An electrochemical noise method, apparatus and system calculates parameters of interest related to corrosion rates of an electrically conductive article. The method involves placing a test electrode, a reference electrode, and an auxiliary electrode in an environment of interest; placing the test electrode under potentiostatic control regime for a potential scan; measuring the relationship of current v. potential (polarization resistance, Rp) of the test electrode relative to the reference electrode during a first period; switching from potentiostatic control to the open circuit potential (OCP) of the test electrode; monitoring the OCP of the test electrode during a second period; determining ΔI from the relationship Rp=ΔV/ΔI, where ΔV is measured over a second period of time; and calculating the localized corrosion from the measured potential and current data.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to electrochemical methods and systems for calculating corrosion rate, particularly to methods and techniques for evaluating localized corrosion, and most particularly relates in a non-limiting embodiment, to methods and techniques for calculating localized corrosion in hydrocarbon pipelines, transportation systems, processing vessels and fluid handling equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Localized corrosion of equipment is a serious problem in many industries and processes. In particular, corrosion failures in many oil and gas production systems, oil/gas/water transmission pipelines, petrochemical and chemical processing plants, fossil fuel and nuclear power plants involve localized corrosion. Localized corrosion may result in loss of production, increase in maintenance cost, environmental pollution and potential health and safety hazards, etc. It is important that the occurrence of localized corrosion is identified and the severity determined in advance of structural failure, particularly catastrophic failure. In addition, the ability of chemicals to inhibit localized corrosion needs to be determined.
Localized corrosion is the selective removal of metal by corrosion at small areas or zones on a metal surface in contact with a corrosive environment, usually a liquid. While pitting is a localized corrosion, the locally corrosive pits may eventually cover substantial portions of a corroded electrically conductive article's surface. Localized corrosion may occur when small local sites are attacked at a much higher rate than the rest of the surface. Alternatively, a film or surface may protect the majority of the structure, where a relatively small area is under localized corrosion attack. Localized corrosion occurs when corrosion works with other destructive forces such as stress, fatigue, erosion and chemical attacks. Localized corrosion can cause more damage than any of these destructive forces individually.
The problems resulting from localized corrosion have been dealt with for many years with variable success. Localized corrosion is highly stochastic in nature and its occurrence is fairly unpredictable. Thus, it is critical that statistical analysis is carried out when studying or monitoring localized corrosion. Currently, localized corrosion is studied or monitored by measuring directly large features (e.g. pits) on the surface by using standard optical microscopy with limited spatial resolution. Indirect methods are also used, such as electrochemical noise, to provide indication of the probability of localized (e.g. localization index) corrosion.
Electrochemical noise (ECN) may be defined as the spontaneous fluctuations of current and potential generated by corrosion reactions. Various methods have been used to determine corrosion rates, including a linear polarization resistance (LPR) method. In LPR a direct current (DC) signal is applied to a corroding cell consisting of two or three electrodes and the resulting DC polarization is monitored. Provided that the applied current is small and that the potential shift is less than 20 millivolts (mV), the response is linear in most cases and the measured resistance, commonly known as the polarization resistance, may be related inversely to the rate of the uniform corrosion attack. Other techniques include the application of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in which a sine wave current or potential is applied. In a similar manner to the linear polarization technique, and the sine wave potential or current resulting from the applied current or potential is monitored. Alternatively, a pseudo random noise signal can be applied to a corroding cell, with the electrochemical impedance obtained by time or frequency domain transformations.
Although the above techniques are widely employed, they (1) possess limitations in that they only provide information on uniform (general) corrosion conditions because they provide an average signal for the surface of the electrode being monitored; and (2) depending upon the environment, metallic material, and corrosion type, the assumption that the corrosion rate is inversely proportional to the measured charge transfer or polarization resistance is invalid because the corrosion is of a localized nature. These problems have been addressed by monitoring localized corrosion via the utilization of electrochemical potential noise analysis. Alternatively, by coupling current analysis with electrochemical potential noise analysis further information can be obtained. For example, two similar electrodes can be coupled together via a zero resistance ammeter with the output of the zero resistance ammeter passed to the input of the electrochemical noise analysis system. In this way, the fluctuation of the coupling current may be analyzed in essentially a similar manner as for the electrochemical potential noise analysis described previously.
Systems which employ two working electrodes fabricated with the same material and exposed to the same corrosion conditions as the metallic surface to be tested are known. Such systems further employ a device for measuring the coupling current between the working electrodes, a device for measuring electrochemical potential noise originating from the electrodes, and a device for comparing the coupling current with the electrochemical current noise to provide an output indicative of the degree to which corrosion is localized. The systems utilize open circuit potential conditions, employing two working electrodes in an electrolyte environment wherein both electrodes are short circuited with a low resistance amp meter. The current between these two working electrodes is the result of corrosion occurring on them, with the measurement of the net current relating to the corrosion on both of them. Disadvantages of this system, however, range from the fact that the working electrodes need to be identical to obtain accurate readings and obtaining such identical electrodes is difficult, if not impossible. Another problem is that it is unknown which electrode is responding to reveal the corrosion, due to the fact that this system requires the use of two working electrodes which limits where such systems can be employed. Furthermore, distinguishing between various types of localized corrosion is, at minimal, difficult due to the fact that both electrodes contribute to the system response.
What is needed in the art is a simplified corrosion rate detection system and method. The methods and apparatus described herein overcome some disadvantages of the prior art by providing corrosion detection calculation capability for localized metal corrosion.

Quantitative, real time measurements of localized corrosion events


A system for providing magnetic field audio signals to a receiver in an aquatic environment. The system includes an audio source configured to provide an electronic audio signal, and an induction loop amplifier configured to receive the electronic audio signal and convert the received electronic audio signal into a current. The system further includes a wire loop connected with the induction loop amplifier, the wire loop bounding at least part of the aquatic environment and around the receiver in the aquatic environment, the wire loop producing a magnetic field from the current to generate an audio frequency induction loop to transmit the electronic audio signal to the receiver in the aquatic environment.

An aquatic environment, such as a body of water like a swimming pool, pond, the ocean, or the like, is a very difficult environment in which to transmit or propagate wireless signals such as digital audio signals. The water in such bodies of water tends to absorb radio signals such as Bluetooth, WiFi, or other wireless radio transmissions, from an audio source such that those signals will not reach a receiver in the water. The receiver can be wireless ear buds or headphones worn by a swimmer, for example.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system for improving audio signal transmission from an audio source and reception by an audio receiver in an aquatic environment.

