A filter device for a plurality of liquid or gaseous fluid samples containing particles to be filtered, the device comprising a stand, at least one filter, upstream and downstream clamping blocks cooperating wit the filter and designed to be fixed together with an interposed perforated sealing gasket and are configured to be inserted through an opening in the stand, forced filtering mechanism and filtrate evacuation mechanism. The upstream clamping block is a removable independent tank block for enabling pretreating of samples introduced in wells thereof.

The present invention relates to a modular device for collecting, incubating, and filtering multiple samples.
The use of filter membranes is becoming increasingly fashionable in applications relating to analyzing particles, cells, and bacteria. The calibrated membranes made of polycarbonate produced by firms such as Nucleopore and Millipore have remarkable properties as to their qualities of recovering particles of determined sizes.
They are very fine, they withstand chemical agents, and they lend themselves well to observation under the microscope, either with reflected light or with transmitted light. With transmitted light, it is necessary for the membrane to be transparent in order to make observation possible. With epifluorescent illumination, and providing the cells and bacteria have been stained with a fluorochrcme such as acridine orange, observation shows pale particles on a dark background.
In 1980, Pettipher proposed this method for direct observation of raw milk bacteria for the purposes of quality control. The complex composition of milk and the presence of a high number of cells (several tens of thousands) makes it impossible to filter the samples without prior treatment. The pretreatment consists in treating the milk with a mixture of detergent and trypsin. Under specific conditions of concentration and of timing, the caseine micelles and the fat globules are decomposed and the cells are digested without significantly changing the germ content, thus enabling the germs to be stained.
Filtering is performed on filters of large dimensions using suction. After applying various washes, the stain is applied followed by further washes. This method known as the Direct Epifluorescence Technique (DEFT) presents numerous advantageous. The filtering gives rise to a considerable concentration of events to be counted.
Compared with indirect methods which require information about bacteria to be amplified by proliferation (2 to 3 days), direct methods are supposed to give a quick result. Concentration by filtering can give excellent sensitivity providing the carrier medium is highly filterable The main handicap is the complexity of the method and the sensitivity of its results to preparation and measurement conditions.
Observation is performed under the microscope and when event densities are low, fluctuations in distribution over the filter make it necessary to perform counting in numerous microscope fields. For example, in the application of monitoring raw milk for densities of about 50,000 FCU/ml (FCU =Formant Colony Unit), the DEFT method gives rise to distributions of the order of less than one bacterium per microscope field. In addition, the very poor mechanical properties of the polycarbonate membrane and its fineness make observation under the microscope very difficult.
Placed between slide and cover slip, the combined deformations of the glass slide, of the membrane, and of the microscope stage explain why attempts at performing analysis automatically have been unsuccessful. In spite of the existence of automatic focusing devices, losses of focus are inevitable and a major portion of analysis time is spent in finding focus.
In 1988, Bisconte proposed two solutions which largely satisfy the problems raised and which constitute the subject matter of two patent applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,666, relates to a device making it possible to process several tens of samples automatically and in parallel on the same filter. A second patent application, FR-88 13805, relates to the combination of a means for restraining filters and for placing them on a microscope stage by making use of suction.
The first solution, which integrates the presence of filters mounted in this way in support frames, provides a solution to the question of passing a plurality of samples to be filtered simultaneously, independently, and in parallel, by making use simultaneously of pressure and of suction. In that solution, a receptacle having multiple wells is put into communication with the filter by capillary tubes. The capillaries enable samples and reagents to pass through in succession.
The main drawback of that disposition is to make it difficult to wash the ducting (risk of contamination and stain residues).
The second solution consists mainly in mounting the filters in a semi-rigid support with position indexing. The filter is placed initially in the filtering system in an exact position by means of centering studs. Studs present on the microscope guarantee corresponding positioning during observation. In this way, multiple deposits present on the filter, even if very small in size, can easily be found by a computer program applying X and Y drive to the microscope stage.
The present invention seeks to improve the device for filtering and preparation and to make it simpler and modular, while retaining the same basic concept.

Modular device for collecting, incubating, and filtering multiple samples


A device is used to determine the presence of and the amount (depth) of visual suppression in a subject. The device includes a first light source emitting a first light and a second light source emitting a second light. Intensities of the light sources are independently controllable. A first filter disposed over one eye of the subject allows transmission of the first light and prevents transmission of the second light. A second filter disposed over the other eye of the subject allows transmission of the second light and prevents transmission of the first light. In a method of using the device, the intensity of at least one of the first and second lights is independently controlled, wherein the difference in intensities of the first and second lights at which the lights appear to be at equal brightness to the subject determines the amount of visual suppression in the subject.

Visual suppression may be characterized by a decrease in sensitivity or acuity in an eye. The decreased sensitivity may be caused by non-transmission, or poor transmission, of the optic nerve or from alterations in sensitivity in the brain. For example, deprivation of vision, strabismus (misaligned eyes), vision obstructing disorders, anisometropia or optic neuritis may cause visual suppression. There also can be unequal sensitivity between the two eyes because of changes in light transmission (e.g. a dense cataract) or a retinal abnormality in one eye.
A Worth 4-dot test is one conventional test that may be administered to a subject to determine if the subject is suppressing an eye. The Worth 4-dot test involves the use of a device with two (2) green lights, one (1) red light, and one (1) white light. A subject wears glasses having one green filter or lens over one eye (e.g., the left eye) and one red filter or lens over the other eye (e.g., the right eye). The subject is instructed to look at the white light and verbalize whether he or she can see all four dots. If, for example, the subject can see all four dots, then it may be concluded that neither eye of the subject is being suppressed. If, however, the subject can only see three lights (two green lights and the white light), then it may be concluded that the subject's right eye (i.e., the eye associated with the red filter) is being suppressed. Alternatively, if the subject can only see two lights (the red light and white light), then it may be concluded that the subject's left eye (i.e., the eye associated with the green filter) is being suppressed. Other clinical tests include assessment of the pupil and brightness sense assessment.
All of the current methods for assessing visual suppression have limitations. The Worth 4-dot test is only a qualitative test in that it can be used to determine whether an eye is being suppressed, but it cannot be used to determine the depth (i.e., the quantitative amount) of suppression. There must be a severe impairment in visual sensitivity before a change can be detected with the Worth 4-dot. Pupil assessment does not necessarily correlate with actual visual function. Brightness sense disparity has limitations because it requires only using one eye at a time that may not accurately assess vision with both eyes open. A system or apparatus that could be used to determine the depth of suppression would allow a medical professional to select appropriate visual therapy and determine the progress of the therapy by periodically re-testing the subject.

Apparatus and method for assessing visual suppression

The Curators of the University of Missouri


Anti-angiogenic agents or polypeptides comprising an amino acid segment substantially similar to domain one of CD2 wherein the polypeptide has a β-sheet formed by two segments. Methods of using such agents and polypeptide are also included.

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels are formed from extant capillaries, while vasculogenesis involves the growth of vessels deriving from endothelial progenitor cells. Angiogenesis is a combinatorial process that is regulated by a balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic molecules. Angiogenic stimuli (e.g. hypoxia or inflammatory cytokines) result in the induced expression and release of angiogenic growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or fibroblast growth factor (FGF). These growth factors stimulate endothelial cells (EC) in the existing vasculature to proliferate and migrate through the tissue to form new endothelialized channels. Angiogenesis is involved the proliferation of endothelial cells.
Inappropriate, or pathological, angiogenesis is involved in the growth of atherosclerotic plaque, diabetic retinopathy, degenerative maculopathy, retrolental fibroplasia, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, acute adult respiratory distress syndrome, and asthma. Furthermore, tumor progression is associated with neovascularization, which provides a mechanism by which nutrients are delivered to the progressively growing tumor tissue. While the concept of slowing or even halting the progression of cancer by targeting its blood supply was first proposed more than 30 years ago, angiogenesis inhibitors are only now entering the mainstream of cancer therapeutics.
Accordingly, there is always a need in the art for methods and agents of reducing pathological angiogenesis. It is to this need, among others, that this disclosure is directed.

