Disclosed herein is a new and distinct variety of Petunia plant having vigorous and semi-trailing habit, abundant flowering, the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time, and single, small sized and vivid red purple colored flowers.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Petunia plant, which is hereinafter referred to as 'Sunpetu 3881'.
A Petunia is a very popular plant that is used in flower bedding and potting in the summer season.
This purpose of this invention is to obtain a new Petunia cultivar with vigorous and semi-trailing habit, abundant flowering, the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time, and single, small sized and vivid red purple colored flowers.
The new Petunia plant originated from cross-pollination of the female parent 'Shiro2' and the male parent 'MS22-193-2'. The female parent 'Shiro2' (unpatented) used in the crossing of 'Sunpetu 3881' is a strain of the applicant's breeding lines (i.e., proprietary Petunia selection), having white petals, and the male parent 'MS22-193-2' (unpatented) used in the crossing of 'Sunpetu 3881' is a strain of the applicant's breeding lines (i.e., proprietary Petunia selection), having medium flower diameter. The cross-pollination was conducted in Sep. 10, 2010 at Yame-gun, Fukuoka, Japan.
In March 2011, the seedlings obtained by the crossing were planted in a field. In May 2011, some seedlings were selected in view of growth habit, flower size and color thereof. Shortly thereafter stem tip culturing was carried out, and then the propagation was started.
In November 2012, the cultivation of the seedlings was repeated. The botanical characteristics of that plant were then examined, using similar varieties 'Daiichi Bluette Purple 2' and 'MP22-21-2' (unpatented) for comparison. As a result, it was concluded that this Petunia plant is distinguishable from any other variety, whose existence is known, and is uniform and stable in its characteristics.
The new variety of Petunia plant was then named 'Sunpetu 3881'.


A touch structure which is immune to variations in capacitance of a touch electrode to ground includes touch electrodestouch electrodes, auxiliary electrodes, and a driving circuit. The driving circuit drives the auxiliary electrodes with the same driving signal as the touch electrodes but does not read changes in capacitance of the auxiliary electrodes when determining touch events. A touch device using the touch structure and a method for driving the touch structure are also disclosed.

In a self-capacitive touch device, when a conductive object (e.g., a finger) approaches a touch electrode of the device, a self-capacitance of the touch electrode changes as a result of parallel connection of a capacitance of the finger to the ground and a capacitance of the touch electrode to the ground.
However, the capacitance of the touch electrode to the ground is often not a fixed value due to the influence of the environment. For example, due to different ways of holding the touch device, electromagnetic interference from nearby circuit signals, etc., the value of the capacitance of the touch electrode to the ground constantly changes, forming noise in signals received by the drive circuit (touch chip), and affecting an accuracy of the detection of the value of the capacitance of the finger to the ground. In addition, the sensitivity deteriorates because a threshold value for determining the touch signal is increased due to the higher proportion of noise.
Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

Touch structure not affected by changes in capacitance of touch electrode to ground, touch device using same, and method for driving touch structure

Interface Technology (ChengDu) Co., Ltd.

INTERFACE OPTOELECTRONICS (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.


A system for providing visual three dimensional assistance to a user during a medical procedure involving a soft organ. The system and method provide visual assistance to a user during a medical procedure involving a soft organ. The system and method utilize a processor for generating an image of the soft organ, a surgical instrument tracker for tracking a surgical instrument during the medical procedure, and a display in communication with the processor and the surgical instrument tracker for visually displaying in three dimensions, the image of the soft organ and the surgical instrument in relation to the soft organ.

Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the interactive three-dimensional (3D) anatomic mapping in 3D space displayed on computer screens and more particularly with the aim of providing extra guidance during soft organ surgery applications.
Description of Related Art
Soft organ surgery can be difficult because there are often few external landmarks defining soft organ anatomy. Further, many soft organs contain significant vascularity. For example, a liver has few external landmarks defining hepatic anatomy and has significant vascularity. Interactive image guided surgery involves the simultaneous real-time display of intraoperative instrument location on preoperative images (computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Most of the current instrument location systems fall into the following two categories: 1) Optical tracking system, and 2) Electromagnetic tracking system. Both types of systems can provide location and orientation information and they both have some limitations: the optical tracking system needs to maintain a line of sight with the tracking sensors while the electromagnetic tracking system tends to yield to electromagnetic interference or existence of ferromagnetic materials.
There are many research projects in universities and some commercial systems that propose or provide real time image-guided surgery systems. During image-guided surgery, as the current surgical position of instruments in the operating room is registered onto medical images of the patient acquired preoperatively. These images are used as a guide by the surgeon for more accurate localization of tumors and other surrounding anatomic structures.
An image-guided surgery system typically comprises the following components: a computer system for displaying images and related information; and a physical positioning device attached to a surgical tool; the physical positioning device in communication with the computer system wherein the computer system outputs 2D images of surgical objects and the surgical tool within the images to be viewed on computer monitors.
Most of the prior systems are based on 2D imagery. Only until recently, a few systems provide 3D monitoring space. Each system may use different types of tracking devices and tools, and use different methods of registering the real environment and virtual environment. The major difference between system is the presentation of information. Many systems fail to present information in a comprehensive and efficient manner, such that their use during surgeries is under utilized. The presented information needs to be integrated and presented in such a way that users can use the information constructively and efficiently to aid in performing surgery.