Magnetic field audio loop for swimming pools


An optical circuit according to the present invention includes a first beam splitter for splitting a signal light to two polarization lights, first and second optical couplers for coupling the split signal lights and local lights in each, and second and third beam splitters for coupling corresponding polarization lights supplied from the first and second optical couplers. The second and third beam splitters supply output signals to one double-balanced receiver of a polarization diversity receiver.

Recently, a coherent optical communication system has been expected as one of long distance and large capacitance communication systems, and has been developed rapidly. In such a coherent optical communication system, a CP (continuous phase) FSK heterodyne method has been used generally.
A conventional optical circuit used for a polarization diversity receiver includes a polarization beam splitter (PBS) for splitting an input signal light to provide two polarization lights, a first optical coupler for branching a local signal light to two signal lights, and second and third optical couplers for coupling one of output signals of the PBS and one of output signals of the first optical coupler, respectively.
Output signals of the second and third optical couplers are supplied to two optical double-balanced receivers, and the optical signals are converted to electric signals thereby, respectively.
According to the conventional optical circuit, however, there is a disadvantage in that two heterodyne receiver including the two optical double-balanced receivers are required in the optical receiver. Therefore, the optical receiver in which the conventional optical circuit is used as a front-end is difficult to be simplified in structure.

Optical circuit for a polarization diversity receiver


A high frequency treatment instrument for an endoscope is provided. The high frequency treatment instrument is provided with an insulative flexible sheath, an operation wire inserted in the flexible sheath so as to be movable along an axial direction of the operation wire in the flexible sheath, and a hook-like electrode attached to a tip of the operation wire. The hook-like electrode includes a rod-like part which is elongated in parallel with the axial direction along a line shifted from an axis line of the operation wire, and a hook part elongated from the rod-like part to cross the axis line of the operation wire.

The present invention relates to a high frequency treatment instrument to be inserted into an instrument-inserting channel of an endoscope for endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR).
There are various types of high frequency treatment instruments used for EMR. Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 7-8503 (hereafter, referred to as a document 1) discloses a high frequency treatment instrument, which includes an insulative flexible sheath and a hook-like electrode located at a tip of the flexible sheath. The hook-like electrode includes a rod-like part elongated frontward from the tip of the flexible sheath, and a hook-like part projected in a lateral direction from a tip of the rod-like part.
The treatment instrument disclosed in the document 1 allows an operator to perform a endscopic treatment easily. However, the treatment instrument has a drawback that the hook-like electrode may accidentally damage an instrument-inserting channel of an endoscope or mucous membranes of a body cavity.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2002-153484 (hereafter, referred to as a document 2) discloses a different type of treatment instrument. The treatment instrument disclosed in the document 2 is configured such that the hook-like electrode is retractable with respect to a tip of a flexible sheath. By this structure, the above mentioned drawback of the conventional treatment instrument can be solved.

High frequency treatment instrument for endoscope


A rack conversion system mounts to an existing storage rack and includes lateral tracks for side to side movement of forward bins and longitudinal tracks for front to rear movement of rear bins. The bins are sized to efficiently store a particular item, for example, paper files. The forward bins are movable side to side along the lateral tracks and reside in front of the rear bin. The rear bins are moveable front to rear along the longitudinal tracks and are normally positioned to the rear to allow the side to side movement of the forward bins. The lateral tracks are preferably mounted below the forward bins and do not interfere with the movement of the rear bins, and the longitudinal tracks are preferably mounted above the rear bins and do not interfere with movement of the forward bins.

The present invention relates to document storage and in particular to a system for converting bulk storage racks into an efficient file storage system.
It is often desirable, or even legally or contractually required, to store items such as documents, equipment, articles, and the like which may be required in the future. Long term storage facilities are available for storing such items and generally include vast arrays of storage racks, often to great heights. An example of a known document box storage rack 10 is shown in FIG. 1, with shelves absent to provide a clear view. The rack 10 includes vertical supports 12, lateral supports 14, and longitudinal supports 16. Generally, the shelves in such racking are designed for general storage and are of a size and spaces apart vertically to allow various size boxes to be stacked vertically, laterally, and longitudinally on the shelves. While such shelving provides a versatile storage capacity, it is inefficient for storage of common paper files which fit into a small known number of volumes. Storing paper files in boxes stacked on the shelves also results in difficulty in recovering papers which may be in boxes stacked behind and under other boxes.

Document storage rack conversion apparatus


An accessory that can be attached to any of a variety of heavy machinery such as bulldozers, backhoes, tractors, etc, is used for a final grading and leveling pass and is comprised of, a grating having a lattice arrangement with a "V" pattern and a set of springs disposed at each side of a hydraulic piston which controls the level of the grating.

This invention is an accessory that can be attached to the bucket of any of a variety of heavy machinery such as bulldozers, backhoes, tractors, etc, and is used for a final grading and leveling pass.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of heavy duty earth moving equipment apparatus or tooling in general but more specifically to means of leveling and grading filling materials.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
In most types of soil surfacing work such as road construction, landscaping, parking lots and any other areas where leveling and grading of soil surfaces is needed to prepare the surface for ulterior work such as asphalting, turfing and so on, any aggregates used as filling material are moved and leveled in a first pass with standard machinery which leaves imperfections that have to be corrected manually using rakes. This is of course labor intensive and time consuming.
There exists a number of grader attachment for use in agriculture and construction alike but they usually involve the use of a shovel as the grading implement. One particular attachment as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,052 can be used as a preliminary step for preparation of a road bed but is not a finishing tool. In fact it is for unprepared soil. The prior art of record shows a number of implements that may, at first glance appear similar but all, except for Canadian patent number 2,215,318 by this inventor, lack an important feature which becomes evident in the method of operation. The present disclosure describes a new and unobvious inventive step over that prior Canadian patent that provides added functionality and is worthy of a patent.

