators is typically arranged in series and parallel arms to realize a ladder filter network. Another configuration of a SAW filter comprises a coupled resonator in which multiple interdigital transducers are embedded between the reflectors.
It is well known in the art that the use of oxide layers or coatings, such as a silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer formed above the transducer provides an improvement in the temperature characteristics of the SAW filter performance as the linear coefficient of expansion of the silicon dioxide layer is opposite the acoustic temperature coefficient for that of LT or LN piezoelectric substrates. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,209,018 to Nakao et al. discloses a SAW filter in which the SiO2 layer that covers the electrodes has convex and concave portions. The electrode metal thickness is in the range of 1%-2.5% of the wavelength for improved insertion loss and temperature characteristics.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 7,230,365 to Nishiyama et al. discloses that the lack of planarization actually degrades the insertion loss of the SAW resonator. It is well known in the art that once an oxide layer is put onto the SAW transducer pattern, a planarization process should help to improve loss degradation. To improve the filter performance, Nishiyama teaches the use of two SiO2 layers. The first layer of SiO2 is disposed between the metal electrodes on the piezoelectric substrate, the thickness of the layer substantially equal to the thickness of the metal electrodes. The second layer of SiO2 provides a cover to the first oxide layer and the metal electrodes. Nishiyama emphasizes that the devices require the first SiO2 layer to be of the same thickness of that of the electrode metal to provide improved insertion loss.
In addition, the quality factor of the SAW resonators under a silicon dioxide layer is greatly affected by the integrity of the oxide material and by the flatness of the top surface of the oxide layer. The coupling coefficient and the temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of the buried SAW resonator is determined by the oxide layer thickness over the resonator. It is observed that the double layers of SiO2 as described by Nishiyama consistently result in "voids" in the vicinity of the electrode edges. These voids, by way of example, are portions or traces of SiO2 that exhibit lower density when compared to the overall layer. Based on the teachings of the present invention, voids or seams within the oxide layer can significantly degrade the quality factor of the resonator. The present invention provides devices and methods for the deposition of oxide layers resulting in a produced device having a significant void reduction, thus providing an improved insertion loss and quality factor of the resonator.

Temperature compensated surface acoustic wave device and method having buried interdigital transducers for providing an improved insertion loss and quality factor


Methods of determining a polishing endpoint are described using spectra obtained during a polishing sequence. In particular, techniques for using only desired spectra, faster searching methods and more robust rate determination methods are described.

The present invention relates to generally to chemical mechanical polishing of substrates.
An integrated circuit is typically formed on a substrate by the sequential deposition of conductive, semiconductive, or insulative layers on a silicon wafer. One fabrication step involves depositing a filler layer over a non-planar surface and planarizing the filler layer. For certain applications, the filler layer is planarized until the top surface of a patterned layer is exposed. A conductive filler layer, for example, can be deposited on a patterned insulative layer to fill the trenches or holes in the insulative layer. After planarization, the portions of the conductive layer remaining between the raised pattern of the insulative layer form vias, plugs, and lines that provide conductive paths between thin film circuits on the substrate. For other applications, such as oxide polishing, the filler layer is planarized until a predetermined thickness is left over the non planar surface. In addition, planarization of the substrate surface is usually required for photolithography.
Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is one accepted method of planarization. This planarization method typically requires that the substrate be mounted on a carrier or polishing head. The exposed surface of the substrate is typically placed against a rotating polishing disk pad or belt pad. The polishing pad can be either a standard pad or a fixed abrasive pad. A standard pad has a durable roughened surface, whereas a fixed-abrasive pad has abrasive particles held in a containment media. The carrier head provides a controllable load on the substrate to push it against the polishing pad. A polishing slurry is typically supplied to the surface of the polishing pad. The polishing slurry includes at least one chemically reactive agent and, if used with a standard polishing pad, abrasive particles.
One problem in CMP is determining whether the polishing process is complete, i.e., whether a substrate layer has been planarized to a desired flatness or thickness, or when a desired amount of material has been removed. Overpolishing (removing too much) of a conductive layer or film leads to increased circuit resistance.
On the other hand, underpolishing (removing too little) of a conductive layer leads to electrical shorting. Variations in the initial thickness of the substrate layer, the slurry composition, the polishing pad condition, the relative speed between the polishing pad and the substrate, and the load on the substrate can cause variations in the material removal rate. These variations cause variations in the time needed to reach the polishing endpoint. Therefore, the polishing endpoint cannot be determined merely as a function of polishing time.

Using spectra to determine polishing endpoints


A hydroelectric power plant for use in flowing bodies of water is described which includes a new spillway canal constructed to enhance the flow of water by increasing the water pressure. Because the canal has the angled feature on both ends, the water flow can be enhanced when backflow conditions exist as well as when primary flow conditions are present. In addition the canal utilizes a unique combination of both traditional and Pelton type water wheels to convert the water pressure to electric power. The canal, the extensions and both types of water wheels are also adjustable in nature to maximize the amount of power obtainable from any given body of water.

