The present invention provides a correlator and a demodulation device including, first and second filter sections having different non-overlapping pass-frequency characteristics, first and second delay circuits that delay the signals output from the first and second filter section by one effective OFDM symbol period, first and second complex conjugate circuits that take the complex conjugates of the delayed signals, first and second complex operation sections that compute the complex-multiplies of the signals from the first and second filter sections and the respective signals for the first and second complex conjugate circuits, first and second moving average processing sections that take moving averages of GI lengths, proportion determination circuit that compares the maximum values of the autocorrelations from each of the first and second moving average processing circuits, and selection-combination circuit that selects the autocorrelation having the largest maximum value based on the comparison result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a correlator that determines the correlation between an OFDM signal, which has an effective symbol period and a guard interval in which part of the effective symbol signal has been copied, and a delay signal obtained by delaying the OFDM signal. The present invention also relates to a demodulation device that includes the correlator. The present invention in particular relates to a correlator and a demodulation device including the correlator, capable of deriving autocorrelation from which influence of undesired power has been removed even when undesired power is incorporated in the received signal band.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation method has been used as a modulation method in digital terrestrial broadcasting.
In the OFDM method, multiple subcarriers with different center frequencies are utilized to transmit symbols. Here, a symbol is a set of data transmitted in one modulation.
One symbol cycle is configured as a result of a guard interval (GI) being added to the effective symbol period. In the OFDM method, as shown in FIG. 9, part of the effective symbol signal serving as the actual demodulation target is copied and inserted between effective symbol signals as a repeated waveform. This allows OFDM to suppress the influence of multipath interference. The interval of this copied waveform is the guard interval.
In the case of demodulating this OFDM signal, the received OFDM signal is digitally converted by an A/D converter, the guard interval is removed, the effective symbol signal is extracted, and the effective symbol signal is demodulated by a fast Fourier transformer (FFT). Namely, as shown in FIG. 8, a correlation value between the received OFDM signal and the signal obtained by delaying the OFDM signal by the length of the effective symbol period is determined. Additionally, a maximum value of a value obtained by integrating this correlation value is extracted, and, on the basis of the timing of this maximum value, the guard interval is removed, the effective symbol period is extracted, and the effective symbol period is demodulated by the FFT (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 11-163824 and JP-A No. 2000-059332).
However, as shown in FIG. 11, sometimes an undesired waveform signal (hereinafter referred to as "undesired power" or "undesired signal") having particular frequencies and large electrical power may be incorporated in the received signal band. Such undesired power does not have periodicity from copying the identical signal component such as the OFDM signal. Consequently, a rise in the proportion of undesired power causes a greater unintended fall in the correlation relationship. When the correlation value becomes too small, timing synchronization cannot be achieved based on the correlation value. This results in adverse impact on reception quality and sometimes reception cannot be obtained.
In consideration of the above, a technique is proposed to remove the incorporated undesired power by inserting a filter (see, for example JP-A No. 9-321733).
However, in the technique described in JP-A No. 9-321733, only the one OFDM symbol delayed signal is passed through the filter from the two input signals employed for obtaining a correlation. Accordingly, particular noise may remain in the input signal to the correlator, that is not delayed by one OFDM symbol. Consequently, the technique of JP-A No. 9-321733 is not satisfactory for securing robustness to noise with an intense particular frequency component.

Correlator and demodulation device including correlator


A laser illuminator emitting a circular profile of substantially uniform intensity is presented. The laser illuminator may include a heat sink configured to optically couple to a laser light source. The heat sink may include a beam dump cavity configured to absorb light from the laser light source, and a circularizer aperture having a cylindrical, flat-top opening and being configured to shape a portion of laser light emitted from the laser light source to exit the heat sink. The laser illuminator may also include a collimation lens configured to collect the light exited from the heat sink and provide a focused beam of light, and a scatter clean-up aperture optically coupled to the collimation lens. The scatter clean-up aperture may be configured to absorb scatter laser light rays, and provide from the focused beam of light an output beam of light comprising a circular profile of substantially uniform intensity.

Laser illuminator devices may be used to illuminate a focused area using laser light. Some uses include supplying night vision in search and rescue, hunting, and illuminating other targets. Laser illuminators may supply a focused beam of light to an area ranging from the size of a golf ball to a small automobile. The area of illumination may be adjusted by the illuminator device in some cases. Laser illuminators may illuminate a target at a distance of dozens to thousands of meters away, depending on the power used. The shape of the light beam (e.g., the beam profile), however, may be uneven, or may illuminate a target with an uneven intensity. It may be desirable, therefore, to improve the beam profile to provide a more circular illumination area with a more even intensity.


A hoist for construction sites, for carrying loads suspended from a crane. The hoist is C shaped, suspended at its top arm by a cable of a crane. The bottom arm carries a hook, typically vertically movable, for lifting and moving loads about in the construction site. Owing to its lateral opening, the hoist can deliver loads into the interior space of floors, using minimal crew and relying mainly on the crane for maneuverability.

Relocation of building material and associated tools constitutes a substantial effort on behalf of a construction team in a construction site. Transferring of building material from unloading locations to sites of consumption, is a mechanized task, often employing cranes and various other mechanical instruments. The present invention provides means for minimizing costs, reducing manpower, increasing speed and simplifying the labour involved in relocation within the framework of a construction project.


A method of detecting bit errors in serial digital video uses a digital demodulator to process a parallel video data signal derived from the serial digital video. The output of the demodulator is converted to analog, lowpass filtered, squared and compared with a threshold value. The result of the comparison produces an error signal when bit errors occur. The bit errors may be counted over a predetermined time period, may be used to switch a data filter into the video data output path to conceal the bit errors, and may be used to map the bit errors to a display for visualization of the location of the errors within a video image represented by the serial digital video.

The present invention relates to measurement of the performance of a serial digital data link, and more particularly to a method of error detection/concealment for serial digital video that operates in-service without any special data coding.
Currently the Digital Serial Standard for transferring either composite or component digital video is subject to debate. The proposed Digital Serial Standard uses a scrambler/descrambler to lower the DC component of the serial data stream and to facilitate clock recovery. A measure of the performance of the serial digital transfer link is needed to determine threshold headroom. Bit Error Rate (BER) is an industry standard measure of link performance, especially when the link is not "bursty" or data dependent. However, BER testers are usually used out-of-service since they must source test data to stress the link.
Recently a new method has been proposed, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,666 issued May 4, 1993 to Robert Elkind et al entitled "Error Detection for digital Television Equipment", that entails inserting a Cyclic Redundancy Code (CRC) in every field at a transmitting device to allow a receiver to determine, among other things, if one or more bit errors have occurred in the field. This allows BER determination up to about an average of five errors/field and requires that all transmitting and receiving devices have the encoding and decoding hardware installed.
What is desired is a method of error detection/concealment for serial digital video that operates in-service without any special data coding required.

Error detection/concealment for serial digital video


A coaxial LiDAR system having a reduced adjustment complexity and reduced installation space includes a transmitter unit designed to emit LiDAR radiation, a receiver unit designed to detect incident LiDAR radiation, and an optical system for imaging LiDAR radiation, the radiation emitted by the transmitter unit and the radiation from the optical system incident upon the receiver unit being transmitted in collinear form, the emitting surface of the transmitter unit being situated outside of the focus of the imaging optical system.

Existing LiDAR systems are generally designed to be biaxial. This means that both the transmitter unit and the receiver unit have their own lens systems for optical imaging. In these systems, it is necessary to align the transmitter unit very precisely with respect to the receiver unit, so that the radiation reflected by an external object can be bundled by the receiving optical system onto a corresponding detector and not pass by it. In particular, when multiple channels must be adjusted, this means a significant effort in adjustment. Furthermore, biaxial structures require a sufficiently large installation space because of their optical system being separated spatially from one another.
In addition to biaxial systems, coaxial systems are also known. The challenge here is to separate the transmission path from the reception path without experiencing any significant restrictions in system performance. Approaches in this regard use beam splitters, aperture mirrors or similar methods, among other things. However, such systems also require a precise alignment and adjustment of the individual components. Furthermore, the minimum installation space required is also limited due to the required separation between the incident radiation and the emitted radiation.
The laser beam emitted by a LiDAR system is generally shaped by optical systems. The transmission optical system is mostly positioned for this purpose in such a way that the least possible beam divergence (defining the spatial resolution of the LiDAR system) of the emitted beam is achieved. This is the case in particular when the beam is collimated. In the case of a simple lens, this means that the distance between the lens and the laser source of the transmitter unit corresponds exactly to the focal length of the lens.
If the light backscattered from an external object (so-called useful beam) is collected by the same optical system in the case of a coaxial system, it is essentially imaged again directly on the laser facet. The beam therefore cannot be detected since the receiver cannot be placed in the beam without covering the emitted beam. Inside such a LiDAR system, the transmitted beam and the received beam essentially coincide (see FIG. 1).