Adjustable grating attachment for grading soil


An apparatus for regulating a compressor lubrication system includes an oil-flooded rotary gas compressor, a reservoir flow connected to the compressor, a heat exchanger for cooling a lubricant, and a controller. A thermal mixing valve regulates the temperature of the lubricant flowing to the compressor. A first temperature sensor measures a discharge temperature at a compressor outlet, and provides a signal corresponding to the discharge temperature to the controller. A second temperature sensor measures a lubricant temperature at a lubricant inlet to the compressor, and provides a signal corresponding to the lubricant temperature to the controller. A pressure sensor measures the pressure at the outlet of the compressor, and provides a corresponding pressure signal to the controller. A valve means continuously regulates the supply of lubricant to the compressor, the valve means being controlled by the controller in response to the temperature signal of the first temperature sensor and the pressure signal. Operation of the thermal mixing valve is controlled by the controller, in response to the temperature signal of the second temperature sensor, to continuously regulate the temperature of the lubricant supplied to the compressor to minimize preheating of the low pressure gas.

This invention generally relates to rotary compressors, and more particularly, to rotary, screw-type gas compressors which inject a lubricant into the compressor both to cool the compressor and to provide a seal within the compressor.
During rotary screw compressor operation, a pair of intermeshing lobed rotors rotate within a compression chamber. As the lobed rotors rotate, lubricant is supplied to the compression chamber to maintain a seal between the rotors and to cool the compressor. The lubricant is later expelled from the compression chamber by action of the rotors. A reservoir tank or receiver storage tank receives the compressed gas and lubricant expelled from the compression chamber.
If the compressor is being used to supply air at a desired pressure, the compressor will operate until the air pressure in the reservoir reaches a desired level. This operation is referred to as a "loaded" condition. Once the air pressure in the reservoir has reached the desired pressure level, the opening of the gas inlet to the compressor is reduced or closed so that the amount of air compressed will be reduced. This operation is referred to as an "unloaded" condition. The compressor will operate in this manner until the air pressure in the reservoir falls below the desired pressure level, at which time the gas inlet is reopened and the compressor will operate in the "loaded" condition.
Rotary screw-type compressor performance and efficiency may be maximized by performing one or more of the following actions: reducing oil supply temperature as much as possible to avoid preheating intake air; optimizing oil lubricant flow at all combinations of rotor speeds, system pressure, and load conditions; or by maintaining discharge temperature above dew point but below the maximum safe operating temperature for an oil lubricant to assure that condensation does not occur in the system.
In present compressor designs, a minimum desired discharge temperature is achieved by use of a constant temperature thermal mixing valve and a fixed supply oil restriction. Maximum discharge temperature is controlled by using a sufficiently large cooler which is able to maintain a discharge temperature less than the maximum allowable in high ambient temperatures. However, these present designs are typically ineffective in increasing compressor efficiency because these compressor designs permit higher than optimum oil supply temperatures to insure that no condensation forms in the system, and the present compressor designs permit higher than desired oil flow to insure that the compressor discharge temperature is not excessive at high ambient temperatures. However, excessive oil supply temperatures and excessive oil flow to a compressor reduces overall compressor efficiency.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present oil-flooded rotary screw compressors. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Method and apparatus for regulating a compressor lubrication system


Provided herein are methods for the treatment of melanoma comprising administration of a composition comprising nanoparticles comprising taxane and a carrier protein.

Melanoma is a cancer characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes). Malignant melanoma develops from a neoplastic transformation of melanocytes, which are predominantly found in the basal layer of the epidermis and the eye. Spagnolo F et al., Archives of Dermatology Research, 2012, 304: 177-184; Hurst E A et al., Archives of Dermatology Research, 2003, 139: 1067-1073. Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. It is estimated that 76,250 persons would be diagnosed with melanoma in 2012 and 9,180 persons would die from it. Spagnolo F et al., Archives of Dermatology Research, 2012, 304: 177-184; Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Cancer Statistics Review 2005-2009 (accessed on Oct. 6, 2012 at http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975—2009_pops09/results_single/sect—01_table.01.pdf).
Although surgical removal of early melanoma lesions leads to a cure rate of 90%, advanced melanoma resists chemotherapy and tends to quickly metastasize (Spagnolo F et al., Archives of Dermatology Research, 2012, 304: 177-184); for these reasons, prognosis for advanced melanoma is poor, with 5-year survival rates of 78% for patients with stage IIIA, 59% for patients with stage IIIB, and 40% for patients with stage IIIC, respectively. Balch C M et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2009, 27(36): 6199-6206. For patients with distant metastases, the prognosis significantly worsens, with 1 year survival rates of 62% for stage M1a, 53% for stage M1b and only 33% for stage M1c. Balch C M et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2009, 27(36): 6199-6206.
The treatment options for metastatic melanoma are limited. Prior to 2011, only two therapies for metastatic melanoma had been approved by the FDA: dacarbazine and high dose interleukin 2 ("HD IL-2"), neither of which increased median overall survival. Hill G et al., Cancer, 1984, 53:1299-1305; Atkins M et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, 1999, 17(7): 2105-2116; Phan G et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2001, 19(15): 3477-3482. Moreover, dacarbazine is limited by a low response rate of 10% to 15%, while HD IL-2 has an even lower response rate of 6% to 10%. Finn L et al., BMC Medicine, 2012, 10:23. During 2011, the FDA approved two more therapies for advanced melanoma, vemurafenib (Zelboraf™) and ipilimumab. Finn L et al., BMC Medicine, 2012, 10:23. While vemurafenib has demonstrated good clinical activity with a high response rate and low toxicity, its applicability is limited to the 40%-60% of melanoma patients who harbor an activating mutation in the BRAF gene that leads to constitutive activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway ("MAPK"), which causes increased cellular proliferation as well as increased oncogenic activity. Finn L et al., BMC Medicine, 2012, 10:23. Additionally, most patients who initially respond to treatment with BRAF inhibitors relapse, indicating the development of drug resistance and demonstrating the limitations of targeting only one pathway to eradicate melanoma. Villanueva J et al., Cancer Cell, 2010, 18(6): 683-695; Spagnolo F et al., Archives of Dermatology Research, 2012, 304: 177-184. Ipilmumab can induce long-term responses in a subset of patients, but its utility is limited by its low response rate of 10% to 15% and by the fact that it improves median survival time by only two months. Finn L et al., BMC Medicine, 2012, 10:23. Thus, there remains a serious need for additional therapies for treatment of melanoma.
All references cited herein, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated by reference in their entirety.