The present invention relates to a hydroelectric power plant system for maximizing the use of water currents incident upon a set or series of sets of wheels connected to an electric current generating system. In addition, the invention also includes a novel water diversion system for additional maximization of the pressure of water generated by a flowing body.
With the increased costs of electrical power generation from fossil fuels and the desire to generate energy without increasing pollution, it has become more important to find ways to generate electricity that use existing natural resources. This enhances the ability to add power sources in an economical fashion and to permit new avenues of supply to an increasing population without further burdening the environment. One source of interest is the use of tidal or coastal waterways and, secondarily, in marginally flowing streams.
This invention, therefore, addresses the ability to harness the energy incumbent in flowing water, either in a naturally flowing stream or in a tidal ebb and flow system or a combination of both systems. This is achieved by way of a unique arrangement of water responsive wheel systems solely, or in combination with water channeling devices which enhance the pressure generated by the moving water. With this system, it is now possible to generate electricity from bodies of water heretofore not harnessable.
In the past, most of the hydroelectric power generation has been confined to waterfalls and dammed streams. These systems are highly successful because of the huge amount of pressure generated by the water in those locations, and the readily available ability to turn the turbines necessary to generate electricity. Of secondary interest had always been the ability to effectively harness the energy contained in slower moving river or tidal systems with less inherent pressure for driving the generation equipment.
Reynolds, U.S. Pat. No. 1,074,292, is an example of such a system. Here a series of water wheels in both tandem and in sequence with respect to the water flow is used, each being off-set with respect to each other so as to not interfere with the pressure exerted on any of the wheels in the device. Buoyancy is controlled in this system so that changes in water level can be compensated for, thus allowing the wheels effectiveness to be maintained even during changing conditions. In addition, the wheels are capable of being reversed to accommodate back-flow energy generation when the water direction is reversed. This system is limited by the use of a single type of wheel and no discussion of water flow enhancement techniques is disclosed.
Rebman, U.S. Pat. No. 1,368,454 is an analogous system to the Reynolds disclosure. Here the wheels are connected to a pontoon platform which in turn allows for changes in environmental conditions, depth conditions and the ability to select the number of wheels in use by the insertion of additional modules. In addition, the individual wheels are height adjustable within the modules to allow for further manipulation of the system to derive the maximum from the water flow conditions. Here, too, the system is based on a single type of wheel and the adjustments are made to the system with respect to the water flow instead of making adjustments to the water flow characteristics.
Rydz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,377 is another example of a multi-wheel, single type of wheel system attached to a floating support. This reference is more concerned with the shape of the blades in the wheel assembly than the types of wheels or in water pressure control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,283 to Storer, Sr. also discloses a multi-wheel system but also contains a water channeling feature in a spillway that diverts the water to the wheels. Again, the wheels are in series along the longitudinal axis with respect to the direction of the water flow, but here again, each wheel is of the same construction. The spillway here only serves to direct the flow of the water to the wheel arrangement and does not enhance the flow or pressure properties of the fluid stream.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,463, to Agostino, the water is channeled through a spillway but again the water wheels are the same construction and the Agostino spillway is serpentine in design for the purpose of reusing the water along its extent to drive the wheels. A pump, 19, is described as being present at the beginning of the waterway, but there is no description of that pump being used to increase the head pressure of the water entering the spillway. Thus, the characteristics of the water pressure are not altered in the Agostino system, just the water direction.
Jost, U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,808 describes another system containing a pump mechanism; however, this system uses the water wheel structures to drive the pumps, using the pressure thus formed by the pumps to drive the generators.
Simoni, U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,174, uses the water in a canal to drive his water or paddle wheel device, but no mention is made of altering flow characteristics to enhance pressure. In addition, all of Simoni's wheels are identical.
Both Chappell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,041 and Tharp, U.S. Pat. No. 7,042,114, are systems for use in open water and utilize positioning systems or compensating systems for directional control to optimize the amount of water incident upon the wheel structures. This concept is directly opposite to one in which the water is channeled to increase pressure on stationary wheels. Similar to these references is Voves, U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,579.
Fluid modification is also described in the prior art. References directed to this concept include Aucoin, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,990, Williams, U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,006, King, U.S. Pat. No. 194,826, Lebost, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,057,270 and 4,295,783, and Cate, U.S. Pat. No. 1,396,994. Of all of these references, Cate does modify the direction of the water prior to contact with the water wheels, but does so to allow for the wheels to be rotated at a 90° angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the water flow direction.
As described above, although it is known in the prior art to use systems of pluralities of wheels to generate power, pluralities of types of wheels in one system is not known and the modification of the water directional source to enhance pressure in the intermediate portions of the system is also not known.