Anti-angiogenic agent and methods of using such agent

Georgia State University Research Foundation


An epitaxial pinched resistor includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type having a surface on which an epitaxial layer of a second conductivity type grown. An up isolation region of the first conductivity type is diffused from the surface of the semiconductor substrate up into the epitaxial layer. A first down isolation region of the first conductivity type is diffused down into the epitaxial layer and overlapping with the up isolation region. The first down isolation region and the up isolation region isolate a portion of the epitaxial layer to be used to conduct a current. A second down isolation region of the first conductivity type is diffused down into the epitaxial layer between first and second contact surface areas of the epitaxial layer and into the portion of the epitaxial layer used to conduct the current. The second down isolation region is diffused a depth approximately equal to the first down isolation region so as to reduce a conductive cross-sectional area of the epitaxial layer. First and second ohmic contacts of the second conductivity type are diffused into the first and second contact surface areas of the epitaxial layer. The present invention also provides a method of forming an epitaxial pinched resistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to epitaxial pinched resistors, and more particularly, to an epitaxial pinched resistor having a smaller conductive cross-sectional area than conventional epitaxial pinched resistors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Epitaxial pinched resistors (also known as "epi FETs" or "bulk pinched resistors") are high value resistors that are often used in bipolar, linear integrated circuits. The textbook entitled "Bipolar and MOS Analog Integrated Circuit Design", by Alan B. Grebene, provides on pages 147-50 an excellent discussion of the structure and operation of epitaxial resistors.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, an epitaxial pinched resistor 10 includes an n-type epitaxial layer 12 bordered by a p-type isolation diffusion wall 14 over a p-type substrate 28. The epitaxial layer 12 is usually made relatively thick, for example, on the order of 15 micrometers, in order to handle the high voltages applied to the device, which may fall in the range of 25-40 Volts. Ohmic contacts are made to each end of the epitaxial layer 12 with n+-type regions 16, 18, such as required for the emitter of an NPN transistor. A p-type base diffusion region 20, such as is used for the base of an NPN transistor, covers the epitaxial layer 12, except for in the end regions where the n+-type regions 16, 18 are located. The p-type base diffusion region 20 is relatively thin, for example, on the order of 2 micrometers. A layer 26 of SiO.sub.2 covers the n-type epitaxial layer 12, the p-type isolation wall 14, and the p-type base diffusion region 20. Lastly, metal contacts 22, 24 are connected to the n+-type regions 16, 18.
Referring to FIG. 1C, during operation, the width of the n-type epitaxial layer 12 is reduced to the point where the depletion regions extend laterally from the p-type isolation diffusion walls 14 into the epitaxial layer 12. This reduces the conductive, or effective, cross-sectional area of the epitaxial layer 12. Additionally, the p-type base diffusion region 20 further reduces the conductive cross-sectional area and eliminates surface effects. By reducing the conductive cross-sectional area of the epitaxial layer 12, the sheet resistance of that semiconductor region is increased which forms a high-value resistor.
Because the epitaxial layer 12 is surrounded on all sides by the p-type isolation diffusion walls 14, the p-type base diffusion region 20, and the p-type substrate 28, the conductive cross-sectional area of the epitaxial layer 12 is reduced so much that the device eventually pinches off. At around the level of the pinch-off voltage, the device gradually changes from a resistance to a current source. When used as a current source, the epitaxial pinched resistor 10 has been found useful to provide small start-up currents.
As mentioned above, the epitaxial layer 12 is usually made relatively thick, e.g., 15 micrometers. This thickness provides space for the depletion region to spread. However, this thickness also dictates that the p-type isolation diffusion walls 14 be just as thick or deep. During formation of the p-type isolation diffusion walls 14, the isolation diffusion tends to spread laterally as it diffuses vertically. This results in the p-type isolation diffusion walls 14 being very wide near the surface of the chip, thus consuming a large surface area of the chip. It would be desirable to reduce the total surface area of the chip that is consumed by the epitaxial pinched resistor 10.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,735 to James L. Dunkley ("Dunkley") entitled "Integrated Circuit Device and Method Utilizing Ion Implanted and Up Diffusion for Isolated Region", discloses an isolation region having two parts. The contents of Dunkley is hereby fully incorporated into the present application by reference. In Dunkley, one region is implanted into the substrate before the epitaxial layer is grown which diffuses upward during subsequent heat cycles, referred to herein as "up isolation". Another region diffuses downward from the top, referred to herein as "down isolation". These two regions meet and surround the epitaxial region. Because the two regions each need to travel a vertical distance which is less than the entire thickness of the epitaxial layer, there is substantially less lateral diffusion of the isolation material than in the scenario where the isolation region needs to travel the entire thickness of the epitaxial layer. This results in an isolation region which requires less surface area of the chip than that shown in FIG. 1B.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show an epitaxial pinched resistor 30 which has been formed using the up-down isolation process described in Dunkley. A first p-type dopant is implanted into the substrate 34 before the epitaxial layer 36 is grown. After the epitaxial layer 36 is grown, a second p-type isolation diffusion region 38 is diffused into the epitaxial layer 36. During a single heat cycle, the first p-type dopant diffuses up creating the isolation diffusion region 32 and the second p-type isolation diffusion region 38 diffuses downward. The isolation regions 32, 38 overlap and isolate a portion of the epitaxial layer 36 which is used for conducting current.
Although the isolation regions 32, 38 shown in FIG. 2A consume less surface area of the chip than the isolation region 14 shown in FIG. 1B, it would nevertheless be desirable to decrease the total consumed surface area of the chip even further. Because there is a need to use epitaxial pinched resistors to provide small start-up currents, and because it is generally advantageous to conserve silicon area, there is a need for an epitaxial pinched resistor which can provide a very small current (on the order of 1 microampere) with a minimum of silicon area, i.e., less surface area than is used by the resistors 10, 30 described above.

Method for forming epitaxial pinched resistor having reduced conductive cross sectional area


A single frequency, or very narrow frequency band, microwave imaging system is described herein. A microwave imaging system can include an array transmitter; an array receiver; and a computing device that receives signals detected from the array receiver, transforms the signals received by the array receiver into independent spatial measurements, constructs an image using the independent spatial measurements, and outputs a reconstructed image. The array transmitter and the array receiver may each have a plurality of independently controllable metasurface resonant elements.

Microwave imaging systems provide unique sensing capabilities that are advantageous for a variety of applications, including biomedical diagnostics, security scanning, through-wall imaging, and synthetic aperture radar. Features of microwave imaging systems include the ability to construct three-dimensional (3D) images, the ability to penetrate optically opaque materials, and the use of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation.
Conventional microwave imaging systems generally rely on frequency bandwidth to retrieve range information, using mechanical movement or electronic beamsteering to obtain cross-range information using backscatter measurements. While these systems can produce excellent images, these systems often include complex, expensive, and power-intensive hardware. Additionally, relying on bandwidth can create difficulties in calibration, alignment, and imaging of dispersive objects.

Single-frequency dynamic metasurface microwave imaging systems and methods of use


The invention relates to compounds having the formula (I):

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to 4,5-diphenylpyrrole-2-carboxamide derivatives, to their preparation and to their therapeutic application.
2. Description of the Art
4,5-Diphenylpyrrole-2-carboxamide derivatives with affinity for the cannabinoid CB1 receptors have been described in patent application WO 2006/024 777.
Novel 4,5-diphenylpyrrole-2-carboxamide derivatives hearing a particular substituent on the pyrrole nitrogen have now been found, which have antagonist properties on the central and/or peripheral cannabinoid CB1 receptors.

Pyrrole derivatives, preparation thereof and therapeutic use thereof

Abstract: Wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R8 and A-R9 are as defined herein. Also disclosed are the preparative methods for the compounds of formula (I) and their use in therapy.


This invention relates to an active vibration isolation installation based on electromagnetic and aerostatic floatation which is essential for the super-precision measurement and manufacture. It mainly consists of an isolation platform, an intermediate sleeve and a base. The isolation platform supports any object(s) placed on the platform and is supported by the intermediate sleeve. And the intermediate sleeve is supported on the base which is fixed on the ground. This invention uses the combination electromagnetic and aerostatic floatation to achieve large bearing capacity while excellent vibration isolation performance is maintained. This invention realizes automatic control of stiffness, using closed-loop speed control methods. It is therefore conclude that this invention can impose an excellent inhibitory action on the vibration originating from surroundings and the platform itself.

A platform with perfect horizontal straightness provides a basic guarantee for the precision measurement and manufacture of large scale integrated circuits in the field of super-precision measurement and manufacturing. It is widely used for many advanced production and measurement systems such as biology study, electron optics manufacture, precision machining, physical and chemical tests and etc. The control of its horizontal straightness has its effect on the measurements of machinery and the performance of instruments and directly effects on the suppression of platform with aerostatic floatation on vibration. The effect of environmental vibration on instrument and equipment increases as the super-precision measurement instrument and super-precision manufacturing instrument are increasingly updated. As a newly developed vibration isolation device, the platform with an electromagnetic and aerostatic floatation is developing with the development of precision instrument manufacture industry, the high speed development of ultra-large scale integrated circuits manufacture industry in particular, and as the measurement accuracy and stability requirements are becoming increasingly stringent as well.
Interferences to super-precision measurement instrument and manufacturing equipment are mainly generated at frequencies in the range of 0.8˜100 Hz. There are two kinds of vibration sources, one comes from the ground and the other comes from the platform itself. Passive isolation system is widely used to separate the platform from ground vibration. A passive isolation system usually does an excellent job at high frequency. But it does not work very well at low frequency and in reducing direct disturbance to the platform. So active isolation systems are now becoming more and more popular, because of their excellent vibration isolation performances. However, these active isolation systems need sensitive sensors and a large amount of energy from actuators. And the high cost of these systems places another obstacle to their further applications.
Taksehi Mizuno from Japan Saitama University used zero-power control strategy and proposed a magnetic suspension structure, to realize infinite stiffness and to reduce the direct disturbance. They proposed a solution to the problems of vibration isolation, but their proposed method still has its obvious drawback. The isolator's size and carrying capacity are limited because vibration isolation is achieved using mechanical springs. In addition, the position accuracy of the platform cannot go up to a micron or submicron level. Nowadays, there is a common problem with active or passive vibration isolation systems, such as complex structure, high manufacturing cost and stringent requirement for sensors and actuators.