An air cleaner positioned above a cylinder head is connected to an intake port of the cylinder head through a connecting tube, a throttle device, and an insulator. An insulator attachment surface is formed in a rear-side wall of a cylinder head such that the insulator attachment surface is inclined to extend in a forward direction while extending upwardly. An insulator is formed in such an arc shape in a side view wherein a flow direction of air flowing inside the insulator is directed more in a forward direction as the air approaches the cylinder head. A throttle device having an intake passage thereof directed in a vertical direction is connected to the insulator. A connecting tube is formed to curve in such a shape that the connecting tube has its upstream end opened in a forward direction and is rounded outwardly in an obliquely rearward direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorcycle wherein an engine main body includes a cylinder axis that is inclined upwardly and forwardly. A fuel tank is arranged above the engine main body. The engine and the fuel tank are mounted on a vehicle body frame. A cylinder head forming a part of the engine main body is provided with an intake port. An air cleaner is arranged above the cylinder head and is connected to the intake port through a throttle device including an intake passage. A connecting tube is provided between the throttle device and the air cleaner with a tubular insulator being provided between the throttle device and the cylinder head.
2. Description of Background Art
A motorcycle is known wherein air after being filtered by an air cleaner arranged above a cylinder head is guided into an intake port opened in a rear-side wall of the cylinder head. See, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4629526.
However, the motorcycle disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4629526 described above includes a large air cleaner that is large in a front-rear direction of the vehicle due to a configuration wherein an insulator and a throttle device are arranged to extend obliquely rearwardly from the intake port. A connecting tube is connected to a rear portion of the air cleaner. Such a large air cleaner poses a problem of influencing the shape and the layout space of a fuel tank to be arranged behind the air cleaner. A motorcycle equipped with a large-displacement engine needs to secure large capacities for both the fuel tank and the air cleaner. Thus, there are demands for both securing the capacities and for increasing the degree of freedom in the layout.


Methods for assigning a quantitative score to the relatedness of aligned polymorphic biopolymer sequences such that small differences between otherwise identical sequences are highlighted are disclosed, including computer systems and program storage devices for carrying out the methods on a computer. Specifically, the methods of the invention comprise the steps of providing a test sequence and a basis set of sequences such that the test sequence and the basis set of sequences are aligned; determining the identity of a monomer unit at a position m in the test sequence; assigning a value of 1 to a local matching probability x.sub.m if the monomer unit at position m in the test sequence matches any members of the basis set at position m, or, assigning a value of between 0 and 1 to a local matching probability x.sub.m if the monomer unit at position m in the test sequence does not match any members of the basis set at position m. In a preferred embodiment, the above method is performed at a plurality of sequence locations and the local matching probabilities are multiplied together to provide a global matching probability.

The identification of sequence homology between an unknown biopolymer test sample and a known gene or protein often provides the first clues about the function and/or the three dimensional structure of a protein, or the evolutionary relatedness of genes or proteins. Because of the recent explosion in the amount of DNA sequence information available in public and private databases as a result of the human genome project and other large scale DNA sequencing efforts, the ability to screen newly discovered DNA sequences against databases of known genes and proteins has become a particularly important aspect of modern biology.
Generally, the sequence comparison problem may be divided into two parts: (1) alignment of the sequences and (2) scoring the aligned sequences. Alignment refers to the process of introducing "phase shifts" and "gaps" into one or both of the sequences being compared in order to maximize the similarity between two sequences, and scoring refers to the process of quantitatively expressing the relatedness of the aligned sequences.
Existing sequence comparison processes may be divided into two main classes: global comparison methods and local comparison methods. In global comparison methods, the entire pair of sequences are aligned and scored in a single operation (Needlman and Wunsch), and in local comparison methods, only highly similar segments of the two sequences are aligned and scored and a composite score is computed by combining the individual segment scores, e.g., the FASTA method (Pearson and Lipman), the BLAST method (Altschul) and the BLAZE method (Brutlag).
Application of existing alignment-based similarity scoring methods is problematic in applications where a high degree of sensitivity is required, i.e., where very similar sequences are being compared, e.g., two 1500-base 16S rDNA sequences differing by only 1-5 bases. An alignment-based similarity score, especially one based on local alignments such as FASTA (Pearson and Lipman) or BLAST (Altschul), will tend to emphasize the similarity of sequences and overlook small differences between them. In applications where small differences are critical, e.g., distinguishing the 16S RNA sequences of E. Coli K-12 (benign) and E. Coli O157 H:7 (pathogenic), it is crucial to be able to detect small differences between sequences rather than similarities.
An additional shortcoming of existing similarity scoring methods is that they fail to take into account the polymorphic nature of the sequences being compared, i.e., the fact that more than one monomer unit may be present in a given sequence at a given position, and that the proportion of each monomer at that position may be variable such that a minor component may go undetected. Such polymorphisms can arise when the sequencing template is a polymorphic multicopy gene which has been amplified by the PCR. For example, consider a set of sequences which are polymorphic at a position m, e.g., sequences derived from a sample including 10 copies of a polymorphic gene. Furthermore, assume that the polymorphism is such that in 8 of the copies of the gene the nucleotide at position m is an A and in the remaining two copies of the gene the nucleotide is a C. Thus, in an ideal sequencing experiment, each of the members of the set would show a signal having an 80% A component and a 20% C component at position m. However, in reality, many automated sequencing methods do not have the capability to reliably detect the presence of a 20% minor component. In such a case, the basis set would show only an A nucleotide at position m while the true situation would be that 20% of the polymorphic genes have a C at that position. Using existing similarity scoring methods, position m would be deemed to be a non-match, i.e., existing methods would erroneously conclude that a test sequence that included a C at position m was not a member of the set of known sequences.
Thus, what is needed is an alignment-based similarity scoring method (i) capable of quantitatively distinguishing very similar sequences and (ii) capable of taking into account the polymorphic nature of many biopolymer sequences in light of the inability of current sequencing technology to reliably detect a polymorphic nucleotide present as a minor component.