A dispersion medium (31) composed as a mixture of EVA and EEA has therein a dispersion system of flame retardant particles (R1) including magnesium hydroxide treated with polyorganosiloxane, so that polyorganosilane (41) is dispersed with an equal uniformity to a flame retardant agent (40) containing magnesium hydroxide, thereby allowing a resultant flame retardant resin composite (CR1) to have a high flame retardancy, enabling prevention of the emission of smoke in great quantities or that of detrimental gases, such as halogen gases, when burnt, while having a specific gravity of 1.14 or less, enabling the separation by specific gravity difference, and this (CR1) is used as a covering material (12) for an electric wire (10) or cable (20) to be high in flame retardancy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flame retardant ethylene family resin composite suitable for coverage of electric wires or cables, and a flame retardant electric wire or cable using the composite.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric wires or cables, requiring the prevention of the emission of smoke as well as detrimental halogen gases due to the spread of fire, have materials covering their conductors composed, typically, by evenly mixing, in (an) ethylene family base polymer(s), a flame retardant agent containing a halogen-free metal hydrate. In cases requiring a high flame retardancy, e.g. to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) C3005 (60-degree inclination burning test), an assisting flame retardant agent suitable to the flame retardant agent is added.
Flame retardant agents containing magnesium hydroxide exhibit good flame retardancy. As an assisting flame retardant agent suitable to those agents, polyorganosilane is known. However, this is liquid, and thus unable to be so evenly dispersed as those, thus causing seam cracks.
Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open Publication No. 8-113712 has disclosed a method of mixing polyorganosilane and silica powder to obtain silicone polymer powder that can flow with ease, and employing this as an assisting flame retardant agent.
This method is depicted in FIG. 9, where a flame retardant agent R10 composed by magnesium hydroxide 100 covered with stearic acid or ammonium molybdate 101 and an assisting flame retardant agent R11 composed by silicon oxide 110 covered with polyorganosilane 111 are blended in a base polymer.
Polyorganosilane 111 can thus be relatively easily dispersed. It however is not easy to disperse this as uniformly as the flame retardant agent R10.

Flame retardant ethylene family resin composite and flame retardant electric wire or cable


A dual cam configuration is provided in a container filler machine. The filler machine preferably fills containers from their bottoms and includes at least one filling station assembly, each such assembly including a dispensing assembly and a positioning assembly. For controlling the filling process at each station, the cam configuration includes first and second cam tracks, each track being followed by a cam following assembly. For each station, the machine also preferably includes a single pneumatic cylinder assembly for simultaneously maintaining both cam following assemblies against their respective cam tracks.

Many specialized commercial high volume container filling machines such as can or bottle fillers are in many ways unduly complex. This is especially true of container filling devices that dispense a flowable product into a container but which also must satisfy some additional constraint such as dispensing the product into the bottom of the container, keeping the dispenser submerged while dispensing, or precisely measuring the amount of product to be dispensed into containers. In general, increased complexity leads to increased costs associated with filling machine operation. Greater costs for such machines can be attributable to setting the desired positions of various assemblies for a given container to be filled. Difficulties can also arise in making adjustments during operation.
In a typical container filling machine there are a plurality of continuous cam tracks providing a predetermined path that is followed by a plurality of "filling stations" such that each such station is designed to fill a single container with each cycle through the cam track path. The cam tracks must be designed and adjusted for each container's dimensions. In connection with some filling machines there are various spring tensions or pneumatic pressures that must be maintained to properly dispense products into the containers.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,062 of KaZmierczak a liquid bottle filler is disclosed with a plurality of filling stations for precisely filling bottles with a liquid substance. The apparatus disclosed includes five cam tracks, and, for each bottle filling station: four cam followers, at least two springs and a cylinder/piston dispensing combination. Of the four cam followers, one rides between two cam tracks and causes the product dispenser nozzle to be lowered to the bottle opening for product dispensing and raised once dispensing has been completed. One of the two springs, a compression spring, is used in conjunction with this follower to provide shock absorption as the dispenser descends to contact the bottle opening. The second spring, a tension spring, supplies a force to the filling station dispensing piston in a direction causing the surrounding cylinder to remain filled with the substance to be dispensed. In addition, this second spring also urges a pair of filling station cam followers against their related cam tracks. One of these tracks causes the dispensing piston to dispense the bulk of the product while the second track causes the piston to dispense precisely the amount required. Finally, a fourth station cam follower governs a valve allowing the product to flow into the bottle to be filled.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,702 of Riesenberg a liquid bottle filler is disclosed such that the dispensing process results in minimal substance turbulence. More precisely, the Riesenberg apparatus fills bottles with a liquid product by inserting a filling stem into each bottle for dispensing the liquid near the bottom of the container and once there is sufficient liquid in the bottle, the stem outlet remains submerged while being slowly withdrawn from the bottle thus providing a smooth non-turbulent flow of liquid into the bottle. The filling controls for this apparatus consists of two cam tracks, and, for each bottle filling station contained in the apparatus: at least four pneumatic cylinders, three with positive pressure, one with negative pressure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,326 of Colacci et al. an apparatus is disclosed for dispensing a flowable product into containers at high speed as the containers travel in a straight line on an adjacent conveyor. Although no special constraints are imposed upon the dispensing mechanism, the apparatus still requires five cams tracks, numerous pneumatic cylinders to press the top cam track against the filling station cam rollers as they come in contact with this track. In addition, each filling station requires: two cam followers, a piston/cylinder dispensing combination and a latching mechanism to keep the filling stations tightly sealed to one another as they are filled with the product.
There are also well known apparatuses, called "bottom fillers," for dispensing a flowable or viscous product into the bottom of containers in a manner for reducing the development of air pockets in the container. Most bottom fillers require four circular cam tracks, and, for each filling station: two cam followers and a cylinder/piston combination for dispensing the product. For each filling station, the dispensing piston is surrounded by its sleeve or cylinder. The piston is allowed to reciprocate within the sleeve. Thus, the piston can be forced to retreat to one end of the sleeve as a pressured amount of product is allowed to fill the sleeve. Subsequently, the piston is forced in the opposite direction as the product is dispensed into the bottom of a container. The formation of air pockets is reduced in a container during the filling process since the sleeve can move independently of the dispensing piston and thus the product filled sleeve can be inserted into the bottom of the container prior to the piston expelling the product from the sleeve. Independent movement of the piston and the sleeve is achieved by the two pairs of cam tracks mentioned above. One pair is used to control the movement of each dispensing piston. The other pair is used to control the movement of each dispensing sleeve. For a given dimensioned container, each of the four tracks typically has a unique contour. Thus, substantial labor can be involved in initially positioning and/or subsequently adjusting all four tracks for appropriate container filling. Moreover, because the cam followers are sandwiched between tracks, such bottom fillers typically cannot easily provide a "no-container, no-fill" mechanism. That is, it is not feasible to stop the filling step when a can is missing because the four track configuration does not lend itself to such control
It would be advantageous to have container fillers that are both less complex to manufacture and require less labor to operate and maintain than those currently available. The present invention dynamically positions the dispensing mechanism within a container in a simple flexible manner. Embodied in an improved bottom filler, the apparatus requires only two cam tracks. One cam track for positioning the dispenser within the container and one cam track to cause an appropriate amount of product to be dispensed into the container. Furthermore, for each filling station, preferably a single pneumatic assembly supplies all the tension or pressure required for controlling the dispensing mechanism.