Active vibration isolation device based on electromagnetic and aerostatic floatation


A mechanism is described for facilitating remote access of device and user credentials for at computing devices according to one embodiment of the invention. A method of embodiments of the invention includes remotely accessing, by a first computing device, credentials of a second computing device. The credentials may facilitate the first computing device to perform one or more tasks. The method may further include performing, at the first computing device, the one or more tasks based on the accessed credentials and according to capabilities of the first computing device.

With the rise in the use of mobile computing devices (e.g., smartphones, etc.), it is becoming increasingly important to the user to be able to use a mobile device freely and for longer periods of time without having to continuously burden or rely on the mobile device's own components (e.g., battery, antenna, etc.). Certain conventional techniques provide for connecting multiple devices (such as connecting a cellular phone with a hands-free device installed in a car, etc.) through a Bluetooth connection. Although these conventional techniques facilitate the hands-free device to relay certain communication (e.g., the user's voice, etc.) on behalf of the cellular phone, they, nevertheless, leave the essential cellular activity burden (e.g., cellular radio activity, cellular antenna activity, such as needing to penetrate through the car metal and water bags (e.g., human beings), etc.) on the cellular phone.

Mechanism for facilitating remote access of user and device credentials for remoting device activities between computing devices


A device can include at least one processor, and a telemetry module operable by the at least one processor to receive remote sensor data transmitted by a broadcasting device, wherein the remote sensor data is captured by a sensor of the broadcasting device. The system additionally can include a local sensor operable to capture local sensor data, and a sensor analysis module automatically operable by the at least one processor to associate, based at least in part on analysis of the remote sensor data and the local sensor data, the remote sensor data with a user account associated with the computing device.

"Smart" devices (i.e., everyday objects configured to provide some degree of computing intelligence) are becoming more prevalent in households and in public places. Some smart devices may be located in public places (e.g., restaurants, shopping malls, hotels) and may be used by many different users in a given day or week. Typically, the process of pairing a smart device to a user's personal computing device or logging on to a smart device requires the user to perform a multistep process, such as a manual challenge-response procedure. However, due to the nature of interaction with public smart devices, a user may only use a particular public smart device once, making it unlikely that a user will go through an involved configuration process to use the public smart device. Moreover, many small smart devices may lack input mechanisms that would enable a user to log on to the smart device or pair the smart device with the user's personal computing device.

Associating broadcasting device data with user account


In an arm for a construction machine formed as a box-shaped structural body by left and right side plates, an upper plate, a lower plate, and a rear plate, a left rear thick side plate constituting the left side plate, a right rear thick side plate constituting the right side plate, a rear thick upper plate constituting the upper plate, and a rear thick lower plate constituting the lower plate are formed by using a soft steel material having a large plate thickness. A left front thin side plate constituting the left side plate, a right front thin side plate constituting the right side plate, a front thin upper plate constituting the upper plate, and a front thin lower plate constituting the lower plate are formed by using a high tensile steel material having a small plate thickness. As a result, the weight of the entire arm can be reduced.

In general, a hydraulic excavator which is a typical example of a construction machine is composed of an automotive lower traveling structure and an upper revolving structure rotatably mounted on the lower traveling structure. A working mechanism performing excavating work of earth and sand and the like is tiltably provided on the front side of a revolving frame constituting the upper revolving structure.
Here, the working mechanism of a hydraulic excavator is composed mainly of a boom having the base end side rotatably mounted on the revolving frame, an arm rotatably mounted on the distal end side of the boom, a working tool such as a bucket or the like rotatably mounted on the distal end side of the arm, and a boom cylinder, an arm cylinder, and a bucket cylinder driving the boom, the arm, and the bucket, respectively.
The arm constituting the working mechanism has a closed sectional structure having a square cross section and is formed as a lengthy box-shaped structural body whose whole length is as long as several meters. That is, the arm is formed of left and right side plates, an upper plate joined to the upper end sides of these left and right side plates by welding, a lower plate joined to the lower end sides of the left and right side plates by welding, and a rear plate joined to the rear end sides of the left and right side plates and the upper plate by welding as a box-shaped structural body having a closed sectional structure having a square cross section.
Here, a boom connecting boss is joined to the rear sides of the left and right side plates constituting the arm by welding, and a connecting pin rotatably connecting the boom and the arm to each other is inserted into the boom connecting boss. Moreover, an arm cylinder bracket is joined to the rear plate constituting the arm by welding, and a distal end side of the arm cylinder having a base end side mounted on the boom is connected to this arm cylinder bracket through the connecting pin.
As the left and right side plates, the upper plate, the lower plate, and the rear plate constituting the arm, a soft steel material, for example, a rolled steel material for a general structure such as SS400 and the like is usually used. By welding the left and right side plates, the upper plate, the lower plate, and the rear plate made of this soft steel material to each other, an arm made of a firm box-shaped structural body can be formed.
A boom in which the left and right side plates constituting the boom of a hydraulic excavator or the like are formed by joining three members (plate materials), that is, a first member, a second member, and a third member is proposed. In this boom, the second member located in a middle part in a length direction and easily subjected to buckling is formed by using a material with yield stress higher than those of the first and third members. As a result, a plate thickness of the second member can be made thinner than the first, second, and third members formed by using the same material, and weight reduction of the boom can be realized (Patent Document 1).
Therefore, when a high tensile steel material with larger tensile strength than the soft steel material is used as the left and right side plates, the upper plate, the lower plate, and the rear plate constituting the arm, a plate thickness of the left and right side plates, the upper plate, the lower plate, and the rear plate made of the high tensile steel material can be made smaller than the plate thickness of the left and right side plates, the upper plate, the lower plate, and the rear plate made of the soft steel material. Thus, the arm formed by using the steel plate made of the high tensile steel material can realize weight reduction while maintaining strength equal to the arm formed by using the steel plate made of the soft steel material.

HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.


Systems and techniques of treatment monitoring include acquiring channel data from each of a plurality of channels of a signal array over a plurality of frames, determining a reconstruction matrix based on a reconstruction operation to be performed on the channel data, applying the reconstruction matrix to the channel data to obtain reconstructed channel data, estimating displacement data representing displacement of an object over the frames from the reconstructed channel data; determining a conversion matrix based on a conversion operation to be performed on the reconstructed channel data, and applying the conversion matrix to the reconstructed channel data to obtain a displacement map.

Certain systems and techniques for treatment monitoring utilize separate acquisition and processing units, for example to perform certain processes, such as displacement estimation, offline in a separare hardware unit. To implement such techniques in a clinical setting, it can be desirable to implement a clinically-oriented, fully-integrated high frame rate platform suitable to analyze and stream real-time feedback of treatment assessment to a user.
High frame-rate imaging can be considered in relation to parallel beamforming, which, alone or in combination with fast analog multiplexing, can reconstruct an entire image following a single acoustic transmission with frame rates up to 1000 frames per second. Parallel processing techniques can be implemented and performed in vivo using a phased array configuration, for example "Explososcan", where data acquisition rates can be quadrupled with simultaneously reconstructing four receiving beams per a wide single transmit beam. Certain Graphical Processing Unit (GPU)-based beamforming approaches can further increase the imaging framerate and resolution. Such GPU-based approaches can also achieve high frame rate imaging, including, for example, Synthetic Aperture (SA) imaging and Short-lag Spatial Coherence Imaging (SLSC).
In certain imaging techniques, including ultrasound elasticity imaging, software beamforming techniques utilizing various transmit sequences can achieve high imaging rates and resolution, such as composite imaging, plane-wave or divergent transmit beam. High frame rate elasticity imaging can provide suitable quantitative imaging of tissue properties, for example with estimation of motion generated by external compression or acoustic radiation force such as Transient Elastography, Shear Wave Imaging (SSI), Elastography, ARFI imaging, and Harmonic Motion Imaging.
Certain imaging techniques, including ultrasound elasticity imaging, can utilize previously beamformed RF signals, which can be obtained from the beam reconstruction of the entire field of view through the entire imaging depth. Harmonic Motion Imaging for Focused Ultrasound (HMIFU) is a treatment monitoring technique for High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). HMIFU utilizes an Amplitude-Modulated HIFU beam to induce a localized focal oscillatory motion, which can be simultaneously estimated and imaged by HMI. In localized elasticity imaging for HMIFU, generally only the focal spot is considered as the region of interest. As such, suitable beamforming strategies for HIFU treatment monitoring can be configured to reconstruct only the focal region, which can reduce computational cost and allows real-time streaming of elasticity maps throughout the entire treatment window.
However, there remains an opportunity for improved treatment monitoring systems and techniques, for example to provide improved frame rate, improved spatial resolution, and real-time feedback over an extended monitoring period.

Systems and methods of high frame rate streaming for treatment monitoring

THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK


Cleaning of a textile machine or part of such a machine is effected by directing a laser beam at the part to be cleaned for an appropriate length of time. This may be done with the part in situ in its normal operating position in the machine, and the machine may be run in its normal operating condition, possibly with the yarn running to avoid machine down time. Alternatively, the operation may include moving the yarn to a substitute part whilst the original part is cleaned, or moving a substitute part into the normal operating position whilst the part to be cleaned is moved to a cleaning position. A lens system may direct a parallel beam to the part to be cleaned from a remote location, or a fiber optic cable may extend near to that part to guide the laser beam to it.