A first adjustable stop on a jack member selectively adjusts an incline stop gap while a second adjustable stop on a support element selectively adjusts a decline stop gap. Stop surfaces on the first adjustable stop and the support element may define the incline stop gap, while stop surfaces on the second adjustable stop and the first adjustable stop may define the decline stop gap. A number of turns of a stop needed to effect a desired of adjustment may be determined using a pitch, lead, and/or number of starts of threads used to mount the stops.

The disclosure relates generally to adjustment and control of a jack, and more particularly to adjustment and control of stop gaps in a hydraulic jack.
In the assembly and/or disassembly of double-wall gas turbine casing assemblies, roller jacks may be employed to move portions of the assemblies. For example, a lower half of a casing assembly may be supported on roller jacks after removal of the upper half for access to the interior of the gas turbine. Because typical double-wall casing assemblies are very heavy, the roller jacks that are employed are usually hydraulic jacks, which can handle very large loads despite being relatively small and easy to handle. However, fine tuning the positioning of a hydraulic jack can be difficult, which may lead to improper alignment and/or damage of tight assembly clearance parts of gas turbines with which they are used. For example, overshoot during extension of a hydraulic jack may cause a collision of the casing into a turbine blade tip. In addition, hydraulic jacks have a tendency to retract under load if left extended for a period of time so that repositioning may become necessary if a user leaves the jack to adjust another portion of the casing assembly.


Solder bump structures for semiconductor device packaging is provided. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a substrate having a bond pad and a first passivation layer formed thereabove, the first passivation layer having an opening therein exposing a portion of the bond pad. A metal pad layer is formed on a portion of the bond pad, wherein the metal pad layer contacts the bond pad. A second passivation layer is formed above the metal pad layer, the second passivation layer having an opening therein exposing a portion of the metal pad layer. A patterned and etched polyimide layer is formed on a portion of the metal pad layer and a portion of the second passivation layer. A conductive layer is formed above a portion of the etched polyimide layer and a portion of the metal pad layer, wherein the conductive layer contacts the metal pad layer. A conductive bump structure is connected to the conductive layer.

The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to solder bump structures in the packaging of semiconductor devices.
The packaging of integrated circuit (IC) chips is one of the most important steps in the manufacturing process, contributing significantly to the overall performance, reliability, and cost of the packaged chip. As semiconductor devices reach higher levels of integration, packaging technologies, such as chip bonding, have become critical. With the continued reduction in device sizes, the density of devices on a chip increases, along with the size of the chip, thereby making chip bonding more challenging. One of the major problems leading to package failure as chip sizes increase is the increasingly difficult problem of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatches between materials leading to stress buildup and consequent failure. More specifically, in flip-chip packaging, a series of solder bumps are formed upon a semiconductor substrate in order to facilitate physical and electrical connection of the die to a separate substrate. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional solder bump structure, which contains the following sub-components:    10 is a semiconductor substrate over which the solder bump is to be formed.    12 is the contact pad, typically containing copper or aluminum, which is to be brought into contact with the solder bump to be formed.    14 is a patterned first passivation layer.    16 is a metal pad layer, typically containing aluminum, which may be input/output routing traces.    18 is a patterned second passivation layer.    20 is a patterned layer of insulation that contains polyimide.    22 is a layer of Under Bump Metallurgy (UBM), and    24 is the formed solder bump.
In advanced IC packaging, the formation of solder bump structures onto the die requires the use of polyimide for planarization in order to facilitate proper attachment of the solder bumps to a separate die. The polyimide layer needs to be applied on the passivation layer in order to planarize the IC surface to resolve the UBM step-coverage problem. More specifically, a layer of polyimide produces a surface in which the step height of underlying features, such as input/output routing traces is reduced, and step slopes are gentle and smooth. It is common in the industry for a polyimide layer to be deposited across the entire semiconductor die following the formation of a passivation layer. However, with the polyimide layer applied globally on the die, chip warpage becomes an issue due to the high coefficient of thermal expansion mismatches between the polyimide layer and the underlying and adjacent structures. A change in the polyimide characteristics may limit the adhesion of the polyimide layer to the underlying passivation layers, as well as to the overlying Under Bump Metallurgy layers thereby leading to device performance and reliability problems, which in turn reduces production yield.
For these reasons and other reasons that will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description, there is a need for an improved solder bump structure in advanced IC packaging such as flip chip that avoids the problems associated with conventional solder bump structures.

Solder bump structure and method of manufacturing same

Taiwan Seminconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A portable telematics device can be a tablet or a mobile device. The tablet and mobile device can combine to run applications via a communication link and form a link with a vehicle and/or another mobile device. The tablet can also have a telematics component which has a display component displaying a selected program icon from the mobile station on the tablet and a control component. The control component can be configured to prevent a use of all program icons on the mobile station. Further, it can allow a use of the selected program icon on the tablet, which can activate a related program on the mobile station. The display component can display at least an output of the related program on the tablet.

In recent years, vehicle manufactures have begun providing telematics systems in some of their vehicles. Telematics refers to the integration of computing, wireless communications, and GPS for sending, receiving and storing information over vast networks. More specifically, the term can refer to automobile systems that provide a variety of emergency and navigational services to motorists. Telematics systems allow drivers to browse the Internet, send and receive e-mails, receive live traffic updates, listen to satellite radio, and perform various other activities. Most of these tasks can be done hands-free through voice recognition.
Current telematics systems include the Ford Sync®, GM/Chevrolet's new infotainment system and On Star®, the Toyoda Entune™, Renault R-Link™, and other systems in luxury vehicles offered by BMW and Audi. These in-vehicle telematics systems are not offered in every vehicle, the hardware cannot be updated as the systems age without removing and replacing the entertainment system, and may not support the particular mobile stations owned by the user. Further, they are typically an added expense to the vehicle and may be cost prohibitive for some drivers. Older, or more inexpensive vehicles, cannot typically be retrofit to include a telematics system.
Hence a need exists for a system that can to act as a telematics system in any vehicle and can easily be removed, upgraded and transferred from vehicle to vehicle.


The disclosed method includes: first generating, from data of a plurality of parts that are string-shaped or band-shaped parts formed by end surfaces and side surfaces, first data including control point candidate data for control point candidates within the end surfaces, end surface data defining the end surfaces and path candidate data for path candidates between the control point candidates, for each of the plurality of parts; second generating second data of continuous shape paths representing continuous parts by searching the first data for parts having same control point candidate data and same end surface data; and third generating third data including data of control points determined on end surface portion of the parts and data of paths between the control points for the continuous shape paths and a group of the continuous shape paths from the first data and the second data.