In an embodiment, an image reception system is communicatively coupled to an image analysis system and is configured to receive a digital image and analyze the pixels of the digital image to determine one or more regions in the digital image. For each region in the one or more regions in the digital image, the image analysis system recognizes the content in the region. A document creation system communicatively coupled to the image analysis system is configured to create a digital document based on the recognized content for the one or more regions. In some embodiments, the image analysis system is further configured to analyze the digital image to detect one or more of the following: region markers, tables, headers.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
In business, technology, education and other fields, collaboration with others by using white boards, large paper sheets, easel pads, and similar areas for writing. At key times or at the end of meetings, participants may take a digital picture of that work and may paste it into a shared document. There are many issues with this approach to sharing that collaborative work, however. The images typically are digitally stored in pixel form using formats such as JPEG or TIFF, and therefore do not provide the ability to format content in the digital image to match the rest of the content of a containing page or related pages, cannot be adjusted in any way and do not match the style and formatting of the page into which they are pasted. For example, correcting errors or changing font size and type, headers and other attributes may be difficult. Further, it may be beneficial for documents such as web pages into which the picture of a white board is pasted, that is used for collaboration with that team to have underlying metadata indicating sections of the documents, titles, headers, and the like. The digital image pasted onto the document does not have these types of metadata. As such, when that metadata is relied upon for example to use the title and headers to make a table or contents or index, that depicted in the digital image will not be relied upon. Another issue is that, because the text is in pixel and not in a character encoding, such as ASCII, one cannot easily search for text in these images using a text search. Therefore, the text in the image will be hard to discover using conventional means.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Techniques for document creation based on image sections