Many parts of textile machines become contaminated over a period with an accumulation of yarn debris and/or deposits of oils. In order that the quality of the yarn being processed is not compromised, it is necessary to clean the contaminated parts of the machines at regular intervals. A particular part may be cleanable in situ on the machine, or the cleaning may require the removal of the part from the machine. In either case it is usually necessary to stop the processing of the yarn, and it may be necessary to stop the machine and remove the part from the machine. This results in the loss of production time, which can be an appreciable cost to the yarn processor. The machine down-time is particularly lengthy in the case of machines having heaters that must be allowed to cool before they can be cleaned, and then must be raised in temperature before the yarn processing can be resumed. Because of this problem, it is commonplace to extend the periods between machine cleanings to the maximum possible, and this can result in considerable quantities of processed yarn whose quality is not as high as it would be if machine cleaning was more frequent. Furthermore, the methods of cleaning currently practiced using brushes and/or solvents may damage the surfaces of the machine parts and are unreliable, both of which can also lead to the production of processed yarn of lesser quality.


The present application provides methods and compositions for treating cancer, for example, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, ovarian, breast, prostate, colon, pancreatic, bladder, liver, lung, and thyroid cancer, and more particularly to using an inhibitor of a stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1) enzyme in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor to treat these disorders.

SCD1 is an enzyme that catalyzes the de novo lipogenesis of Δ-9 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) oleic acid (OA) and palmitoleic acid (PA). These MUFAs are essential for the synthesis of triglycerides, sphingolipids, ceramides, glycolipids, phospholipids, and other lipoproteins which influence membrane fluidity, membrane raft formation and receptor clustering, second messenger signaling, fatty acid oxidation, energy storage, cell division, inflammation, and a number of other biological functions. SCD1 has been implicated as pro-tumorigenic in a multitude of cancers, such as clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Compounds and methods for treating cancer

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research


An integrated, tuning circuit for tuning a MOSFET-C filter contains a tuning MOSFET and a differential amplifier. A current source is connected to the drain of the tuning MOSFET. The output of the amplifier is coupled to the drain of the tuning MOSFET and to a terminal that connects to the drains of the MOSFETs of the filter, so that the equivalent resistance of the filter is dependant on the current. The current source is coupled to a reference current generator, such that current supplied by the current source to the tuning MOSFET is proportional to the current supplied in the reference current generator, which in turn varies with process and environmental conditions of a capacitance. As a result, changes in process and environmental conditions oppositely affect the capacitance and resistance in the filter, resulting in a fixed RC product and fixed frequency response from the filter.

The present invention concerns tuners for integrated continuous-time filters, particularly tuners for MOSFET-C filters in the reach channel of a disk drive.
Filters are input-output devices that reject or pass signals based on their frequency content, that is, the distribution of their energy across a range of frequencies. Every filter has a pass band that defines its effect on the frequency content of input signals. For example, low-pass filters pass signal frequencies below a certain frequency known as a cut-off frequency, and reject frequencies above the cut-off frequency, whereas high-pass filters pass frequencies above a cut-off frequency. Band-pass filters pass frequencies that are between lower and upper cut-off frequencies.
In addition to their pass-band characteristics, filters are also characterized according to their construction and temporal operation. Filters typically comprise a network of resistors and capacitors and transistors, which defines the pass band, or frequency response. When most of these components are fabricated on a common substrate, or foundation, the filter is known as an integrated filter. As for temporal operation, filters operate either in continuous time, which allows their inputs and outputs to change at any time, or in discrete time, which allows changes at only specific, time increments.
One common problem with integrated, continuous-time filters is that the effective values of capacitors and resistors varies not only because of changes in operating temperature but also because of process variations in building integrated circuits. The changes in effective value of these components causes the filter to reject or pass undesirable signals, ultimately preventing the filters from operating as intended. Compensating for fabrication-related variability and on-going component changes requires "tuning," or adjusting, the value of one or more filter components, not only initially to establish the desired frequency response, but also continually to maintain the desired frequency response of the filter throughout its operation.
One solution to the component variability problems is to use a specific type of filter known as MOSFET-C filters, which combine capacitors with metal-oxide-semiconductor, field-effect transistors (MOSFET) used as voltage-controlled resistors. In such filters, tuning, or adjusting, a control voltage of the MOSFET varies the resistance and thus tunes frequency response. In conventional tuning schemes for MOSFET-C filters, the control voltage is adjusted using a phase-locked-loop-based tuning circuit, which comprises not only a phase detector and a charge pump, but also a voltage-controlled oscillator. Although these schemes provide accurate frequency-response control, they do so only at the expense of circuit complexity and size.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for alternative tuning schemes which are simple, yet allow accurate tuning of integrated, continuous-time MOSFET-C filters.

Automatic-tuning circuit for integrated continuous-time MOSFET-C filters


A radial type ultrasound transducer is arranged in an ultrasound endoscope including a bending portion on a distal end side of an insertion portion. The ultrasound transducer includes: a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals in a circumferential manner and configured to transmit and receive ultrasound waves; a plurality of electrodes arranged in the respective piezoelectric elements; and a flexible printed circuit electrically connected to each of the electrodes. The flexible printed circuit includes a plurality of wires that extend such that at least parts of the wires cross a direction perpendicular to an arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements, and the plurality of wires are electrically connected to the respective electrodes of the piezoelectric elements at positions where at least parts of the wires cross the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric elements.

The present disclosure relates to an ultrasound transducer, an ultrasound endoscope, and a method of manufacturing the ultrasound transducer.
In the related art, an ultrasound endoscope that inserts a flexible elongated insertion portion into a subject, such as a human being, and observes the inside of the subject by using an ultrasound transducer disposed at a distal end of the insertion portion has been known. In addition, as the ultrasound transducer, a radial type ultrasound transducer in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements are arranged at predetermined pitch intervals in a circumferential manner has been known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H5-42146 and Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H4-166139).
A plurality of electrodes are electrically connected to the respective piezoelectric elements. Further, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) is fixed to a proximal end side of the electrodes, and a plurality of wires printed on the FPC are electrically connected to the respective electrodes.
Furthermore, a certain ultrasound endoscope includes a distal end rigid portion, which is made of a rigid member, which is disposed on a distal end of an insertion portion to be inserted into a subject, and which houses piezoelectric elements, and a bending portion, which is arranged on a proximal end side of the distal end rigid portion and which is bent in accordance with operation on an operating unit that is arranged on a proximal end side of the insertion portion.

Ultrasound transducer, ultrasound endoscope, and method of manufacturing ultrasound transducer


The catalyst of the invention is useful in preparing high density polymers of controlled molecular weight distribution.. A supported alpha-olefin polymerization catalyst composition of this invention is prepared in a multi-step process. In the first step, a mixture of a solid, porous carrier having reactive --OH groups and a non-polar solvent is contacted with at least one organomagnesium compound of the formula EQU R.sub.m Mg R'.sub.n (I). where R and R' are the same or different C.sub.4 -C.sub.12 alkyl groups, m and n are each 0, 1 or 2, providing that m+n equals the valence of Mg. Subsequently, the mixture of the first step is contacted with 1-butanol. The amount of 1-butanol controls the molecular weight distribution of the The mixture is then contacted with at least one transition metal compound soluble in the non-polar solvent to form a precursor which is activated with a cocatalyst selected from the group consisting of diisobutyl aluminum hydride or triethylaluminum (TEAL) (sometimes referred to as an activator, and the words activator and cocatalyst may be used interchangeably herein.)

One of the measures of the molecular weight distribution of the resin is flow ratio (FR), which is the ratio of high load melt index (HLMI or I.sub.21) to melt index (I.sub.5) for a given resin. The melt flow ratio is believed to be an indication of the molecular weight distribution of the polymer, the higher the value, the broader the molecular weight distribution. Resins having relatively low FR values, e.g., of about less than 12, have relatively narrow molecular weight distribution.
The application of the ultimate product will dictate the actual molecular weight distribution of the polymer. For example, LLDPE resins having relatively low FR values produce films of better strength properties than resins with high FR values. By comparison, it has been discovered that in certain high density products used for blown film, high molecular weight and broad molecular weight distribution in the product leads to better processing in terms of bubble stability in high stalk extrusion and in stronger films Many catalyst systems exhibit a tendency to produce resins whose FR values, although initially low, increase with increased concentration of the catalyst activator, also known as a co-catalyst, such as various aluminum alkyls.
It is a significant aspect of the present invention to provide a catalyst composition capable of producing polymers and copolymers having controlled molecular weight distribution and high densities.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a high activity catalyst for the polymerization of olefins yielding products of a relatively controllable molecular weight distribution which will depend on the specific composition of the catalyst and the specific cocatalyst used in polymerization.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a catalytic process for polymerizing alpha-olefins which yields high molecular weight high density polyethylene of a relatively broad molecular weight distribution at high productivity.