Currently, three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) systems are used in the development of various kinds of mechanical products. A three-dimensional CAD system models the shape of a mechanical product by accurately defining that shape mathematically. Because the three-dimensional CAD system mathematically and precisely defines the shape of the mechanical product, the three-dimensional CAD system is able to accurately express the static assembled state, however, on the other hand, is not able to express movement of an object well.
However, in the work of assembling the mechanical product, movement of the parts and units are both involved. Many mechanical products have movable parts. Therefore, the verification that it is able to assemble the mechanical product without any problems and that the movable parts function properly is an important point in the design process. When attempting to use the three-dimensional CAD system to carry out this kind of verification concerning the movable portions, sufficient response speed is often difficult. Therefore, a design verification apparatus such as a digital mockup (DMU) system is now often used.
Similar to the three-dimensional CAD system, a DMU system is a system that generates a product model in the virtual space of the computer, and simulates the functions, ease of assembly, operability and the like of the product. In the DMU system, by greatly improving the operability of the system compared with the three-dimensional CAD system, it is possible to easily perform dynamic verification that involves the movement of the parts and units. By using the DMU system, it becomes possible to discover, in an earlier stage, problems that conventionally were not known without making a prototype.
Currently, in the field related to the three-dimensional CAD and DMU, harness design and verification has gained much attention. A harness is a single or plural electric wires or optical cables that have been processed to form a flexible and deformable part. In order to set the wiring arrangement, it is necessary that both the mechanical design and electrical design be completed to a certain extent, so conventionally, harness design was often postponed until later. Actually, it was often the case that after a prototype was completed, an actual harness was installed in the prototype and the length was adjusted, and problems concerning the harness might be discovered late.
In present-day products in which parts or units are very densely mounted, there is a high possibility that, due to various problems such as having to forcibly bend the harness and poor workability during installation, interference between the harness and other parts or units, major reworking will occur. Therefore, there is a need for harness design and verification to be started at a relatively early stage in the design process.
Recently, some commercially sold three-dimensional CAD systems include functions for supporting harness design. The main objective of these is to carry out modeling by importing design in the electrical system into the three-dimensional CAD system. In other words, the harness shape is created in the three-dimensional CAD system according to a connection list that is created in the design of the electrical system. However, as mentioned above, in the three-dimensional CAD system, dynamically verifying the movement of the harness during assembly or when movable parts move is difficult. Moreover, even when the model of a harness, which was created in the three-dimensional CAD system, is imported into the DMU system, the harness that was created using the three-dimensional CAD system is imported into the DMU system as a rigid body solid model. Therefore, it is not possible to use a simple method to perform verification of the harness as a flexible object in the DMU system.
Incidentally, a technique for performing verification of a harness by defining the harness in a DMU system already exists. In such a DMU system, verification is carried out by defining the harness by the endpoints, the cross sectional shape and the path, and simulating change in the path of the harness when parts and units are moved.
However, because the design of the mechanical products is performed using the three-dimensional CAD system, when a problem concerning the harness is discovered in the DMU system, design changes are performed in the three-dimensional CAD system based on the verification results by the DMU system. However, the design changes using the three-dimensional CAD system while referencing the verification results by the DMU system is very complex work. On the other hand, when performing verification again in the DMU system after the model of the harness has been corrected in the three-dimensional CAD system, a harness is created again in the DMU system.
This becomes very complex work, so preferably it would be possible to convert data from the DMU system to the three-dimensional CAD system, and conversely from the three-dimensional CAD system to the DMU system.
Namely, conventionally, it is impossible to appropriately exchange data of the flexible objects between a design verification apparatus and the three-dimensional CAD system.


Electric machines which are excited with permanent magnets are to be improved in terms of their smoothness of operation and their loss properties. For this purpose, an electric machine is proposed comprising a first active part (40) on which one electric magnet (41, 42) and at least one permanent magnet (44) are mounted, and a second active part (43) which has a multiplicity of pole teeth (45, 46) and which interacts magnetically with the first active part (40). The pole teeth (45, 46) are spaced apart from one another in a non-uniform fashion in the direction (3) of the movement of the electric machine and/or have different average widths from one another, with the respective width of a tooth being measured in the direction (3) of movement and being averaged in terms of the extent of the tooth in the transverse direction with respect to the direction of travel. The geometry of the tooth causes the harmonics of the magnetic field to be influenced in a selective fashion. The second active part can be implemented cost-effectively as, for example, a simple punched sheet-metal part.

The present invention relates to an electrical machine with a first active part, on which at least one electromagnet and at least one permanent magnet are fitted, and a second active part, which has a large number of pole teeth and which interacts magnetically with the first active part.
Linear motors typically have the design as is reproduced schematically in FIG. 1. A primary part 1 is capable of moving over a secondary part 2 in the travel direction 3. The primary part has teeth 4 which are of uniform width and are spaced apart uniformly. A coil 5 is wound around each of these teeth 4. This is referred to as concentrated coils in the primary part 1. Such a design of a linear motor has the disadvantage, however, that construction-related harmonics of the magnetic field impair the synchronism of the motor.
In order to avoid this disadvantage, a linear motor has been developed in which the primary part has teeth of different widths. Such a linear motor is sketched in FIG. 2. The primary part 10 in this case has wide teeth 11 and narrow teeth 12. A coil 13 is wound around each wide tooth 11. The secondary part 14 has permanent magnets 15 and therefore has the same construction as the secondary part 2 of the linear motor in FIG. 1. A torque motor of this type with a small tooth between the coils is described, inter alia, in the documents DE 101 24 415 A1 and DE 102 48 771 A1.
One disadvantage of the linear motors in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 consists in the fact that the secondary part is complex in terms of manufacture and expensive permanent magnets are required along the entire travel path.

Electrical machine with nonuniform pole teeth


A battery-backed cache system with a pluggable battery module. The system includes a RAID controller and a cache. A back up power board is provided upon which a second power connector is provided and the two power connectors are connected. A socket assembly is mounted on the board and is connected to the second power connector. The socket assembly is a standard socket for use with PC Cards and includes a bulkhead adapter for mounting to a case wall with a slot of the socket assembly accessible through the case wall. A battery module is included having a body with dimensions corresponding to the slot. A battery is positioned within the body and a connection interface is provided in the battery module for mating with the socket assembly. The body and connection interface of the battery module comply with PCMCIA specifications for card bodies and interfaces.

The protection and availability of data is an ongoing and growing concern in the computer industry. An increasingly common method of protecting data, such as configuration data or received instructions, is to provide a data cache for processors and controllers. To protect the data, the cache is provided power not only from system power sources but also a battery dedicated to the cache. This arrangement is typically referred to as "battery-backed cache" and is used to protect cached data in the event of a power outage or equipment failure, such as failure of a server, a processor, or a controller. For example, RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) controllers are typically designed to use a cache to store data in read-ahead, write-back, and other operations, and the RAID controller cache is battery-backed to retain the data during a system or power failure to allow later completion of these operations when the system restarts. In RAID and other similar systems, data availability is the overriding design concern with cost being a secondary issue, and nearly any system improvement that enhances uptime and data availability is not only useful but compelling.
While protecting data, existing battery-backed cache systems are difficult to maintain. In RAID controller systems, the battery used to provide back up power for the RAID controller cache generally has to be replaced periodically, e.g., every 1 to 3 years. In standard arrangements, the cache battery is provided on the same card or board as the RAID controller within the case or housing that structurally holds or encloses the RAID controller system. To replace the cache battery, the RAID controller system must be powered down, which requires scheduling of the maintenance as the RAID controller is unavailable during battery replacement. Then, the computer or device housing is disassembled to allow removal of the RAID/cache battery board, such as by unplugging the board from the system backplane. The battery is unscrewed or otherwise removed from the board or card, replaced with a new battery, the board or card is reinserted into the case or the backplane, and the case or housing is reassembled. The complexity of the battery replacement generally requires a technician to properly service the battery-backed cache system.
Hence, there remains a need for an improved cache battery module or system that facilitates replacement of a cache battery or other battery used to provide back up power for a computer component. Preferably, such a module or system would be adapted to reduce or eliminate the need for powering down the host or processor system. Further, it is preferable that the module or system be configured to allow customer replacement of the cache or back up battery.

Battery-backed computer system with externally replaceable battery module


Glyphosate-tolerant 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate (EPSP) synthases, DNA encoding glyphsate-tolerant EPSP synthases, plant genes encoding the glyphosate-tolerant enzymes, plant transformation vectors containing the genes, transformed plant cells and differentiated transformed plants containing the plant genes are disclosed. The glyphosate-tolerant EPSP synthases are prepared by substituting an alanine residue for a glycine residue in a first conserved sequence found between positions 80 and 120, and a threonine residue for an alanine residue in a second conserved sequence found between positions 170 and 210 in the mature wild type EPSP synthase.