A welded assembly of aluminum alloy part, in which    (i) at least a first aluminum alloy part is procured in a solution heat treated, quenched, optionally cold worked, and naturally aged at ambient temperature or pre-aged temper, and at least a second aluminum alloy part,    (ii) said parts are welded to obtain a welded assembly having a welded zone,    (iii) cold working the entire welded zone between 0.3% and 5% is performed,    (iv) the welded assembly thus cold worked undergoes post-weld aging to obtain a final metallurgical temper.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the assembly by welding, particularly by friction stir welding (FSW), of aluminum alloy parts that can be hardened by heat treatment and particularly alloys hardened by a thermo-mechanical treatment comprising a solution heat-treatment, quenching, cold working and aging.
Description of Related Art
In the fabrication of metal structures, particularly metal structures intended for aeronautic construction, welding can replace more conventional assembly techniques such as riveting. Welding methods allow parts to be assembled rapidly without creating holes, the latter frequently being crack initiation sites. Welding methods are known in which a melting of the materials takes place, such that, notably, oxyacetylene welding with filler metal, arc welding with non-consumable electrodes (TIG), arc welding with consumable electrodes or semi-automatic welding (MIG), laser welding, plasma welding, and electron-beam welding. Solid phase welding methods are also known such as friction stir welding or friction welding.
Unfortunately, a certain number of problems have limited the use of welding, notably in the field of aeronautic construction.
An initial problem generally encountered with welded parts is the decrease in the mechanical strength of the welded joint in relation to the metal away from the welded zone. An elastic limit level is typically obtained in the welded zone equal to approximately 60% of the elastic limit of the metal used.
A second problem generally encountered is the increase in corrosion sensitivity of the welded zone.
Yet another problem encountered is the microstructure of the welded zone, for example the abnormal enlargement of grains during the solution treatment after welding. Protection of the welded zone was proposed to solve the corrosion problem. Patent application US 2008/047222 (Lockheed Martin) details cold vapor deposition on the FSW welded joint of a material to inhibit corrosion. Patent application WO 2004/014593 (Eclipse Aviation) details the application of a layer of sealing material, such as a sealing/monomer adhesive material, on the surfaces to be assembled so as to form a polymer sealing joint in situ owing to the welding heat in order to protect the element from weld corrosion. However, with this type of protection method, the welded joint remains sensitive to corrosion and a coating defect is always possible, particularly for assemblies of complex shape.
Various pre-welding or post-welding heat treatment sequences were proposed to improve the final properties of the welded joint or the welded assembly. Patent EP 1625242 (Alcan Rhenalu) details a method in which the elements to be welded undergo heat treatment prior to welding, at a temperature T lasting at least 2t1, t1 being defined as the minimum duration of a treatment at temperature T leading to a specific energy of the fusion peak, defined by AED, of less than 1 J/g. Patent EP 1799391 (Alcan Rhenalu) details a method in which one of the elements of the welded assembly is pre-aged prior to welding so as to obtain a structural element comprising at least two aluminum alloy parts which have different property trade-offs. U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,067 (McDonnell Douglas) details a method wherein the weld is performed on parts which have undergone solution heat-treating and hardening and are in an incomplete metallurgical temper and an additional precipitation heat treatment is performed after welding. Patent EP 1334793 (Boeing) details a friction stir welding method in which the welding tool is heated before the weld joint is welded and a solution heat-treatment and quenching operation is performed on the welded assembly. Patent application US2007/0138239 (Sumitomo Light Metals) teaches a method of joining by friction stir welding wherein members are joined in T4 temper and wherein a reversion treatment is carried out prior to or after the joining step. It should be noted that the time period for reversion treatment is not longer than 300s. Patent application FR 2 868 084 A1 (Pechiney Rhenalu) teaches a method comprising the steps of a) solution heat treating an intermediate product b) optionally stretching c) aging. A main aspect of the invention according to this application is to carry out aging in a furnace with a controlled temperature profile. This application teaches applying the claimed method to a welded assembly, which results in solution heat treating and aging of the welded assembly or on the members before welding.
Furthermore, the introduction of compression stresses on the surface of the welded joint is known, by techniques such as burnishing and shot peening to improve its fatigue and corrosion resistance properties.
Patent applications WO 03/082512 or US2005/0224562 (Surface Technology) propose a method intended for the assembly of metals such as aluminum, titanium or steel, which uses a welding device having a welding tool and a compression tool enabling a superficial residual compressive stress layer to be induced, during the last step of the process, along the surface of the weld line and to apply a specified quantity of cold working and superficial quenching in all thermomarked regions. In this last document, the specific problem of adding a welding operation within the production process of aluminum alloys hardened by a thermo-mechanical treatment comprising the successive steps of solution heat-treatment, quenching, cold working and aging is not foreseen.
Thus, for certain aluminum alloys, notably the 2XXX series, the optimum properties are obtained after thermo-mechanical treatment of this type. The metallurgical temper obtained is a temper defined as T8 in standard EN 515. This designation applies to products that are solution heat-treated, cold-worked and artificially aged which, after solution heat-treatment, are cold worked to improve strength, or in which the effect of cold work in flattening or straightening is recognized in mechanical property limits. Among the alloys for which temper T8 is particularly favorable, several alloys of the 2XXX series are noted and particularly the aluminum copper lithium alloys.
Patent application EP 0 227 563 A1 (CEGEDUR) teaches a specific under-aging treatment resulting in desensitization to exfoliating corrosion for aluminum alloys containing lithium.
The assembly method of these products by welding poses specific problems as it must be established at which stage the welding step is to be performed in relation to the various steps of the solution heat-treatment, quenching, work hardening and aging process.
The welding operation can, for example, be performed on parts in temper T3 or temper T8, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,897 (Martin Marietta). While the results obtained are generally relatively satisfactory in terms of mechanical strength or corrosion resistance, it would be useful for certain applications to further improve the performance characteristics obtained for the welded joint, notably in terms of mechanical strength and corrosion resistance.

Method for assembling aluminum alloy parts by welding


A computer-implemented method for monitoring one or more response variables in response to a media segment using brain wave frequency data includes displaying a media segment to a user. The media segment includes one or more embedded flags to flag one or more positions of the media segment. The method further includes acquiring brain wave frequency data of the user, acquiring amplitude data of the acquired brain wave frequency data in one or more frequency bands; and determining one or more response variables in response to the acquired amplitude data of the acquired brain wave frequency data correlating to flagged positions of the media segment.