Alignment-based similarity scoring methods for quantifying the differences between related biopolymer sequences


An exemplary electronic device (30) includes a main body (40) and two support leg (60). The main body has two guiding rails (413). The guiding rails are formed at two adjacent corners of the main body correspondingly. Each support leg is slidably disposed at one corresponding guiding rail so that the main body aslant supported.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic devices, particularly to an electronic device with a main body and a rotatable display body.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A notebook computer mainly includes a main body with a keyboard and a display body. The display body is rotatably attached to the main body in order that the display body can be opened and closed relative to the main body. In use, the main body is disposed on a flat tabletop of a table. However, an angle between the main body and the flat tabletop is 0 degree. Thereby, the keyboard is not comfortable for a user to operate, and the user easily feel tired after long hours of using the notebook. In addition, when the notebook computer is laid on the table, the main body of the notebook computer touches the flat tabletop fully. Therefore, the heat produced by internal electronic components cannot be dispersed efficiently from the main body of the notebook, even though the notebook has a fan for heat dissipation. As a result, the internal electronic components may be damaged due to overheating. Accordingly, a notebook computer which can solve the above-described problems is needed.
Referring to FIG. 6, a typical notebook computer 10 includes a main body 11 and a display body 12. The main body 11 defines a first groove 113 for receiving a keyboard 112. One end of the keyboard 112 is rotatably connected to a sidewall defining the first groove 113. A bottom wall defining the first groove 113 further defines a second groove 115 for receiving an elastic member 114. One end of the elastic member 114 is rotatably connected to a sidewall of the second groove 115. In use, the keyboard 112 is rotated through a desired angle relative to the main body 11, and is supported by the elastic member 114. Therefore, the keyboard 112 is slanted relative to the main body 11. As a result, a user will feel comfortable to operate on the keyboard 112. Furthermore, a gap for emitting heat is formed between the keyboard 112 and the main body 11.
However, dust could get into the inside of the main body 11 via the gap between the keyboard 112 and the main body 11, and deposits on the internal electronic components of the main body 11. Therefore, a short circuit of the internal electronic components may occur, and the heat produced by the internal electronic components is not easy to disperse from inside thereof.
Therefore, an electronic device which overcomes the above-described shortcomings is desired.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to a pre-table system (V) for container handling machines, comprising at least in-feed and out-feed starwheels (A, Z), arranged such as to be driven on support housings (1), defining a starwheel configuration (K) in the pre-table system (V), within which the support housing (1) is fixed to a floor-standing support structure (S) whereby the support structure (S) has a tube and/or profile section frame (6) of sections (7) directly or indirectly detachably connected to each other at points (N) by means of the support housing and floor support feet (8), within which the support housings are arranged in a free-standing manner such that free areas (15) are formed around the support housings and at least some sections (7) may be combined together and with support housings such that the starwheel configurations (K) may be optionally altered.

The usual standard for apparatus support structures for container handling machines, such as bottle filling machines, is a plate body, in which at least the entry and exit stars, optionally also transfer stars, and optionally other container handling components are mounted in predetermined positions. Such conventional apparatus support plate bodies are difficult to clean and unsatisfactory from a microbiological point of view. Moreover, the given star configuration is rigidly established and not variable.
From EP 1 316 520 A, an apparatus support structure is known which is a construction variant based on a duct carrier, which is in the shape of a section of an arc of a circle and stands on the floor with feet; it forms not only the support structure for the stars, it also presents rigidly integrated position locations for additional container handling components. Seat-shaped support housings are welded to established positions in the duct carrier for the stars. At the ends of the duct carrier, additional attachment possibilities are provided. The duct carrier is open downwards at least in some areas and it is therefore more advantageous than the known apparatus support structure with a plate carrier in terms of cleaning and microbiological conditions. The duct carrier fits different container handling machines.
The number and type of the stars and container handling components can differ from case to case.


Processing within a computing environment that supports pageable guests is facilitated. Processing is facilitated in many ways, including, but not limited to, associating guest and host state information with guest blocks of storage; maintaining the state information in control blocks in host memory; enabling the changing of states; and using the state information in management decisions. In one particular example, the guest state includes an indication of usefulness and importance of memory contents to the guest, and the host state reflects the ease of access to memory contents. The host and guest state information is used in managing memory of the host and/or guests.

This invention relates, in general, to computing environments that support pageable guests, and more particularly, to facilitating processing within such environments.
In computing environments that support pageable guests, processing is often complicated by multiple layers of resource management. One area of processing that has realized such complications is in the area of memory management. To manage memory in such an environment, it is common for both the pageable guests and their associated hosts to manage their respective memories causing redundancy that results in performance degradation.
As an example, in an environment in which a host implements hundreds to thousands of pageable guests, the host normally over-commits memory. Moreover, a paging operating system running in each guest may aggressively consume and also over-commit its memory. This over-commitment causes the guests' memory footprints to grow to such an extent that the host experiences excessively high paging rates. The overhead consumed by the host and guests managing their respective memories may result in severe guest performance degradation.
Thus, a need exists for a capability that facilitates processing within computing environments that support pageable guests. In one particular example, a need exists for a capability that facilitates more efficient memory management in those environments supporting pageable guests.

Facilitating processing within computing environments supporting pageable guests

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A method for manufacturing integrated circuits uses an atmospheric magnetic mirror plasma etching apparatus to thin a semiconductor wafer. In addition the process may, while thinning, both segregate and expose through-die vias for an integrated circuit chip. To segregate, the wafer may be partially diced. Then, the wafer may be tape laminated. Next, the backside of the wafer may be etched. As the backside material is removed, the partial dicing and through-die vias may be exposed. As such, the method reduced handling steps and increases yield. Furthermore, the method may be used in association with wafer level processing and flip chip with bump manufacturing.