Recent advances in genetic engineering have provided the requisite tools to transform plants to contain foreign genes. It is now possible to produce plants which have unique characteristics of agronomic importance. Certainly, one such advantageous trait is herbicide tolerance. Herbicide-tolerant crop plants could reduce the need for tillage to control weeds, thereby effectively reducing costs to the farmer.
One herbicide which is the subject of much investigation in this regard is N-phosphonomethylglycine. ##STR1## This herbicide is a non-selective, broad spectrum, postemergence herbicide which is registered for use on more than fifty crops. This molecule is an acid, which dissociates in aqueous solution to form phytotoxic anions. Several anionic forms are known. As used herein, the term "glyphosate" refers to the acid and its anions.
Glyphosate inhibits the shikimic acid pathway which provides a precursor for the synthesis of aromatic amino acids. Specifically, glyphosate inhibits the conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate and 3-phosphoshikimic acid to 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimic acid by inhibiting the enzyme 5-enolpyruvyl-3-phosphoshikimate synthase (EPSPS or EPSP synthase).
It has been shown that glyphosate-tolerant plants can be produced by inserting into the genome of the plant the capacity to produce a higher level of EPSP synthase.
The present invention provides a means of enhancing the effectiveness of glyphosate-tolerant plants by producing variant EPSP synthase enzymes which exhibit a lower affinity for glyphosate while maintaining catalytic activity.


A lipstick holder with mirror including a cylindrical housing member that has a base member with an extension tube. Included is a cylindrical cap member that is sized for removable positioning over the extension tube of the cylindrical housing. Lastly, included is a reflective member having a disk-like shape for rotatably coupling to the end wall of the cylindrical cap member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lipstick holder with mirror and more particularly pertains to providing a lipstick container with a cover that has a reflective member attached to an end wall, the reflective member further allowing the lipstick use to view their lips when applying lipstick.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a mirror is known in the prior art. More specifically, mirrors heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of providing lipstick holders with a reflective member are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art includes U.S. Pat. Des. 354,373 to Khoury discloses a combined lipstick case, mirror and cosmetic applicators. U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,696 to Greene disclosed a mirrored lipstick container. U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,478 to Ryder discloses a combined lipstick holder and lip brush case with a mirror and clip. U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,128 to Caires discloses a lipstick application assisting device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,546 to Acker discloses a combination lipstick display and storage container. Lastly, U.S. Pat. Des. 243,124 to Horowitz discloses a combined lipstick holder and mirror.
In this respect, the lipstick holder with mirror according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a lipstick container with a cover that has a reflective member attached to an end wall, the reflective member further allowing the lipstick use to view their lips when applying lipstick.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved lipstick holder with mirror which can be used for providing a lipstick container with a cover that has a reflective member attached to an end wall, the reflective member further allowing the lipstick use to view their lips when applying lipstick. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A fatty tissue image display device includes a light source, an ultrasonic wave transmission/reception mechanism, an analysis unit which calculates a velocity change of ultrasonic waves after irradiation with a heating beam as compared to before irradiation with light, a display control unit which displays the distribution of the calculated velocity change of the ultrasonic waves, a designation unit which waits for the designation of a region of interest, a histogram calculation unit which, based on luminance information or color information within the designated region of interest, calculates the histograms of a fatty region showing a negative velocity change of the ultrasonic waves and a normal region showing a positive velocity change of the ultrasonic waves, and an index calculation unit which, from the calculated histograms of the fatty and normal regions, calculates a fatty change index that is an index of a proportion of fatty tissue.

Diagnostic imaging devices include roentgen devices for X-ray photographs, X-ray CT devices, PET devices, MRI devices and diagnostic ultrasonic devices, each of which has good points and bad points in terms of the cost for installing the device, the ability to diagnose a certain body area, the time for examination, whether or not there is a problem of exposure to radiation, and whether or not a chemical needs to be injected, and thus, they are used for different purposes of examination.
From among these diagnostic imaging devices, diagnostic ultrasonic devices and MRI devices are excellent with regards to safety because there are no problems of exposure to radiation. In addition, diagnostic ultrasonic devices are superior to MRI devices that also do not use radiation in the points that the cost of the device is low and the device is compact, which makes it portable.
Visceral obesity is cited as one risk factor of diseases from poor living habits, such as myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, diabetes and fatty liver, and thus, those who have a high risk of getting a disease from poor living habits or obesity are diagnosed as having metabolic syndrome so that measures for preventing a disease can be taken from the point of view of preventive medicine. In order to diagnose whether a person has metabolic syndrome, it is necessary to check the amount of visceral fat.
In the case where a lump is found during mammary cancer screening, it is necessary to examine whether the lump is merely fat, which is a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. In such a case, if whether the lump is made of fatty tissue can be easily detected, it can be judged to be benign or malignant using other references.
As described above, in some cases it is necessary to examine whether or not some tissues in a region of interest (ROI) within a living body are fatty tissue. In such a case, fatty tissue can be detected through image diagnosis using an X-ray CT device. However, the use of an X-ray CT device gives rise to the problem of exposing a subject to radiation.
Therefore, an examination for fatty tissue using ultrasonic wave tomography has been proposed as a safe imaging diagnostic method that does not cause a problem of exposure to radiation (see Non-Patent Document 1).
The velocity of the ultrasonic waves that propagate through muscles and internal organs (intestines, kidneys) is similar to the velocity of sound that propagates through water at a temperature of 37° C., and thus is generally 1500 m/sec or faster. In contrast, the velocity of the ultrasonic waves that propagate through fatty tissue is 1500 m/sec or slower, and therefore, the distribution of fat in the portion of a subject to be measured (abdominal region, for example) can be obtained from the data on the velocity of the ultrasonic waves in the case where it is possible to measure the velocity of the ultrasonic waves travelling through the tissues that form the abdominal region.
According to the ultrasonic wave tomography disclosed in the above document, the difference in the velocity of the sound that travels through different substances is used to estimate the amount of visceral fat by means of transmission measurement.
Meanwhile, a method for taking a tomographic image of the distribution of a change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves in a target region through irradiation with light (tomographic image of the distribution of light absorption) where a conventional reflection type diagnostic ultrasonic device is used, a mechanism for irradiating a target region with light is provided, and a change in the velocity of an ultrasonic wave echo signal after irradiation with light, as compared to the time before irradiation with light, is calculated (see Patent Document 1).
The tomographic image of this change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves (tomographic image of the distribution of light absorption) shows a change in the temperature in the target region due to the absorption of light for irradiation. That is to say, when a living body is irradiated with light, the distribution of the temperature within the living body depends on the light absorbing properties of the respective portions. The velocity of the ultrasonic waves that propagate through the living body changes depending on the temperature, and therefore, a change in the velocity of the ultrasonic wave echo signal after irradiation with light as compared to before irradiation with light can be found for each portion so that a tomographic image is gained, and thus, the distribution of the change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves, the distribution of a change in the temperature or the distribution of light absorption can be displayed as tomographic images.
Thus, fatty tissue displaying devices with which fatty tissue of a subject can be displayed by means of a reflective type diagnostic ultrasonic device using the properties of the ultrasonic waves that pass through the fatty tissue and muscle/internal organ tissue and of which the velocity changes depending on the temperature have been proposed (see Patent Document 2).
In general, changes in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves depending on the temperature are compared as follows:
Water: +2 m/sec·° C.
Fat: −4 m/sec·° C.
That is to say, the velocity of the ultrasonic waves that travel through muscle or internal organs (intestines, kidneys) that include a large amount of water increases as the temperature rises, while the velocity of the ultrasonic waves that travel through the fat portions lowers, and thus, the polarity in the change of the velocity of the ultrasonic waves reverses. Therefore, an ultrasonic wave echo signal that has been received from the target region of a subject when not irradiated with near infrared rays and an ultrasonic wave echo signal that has been received from the target region after being irradiated with near infrared rays are received by an ultrasonic imaging probe fabricated with array transducers. Subsequently, data on the change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves after irradiation with light in the target region is calculated on the basis of the ultrasonic wave echo signal before irradiation with light and the ultrasonic wave echo signal after irradiation with light. Then, the regions where a negative change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves is exhibited after irradiation with light are identified as fatty regions from the calculated data on the change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves.
FIGS. 13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams showing an example of tomographic images of fatty tissue described in Patent Document 2, where FIG. 13(a) is a diagram for illustrating a phantom that is a target object, FIG. 13(b) is a B mode image thereof, and FIG. 13(c) is an image showing the change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves.
The main body of the phantom is made of an agar including intralipid that is a light scattering material and a piece of beef tallow including a carbon powder is buried in a portion of the phantom so as to be a fatty region. The carbon powder is provided in order to efficiently heat the piece of beef tallow when irradiated with light and functions as a contrast medium. A piece of agar including a carbon powder having approximately the same size as the piece of beef tallow is also buried as a reference for comparison.
This sample was irradiated with a laser beam with a wavelength of 809 nm for approximately 15 seconds (0.1 W/cm2) so that data on a change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves could be obtained. The regions where the velocity of the ultrasonic waves exhibited a negative change after irradiation with light are indicated by blue, and the other regions are indicated by red.
As a result, the region that includes the fatty region is indicated by blue so that the position can be clarified in the image of a change in the velocity of the ultrasonic waves in FIG. 13(c), though this can barely be distinguished in the B mode image in FIG. 13(b).