In general, electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of a brain's electrical activity along the scalp. An EEG is generally divided into five different frequency bands, delta (up to 4 Hz), theta (4-7 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (12-30 Hz), and gamma (30-100 Hz). As EEG equipment has advanced over time these frequency bands began to be associated with certain activities or brain states. For example, in neurology, a diagnostic application of EEG is in the case of epilepsy, as epileptic activity can create clear abnormalities on a standard EEG study. Additionally, a secondary clinical use of EEG is in the diagnosis of coma, encephalopathies, and brain death.
Currently, methods of interpreting EEG frequency data are limited to analysis of a subject's results well after the monitoring session has completed. Additionally, the analysis of the results are typically are not interactive. Moreover, while there are methods for monitoring brainwave activity in real time, for example, an MRI, such methods require an expert to interpret the brain wave frequency data. Additionally, the patient/subject typically does not have access to the data for feedback or follow-up.

Methods and systems for determining, monitoring, and analyzing personalized response variables using brain wave frequency data and interactive multimedia display


A novel method of over expressing genes in plants is provided. This method is based on the RNA amplification properties of plus strand RNA viruses of plants. A chimeric multicistronic gene is constructed containing a plant promoter, viral replication origins, a viral movement protein gene, and one or more foreign genes under control of viral subgenomic promoters. Plants containing one or more of these recombinant RNA transcripts are inoculated with helper virus. In the presence of helper virus recombinant transcripts are replicated producing high levels of foreign gene RNA.. Sequences are provided for the high level expression of the enzyme chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in tobacco plants by replicon RNA amplification with helper viruses and movement protein genes derived from the tobamovirus group.