Catalyst composition for polymerizing alpha-olefin


A method for seismic processing includes steps of receiving seismic data comprising seismic waveforms acquired from a plurality of seismic receivers and a plurality of seismic sources in a subterranean area; generating a plurality of full wavefields at a plurality of corresponding propagation time steps based on a seismic velocity and a density model of the subterranean area; and applying a wavefield filter to the plurality of full wavefields to obtain a plurality of filtered wavefields. Each of the plurality of full wavefields propagates in all directions. On the other hand, each of the plurality of filtered wavefields is attenuated in or opposite to a target direction. The target direction is selected by the user.

Seismology is used for exploration, archaeological studies, and engineering projects that require geological information. Exploration seismology techniques are used widely in the oil and gas industry in the exploration to identify prospects and types of geologic formations. In order to apply a seismic investigation of a geological area, the seismic data shall be acquired based on an optimal seismic acquisition system that defines the source and receiver locations for all the shots. With the seismic data as well as seismic processing and imaging techniques are deployed to generate subsurface images of the geologic area for interpretation.
A seismic survey is conducted by sending a seismic wave down into the ground and recording the seismic wave echoed from subsurface formations to the surface with receivers called geophones. The seismic waves are created by an energy source, for example, small explosions or seismic vibrators on land, or air guns or vibrators in marine environments. Multiple energy sources and receivers are placed at various locations near the surface of the earth above a geologic structure of interest. A seismic survey is composed of a very large number of individual seismic recordings or traces that create a near continuous profile of subsurface.
By analyzing the time it takes for the seismic waves to reflect off of subsurface formations and return to the surface recorded in these traces, a geophysicist can map subsurface formations and anomalies and predict where oil or gas might be trapped in sufficient quantities for exploration activities. A two-dimensional (2D) seismic survey is conducted along a single line on the ground, and their analysis creates a two-dimensional cross section picture akin to a vertical slice through the earth beneath that line. In a three dimensional (3D) survey, the source and recording locations are distributed in a grid pattern. The analysis of a 3D data shows a 3D picture of the subsurface geology beneath the survey area.
The process that maps the seismic traces to subsurface interfaces is known as migration. Migration takes seismic section and moves the reflection events back to their origin at the subsurface interface. Reverse time migration (RTM) is a migration method where the reflection traces are reversed in time as the source-time history at each geophone. These geophones now act as sources of seismic energy and the fields are back-propagated into the earth medium. Two-way wave equation based RTM has become a standard imaging algorithm for challenging imaging areas with complex structures associated with large velocity variations and steep dips. The image of RTM is constructed by taking the zero-lag cross-correlation of source and receiver wavefields. However, it often produces strong low-wavenumber artifacts in the shallow parts and near interfaces with sharp impedance changes due to the interferences caused by wide-angle diving wave and back-scattering energy from the sharp interfaces.
Creating an RTM angle gather is a process of plotting reflection amplitude along with the subsurface opening angles. Angle gathers can be processed to partially clean up interference noises (such as those mentioned above) and compensate for the velocity imperfection before stacking to generate an improved RTM image. RTM angle gathers can be calculated from the wave propagation direction computed by use the Poynting vector or optical flow algorithms. While the multiple directional approaches may exist, both technologies normally pick up one direction for each spatial point for efficiency. Large directional error happens where the strong interference wavefields, such as wide-angle diving waves and strong back-scattering wavefields from adjacent sharp interfaces, deteriorate the reflections targeted to pick the propagation directions.
Although some post-imaging filtering or muting approaches work well for suppressing artifacts in RTM image, those algorithms which suppress the interference events in the wavefield domain or during applying imaging condition are also effective. Fletcher et al. (2005) proposed to remove the noise by applying a directional damping term to modified non-reflection wave equation which needs to pick the boundary of interests. Liu et al (2007, 2011) proposed a correlation-based imaging condition to eliminate the noise by muting half of the Fourier coefficients in source and receiver wavefields. It is implemented during applying image condition. Whitmore and Crawley (2012) applied the inverse scattering image condition that is a weighted sum of two images, one is a gradient image and other one is a time derivative image. The weight function is typically angle dependent. It can also be implemented to generate RTM angle gathers at the cost of create two angle gathers. However, none of the above approaches can provide the desired source or receiver wave-fields where propagating directions can be further evaluated for variety purposes.
Accordingly, there is a need for an enhanced wavefield filtering technology which extends to all computational domain and improves the performance with wide range of angles, while being computationally inexpensive and simple to apply.

Method and device for enhanced seismic imaging based on one-way wave equation


The invention discloses an USB charger with electric power display of battery being charged and a method for electric power display of battery being charged in an electronic cigarette. The USB charger includes an USB interface, a battery unit and a charging control unit, and further includes an electric power display unit. The charging control unit, being separately connected to the USB interface, the battery unit and the electric power display unit, controls an external power supply charging a battery in the battery unit through the USB interface, tests voltage of the battery being charged directly or indirectly, and further controls the electric power display unit to show updated electric power of the battery being charged in real time to user who can know current charging state of the battery.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a charger for an electronic cigarette, and more particularly relates to an USB charger with electric power display of a charging battery and a method for electric power display of the charging battery in the electronic cigarette.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a structure schematic of the existing technology of a USB charger which only has charging indicator without electric power display.
Currently most of USB chargers for batteries in electronic cigarettes only have charging state indication of "charging" or "full" displayed by monochrome or color LED lamps, some USB chargers even have not charging state indication. Therefore user does not know electric power of the charging battery, it will cause inconvenience to user.
For example if an user smokes when the battery in the electronic cigarette has only been charged 10% electric power, may be after a few inhalation of smoke, the electronic cigarette run out electricity and does no work, it causes inconvenience to the user.
Therefore the defects of existing art need to be improved.

USB charger with electric power display and a method for electric power display

HUIZHOU KIMREE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. SHENZHEN BRANCH


A neural sensing system includes an interrogator that includes an optical head. The optical head is configured to transmit a light signal. The neural sensing system also includes a microprobe configured to contact tissue. The microprobe includes a transducer configured to receive the light signal and modulate the light signal with neural signal information sensed from the tissue. The microprobe also includes a retroreflector configured to reflect the modulated light signal back to the optical head of the interrogator.

Neural sensing refers to the sensing of electrical signals generated by neurons within the brain, and can be used to monitor brain activity and neural responses to various stimuli. Neural sensing can also be used to diagnose various health conditions such as sleep disorders, brain trauma, epilepsy, etc. Traditional neural sensing is performed using a wired array of electrodes placed on the scalp. For example, in electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive array of electrodes is positioned on the scalp of a patient and used to detect electrical signals. Other types of neural sensing, such as electrocorticography, are invasive and involve using electrodes that are placed directly on the exposed surface of the brain.

Method and system for reading and stimulating neurons through tissue using light


An aircraft wing tip device may include a unitized, monolithic leading edge torque box that may be formed of polymer matrix fiber-reinforced material. The leading edge torque box may include a skin that may define a continuous, uninterrupted outer mold line surface extending aftwardly from a winglet leading edge by a distance of at least approximately 60 percent of a local chord length. The leading edge torque box may further include at least one internal component extending between opposing inner surfaces of the skin and being integrally formed therewith.

Winglets provide a means to reduce the negative effects of lift-induced wing drag by effectively increasing the length of the trailing edge of the wing. The effective increase in the length of the trailing edge may spread out the distribution of the vortices that are shed by the trailing edge and the wing tip as the wing flies through the air. The re-distribution of vortices may reduce aerodynamic losses from lift-induced drag. Advantageously, winglets may provide an increase in effective trailing edge length without increasing the length of the wing leading edge. In this regard, by adding winglets to the wings instead of increasing the wing span in the conventional manner, the added weight, cost, and complexity associated with the lengthening of leading edge lift-enhancement devices (e.g., slats, Krueger flaps) may be avoided.
Conventional winglets are fabricated as a hybrid assembly of components formed of different materials. For example, conventional winglets may be comprised of composite spars and skin panels that may be joined to a metallic leading edge and a metallic trailing edge, and which may include metallic attach fittings. Unfortunately, the assembly of the winglet components is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process requiring a large quantity of mechanical fasteners. The large quantity of fasteners may increase the overall weight of the winglets. In addition, specialized tooling may be required for maintaining the relative positions of the components during fastener installation.
Furthermore, fasteners that are installed in the outer mold line (OML) surface of the winglets may disrupt the airflow passing over the OML surface. The disruption in airflow may minimize the distance over which the airflow is maintained in a laminar state before the airflow becomes turbulent with a resulting increase in aerodynamic drag. For example, in conventional winglets, the distance over which the airflow is laminar may be limited to approximately 10% of the chord length, with the downwind airflow becoming turbulent over the remaining portion of the winglet. The increase in aerodynamic drag due to turbulent airflow over the winglet may limit the gains in aircraft fuel efficiency that would be possible if the airflow were maintained in a laminar state over a longer portion of the winglet chord length.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a winglet configuration that maintains the air flow in a laminar state over a relatively large portion of the chord length prior to the airflow becoming turbulent.