OSAKA PREFECTURE UNIVERSITY PUBLIC CORPORATION


The present disclosure relates to a composition comprising a carnosine-magnesium complex. The composition is designed to be applied to the skin and causes an increase in carnosine levels in the body. The topical 5 composition comprising a carnosine-magnesium complex has the effect of improving an athlete's physical performance and may be effective for the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Also disclosed is a method for preparing the carnosine-magnesium complex.

Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is a naturally-occurring histidine-containing compound found in many animal tissues, including skeletal muscle, which is the most abundant source. Carnosine is a multifunctional dipeptide with a molecular weight of 226.23 Da. It is very hydrophilic having a partition coefficient (log P) of −2.972±0.436 (SciFinderScholar: Advanced Chemistry Development (ACD/labs) Software v8.14 for Solaris, TM 2007).
The molecular structure of carnosine is shown below:

It is a polydentate ligand having several potential binding sites: two imidazole nitrogen atoms, one carboxylic acid group and one amino group.
It is able to form metal complexes with a variety of metal ions, for example, with Ni2+, Mn2+, Cd2+, Ca2±, Sr2+ and Mg2+.
In order to form a complex with Mg2+, the carnosine is placed in aqueous solution where the carboxylic function of carnosine is deprotonated (pK=2.6) (E. J. Baran, Biochemistry, 2000, 65, 7, 789-797) to form a negatively charged anionic species:

In the presence of a magnesium salt, coordination with magnesium occurs via interaction of the carboxylic function and the N1 nitrogen of the imidazole ring to form a 1:1 cationic carnosine-magnesium complex with a stability constant of the order of 103 (E. J. Baran, Metal Complexes of Carnosine, Biochemistry, 2000, 65, 7, 789-797; G. R. Lenz and A. E. Martell, Biochemistry, 1964, 3, 750-753):

Carnosine is a constituent of several tissues and has numerous biological roles. For example, carnosine is used in enzyme regulation and sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium regulation (G. Begum, et al., Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2005, 15, 493-514). It is also able to act as a pH buffer and as an antioxidant.
Carnosine is broken down in the body by the enzyme carnosinase found in most tissues except skeletal muscle. This partially accounts for the high concentrations of carnosine found in skeletal muscle.
The concentration of carnosine in human skeletal muscle generally ranges from between 5 to 10 mM (wet weight) or from between 15 to 40 mmol/kg (dry weight). Concentrations differ from one animal species to another, partly due to the differences in muscle mass. For example, horses have been reported to have higher carnosine concentrations than greyhound dogs.
Carnosine levels are typically higher in fast-twitch muscle fibres compared to slow-twitch muscle fibres, which is in line with the observation that animals that frequently sprint, have explosive flight reactions, or undergo prolonged hypoxic dives, have higher initial carnosine concentrations.
Human athletes involved in anaerobic sports such as sprinters and bodybuilders were also found to have higher intramuscular concentrations of carnosine. Exercise training was reported to increase muscle carnosine concentrations in these types of athletes as observed by Goebel et al. for six male subjects that performed sprint training twice a week for a total of 16 training sessions. Muscle samples were collected from the vastus lateralis one week before training and again two days following the training protocol. Results revealed that muscle carnosine content and mean power output significantly increased after the eight weeks of training (A. S. B. Goebel et al., Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2012, 25: 281-287). Carnosine was first discovered as an intracellular pH buffer in 1953 by Severin and colleagues using frog muscle tissue (S. E. Severin, Effect of carnosine and anserine on action of isolated frog muscles—article in Russian—Dokl Akad Nauk SSSR 91: 691-694, 1953). Subsequent studies examining this relationship in human muscle tissue followed thereafter.
When skeletal muscles are involved in moderate to intense exercise, lactic acid is normally generated. This subsequently dissociates into lactate and H+. The production of protons can alter pH levels and it is known that the majority of protons produced in the blood during exercise are buffered by the bicarbonate buffering system. The pKa of this system is 6.1, which is less than that of carnosine (pKa of 6.83), and thus a greater pH change is needed to elicit benefits from this system. Since the pKa of carnosine is closer to the physiological pH, it is likely that this molecule acts as a primary buffer during high-intensity exercise. In fact, the imidazole group of the histidine moiety of carnosine makes it especially effective as a buffer, having a pKa value close to the intracellular pH, as one of the nitrogen atoms of the imidazole ring can be used to accept a proton (A. A. Boldyrev et al., Physiol Rev 93, 1803-1845, 2013).
A study conducted by Sewell and associates (D. A. Sewell et al., Equine Exercise Physiol 3, 276-280, 1991) specifically examined the buffering capability of carnosine in different horse fibre types. It was found that carnosine contributed to about 20% of the buffering in type I fibres and up to 46% in type IIb fibres. These findings are consistent with the observation that less lactic acid is accumulated in type I fibres due to the lower intensity muscle activity associated with this fibre type.
Aside from buffering effects, carnosine has been found to have other physiological roles. For example, it is able to act as an effective antioxidant against oxidative stress. During exercise, reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be produced due to increased respiration (causing an increase in electron flow in the electron transport system), or due to a decrease in pH (leading to oxygen being released from hemoglobin resulting in increased pO2 in the tissues). Some believe that the production of ROS is related to muscle fatigue during activity. Carnosine is also linked to enzyme regulation related to activation of myosin ATPase, which is used to help maintain ATP stores.
Finally, carnosine has been found to play a role in electron contraction (E-C) coupling in skeletal muscle. An early study by Lamont and Miller (C. Lamont et al., J Physiol 454, 421-434, 1992) showed that the presence of 15 mM of carnosine resulted in a significant increase in Ca2+ sensitivity in the muscle fibres of Rana Temporaria. More recently, Dutka and Lamb (T. L. Dutka et al., J Muscle Res Cell Motil, 25, 203-213, 2004) examined whether carnosine affects E-C coupling in functional fibres under physiological conditions. They used mechanically skinned rat extensor digitorum longus muscle fibres. Their results showed that carnosine did not affect Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum; however, carnosine was able to increase the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile components of the muscle fibres. It was suggested that an increase in Ca2+ sensitivity could help maintain force production in the later stages of fatigue once Ca2+ release begins to decrease. Therefore, higher levels of carnosine can help offset the decrease in Ca2+ as well as the accumulation of H+ ions during high-intensity exercise.
Considering that carnosine assists in controlling Ca2+ and lactic acid concentrations, acting in addition as an effective antioxidant against oxidative stress, the formulation of a topical product that increases the concentration of carnosine in the body would be of remarkable cosmetic and pharmaceutical interest.
It is well understood that in order for a medicament to function, the active ingredient contained in the medicament must be delivered to the specific site of action in an effective concentration and at the right time. Although these requirements apply to all types of active ingredients, they are particularly important in dermo-cosmetic science for active ingredients having topical functionality (J. W. Wiechers; Skin Delivery: What It Is and Why We Need It; Science and Applications of Skin Delivery Systems; 2008).
An active ingredient that is topically applied to the skin must be able to penetrate the uppermost barrier of the skin, the Stratum Corneum (SC), before being delivered to its site of action in the necessary concentrations. However, aside from specific transport mechanisms, in general, due to the lipophilic properties of the SC, hydrophilic molecules are not able to penetrate the Stratum Corneum effectively. Therefore, obtaining skin bioavailability of hydrophilic active substances, like peptides or peptide-like substances is challenging (A. S. B. Goebel et al. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2012, 25, 281-287).
Enhancer molecules such as 1,2-pentylene glycol (PG) or ethoxydiglycol may increase the dermal penetration of peptides improving their bioavailability. In fact, it was reported that the addition of PG to a preparation containing L-carnosine or N-acetyl-L-carnosine resulted in a significant increase of the substance within the SC (A. S. B. Goebel et al., Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2012, 25: 281-287). Approximately 6-fold and higher dipeptide concentrations in the SC and in the viable skin layers were detected compared to the formulation without the enhancer molecule.
Despite some progress, there exists a need in the art for a topical formulation that is able to increase the concentration of carnosine in the body.