The present invention relates to the field of genetically engineering transgenic plants. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of viral RNA to achieve high level expression of foreign genes in plants.
The use of transgenic plants for high level expression of foreign genes has been targeted as an inexpensive means for mass producing desired products. All higher plants are photoautotrophic, requiring only CO.sub.2, H.sub.2 O, NO.sub.3.sup.-1, SO.sub.4.sup.-2, PO.sub.4.sup.-3 and trace amounts of other elements for growth. From these inexpensive starting materials, plants are capable of synthesizing a variety of valuable products. Progress in utilizing transgenic plants as low cost factories will depend on both the characterization of biosynthetic pathways and on the further development of gene expression technologies.
In the past decade, a number of techniques have been developed to transfer genes into plants (Potrykus, I., Annual Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 42:205-225 (1991)). For example, chromosomally integrated transgenes have been expressed by a variety of promoters offering developmental control of gene expression. (Walden and Schell, Eur. J. Biochem. 192:563-576 (1990)). This technology has been used primarily to improve certain agronomic traits such as disease resistance or food quality. (Joshi and Joshi, Febs. Lett. 281:1-8 (1991)). However, the utility of known transgene methodology is limited by 1) the difficulty of obtaining high level expression of individual transgenes 2) the lack of means necessary for coordinating control of several transgenes in an individual plant 3) the lack of means to enable precise temporal control of gene expression and 4) the lack of adequate means to enable shutting off introduced genes in the uninduced state (Walden and Schell, Eur. J. Biochem 192:563-576 (1990)).
The most highly expressed genes in plants are encoded in plant RNA viral genomes. Many RNA viruses have gene expression levels or host ranges that make them useful for development as commercial vectors. (Ahlquist, P., and Pacha, R. F., Physiol. Plant. 79:163-167 (1990), Joshi, R. L., and Joshi, V., FEBS Lett. 281:1-8 (1991), Turpen, T. H., and Dawson, W. O., Amplification, movement and expression of genes in plants by viral-based vectors, Transgenic plants: fundamentals and applications (A. Hiatt, ed.), Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, pp. 195-217. (1992)). For example, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) accumulates approximately 10 mg of tobacco mosaic tombamovirus (TMV) per gram of fresh-weight tissue 7-14 days after inoculation. TMV coat protein synthesis can represent 70% of the total cellular protein synthesis and can constitute 10% of the total leaf dry weight. A single specific RNA transcript can accumulate to 10% of the total leaf mRNA. This transcript level is over two orders of magnitude higher than the transcription level observed for chromosomally integrated genes using conventional plant genetic engineering technology. This level of foreign gene expression has not yet been obtained using the prior art viral vectors in plants.
Most plant viruses contain genomes of plus sense RNA (messenger RNA polarity) (Zaitlin and Hull, Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 38:291-315 (1987)). Plus sense plant viruses are a very versatile class of viruses to develop as gene expression vectors since there are a large number of strains from some 22 plus sense viral groups which are compatible with a wide number of host plant species. (Martelli, G. P., Plant Disease 76:436 (1992)). In addition, an evolutionarily related RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is encoded by each of these strains. This enzyme is responsible for genome replication and mRNA synthesis resulting in some of the highest levels of gene expression known in plants.
In order to develop a plant virus as a gene vector, one must be able to manipulate molecular clones of viral genomes and retain the ability to generate infectious recombinants. The techniques required to genetically engineer RNA viruses have progressed rapidly. If the virus is an RNA virus, the virus is generally cloned as a cDNA and inserted into a plasmid. The plasmid is used to make all of the constructions. The genome of many plus sense RNA viruses can be manipulated as plasmid DNA copies and then transcribed in vitro to produce infectious RNA molecules (reviewed in Turpen and Dawson, Transgenic Plants, Fundamentals and Applications, Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 195-217 (1992)).
The interaction of plants with viruses presents unique opportunities for the production of complex molecules as typified by the TMV/tobacco system (Dawson, W. O., Virology 186:359-367 (1992)). Extremely high levels of viral nucleic acids and/or proteins accumulate in infected cells in a brief period of time. The virus catalyzes rapid cell-to-cell movement of its genome throughout the plant, with no significant tissue tropism. The infection is maintained throughout the life of the plant. The plants are not significantly adversely affected by the viral infection since the virus causes little or no general cytotoxicity or specific suppression of host gene expression.
The tobacco mosaic tobamovirus is of particular interest to the instant invention in light of its ability to express genes at high levels in plants. TMV is a member of the tobamovirus group. TMV virions are 300 nm.times.18 nm tubes with a 4 nm-diameter hollow canal, and consist of 2140 units of a single structural protein helically wound around a single RNA molecule. The genome is a 6395 base plus-sense RNA. The 5'-end is capped and the 3'-end contains a series of pseudoknots and a tRNA-like structure that will specifically accept histidine. The genomic RNA functions as mRNA for the production of proteins involved in viral replication: a 126-kDa protein that initiates 68 nucleotides from the 5'-terminus and a 183-kDa protein synthesized by readthrough of an amber termination codon approximately 10% of the time (FIG. 1). Only the 183-kDa and 126-kDa viral proteins are required for TMV replication in trans. (Ogawa, T., Watanabe, Y., Meshi, T., and Okada, Y., Virology 185:580-584 (1991)). Additional proteins are translated from subgenomic size mRNA produced during replication (reviewed in Dawson, W. O., Adv. Virus Res. 38:307-342 (1990)). The 30-kDa protein is required for cell-to-cell movement; the 17.5-kDa capsid protein is the single viral structural protein. The function of the predicted 54-kDa protein is unknown.
The minimal sequences required in cis for TMV replication are located at the extreme 5' and 3' noncoding regions (replication origins), as determined by analysis of deletion mutants in plant protoplasts (Takamatsu, N., et al., J. Virol. 64:3686-3693 (1990), Takamatsu, N., et al., J. Virol. 65:1619-1622 (1991)). In whole plants, helper-dependent RNA replicons, constructed by deletion of most of the 126/183-kDa replication protein sequence and most of the 30-kDa movement protein sequence, are replicated and spread systemically in the presence of wild type TMV (Raffo A. J., and Dawson W. O., Virology 184:277-289 (1991)).
Turpen, et al. discloses a simple and reliable gene transfer method wherein cDNA of TMV is engineered into A. tumefaciens for expression in plant cells (Turpen, T. H., Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Riverside, pp. 88-105 (1992)). This method provides an alternative to the use of synthetic infectious transcripts to inoculate plants based on host transcription of viral cDNA in vivo. Turpen showed successful transfection of tobacco (N. tabacum cv. Xanthi and Xanthi/nc) with wild type and defective viral genomes using this methodology.
Transfection also occurs spontaneously in transgenic lines containing defective or wild type cDNA of TMV integrated chromosomally (Turpen, T. H., Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Riverside, pp. 106-132 (1992), Yamaya, J., et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 211:520-525 (1988)). Thus, once chromosomally integrated, viral replication can be derived from the process of host cell transcription.
Plant virus infections are initiated by mechanical damage to the plant cell wall. Following replication in the initially wounded cells, progeny viruses spread over short distances (cell-to-cell movement) before entering vascular tissue for long distance movement. Studies with chimeric tobamoviruses indicate that the coat protein is required for efficient long distance movement. However, a virus where the coat protein has been deleted or inactivated moves over short distances as does wild type virus (Dawson W. O. and Hilf, M. E., Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 43:527-555 (1992)).
In the case of TMV, functional 30-kDa movement protein is absolutely required for cell-to-cell movement in whole plants, but can be deleted or inactivated without affecting replication in protoplasts or inoculated leaves (reviewed in Citovsky, V., Zambryski, P., BioEssays 13:373-379 (1991) and Deom, C. M., Lapidot, M., and Beachy, R. N., Cell 69:221-224 (1992)).
A sequence located within the 30 kDa movement protein gene of the U1 strain of TMV serves as the origin of assembly. It is at this origin of assembly that the TMV RNA and the viral capsid protein spontaneously aggregate to initiate the assembly of virions (Butler, P. J. G., Mayo, M. A., Molecular architecture and assembly of tobacco mosaic virus particles, The molecular biology of the positive strand RNA viruses. (D. J. Rowlands, M. A. Mayo, and B. W. J. Mahy, eds.), Academic Press, London. pp. 237-257 (1987)). A functional origin of assembly is also required for efficient long distance movement (Saito, T., Yamanaka, K., and Okada, Y., Virology 176:329-336 (1990)). There does not appear to be any additional requirements for packaging. A variety of heterologous sequences can be encapsidated yielding rod-shaped virions whose lengths are proportional to the size of the RNA molecule containing the origin of assembly (Dawson, W. O. et al., Virology 172:285-292 (1989)).
Construction of plant RNA viruses for the introduction and expression of foreign genes in plants is demonstrated by French, R., et al., Science 231:1294-1297 (1986); Takamatsu, N., et al., EMBO J 6:307-311 (1987); Ahlquist, P., et al., Viral Vectors, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 183-189 (1988); Dawson, W. O., et al., Phytopathology 78:783-789 (1988); Dawson, W. O., et al., Virology 172:285-292 (1989); Cassidy, B., and Nelson, R., Phytopathology 80:1037 (1990); Joshi, R. L., et al., EMBO J. 9:2663-2669 (1990); Jupin, I., et al., Virology 178:273-280 (1990); Takamatsu, N., et al., FEBS Letters 269:73-76 (1990); Japanese Published Application No. 63-14693 (1988); European Patent Application No. 067,553; and European Patent Application No. 194,809, European Patent Application No. 278,667. Most of the viral vectors constructed in these references were not shown to be capable of systemic movement in whole plants. Rather, gene expression has only been confirmed in inoculated leaves. In other cases, systemic movement and expression of the foreign gene by the viral vector was accompanied by rapid loss of the foreign gene sequence (Dawson, W. O., et al., Virology 172:285 (1989)).
With further improvements, successful vectors have been developed based on tobamoviruses for rapid gene transfer to plants. (Donson et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 88:7204-7208 (1991)). For example, the .alpha.-trichosanthin gene was added to the genome of a tobamovirus vector under the transcriptional control of a subgenomic promoter obtained from a strain distantly related to wild type TMV (Turpen, T. H., Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Riverside, pp. 72-87 (1992)). This vector is an autonomous virus, containing all known viral functions. Two weeks post-inoculation, transfected Nicotiana benthamiana plants accumulated .alpha.-trichosanthin to levels of at least 2% total soluble protein. Purified recombinant .alpha.-trichosanthin produced by this method was correctly processed and had the same specific activity as the enzyme derived from the native source. Therefore, messenger RNA produced by viral RNA amplification in whole plants is fully functional. However, after prolonged replication of certain sequences using this vector, some genetic instability was observed primarily due to recombinational deletions and point mutations (Kearney, C. M., et al., Virology (in press)).
Recently, very similar results were obtained using gene vectors derived from additional plus sense RNA viruses infecting plants; a potyvirus, tobacco etch virus ((Dolja, V., et al., PNAS 89:10208-10212 (1992) and a potexvirus, potato virus X (Chapman, S., et al., Plant Journal 2:549-557 (1992)).
Therefore, the major functional disadvantages of existing prior art viral vectors are their genetic instability regarding the fidelity of maintenance of some non-viral foreign genes in systemically infected whole plants, after prolonged replication and passaging. For many products, it will be desirable to increase the genetic fidelity by lowering the proportion of deletion and other variants in amplified populations.
An additional concern regarding the use of viral vectors for the expression of foreign genes in transgenic plants is biological containment of the viral vectors encoding for foreign genes.