The increasing demand for portable products is driving semiconductor device design to place a premium on package size and density (smaller, thinner, cheaper, and with higher functionality per unit volume). Packaging has become one of the most critical enabling technologies for future integrated circuit (IC) generations due to the perpetually increasing needs for higher electrical performance, increased densities, and miniaturization. Addressing the size and efficiency of packaging devices, two technology enablers have been introduced over the last five years: Chip scale packaging ("CSP") including ball grid array ("BGA") and Flip Chip ("bumped"), and Wafer level packaging ("WLP"). However, typical wafer thinning technologies cannot be used to achieve the preferred finished part thickness without damage.
With other components of the final package already thinned as much as possible, further reductions in package thickness require thinning of the die itself. Manufacturers need wafer thinning technology that can enable the wafer level packaging ("WLP") and flip chip packaging utilizing bump to meet ultra thin packaged part demands for portable, wireless and memory intensive applications. As consumption continues to increase for miniature IC packages, yield becomes critical. Typical technologies that require significant process steps in multiple tools cannot evolve and typical "workarounds" are a short-term solution.
Typical wafer thinning methods for WLP and flip chip manufacturing utilizing bump suffer from deficiencies in throughput, yield and breakage, damage, automation and integration, number of process steps, and cost of ownership.
Traditional packaging approaches constitute the first category called chip scale packaging ("CSP") and are characterized by package processes operating on individual, separated die. Typically in CSP processes, the wafer is thinned, diced and placed into a package. Until recently, CSP resulted in packaged parts typically occupying several times the area of the die. Modern CSP BGA and flip chip processes can provide devices at or close to die size. However, as with other CSP processes it is still required to handle discrete die and, in an attempt to improve throughput, discrete die are often "batched" in strips or trays in an attempt to gain some economies of scale.
Wafer level packaging ("WLP") presents an alternative to CSP and as such constitutes the second major category of packaging. WLP processes are based on the concept of creating the package prior to dicing the wafer. WLP by definition results in packaged parts no larger than the size of the die. In addition the wafer acts as a chip carrier and as such optimizes economies of scale for packaging. WLP offers better electrical performance of the packaged part than most CSP technologies due, in part, to reduced parasitic capacitance. The resulting part is surface mount ready. The costs of the package go down as the wafer size goes up and the packaging process can be done in the back end of line ("BEOL") portion of a traditional wafer fabrication facility further reducing costs and dependencies to the integrated device manufacturer ("IDM"). As such, WLP could represent significant cost savings over typical technologies.
A shared process component of WLP fabrication with CSP technology is wafer thinning. Industry trends point to reductions in chip thickness of about 5% per year each year since wafer thinning became a requirement. This trend is expected to continue and will contribute significantly to enabling the industry to continue increasing component density. In addition to volume advantages, there are important performance benefits to reducing the thickness of silicon die that can be categorized as both device performance and reliability enhancements including thermal resistance, device reliability, and die stacking. Thinning the die reduces the serial thermal resistance between the active circuitry and the backside of the chip which can be in contact with a heat sink. Thermal resistance is a critical parameter for a variety of chips, such as power and high-speed microprocessors in which overheating can cause failure.
Thickness may also be related to device reliability: Thin die minimize the stress on the device circuitry due to mismatches between the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of materials within the packaged device. Expansion of the different materials in a WLP device and the PCB or flex-circuit on which it is mounted produce opportunities to shear bonds at the interface of the solder ball/bump and the mating pad. Broken or damaged bonds result in failed components.
Thin die may also permit IC stacking for vertical device integration. It is desirable to fit chip stacks inside standard packages, but this requires thin die (i.e., die must be thinned in order to be used in vertical memory stacks). Chip-stack designs are also attractive for the combination of logic/memory, optical/electrical, analog/digital ("mixed signal") and micro electromechanical systems (MEMS).
There are three conventional methods of wafer thinning: mechanical grinding, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), and wet etching. Typically, mechanical grinding thins wafers by pressing a rotating abrasive disk to the backside of a wafer. CMP typically uses a rotating pad with a silica solution. A typical wet etching process uses a liquid phase chemical reaction.
Mechanical grinding is the most commonly used process to thin wafers. However, it induces significant stress and damage to the wafer, which must be removed by subsequent processing. Typically either a wet etch or CMP process is used to reduce the grind-induced stress. The stress may cause the wafer to break or may damage the devices on the wafer. The breakage and damage is a function of the thickness of the wafer relative to its diameter. In typical applications, mechanical grind is limited to the manufacturing of wafers with a finished thickness to diameter ratio of greater than 1 μm/mm. As such, larger wafers could only be ground to greater thickness. For example, a 100 mm diameter wafer could be mechanically ground to 100 μm thick. However, a 300 mm diameter wafer could only be ground to 300 μm. Since manufacturing economies improve with larger thinner wafers, mechanical grinding alone is unacceptable.
In addition, mechanical grinding can cause warping from induced stress. Warping can lead to breakage in subsequent steps and damage to the silicon lattice resulting in degraded device performance. Furthermore, the post grind steps necessary to remove the induced stress decrease throughput, increase process steps, require additional handling of already thinned and possibly warped wafers, and present other difficulties, as well. Finally, ultra thin wafers cannot be created through the mechanical grind process alone.
On the other hand, CMP cannot be used on WLP devices or bumped wafers due to the high pressure placed in the backside of the wafer. Furthermore, CMP has a low throughput. The removal rate is not acceptable for production processing. Although the oldest technique for silicon etching in the industry, wet etching has disadvantages for wafer thinning due to inherent process control difficulties. Also, wet etching requires hazardous chemicals with high disposal costs due to environmental issues. Wet etching has low market penetration of wafer thinning tools due to expense and environmental issues.
Each of these wafer thinning methods add handling steps and expense. Each handling step reduces yield and slows throughput. Moreover, mechanical grind and CMP prevent using solder bump techniques typically incorporated in flip chip and WLP and limit thinning.
As such, many typical wafer thinning technologies are ill-suited for wafer thinning in WLP or flip chip manufacturing. Many other problems and disadvantages of the prior art will become apparent to one skilled in the art after comparing such prior art with the present invention as described herein.

Wafer thinning using magnetic mirror plasma


Provided is a method for manufacturing a glass substrate for an information recording medium, which is advantageous in that oozing of an alkali and deformation of a texture are suppressed. The glass substrate is chemically reinforced, and a texture is formed in the glass substrate, and then treated with a neutral or alkaline aqueous solution. In the texture forming step, the surface of the glass substrate is etched in a depth of 0.5 to 10 nm.