Composition for topical use based on a carnosine-magnesium complex


An electronic apparatus includes a display module in which a folding area is defined, a plate disposed below the display module to support the display module, a digitizer disposed between the plate and the display module, a first adhesive layer disposed between the display module and the digitizer, and a second adhesive layer disposed between the digitizer and the plate. At least one of the first adhesive layer and the second adhesive layer includes first and second sub-adhesive layers spaced apart with respect to the folding area.

The present disclosure herein relates to an electronic apparatus, and more particularly, to a foldable electronic apparatus.
An electronic apparatus displays various images on a display screen to provide information to users. Typically, the electronic apparatus displays information within an allotted screen. A flexible electronic apparatus including a flexible display panel that is foldable is being developed. The flexible electronic apparatus, unlike a rigid electronic apparatus, is foldable, rollable, or bendable. The flexible electronic apparatus that is variously modifiable in shape is portable without being limited to existing screen sizes, thereby enhancing user friendliness.

Electronic apparatus including digitizer and adhesive layer


The present invention relates to a method of expressing a foreign protein in the plastid of a host cell and secreting said protein into the cytoplasm of the host cell comprising the steps of making a construct of vector linked to a coding sequence of the fusion protein comprising of signal peptide sequence followed by in-frame fusion to a foreign gene; and stably integrating said construct into the plastid genome. The present invention also relates to a method of targeting the expressed and secreted proteins from the plastids to the nucleus of the host cell. The present invention further relates to the method where the host cell is of any higher plant or any organism including single cell algae.

Life on earth is largely supported by the solar energy captured by the green plastids (chloroplasts) present in land plants and green algae. Chloroplasts are considered to have originated from a photosynthetic prokaryote (a cyanobacterium) that entered into an endosymbiotic relationship with an early eukaryotic progenitor over a billion years ago [Goksoyr J, Nature 214; 1161, 1967; Martin and Müller, Nature 392; 37-41, 1998; Martin and Kowallik, Eur. J. Phycol. 34, 287-295, 1999]. During the course of evolution, majority of the chloroplast genome (plastome) has moved to the nucleus, leaving behind a small but functional genome in the chloroplasts coding key components involved in photosynthesis, transcription and translation machinery. Evolutionary analysis of Arabidopsis, cyanobacterial, and chloroplast genomes suggested that about 4,500 Arobidopsis nuclear-encoded proteins (˜18% of the total nuclear-coding genes) might have been acquired from the cyanobacterial ancestor of the plastids [Martin W, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 12246-12251, 2002].
Such a large scale migration of organellar genome to the nucleus has necessitated the development of an elaborate protein import mechanism(s) from the cytosol into chloroplasts for their ultimate function by crossing the double membrane envelope that surrounds each plastid. The nuclear-encoded proteins destined to plastids are made as preprotiens having usually a cleavable N-terminal amino acid extension (transit peptide) that target the protein into plastids via the general protein import pathway. The general protein import machinery of the plastids consists of protein complexes present in the outer (Toc) and inner (Tic) membranes of chloroplasts [Robson and Collinson, EMBO Reports 7, 1099-1103, 2006].
A comparative molecular structure and functional analysis indicated a high degree of similarity between the subunits present in the Toc and Tic complexes and with the prokaryotic protein secretion pathway SecYEG complexes. Indeed the complete genome sequence of Arabidopsis and rice revealed the presence of all the genes coding for the key components of SecYEG pathway involved in protein translocation in bacteria: SecA, SecY and SecE. Also genes coding for SecA and SecB known to be involved in the secretion of proteins through SecYEG pathway in bacteria are present in the nuclear genomes of land plants. Based on the genetic evidences and the similarity of the proteins at the molecular level, it has been postulated that the same protein export mechanism that functioned originally to secrete the proteins in bacteria might have now been operating in the opposite direction to import proteins from the host cell into the chloroplasts to cross the double membrane chloroplast envelop after suitable modification(s) during the course of evolution [McFadden, Curr. Opinion in Plant Biol. 2, 513-519, 1999].
In the present day, land plant plastids, it is not known whether the protein export mechanisms that were originally operating before the endosybiosis are still functional and a foreign protein expressed in chloroplasts can be secreted into the cytoplasm of plant. Therefore, one of our main goals is to understand the protein trafficking from chloroplasts into the cytoplasm and find out the transport mechanisms present in the chloroplasts that can export foreign proteins synthesized in the plastids into cytoplasm of the cell. Such an understanding not only throw light on the evolutionary changes that took place in the basic biological process in the eukaryotic cell over millions of years, but also provide opportunities to engineer plastid genome to express foreign proteins with functions outside the chloroplasts that include creation of post translational modifications such as glycosilation, a major limiting step in chloroplast genetic engineering but very important in biotechnological application. In addition, the implications of these findings in relation to the biosafety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the context of environment and biodiversity are discussed.
Chloroplasts are generally believed to have originated from a photosynthetic cyanobacterium-like prokaryote. During the course of evolution spanning over a billion years the prokaryotic organism has entered into an endosymbiontic relationship with the early eukaryotic cell. As a consequence majority of the chloroplast genome has moved to the nuclear genome and the corresponding proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm are imported back into plastids crossing the double membrane envelop through protein import mechanisms. It is not known whether the original protein export mechanisms that were operating before the endosymbiosis are still functional in the present day chloroplasts or not. The present invention, for the first time, the presence of evolutionarily conserved and fully functional prokaryotic-type protein secretary pathway in chloroplasts of higher plants, operating just in opposite direction to the well established general protein import pathway. The implications of the newly discovered functionally usable prokaryotic-type secretary pathway in chloroplasts in the evolution of eukaryotic cell, for biotechnological applications and in the biosafety of transgenics in the context of environment and biodiversity are discussed.
Biosafety is a serious public concern today due to large scale deployment of GMOs into the environment in several countries across the globe and this is another important area where the present invention is expected to have a major impact. As plastids are inherited maternally in most crops, chloroplast genetic engineering is considered as a better strategy to contain foreign gene flow to untransformed plants and wild relatives [Daniell H, Nature Biotechnology 20, 581-586, 2002; Ruf et. al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 6998-7002, 2007; Savb and Maliga, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104, 7003-7008, 2007], a perceived threat to ecological imbalance and a major challenge for the conservation of biodiversity. The application of the chloroplast genetic engineering in plant biotechnology is limited so far to only those few genes that have or can function from within the chloroplasts [Maliga P, TRENDS in Biotechnology 21, 20-28, 2003; Daniell et. al., TRENDS in Plant Sci. 6, 219-226, 2001].
The present invention discloses that any foreign protein having function(s) out side the chloroplast can now be expressed in chloroplasts and target the protein to its site of function. With the use of appropriate targeting peptides it is possible in future to target the chloroplast expressed recombinant proteins in to any sub-cellular compartment in the cell. This would essentially allow one to contain the transgene flow by integrating the foreign gene into plastid genome that would improve the biosafety of the GMO's to the environment to a very high level and at the same time use the gene function(s) in any compartment of the cell.

Method of expressing foreign protein in plastids


Compounds and methods are provided for use in purification of CD34.sup.+ cells and specific surface antigens thereof. The present invention discloses methods for releasing CD34.sup.+ cells, as well as compounds having a carbohydrate epitope of the CD34 surface antigen, from an affinity matrix, using carbohydrates having the structure: EQU Neu5Ac.alpha.2-3Gal.beta.1-4(X). wherein (X) is GlcNAc, or a monosaccharide or a cyclohexane derivative that is structurally similar to GlcNAc.