The invention concerns a shielded connector of the type comprising a socket (1) attached to a printed circuit board (CI) and a plug (7) designed to be mechanically and electrically coupled to socket (1). A first shielding component (2, 4) is extended by elastic locking projections (22) provided with hooks (24). Shielding (9a) of plug (7) has openings (90a) into which these hooks (24) engage. Projections (22) rub against shielding (9a) of plug (7) and establish a galvanic contact between shieldings (9a, 2-4) of plug (7) and socket (1). They assure a locking of the latter in socket (1). First projection (22) has a separate piece (3) of insulating material forming a lever that permits unlocking plug (7) and socket (1), when a pressure force (F.sub.1) is exerted on projection (3) and an extraction force (F.sub.2) is exerted on plug (7).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a shielded connector and more precisely a shielded connector of the type comprising a plug and a socket and provided with a locking/unlocking component.
It more particularly concerns connectors designed to be attached onto a flat support, notably a printed circuit board provided with metallized holes.
The Applicant proposed in European Patent Application EPA-0 649,195 a connection element having an insulating bridge piece with a "U" shaped section and elbow contact elements emerging into the "U" structure on one end. The other end is inserted by force ("press fit") into metallized holes of a printed circuit board. Moreover, according to one interesting characteristic, it has a rear insulating component surrounding the electrical contact elements in their bent part and a holding piece also inserted into the printed circuit board.
This connection element forms a socket designed to receive a plug of complementary form. The arrangements used advantageously permit protecting the bridge piece during vacuum soldering operations of the connection element and the other components of the card.
For certain applications, it is necessary to have available a connector that is insensitive to electromagnetic interference, notably when the signals carried are signals called "weak" and at high or very high frequency. To do this, the connector elements must be provided with a shielding. Moreover, a good ground continuity must be made between the two elements (plug and socket), on the one hand, and between the socket and the printed circuit card, on the other hand.
2. Prior Art
Shielded connection elements have been proposed, for example, in the patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,624 (Patrick CHAMPION et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,773 (Patrick CHAMPION et al.) or U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,301 (Patrick CHAMPION et al.). These modular connection elements permit creating electrical contacts from a mother card and/or a daughter card.
In order to achieve ground continuity, two elastic metallic projections are provided in the form of a cross, of one piece with the socket and cooperating with openings pierced in the walls facing the socket, so as to come into galvanic contact with the shielding of the corresponding plug. Although this pair of projections exerts a pressure force on the plug, the holding of the plug inside the socket is especially accomplished by inserting the male contact elements of one of the components (for example, the socket) into the female contacts of the other component (for example the plug). In other words, a true locking is not provided and the quality of the ground continuity can fluctuate.
The invention therefore has for a subject a connector provided with an efficacious locking/unlocking component, while remaining simple.
It also has for a subject permitting a good ground continuity between the socket and the plug.
It therefore seeks to simultaneously fulfill these two functions, without having recourse to complex means.
In a preferred variant of embodiment, it also conserves, for the socket, the essentials of the advantageous structure of the connection element according to the above-mentioned European Patent Application EP-A-0 649,195.
In order to achieve the goal set, the invention notably provides a shielding element forming a spring, combined with a separate piece of insulating material arranged on the tip of the socket. The shielding element has a hook cooperating with an opening provided in one wall of the plug for assuring the locking function. Unlocking is effected simply by pressing on the separate piece and withdrawing the plug.
Moreover, the shielding element assures a good ground continuity by applying virtually its entire width on the plug shielding.
The assembly does not perceptibly increase the complexity of the manufacturing operations, nor the manufacturing cost.

Shielded connector of the type comprising a plug and a socket and provided with a locking/unlocking component


An electrophotographic photosensitive member has a conductive support and a photosensitive layer provided on the conductive support. The photosensitive layer contains an oxytitanium phthalocyanine having intense peaks at 9.0.degree., 14.2.degree., 23.9.degree. and 27.1.degree. in the Bragg angle (2.theta..+-.0.2.degree.) of CuK.alpha. characteristics X-ray diffraction or an oxytitanium phthalocyanine having intense peaks at 7.4.degree., 9.2.degree., 10.4.degree., 11.6.degree., 13.0.degree., 14.3.degree., 15.0.degree., 15.5.degree., 23.4.degree., 24.1.degree., 26.2.degree. and 27.2.degree. in the Bragg angle (2.theta..+-.0.2.degree.) of CuK.alpha. characteristics X-ray diffraction, and further contains a non-metallic phthalocyanine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photosensitive member, and more particularly to an electrophotographic photosensitive member containing in its photosensitive layer a specific oxytitanium phthalocyanine and a non-metallic phthalocyanine.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, as printers for terminal equipment, non-impact type printers that apply electrophotography have replaced conventional impact type printers and have been coming into wide use. These are mainly laser beam printers using laser beams as a light source. In many instances, semiconductor lasers are used as the light source from the viewpoint of cost and apparatus size.
At present, semiconductor lasers mainly used have an oscillation wavelength which is relatively as long as 790.+-.20 nm. Accordingly, electrophotographic photosensitive members having sufficient sensitivities to such a long wavelength are being developed.
The sensitivities vary depending mainly on the types of charge-generating materials, and studies are being made on a number of charge-generating materials.
Typical charge-generating materials include phthalocyanine pigments, azo pigments, cyanine dyes, azulene dyes and squarium dyes.
Of these, as charge-generating materials having good sensitivities to long-wavelength light, researchers are recently made on metallic phthalocyanines such as aluminum chlorophthalocyanine, chloroindium phthalocyanine, oxyvanadium phthalocyanine, chlorogallium phthalocyanine, magnesium phthalocyanine and oxytitanium phthalocyanine, or non-metallic phthalocyanines.
For many phthalocyanine compounds among these, a number of crystal forms are known to exist. For example, the non-metallic phthalocyanines include an .alpha.-type, a .beta.-type, a .gamma.-type, a .delta.-type, an .epsilon.-type, a .chi.-type, and a .tau.-type. Copper phthalocyanines include an .alpha.-type, a .beta.-type, a .gamma.-type, a .delta.-type, an .eta.-type and a .chi.-type.
It is also commonly known that the crystal form has a great influence on both (1) the electrophotographic performance such as sensitivity and potential stability at the time of running and (2) the properties of coating compositions in the event the compounds are formed into coating compositions.
With regard to oxytitanium phthalocyanine also, there are many crystal forms like other phthalocyanines such as the non-metallic phthalocyanines and copper phthalocyanine as described above. For example, Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open No. 59-49544 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,861), No. 59-166959, No. 61-239248 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,592), No. 62-67094, (U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,997), No. 63-366, No. 63-116158, No. 63-198067, No. 64-17066, etc. disclose oxytitanium phthalocyanines with different crystal forms.
The oxytitanium phthalocyanines are materials having superior electrophotographic performance, but it is sought to further improve dispersion stability, sensitivity and image quality.


In a process for the production of a roll brush the first step consists of extruding a retaining profile 2 of plastic, which through the fill 3 with bristles forms a strip brush 1 as an intermediate product, the strip brush 1 being subsequently helically wound on a winding mandrel 4 with the adjoining side faces 6,7 of the retaining profiles 2 being glued or fused to form a roll brush.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a roll brush and a process for the production thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Roll brushes are both well known and proven in a number of different types. To a large degree the production of roll brushes is made by stitching or punching and stapling a brush fill to a pre-drilled brush core. The fill density is hereby limited to the maximal given number of holes.
Likewise the axial length of such roll brushes is given by that of the roll brush core.
In an alternative production method, strip brushes with a bristle fill retaining metal profile are spirally wound to a roll brush package. In order to ensure sufficient stability of such a brush the retaining profiles are welded. As this is done with a welding device the industrial production of such roll brush packages requires their inner diameter to be adequately large. A correspondingly large diameter must also be given at the winding mandrel, on which the strip brush is helically wound to a roll brush. Apart from the given minimal inner diameter the maximum possible axial length is also dictated by that of the winding mandrel. Furthermore, in such a brush no homogeneity of the materials used is possible, as the retaining profile must be made of metal.
Facing this technical background, the invention is concerned with providing a process for the production of a roll brush and hence providing a roll brush, produced according to this process, through which the aforementioned disadvantages can be avoided.