The present invention relates to a a method for manufacturing a glass substrate for an information recording medium.
A conventional glass substrate has a surface strength improved by the following chemical reinforcing treatment. The glass substrate is immersed in a chemical reinforcement liquid, or molten potassium nitrate (KNO3). In the glass substrate, metal ions having a relatively small ionic radius, such as lithium ions (Li+) and sodium ions (Na+), are present. The chemical reinforcing treatment causes the metal ions having a relatively small ionic radius present near the surface of the glass substrate to be replaced by potassium ions (K+) having a relatively large ionic radius contained in the chemical reinforcement liquid to form a compression stress layer on the surface of the glass substrate, so that the glass substrate is reinforced chemically.
The chemically reinforced glass substrate is polished using a diamond slurry and an abrasive tape. This polishing forms a texture in the surface of the glass substrate.
Potassium ions incorporated into the glass substrate by the chemical reinforcing treatment are unlikely to ooze from the surface of the glass substrate. However, most of the compression stress layer in which potassium ions are present in a higher concentration is removed during formation of the texture, so that a layer containing sodium ions and lithium ions in a relatively high concentration on the surface of the glass substrate is exposed. The sodium ions and lithium ions having a relatively small ionic radius move relatively easily in the glass substrate. Therefore, an alkali metal, such as sodium or lithium, oozes from the glass substrate.
In the glass substrate from which an alkali oozes, a texture formed in the surface of the glass substrate changes with time. In a magnetic recording medium manufactured using a glass substrate having a texture which deformes to an undesirable form, the recorded magnetic data cannot be stably read by a magnetic head with high accuracy.

Method for manufacturing glass substrate of information recording medium


The present disclosure provides for a system that dynamically adjusts how the system distributes messages to a set of consumers. The system measures a quantity of consumers in communication with the system. The system also measures performance metrics of each respective consumer of the set of consumers. In response to a change in the quantity of consumers, or to one or more performance metrics of an individual consumers meeting, or failing to meet, a respective predetermined threshold, the system may adjust a cache size the system attributes to the individual consumer and accordingly may adjust how the system distributes messages to the individual consumer. For instance, the system may distribute more or less messages to the individual consumer. The individual consumer may also communicate a maximum cache limit it is able to receive in messages from the system.

A producer application may transmit messages to a consumer application. When the number of producers and consumers, and the number of messages being transmitted, scales to a large number, a message broker may be used. A message broker may receive messages from a group of producers and may determine how to distribute the messages to a group of consumers. The message broker may distribute the messages equally to the group of consumers or may distribute the messages unequally to the group of consumers. The message broker may also translate the messages from a formal messaging protocol of the producer to a formal messaging protocol of the consumer.


According to the present invention, there are provided methods for treating age related macular degeneration in a mammal; for preventing impairment of the vision or for improving impaired vision of a mammal whose eye has drusen; for preventing formation or growth of drusen in the eye of a mammal; and for reducing the number or the size of drusen or for fading drusen without resultant areas of retinal atrophy, without resultant impairment of vision, or without a combination of the foregoing in the eye of a mammal. Beta-carotene in appropriate amounts is administered to the mammal.