Bone marrow transplantation is a critical procedure for treatment of a variety of diseases, such as leukemia, cancer and certain genetic diseases. The transplantation process involves the repopulation of a patient's bone marrow stem cells following ablative treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Serious problems can result, however, from transplantation of impure preparations of bone marrow stem cells. In allogenic transplantations (i.e., transplantation with bone marrow cells from a genetically different donor), preparations that contain other types of cells, particularly T lymphocytes, can induce graft vs. host disease in the patient. This problem can be prevented through the use of autologous transplantation (i.e., transplantation with the patient's own marrow). However, preparations of the patient's marrow cells may be contaminated with diseased cells, resulting in ineffective treatment.
To alleviate the problems associated with contaminated preparations, a variety of methods for purification of stem cells are currently employed. Such methods often employ affinity procedures to selectively remove specific contaminating cells from a stem cell preparation. For example, monoclonal antibodies to a variety of contaminating cells types, such as T cells and cancer cells, have been employed. Because of the wide variety of contaminating cells, however, purification procedures based on selective removal of individual cell types are often incomplete. Such procedures also may involve many steps, rendering the purification process extremely costly and inefficient.
The purification process may also use affinity procedures to selectively isolate the desired cells. For example, monoclonal antibodies have been employed that selectively recognize an epitope on the CD34 antigen. Such antibodies may be used to isolate cells expressing the CD34 antigen, which include nearly all stem cells and early stage committed B lymphoid cells. These antibodies do not bind mature B cells, T cells, NK cells, monocytes, granulocytes, platelets or erythrocytes. Accordingly, the use of such specific antibodies can provide a more effective, and lower cost, method of purifying bone marrow stem cells.
However, while CD34-specific affinity matrices containing immobilized antibodies have significant advantages in the capture of cells expressing the CD34 antigen, the release of CD34.sup.+ cells from such affinity matrices has been problematic. Release is commonly effected by physically shearing the cells from the matrix. This procedure can cause cell damage, and can leave antibody bound to the released cells. Alternatively, enzymatic cleavage may be employed, to degrade the antibody to which the CD34 antigen is bound. This procedure has the advantage of decreasing cell damage and removing bound antibody from the cells. However, the enzymes employed could damage other cell surface proteins, and are inconvenient to use because of the necessity to monitor cell viability after treatment.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method for releasing CD34.sup.+ cells from affinity matrices that overcomes the disadvantages encountered with existing methods. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages.

Methods of screening for a candidate compound able to bind to CD34.sup.+ cells


A pet chew forming apparatus for dispensing a medicament comprising a plunger having an elongated piston operable with a piston cylinder of a housing. The piston is extendable from and retractable into the piston cylinder by sliding movement, and includes a receptacle having an opening. The plunger is positionable in a first loading position relative to the housing to expose the opening to the receptacle such that a medicament is insertable into the receptacle through the opening, and positionable in a second loading position relative to the housing to expose the opening to the receptacle such that an edible composition is insertable into the receptacle through the opening. The plunger is also positionable in an ejection position relative to the housing to eject a pet chew comprising the edible composition and medicament from the receptacle.

One problem encountered by many pet owners relates to the administering of drugs, dietary supplements and other medicaments to their pet. For various reasons, pets are often reluctant to orally ingest such medicaments and often become stressed, along with their owners, in the process.
Traditionally, pet owners have attempted to hide medicaments in food, which may ordinarily be particularly desirable to the pet. For example, owners may wrap the medicament in a piece of sliced cheese or meat. However, often times the pet is able to dislodge the medicament from such sliced food, and thereafter ingest the food without ingesting the medicament.
Alternatively, as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,333, a bone shaped treat may contain a pocket therein, which may be opened and into which a pill may be inserted. The pocket may then be closed by deformation of the bone shaped treat. However, because there is no actual adhesion formed between the pill and the bone shaped treat, during ingestion of the treat the pet may be able to crack or otherwise sever the pocket and remove the pill there from without ingesting the pill.
Furthermore, due to the differences in sizes between various pills, often a single size pocket is not suitable for many different sized pills.
In an attempt to overcome the aforementioned difficulties, U.S. Publication No. 2005/0079264 describes an edible dough wrap for use in an oral delivery method for administering a medicament to an animal. According to the disclosure, the dough has extensibility characteristics that allow it to form a homogeneous mass with the medicament. As a result of the improved extensibility, the disclosure sets forth that is very difficult for an animal to separate out the medicament from the dough, thus allowing easy administration of medicaments such as pills and tablets to an animal. The '264 Publication goes on to set forth that the dough may be sold as a block from which the customer may break off a portion, and the pill is wrapped in the dough to form a film between the pill and the dough which is difficult to break down. However, the '264 patent does not disclose how the dough wrap may be handled by the customer without the dough wrap similarly being very difficult to remove from the pet owner's hands after handling, or utensils when broken off from the block.

Pet chew forming apparatus for drug dispensing, methods of forming pet chew products and pet chew products thereof


A lifting foil for an aircraft, a hydrofoil or the like having a pair of courses or wings. Vortex losses due to spanwise fluid flow are substantially reduced by joining the tips of the courses with flow guides configured for jointly terminating the undesired flows. Termination is effected by providing the flow guides with crossections cambered for reducing the dynamic pressure of fluid flowing in a spanwise direction across flow guide surfaces.

This invention relates generally to the field of fluid dynamics with emphasis on aerodynamic drag phenomena. A particular object of the invention is to reduce energy losses suffered by an aircraft in flight due to induced drag. It is known that this particular type of drag is accompanied by a shedding of vortices from the tips of the wings. It is believed that these vortices result from a spanwise flow of air from a relatively high pressure condition on the lower wing surface to a relatively low pressure condition on the upper wing surface. Similar phenomena occur around hydrofoils employed for underwater use. It might be remarked that air behaves much as a perfect fluid when acting against an airfoil at speeds below about 200 mph and at altitudes below about 100,000 ft. Within that regimen the mathematical tools employed for analysis of airfoils are substantially the same as those for hydrofoils General teachings regarding aircraft drag may be found in classical reference books such as "Foundations of Aerodynamics", Kuethe and Schetzer, © 1950 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc; "Aerodynamics of a Compressible Fluid", Liepmann and Puckett, © 1947 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc; "Airplane Performance Stability and Control", 1949 by Perkins and Hage, publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc; and in "The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of compressible Fluid Flow", two volumes by Ascher H. Shapiro, The Ronald Press Company, New York, N.Y., 1953. Reference may also be made to a well known earlier work "Hydrodynamics", Sir Horace Lamb, 1879, Sixth Ed. by Dover Publications, New York, N.Y., 1945.
The prior art shows numerous techniques for dealing with induced drag, but none are fully satisfactory. Following are some typical examples.                Miranda, U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,654, teaches a box-wing aircraft having a fuselage which is centrally positioned and encircled by six adjoining wing sections.        Wenzel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,199 shows an aircraft having a lifting body fuselage surrounded by fore mounted aft swept and aft mounted forward swept wings. The patent describes means for inducing translation of tip-generated vortices.        Wajnikonis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,919 discloses hydrofoil families which partially suppress induced vorticity by introducing a longitudinal component of the flow directed by the lifting foil tip towards the hydrofoil base.        Gratzer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,253 teaches the attachment of a blended winglet to each wing tip.        Eger U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,352 relates to a box-wing aircraft having wing segment tips connected with arrow-shaped pylons.        Nosenchuck et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,289 has a perturbation proximate to the tip end of the wing planform trailing edge.        McCarthy U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,613 generates beneficial wing tip vortices which are said to rotate in a direction opposite to that of induced drag vortices. The patent asserts that the beneficial vortices create upwash fields which neutralize induced drag. The reference discusses numerous other references dated earlier than 1994.        Frediani U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,409 discloses a large passenger plane having a pair of rearwardly swept wings arranged in tandem with a pair of forwardly swept wings.        Vanmoor U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,457 teaches an airfoil which is reversely curved in accordance with a trigonometric function.        Meschino U.S. Pat. No. 6,340,134 B1 shows an aircraft having a drag reduction system which includes a high aspect ratio, supplementary wing for providing at least 65% of the total lift. The main wing provides structural integrity.        Carlow U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,604 B1 teaches a mobius-like joining structure which is said to reduce vortex-induced drag on a foil.        Huenecke U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,761 B2 discloses the use of vortex generators at the trailing edge of each wing for partly dissipating the vortices responsible for induced drag,        Cox et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,398 B1 teaches an unmanned reconnaissance biplane having staggered and gapped wings.
While much has been accomplished by others in reducing drag losses of lifting foils, much still remains to be done. It is an undeniable fact that commercial and governmental air transportation expenditures are very high and are steadily increasing. These costs ultimately are passed on to an already overburdened public A substantial proportion of that expenditure pays for fuel which is burned in overcoming induced drag. Even small reductions in that drag may have the potential to create enormous savings for the public.