Roller brush and method for production thereof


A cyclone dust-separating apparatus includes a cyclone unit having air inflow and air outflow parts that separate dust or dirt from air, the cyclone unit being installed such that a longitudinal axis thereof is substantially horizontally arranged; a dust bin joined to a bottom end of the cyclone unit that collects the dust or dirt separated by the cyclone unit, the dust bin installed in such a manner that a longitudinal axis thereof is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cyclone unit; a nonporous envelope detachably disposed in the dust bin that stores the dust or dirt collected into the dust bin; and a pressure difference-generating passage to communicate an outlet of the air outflow part and the dust bin with each other so as to allow the nonporous envelope to come in contact with an inner surface of the dust bin by a pressure difference between the dust bin and the air outflow part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a vacuum cleaner. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a cyclone dust-separating apparatus of a vacuum cleaner, that draws in an external air and then separates dust or dirt therefrom.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a cyclone dust-separating apparatus provided in a vacuum cleaner is an apparatus that whirls air laden with dirt or dust and separates the dirt or dust therefrom. Such a cyclone dust-separating apparatus usually is provided with a cyclone unit vertically and elongately installed, a cyclone body with an air inflow part and an air outflow part formed at a side and a top thereof, and a dust bin connected to a bottom part of the cyclone unit, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,292. Accordingly, external air is drawn in through the side of the cyclone body and lowered while being swirled therein, and dirt or dust removed from the air is collected in the dust bin. However, the conventional cyclone dust-separating apparatus as described above requires forming the dust bin in a relatively small size because the cyclone unit has a large height. As a result, the conventional cyclone dust-separating apparatus is inconvenient to use, in that the dirt or dust collected in the dust bin should be frequently dumped.
In addition, Korean Patent No. 412,583 discloses a cyclone dust-separating apparatus of an upright cleaner, in which a dust bin is coupled to a bottom end of a cylindrical cyclone unit, the diameter of the dust bin being equal to that of the cylindrical cyclone unit. External air drawn into the cyclone unit through a side of the cyclone unit is whirled while lowering within an internal space of the dust bin as well as within an internal space of the cyclone unit. Accordingly, such a conventional cyclone dust-separating apparatus is disadvantageous in that because the cyclone unit is vertically arranged, the capacity of the dust bin is relatively small. Furthermore, there is a problem in that because the air whirling within the cyclone unit is lowered to the internal space of the dust bin, the dust stored within the dust bin is entrained by the swirling air and flows backward to the cyclone unit.
Also, the cyclone dust-separating apparatuses of U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,292 and Korean Patent No. 412,583 are advantageous in that they can be semi-permanently used without any inconvenience of frequently replacing dust bags as in the conventional general dust-collecting apparatus, but disadvantageous in that since the dust or dirt is collected and stored in the dust bin, a scattering of the dust or dirt and/or a contamination of circumference according thereto are generated when the dust or dirt collected in the dust bin is dumped.

Cyclone dust-separating apparatus of vacuum cleaner


An alloy for a gray cast iron plate for casting blanks of brake disks has composition of 3.65 to 3.95%, preferably approximately 3.85% carbon; 0.20 to 0.40%, preferably approximately 0.30% chromium; 1.80 to 2.20% silicon; 0.60 to 0.80% manganese; 0.30 to 0.50% copper; 0.20 to 0.80%, preferably approximately 0.38 to 0.45% niobium, and the remainder of iron, traces of other alloy metals and melting-caused impurities, such as phosphorus or sulfur, in which case other casting alloy metals, such as vanadium, nickel, tin, molybdenum, antimony, and the like may also be contained each with a content of from 0.01 to 0.06% by weight. The tensile strength, wear resistance and heat cracking resistance of the brake disks cast from such an alloy provide a very high service life of the brake disks which permits their use in utility vehicles.

The present invention relates to a gray cast iron plate alloy for brake disks, and more particularly to the use of such an alloy for brake disks of utility vehicles.
Disk brakes which are partially acted upon and made of gray cast iron are generally customary nowadays at least on the front wheels of passenger vehicles. The gray cast iron alloys used for this purpose are optimized with respect to comfort aspects, such as freedom from squealing and rubbing, because these aspect are dominant in the passenger car realm. The life expectancies of the brake disks are easily met by the alloys used in this field of application.
In utility vehicles, however, particularly with long-distance trucks or construction site vehicles, which are much heavier than passenger cars, the life expectancies are much higher than in the passenger car realm. In this case, a life in the range of several hundreds of thousands of kilometers is expected of a brake drum before a required replacement. As a rule, the service brakes of the utility vehicles are therefore constructed as drum brakes which have a much lower specific stress level in comparison to disk brakes. Inasmuch as disk brakes offer various advantages in comparison to drum brakes, disk brakes have recently been introduced in utility vehicle construction. If the alloy of the utility vehicle brake drums which also consist of gray cast iron were to be used in order to cast from it brake disks for utility vehicle disk brakes, the life expectancies existing for brake disks could not be met due to the higher stress levels.
In addition, because of the much higher thermal stressing of brake disks in comparison with brake drums, so-called "heat cracks" would also occur relatively early if the drum alloy were used for brake disks. Heat cracks are cracks which extend radially in the brake area and are initiated by repetitive high temperature stress and subsequent cooling and at first, that is, in small number and/or sizes of the cracks, are harmless. As the stress continues, the heat cracks increase in number, and existing heat cracks connect with others and expand radially. Thus, the heat cracks will, at some point, reach the exterior disk edge. If the brake disk were not at the latest repaired then, there would be the danger of a surface break out of the brake area or even complete disk breakage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gray cast iron plate alloy for brake disks which is optimized with respect to a higher service life and a reduced heat crack formation.
This object has been achieved according to the present invention by providing an alloy for a gray cast iron plate for casting blanks of brake disks, having the composition--in percent by weight--of
3.65 to 3.95%, preferably approximately 3.85% carbon, PA1 0.20 to 0.40%, preferably approximately 0.30% chromium, PA1 1.80 to 2.20% silicon, PA1 0.60 to 0.80% manganese, PA1 0.30 to 0.50% copper, PA1 0.20 to 0.80%, preferably approximately 0.38 to 0.45% niobium,
rests of iron, traces of other alloy metals and melting-caused impurities, such as phosphorus or sulfur.
The gray cast iron alloy according to the present invention is a high-carbon hypereutectic iron base material. Without the other alloy constituents, particularly niobium, a soft basic structure having an insufficient stability and hardness would occur due to the high carbon and silicon contents. The high carbon and silicon content provides, however, a good thermal conductivity of the casting material which, in turn, results in a reduction of the formation of heat cracks.
It should be noted that the relatively high carbon content is, among other things, paired with a specific moderate niobium content. As a result, despite the high carbon and silicon content, a complete and mainly finely lamellar, pearlitic basic structure is obtained. The latter is important for the high tensile strength and hardness.
According to the wall thickness of the brake disk (in the case of lower wall thicknesses, less; in the case of larger wall thicknesses, more), the silicon content is to be adjusted such that a Brinell hardness of approximately 150 to 190 HB is obtained and that the tensile strength is in the range of from 15 to 18 N/mm.sup.2. In the fine-pearlitic basic structure, the niobium carbides are embedded in a uniformly distributed manner and reduce the wear during the braking operation. Also, a sufficiently good machinability is obtained of the cast alloy with the fine-pearlitic basic structure. The alloy constituents or contents of the present invention, in the combination described herein, provide a higher tensile strength, an increased resistance to wear and an also increased resistance to heat cracking than conventional brake disk alloys in gray cast iron plates.
It is important that, for use as a brake disk, the graphite carbon embedded in the cast structure is deposited in plate form because the plate form of graphite is much more advantageous for the tribological stressing of the brake disk than a ball shaped graphite. Thus, a nodular gray cast iron would not be suitable for a brake disk, also because of the increased danger of heat cracking, although this type of gray cast iron has a higher tensile strength and, at least in the bainitized condition, also a higher resistance to wear compared with the plate form gray cast iron. Alloys made of nodular gray cast iron were not previously known for the purpose of solving present usage and service life problems. In particular, prior art directed to passenger car brake disk alloys or drum brake alloys did not make this recognition.

Optimized gray cast iron plate alloy for utility vehicle brake disks


In order to solve the aforementioned problems, the present-invention provides a semiconductor device having a multilayer interconnection structure, wherein an upper interconnection comprises a first metal layer composed of an aluminum alloy, which is formed over a lower interconnection, and a second metal layer formed over the first metal layer and composed of an aluminum alloy formed as a film at a temperature higher than that for the first metal layer. Another invention provides a semiconductor device having a multilayer interconnection structure, wherein a metal region composed of a metal different from an aluminum alloy is formed in a portion spaced by a predetermined distance in an extending direction of an upper interconnection from an end of a via hole defined in the upper interconnection composed of the aluminum alloy, which is electrically connected to a lower interconnection through the via hole.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device, and particularly to an improvement in reliability of a multilayer interconnection structure which connects between an upper interconnection and a lower interconnection by a via hole or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor process for a multilayer interconnection structure to which a flattening technique is essential, a high-temperature film-forming technique used for aluminum, e.g., a technique for embedding a high melting-point metal like tungsten (W) has been adopted to implement the embedding of a contact hole or via hole. The aluminum high-temperature film-forming technique is one wherein, for example, titanium (Ti) is formed as a reactive layer for increasing fluidity for aluminum after a via hole has been defined in an interlayer insulating film formed over a lower interconnection, and an aluminum alloy with aluminum as a principal component is next formed at a high temperature. According to the high melting-point metal embedding technique, for example, titanium nitride (TiN) is formed as an adhesion layer composed of a high melting-point metal W after a via hole has been defined in an interlayer insulating film formed on a lower interconnection and W is next formed by CVD or the like. Thereafter, tungsten is left within the via hole alone by etchback or the like to form an aluminum alloy as a film. Electromigration in the aluminum alloy and embedded tungsten has been introduced in, for example, the paper:┌Electromigration in two-level interconnect structures with Al alloy lines and W studs (1992 American Institute of Physics. VOL. 72. NO. 1, July 1992)┘, etc.
However, the electromigration in the conventional structure is rate-controlled by interconnections on the high-potential side. When a lower interconnection is biased to negative polarity and an upper interconnection is biased to positive polarity, electrons pass through a via hole so as to move from the lower interconnection to the upper interconnection. As,a result, moving start points of aluminum atoms are limited to the via hole and hence aluminum at an end of the upper interconnection on the high-potential side will disappear, thus causing a void. This phenomenon occurs even in a structure wherein no aluminum atoms migrate between an upper interconnection and a lower interconnection as in the high melting-point metal embedded-type structure. However, the phenomenon remarkably occurs in the high melting-point metal embedded-type structure and the life of electromigration becomes extremely short.
When the upper interconnection comprised of the aluminum alloy is formed at a temperature higher than a temperature for allowing aluminum to have fluidity in the multilayer interconnection structure, aluminum atoms move backward more remarkably. Thus, when such a case occurs, the life of electromigration becomes shorter and the allowable current density of each interconnection is less reduced.