Age related macular degeneration is a common degenerative disease of the retina and is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. The disease is associated with chronological age, as ten percent of the individuals between the ages of sixty-five and seventy-five in the United States have lost some vision because of the disease. Thirty percent of people over the age of seventy-five have lost some vision due to the disease. Young, "Pathophysiology of Age-related Macular Degeneration", Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 31, No. 5, March-April 1987.
The basic anatomy of the eye is illustrated in FIG. 1.
The sclera (1) forms the external tissue of the eyeball. The choroid (3) is the vascular layer beneath the sclera. The retina (5) lines the choroid (3) and is the nervous membrane upon the surface of which the images of external objects are received and then are transmitted through the optic nerve (11). Precisely in the center of the posterior part of the retina, corresponding to the axis of the eye, and at a point in which the sense of vision is perfect in a normal eye, is a yellowish area called the macula (7) which has a central depression, called the fovea (9). FIG. 2 illustrates that beneath the sensory retina is a single layer of pigmented epithelial cells called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) (1). Between the RPE and the choriocapillaries is a membrane known as Bruch's membrane (7).
ARMD is believed to be caused by the deterioration and death of the retinal pigment epithelium. The cause of the degeneration is unknown, but it has been speculated that ARMD may be an advanced stage of the normal aging process. Young, Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 31, No. 5, March-April 1987. The variability in the age of onset of the disease is likely due to the variability in biological aging.
The earliest and most obvious clinical sign of ARMD is the presence of drusen. Sarks et al. "Age-related Macular Degeneration: Atrophic Form", Retina, Vol. 2., The C. V. Mosby Company, 1989. Drusen are extracellular masses of heterogeneous composition containing materials excreted from aging RPE cells and remnants of dead cells. Young, Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 31, No. 5, March-April 1987. They are situated between the basal membrane of the RPE and Bruch's membrane. Young, Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 31, No. 5, March-April 1987. Clinically, drusen are seen as localized yellowish deposits or excrescences lying deep to the retina. Bressler et al. "Age-related Macular Degeneration", Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 32, No. 6, May-June 1988.
Small discrete drusen, i.e. hard drusen, are seen in eighty-three percent of normal adult eyes. Hard drusen represent a localized disorder of only a few RPE cells. The RPE cells overlying the drusen are often thinned or pigmented. Bressler et al., Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 32, No. 6, May-June 1988.
Larger areas of RPE dysfunction having ill defined, nondiscrete boundaries are termed soft drusen. Soft drusen are associated with more serious forms of ARMD in which there is significant loss of central vision. Soft drusen often merge into one another and become confluent.
The interface between the choroid and the retina, the development of drusen, and the changes induced by drusen are illustrated in FIG. 2. On the far left, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells (1) contain only a few residual bodies (3), and these are largely confined to the base of the cells. Melanin granules (5) are present near the apical surface. Bruch's membrane (7) is thin and uncontaminated. The visual cells (9) (of which only the inner and outer segments are shown) are regularly aligned and densely packed. This is the typical appearance in young eyes. In the adjacent region, early senescent changes are shown: the number of residual bodies (3) has increased throughout the RPE (1) cytoplasm, and Bruch's membrane (7) has thickened. To the right, a druse (11) has been formed. On the surface of the druse, the attenuated RPE cells are engorged with residual bodies, melanin has diminished in amount, some of the visual cells have disappeared, and the remainder are physically distorted. Surviving rods and cones become shorter and broader as adjacent cells disappear.
Patients can still have excellent visual acuity in the early stages of ARMD. Bressler et al., Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 32, No. 6, May-June 1988.
Loss of central vision can be attributed to several different occurrences, all of which relate to the drusen. Vision loss can occur when RPE and photoreceptor cells over the drusen degenerate and debris accumulates. Although the drusen fade and ultimately disappear, areas of atrophy remain. This fading is believed to be due to the activity of macrophages and adjacent RPE cells. This form of ARMD is termed geographic atrophy. Sarks et al., "Evolution of Geographic Atrophy of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium", Eye, Vol. 2, 552-577, 1988; see also Schatz et al., "Atrophic Macular Degeneration", Ophthalmology, 96, October 1989.
Soft drusen can also cause vision loss by initiating breaks in Bruch's membrane which allow the egress of fibrovascular tissue from the choriocapillaries. The fibrous tissue can lead to serous or hemorrhagic detachments of the sensory retina with accompanying severe loss of central vision.
Finally, drusen may become so abundant as to involve the fovea, interrupting the function of the sensory retina and resulting in vision loss.
Research on the effects of phototoxicity in human and primate retinas has demonstrated some relationship between acute photic damage to the retina and the changes symptomatic of ARMD. Young, "Solar Radiation and Age-related Macular Degeneration", Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 32, No. 4, January-February 1988. However, if ARMD were caused by chronic phototoxicity, one would expect an association between life-long light exposure and the prevalence of ARMD. Recent epidemiological studies indicate that there is no correlation between ARMD and the cumulative exposure of UV light. West et al., "Exposure to Sunlight and Other Risk Factors for Age-related Macular Degeneration", Arch. Ophthalmol., Vol. 107, June 1989.
Furthermore, various studies have been proposed or performed to determine the ediology of ARMD. Handleman et al., "Carotenoids in the Human Macula and Whole Retina", Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Vol. 29, No. 6, 850-855, June 1988, found that the major carotenoids in the retina were lutea and zeaxanthin. No beta-carotene was found in the retina. Handleman et al. proposed to prevent ARMD through the use of retinal carotenoids to confer antioxidant protection. Handleman et al. classified carotenoids as protective agents against highly reactive singlet oxygen and proposed that singlet oxygen-induced liquid peroxidation was a mediator of light damage in the retina. Carotenoid deficient monkeys were reported to show pigment changes in the fundus.
Ham et al., "Basic Mechanisms Underlying the Production of Photochemical Lesions in the Mammalian Retina", Current Eye Research, Vol.3, No. 1, 165-174, 1984, disclose that both vitamin E and beta-carotene are naturally occurring singlet oxygen quenchers and that the toxic combination of light and oxygen leads to the generation of free radicals, a possible cause of phototoxicity.
Vitamin E was suggested to be a likely vitamin A autoxidation inhibitor by Katz et al., "Relationship between Dietary Retinol and Lipofuscin in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium", Mechanisms of Aging and Development, Vol. 35, 291-305, 1986. See also Katz et al. "Development of Lipofuscin-like Fluorescence in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Response to Protease Inhibitor Treatment", Mechanisms of Aging and Development, Vol. 49, 23-40, 1989; Stephens et al., "Vitamin E Distribution in Occular Tissues Following Long-term Dietary Depletion and Supplementation as Determined by Microdissection and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry", Experimental Eye Research, Vol. 47, 237-245, 1988.
Retinoids have been demonstrated to modulate the growth and differentiation of several types of cells by Campochiaro et al., "Retinoic Acid Promotes Density-Dependent Growth Arrest in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells", Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Vol. 32, No. 1, January 1991.
Gottsch et al., "Hematogenous Photosensitization", Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Vol. 31, No. 9, September 1990, hypothesize that tissue damage due to photosensitization which in turn is due to free radical generation, may be prevented either by inducing protective enzymes using scavengers of free radicals and singlet oxygen such as vitamin E or by filtering the appropriate excitatory wavelengths. See also Boulton et al., "The Formulation of Autofluorescent Granules in Cultured Human RPE", Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Vol. 30, No. 1, January 1989. While Gottsch et al. suggest that beta-carotene and vitamin E are singlet oxygen quenchers, they strongly suggest that treatment of established disease is not aided by these agents and that prophylaxis by vitamin E is not always effective.
Katz et al. "Flourescent Pigment Accumulation in Retinal Pigment Epithelium of Antioxidant-Deficient Rats", Investigative Ophthalmology Visual., 1049-1058, 1978, disclose that lipofuscin pigment in rats may be attributable to a diet that produces physiological antioxidant deficiency. Young, Survey of Ophthalmology, Vol. 32, No. 4, January-February 1988, discloses that beta-carotene can diminish photodynamic change in the retina. However, treatment of established ARMD is not disclosed, and no relationship between the presence or the growth of drusen and photodynamic damage is suggested.
Because the normal retina has a high concentration of zinc, supplemental zinc was investigated in the treatment of ARMD by Newsome et al. "Oral Zinc in Macular Degeneration", Arch. Ophthalmology, Vol. 106, February 1988. No correlation of ARMD with initial serum levels of zinc was observed, and progression of the disease was seen in both the treatment and the non-treatment groups. Furthermore, zinc ingestion can be accompanied by serious side effects.
It has now been discovered that the administration of appropriate amounts of beta-carotene can successfully treat ARMD. Beta-carotene had also proven useful in the inhibition and resolution of drusen, particularly without typical vision impairment or detrimental anatomical and physiological changes in the eye.

Treatment of age related macular degeneration with beta-carotene


A voltage regulator circuit includes a soft start module, a pulse width modulation (PWM) module, and a voltage regulator module. The soft start module is used to receive a current feedback voltage corresponding to an input current, and compare the current feedback voltage with a comparison voltage, so as to output a switching signal. The PWM module is used to receive a clock signal and the switching signal, and determine a first PWM signal and a second PWM signal outputted by the PWM module is a high voltage level or a low voltage level according to the clock signal and the switching signal. The voltage regulator module is used to receive and adjust an output voltage corresponding to the first PWM signal and the second PWM signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to a voltage regulator circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of electronic technology, various voltage regulator circuits are used in an electronic device commonly such as a direct current (DC) voltage regulator circuit or an alternating current (AC) voltage regulator circuit.
A pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage regulator is a common DC voltage regulator. Generally, when the PWM voltage regulator starts and the output voltage rapidly changes, a high inrush current is generated. The inrush current may damage components of the circuit or make an input source provided to the PWM voltage regulator generate a voltage drop, and affect other circuits connected to the input source.

Voltage regulator circuit with soft-start function