Viral amplification of recombinant messenger RNA in transgenic plants


Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for handling emergency calls from a mobile VoIP device. According to one embodiment, handling an emergency call from a Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device can comprise registering a physical address associated with the mobile VoIP device, periodically determining a current location of the mobile VoIP device, dynamically updating a current address associated with the mobile VoIP device based on the determined current location of the mobile VoIP device, and initiating an emergency call from the mobile VoIP device, the emergency call selectively using either the registered physical address or the dynamically updated current address.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to methods and systems for handling emergency calls and more particularly to handling emergency calls from a mobile Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) device.
Emergency calls placed to 9-1-1 from a fixed circuit switched landline over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) may be routed to a proper public safety system such as a dispatcher for local fire or police agencies based on a known physical location at which the PSTN landline is installed. Similarly, Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) devices must register a permanent address (or other known physical location) during initial activation of the mobile VoIP device. Emergency calls placed from the device use this registered address to route the call to the appropriate public safety system sometimes known as a Public Safety Answering System (PSAP). This registered address may be updated by the user accessing the VoIP service provider account and editing profile information at any time. However, this is not always done when the user moves or takes the mobile VoIP device to a new location. Therefore, this address may be erroneous in situations in which there is no cellular service and the mobile VoIP device is connected to a WiFi access point that is not at or near the registered address. Hence, there is a need for improved methods and systems for handling emergency calls from a mobile VoIP device.

Dynamic 911 location registration for mobile VoIP device


A leg exerciser includes two turning disks removable united with the base plate and supplied with adjustable resistance elements, electronic module to measure weight distribution, and stabilizing elements. The base plate furnishes a plurality of horizontal, vertical, and angular positions of each disk providing symmetrical weight bearing of the user imparting rotary movements of each leg independently against resistance.

This invention is relative to a device for exercising muscles of either one or both feet, ankles and lower legs of a patient or an athlete. More specifically it relates to an exerciser which permits the patient or an athlete to stand on one or two rotating platforms and manipulate the platforms so as to exercise the lower extremities against a resistance.