A battery pack having improved heat dissipation characteristics. A battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules, each including a plurality of battery cells aligned in a direction, and a plurality of barriers, each being between a respective pair of adjacent battery cells of the plurality of battery cells and including a connection portion protruded to the outside of the adjacent battery cells. The battery pack further includes a heat dissipation member connected to connection portions of the plurality of connection portions, and a heat conducting member connected to the heat dissipation member.

1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery pack, and more particularly, to a battery pack having improved heat dissipation.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, secondary batteries are rechargeable and can be repeatedly used. The secondary batteries may be implemented as a battery cell used for portable small-sized electronic devices such as a cellular phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a camera, and a camcorder. Alternatively, the secondary batteries may be implemented as a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, used as a power source for driving motors of a high-power hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), an electric vehicle (EV), and the like.
The battery pack used as a power source for driving high-power motors generates a large amount of heat due to a charge or discharge operation, and the generated heat may deteriorate the battery cells. Therefore, it is required to develop a battery pack with a structure having improved heat dissipation characteristics.


A home appliance defining a width direction and a depth direction, and a control panel extending along the width direction, the control panel having control element components mounted thereat, the home appliance including a chassis within the body adjacent the control panel; first and second spaced brackets mounted to the chassis adjacent the control panel, with fastener portions aligned in the depth direction; and a cross member extending in the width direction between the first bracket and the second bracket with control elements intermediate the cross member and the chassis, the cross member having a fastener portion at each widthwise end thereof and aligned in the depth direction, the cross member being mounted to the first bracket using fasteners aligned in the depth direction, and the second bracket using fasteners aligned in the depth direction, wherein the fasteners are removable from the depth direction.

Cooking appliances for domestic use, including ranges, may have generally square or rectangular bodies that are installed in openings of predetermined size within a kitchen cabinet structure. FIG. 1 illustrates such a range 10 that is mounted in an opening between left cabinets CL and right cabinets CR. The range 10 occupies and defines a width dimension, a depth dimension and a height dimension to fill the 3-dimensional spaced between the cabinets CL, CR. Of interest to the present invention are the width dimension and the depth dimension, each of which gives rise to a width direction and a depth direction respectively.
The range 10 may be capped with a cooktop 14 on an upper portion of the range body 12 at approximately cabinet level height. The cooktop 14 has a number of burners thereon and grates 16 over the burners to support cooking vessels for surface cooking. The burners are controlled by control elements 26 mounted in association with a control panel 24 which extends in the width direction along the front portion of the range 10. The control elements 26 may include dials for burner control as well as indicator lamps and timers or clocks.
FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art range 100 with the cooktop removed, revealing the internal structure of the range 100 in an area near the control panel 124. Control element components 134 are mounted to an internal chassis 130 behind the control panel 124. A cross member 150 extends behind the control element components 134 in the width direction and is mounted to a chassis 130 that provides the internal structure of the range 100 with mounting locations and support. The cross member 150 helps to stiffen the chassis structure 130 of the range 100 adjacent the control panel 124, an area of user interactivity with the range.
During times of inspection, maintenance and/or repair, access may be needed to the control elements 134 having control element components 136 which necessitates removing the cross member 150. Prior ranges have the cross member 150 mounted to the chassis using fasteners 148 that are accessible from a width direction W. Such an orientation requires that the range body 12 be removed from or extended substantially from its opening in the cabinets so that a fastener removal tool such as a screwdriver or other form of driver may gain purchase on the fasteners for the removal.
Even though field repairs are irregular occurrences, it would be beneficial if, under such conditions described above, the cross member could be removed from behind the control element components in a matter that does not require extension or removal of the range from the opening in the cabinets.

Home appliance with improved control access


A stereoscopic image display includes a liquid crystal display panel including a plurality of pixels, each of which is divided into a main pixel unit and an switchable black stripe, a data driving circuit, a gate driving circuit, and a 3D control voltage generation circuit, which supplies AC voltages, of which phases are sequentially shifted, to a plurality of 3D control lines in a 3D mode.

1. Technical Field
The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a stereoscopic image display.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A glasses type stereoscopic image display for displaying three-dimensional (3D) images is classified into a polarized glasses type stereoscopic image display and a shutter glasses type stereoscopic image display. The polarized glasses type stereoscopic image display requires a polarization separation device, such as a patterned retarder, to be attached to a display panel. The patterned retarder separates polarized light of a left eye image and a right eye image displayed on the display panel. A viewer wears polarized glasses when viewing a stereoscopic image on the polarized glasses type stereoscopic image display. Hence, the viewer sees polarized light of the left eye image through a left eye filter of the polarized glasses and polarized light of the right eye image through a right eye filter of the polarized glasses, resulting in the viewer experiencing a stereoscopic feeling.
The display panel of the existing polarized glasses type stereoscopic image display may use a liquid crystal display panel. A parallax is generated between a pixel array of the liquid crystal display panel and the patterned retarder due to a thickness of an upper glass substrate of the liquid crystal display panel and a thickness of an upper polarizing plate, and thus leads to a poor vertical viewing angle. When the viewer views a stereoscopic image displayed on the polarized glasses type stereoscopic image display at a vertical viewing angle higher or lower than the front of the liquid crystal display panel, the viewer may perceive 3D crosstalk, where the left eye image and the right eye image overlap each other, when viewing the stereoscopic image with a single eye (i.e., the left eye or the right eye).
To solve the problem of the 3D crosstalk at the vertical viewing angle in the polarized glasses type stereoscopic image display, Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2002-185983 proposed a method for forming black stripes on a patterned retarder (or 3D film) of a stereoscopic image display. In a method different from this method, the width of black matrices formed on a liquid crystal display panel can be increased. However, the formation of the black stripes on the patterned retarder may result in a reduction in luminance of two-dimensional (2D) and 3D images, and the black matrices may interact with the black stripes, thereby generating a Moiré pattern. Further, an increase in the width of the black matrices may reduce an aperture ratio, thereby reducing the luminance of the 2D and 3D images.
To solve the problem of the black stripes, a technology for dividing each of pixels of a display panel into two parts and controlling one of the two parts as a switchable black stripe was disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2010/0265230 corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/536,031 filed on Aug. 5, 2009. The stereoscopic image display proposed by the present applicant divides each of the pixels into the two parts and writes 2D image data to each of the divided pixels in a 2D mode to thereby prevent a reduction in a luminance of a 2D image, and also widens a vertical viewing angle of a 3D image in a 3D mode. Hence, the stereoscopic image display proposed by the present applicant may improve the visibility of both the 2D and 3D images and may provide more excellent display quality than the existing stereoscopic image display. The switchable black stripe may include a thin film transistor (TFT) and a liquid crystal cell.
In the switchable black stripe technology, which has been already proposed by the present applicant, a voltage of the liquid crystal cell has to be discharged to a voltage of a black gray level in the 3D mode. To this end, a relatively high 3D control voltage of DC type may be applied to a gate electrode of the TFT of the switchable black stripe, so that an on-current may flow in the TFT of the switchable black stripe for a predetermined period of time. In this instance, the TFT of the switchable black stripe may undergo degradation of driving characteristics, including a shift of a threshold voltage, because of its gate bias stress.
The 3D control voltage of the switchable black stripe may be converted from the DC type to AC type in consideration of the problem. Hence, the gate bias stress of the TFT may be compensated. However, a gate voltage of the TFT may change because of the coupling between a line supplied with the 3D control voltage and a common electrode supplied with a common voltage. Hence, the common voltage may change, and luminance of the pixels may change. As a result, when the luminance of the pixels changes due to the changes in the 3D control voltage, a noise may appear in the display panel.