Multilayer interconnection structure of a semiconductor


A turbulence bar assembly for a cylinder that extends in an axial direction includes a plurality of bars that extend in the axial direction and at least one hoop. The at least one hoop has one or more hoop segments that are connected to the plurality of bars and one or more couplers that are in engagement with the one or more hoop segments to expand and contract a radial dimension of the at least one hoop in response to movement of an adjustment block in the axial direction.

Steam-heated rotating cylinders are utilized in a number of industries for producing and processing various materials, such as paper. For example, a web of paper can be dried by passing it over one or more heated cylinders. In the corrugating industry, the cylinders are often less than two feet in diameter and can be ten to fifteen feet in length. Steam is introduced into the cylinder through a rotating seal, also known as a rotary joint. The steam inside the cylinder transfers its heat to a web of material that is disposed on the outside of the cylinder through the shell of the cylinder. As the heat is transferred from the hot steam to the web, the steam inside the cylinder condenses. The condensate thus formed is then removed from the cylinder through a syphon pipe that is connected to an external pipe or tank through the rotary joint.
At low rotational speeds, the residual condensate inside the cylinder will tend to accumulate in a puddle at the bottom of the cylinder, which is referred to as a "ponding" state. As the rotational speed of the cylinder increases, the condensate in the puddle will begin to rotate with the cylindrical shell but fall back into the puddle as it nears the top of the cylinder. This is referred to as a "cascading" state. At high rotational speeds, the condensate follows the cylinder around the entire inside periphery of the cylindrical shell in a state that is referred to as "rimming."
When the cylinder is rotated, the water is rotated along with the cylinder itself, and the added weight of the water requires that an increased rotational force be applied to rotate the cylinder. In order to minimize the power required to rotate the cylinders in the ponding and cascading states, and to maximize the transfer of heat through the condensate in the rimming state, the syphon pipe is typically designed to minimize the amount of condensate that is disposed within the cylinder.
At high rotational speeds, the rimming layer of condensate is very stagnant and forms an insulating barrier between the steam inside the cylinder and the inside surface of the cylindrical shell of the cylinder. Even thin residual layers of condensate can provide significant resistance to the transfer of heat from the steam to the cylindrical shell.
It is known that generating turbulence in the rimming layer increases the rate of convective heat transfer through the condensate layer. Turbulence bars have been previously used for this purpose. Turbulence bars are disposed within the cylinder and are held against the inside surface of the cylindrical shell by various means. The turbulence bars generate turbulence in the rimming layer of the condensate that forms between the individual bars. This increase in condensate turbulence increases the rate of heat transfer and tends to improve the uniformity of heat transfer from the cylinder.
Various structures have been developed for fixing turbulence bars within the interior of the cylinder. These structures include magnets, springs, pins, and bolts. The bars are typically held to the inside surface of the cylindrical shell of the cylinder using a plurality of hoops or hoop segments that are pressed toward the inner surface of the cylindrical shell. For example, one prior art design uses a threaded turnbuckle with locking nuts that interconnects two hoop segments and can be adjusted to press the hoop segments outward. As another example, some prior art designs place springs between hoop segments to press the hoop segments outward.


The present disclosure relates to a backlight module and a liquid crystal display apparatus. The backlight module includes: a light source assembly; a frame, to which at least a portion of the light source assembly is connected; and a bottom reflective sheet, at least a portion of a thickness of which is overlapped with a thickness of the frame in a thickness direction of the backlight module.

In a Liquid Crystal Display (referred to as LCD) apparatus, a backlight module can provide backlight for a liquid crystal panel, such that the liquid crystal panel can display a user watchable visual picture.
A common backlight module includes both forms of a edge-type and a direct-type, wherein the edge-type backlight module includes a light guide plate, and a light beam emitted from the light source is incident from a side of the light guide plate and outputted to a top surface of the light guide plate under a reflective effect of the light guide plate. In an example of the related techniques of the edge-type backlight module, a bottom reflective sheet of the backlight module is disposed, in its entirety, below a frame.

Backlight module and liquid crystal display apparatus


A magnetic disk drive having a rotary positioning mechanism which positions a magnetic head relative to a recording medium in a rotary motion. A suspension arm supports the head at the top thereof and is movable parallel with the surface of the medium in a rotary motion. As the suspension arm is moved toward the outer edge of the medium, it abuts against and urges the side of a lifter. As a result, the lifter is rotated about a pivot to lift the suspension arm with a lug extending out from the side thereof. The magnetic disk drive prevents the head from sticking to the medium, reduces the power consumption of motors, increases the resistivity to shocks and impacts during transport, and positions the head accurately at all times.

The present invention relates to a magnetic disk drive having a positioning mechanism of the type positioning a magnetic head relative to a recording medium in a rotaty motion, i.e., a so-called rotary positioning mechanism.
A magnetic disk drive of the type described is extensively used with a computer, word processor or similar electronic data processing equipment as a storage. There is an increasing demand for a magnetic disk drive capable of recording data in high density on a recording medium implemented as a disk. To meet this demand, it has been customary to increase the accuracy of the disk surface and to reduce the floating of the head above the disk. This, however, brings about a problem that the head is apt to sticks to the disk. In the light of this, a great current may be applied to a spindle motor which drives the disk or a voice coil motor which drives the head to thereby increase the driving force of the motor, as has been customary in the art. However, the great current for separating the head from the disk increases the required power and, moreover, often scratches the head and/or the disk since it forcibly separates the former from the latter.
On the other hand, a magnetic disk drive applicable to a lap-top type computer is powered by a battery. The prerequisite with this kind of magnetic disk drive is that it consumes a minimum of power and withstands shocks and impacts while being transported. Regarding the shocks and impacts, it is a common practice to increase the force which urges the head against the disk, so that the head may be prevented from hitting against the disk. The problem with this scheme is that the friction acting between the head and the disk increases to aggravate the power consumption of the spindle motor at the beginning of rotation of the disk. As a result, such a magnetic disk drive is not practicable with a lap-top computer. The head may be loaded onto and unloaded from the disk by mechanical means using a link, as proposed in the past. The mechanical head loading and unloading means, however, has a complicated and expensive structure and cannot be incorporated in a miniature magnetic disk drive. Further, the disk may be provided with a slant adjacent to the outer edge thereof to allow a suspension arm supporting the head to rise along the slant, as also proposed in the art. Such an implementation has a drawback that since the head moves obliquely relative to the disk, it cannot be accurately positioned relative to the disk.

Head retracting mechanism for a magnetic disk drive


An antenna assembly is disclosed. The antenna assembly includes a dual band vertical loop wire antenna extending from a printed circuit board positioned over a ground plane, wherein the wire antenna includes: at least one coiled section, at least one straight wire section, and at least one feeding post section.

Automotive vehicles are commonly equipped with dual-band personal communication systems (PCS) and digital/analog mobile phone service (AMPS) antennas. Such antennas have a height, for example, of at least 70 mm, and are implemented for cellular phone usage. Typically, these antennas are mounted exterior to the vehicle to achieve improved antenna performance and reduced radio frequency (RF) emissions to the inside of the vehicle. In many circumstances, height of the antenna may not be reduced because antenna performance may be compromised.
Due to high efficiency and ease of construction characteristics, helical wire antennas remain the first choice for many cellular antenna designers. For wire antennas, the optimum operation corresponds to λ/4 wavelength. The height, which is approximately 75-80 mm, is very close to λ/4 of the operation wavelength at the cellular phone lower frequency band (e.g. AMPS). This height may be further reduced using a normal-mode helical antenna. The height may be reduced to as little as 65 mm, however, a height reduction less than 65 mm may degrade the overall performance of the antenna.
Other known cellular antennas include a planar inverted circular/rectangular patch antenna having a reduced height, for example, of at least 30 mm. Additionally, the inverted path antenna has a higher linear gain. However, the diameter/width of antenna is undesirably increased to be at least 115 mm, and, are typically difficult to include dual band applications.
When antennas having large dimension width, but more often, height, are mounted on the exterior of the vehicle, the antenna becomes very noticeable, and often, unpleasant for vehicle users while introducing manufacturing difficulties for the OEMs. Accordingly, it is therefore desirable to provide an improved antenna assembly that is compact, provides adequate antenna performance, and offers multi-band capabilities.