System and method for interactive three dimensional operation guidance system for soft organs based on anatomic map and tracking surgical instrument

EDDA TECHNOLOGY MEDICAL SOLUTIONS (SUZHOU) LTD.


An image forming method for a silver halide photographic light sensitive material comprising a support having thereon a color image forming layer containing a silver halide emulsion and a dye forming coupler is disclosed, comprising (i) subjecting the photographic material to area modulation exposure and (ii) subjecting the exposed photographic material to amplifying development to form a color image.

At present, silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials have been increasingly employed because of the highly excellent features such as high sensitivity, excellent gradation and the like as compared to the other printing materials. As methods for preparing a color proof in color plate-making and printing process, some methods have been known, that is, one method wherein color separation is performed by placing, on a color light-sensitive material, a film for preparing each of yellow, magenta, cyan and black plates which are prepared by color separation and inversion to dot, and another method wherein a light-sensitive material is subjected to direct dot-like exposure not through a film according to image data followed by development process. In recent years, the color proof has been increasingly employed not only for position-proofing to confirm characters and pictures but also for tone-proofing to confirm delicate shading and hue. In printing, printed dot become lager than those in the original on account of ink blot and the like. The size difference ratio is termed dot gain. The dot gain corresponds to the gradation in an ordinary photograph to affect remarkably image quality. Therefore, in order to prepare the high quality proof, it is required to adjust the dot gain to the similar level of prints. In the color proof preparing method employing a light-sensitive material, there have been known a method in which the dot gain is adjusted by regulating an amount of exposure. However, when the method is employed for a negative type light-sensitive material, variation in the exposure amount results in variation in density. Accordingly, when the dot gains are matched, the resulting density becomes out of the limit of a standard and when the densities are matched, the dot gain is out of the standard. In the case of a positive type, the increase in the dot gain has tended to deteriorate white background and image quality. Furthermore, a method has been known in which the dot gain is adjusted changing the sharpness of a light-sensitive material. In order to increase the dot gain, it is necessary to degrade the sharpness. When the sharpness is degraded, the reproduction of a large dot and a small dot is remarkably degraded. Accordingly, the method has had the limitation for the adjustment of the dot gain. In addition, as a means for adjusting the dot gain, a method has been known in which the gradation of a light-sensitive material is adjusted in an appropriate range. A method is advantageous in which especially, the gradation from the middle density to the low density is designed to be somewhat soft. However, when, in the conventional image-forming method, the gradation (toe gradation) from the middle density to the low density is designed so as to be in the optimum range for the adjustment of the dot gain, at the same time, the gradation (shoulder gradation) from the middle density to the high density tends to become soft and requires the increase in exposure amount necessary to obtain the maximum density. As a result, improvement has been required because problems are likely caused when the exposure amount is changes as described above.
Furthermore, in recent years, in accordance with the digitization of image information, an image-forming method has been increasingly employed in which a light-sensitive material is subjected to high intensity exposure for a short time such as 10.sup.-3 second or shorter followed by development process. In this case, just the same problem has been caused. Furthermore, in the high-intensity, short-time exposure, a phenomenon has been frequently observed in which a characteristic curve does not become a smooth S-letter type curve and at an exposure beyond a certain value, it bends sharply, resulting in a reduced density. Generally speaking, there is a limit for the range which is digitally controlled. When the aforementioned decrease in the shoulder gradation or bend of the characteristic cure are caused, it is difficult to hold the sufficient maximum density in the adjustable exposure range. When the maximum exposure amount is set so as to obtain the sufficient maximum density, the white background is likely degraded. It has been difficult to adjust the dot gain without causing the degradation of image quality.


The invention is directed to sulfonated aromatic polyesters and methods of making said polymers. These polymers are useful as fibers and other articles. The polymer has a property of increased flame retardancy.

Workers that can be exposed to flames, high temperatures, and/or electrical arcs and the like, need protective clothing and articles made from thermally resistant fabrics. Any increase in the effectiveness of these protective articles, or any increase in the comfort, durability, and dyeability of these articles while maintaining protection performance, is welcomed.
Poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (3GT) polyester is a unique polymer that is useful in many materials and products in which polyesters are currently used, for example, films, carpet fibers, textile fibers, miscellaneous industrial fibers, containers and packaging. Additionally, one of the monomers used to prepare 3GT, 1,3-propanediol, is available from renewable resources. However, flame resistance is desired in many application. One method to improve flammability is the use of sulfonated monomers. Sulfonated monomers also provide materials that are easier to dye.
There is a need for 3GT derivatives with a high degree of sulfonation, leading to improved properties such as increased flame retardancy and enhanced dyeability.


Disclosed is a cationic water-soluble resin which comprises a (co)polymer of, in formula (I), repeating units (a) represented by formula (a) and repeating units (b) represented by formula (b), the content of the repeating units (a) in the (co)polymer being 100 to 0% by mole, the (co)polymer having in its molecule a carboxyl-containing group as one of the terminal groups and an aromatic ring-containing group as the other terminal group. The addition of this resin to ink compositions can realize the formation of images possessing excellent waterfastness and lightfastness and having no significant feathering or color bleeding. Likewise, the addition of this resin to a reaction solution for ink jet recording involving the deposition of two liquids, an ink composition and a reaction solution, onto a recording medium, can realize the formation of images possessing excellent waterfastness and lightfastness and no significant feathering or color bleeding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterfastness-imparting agent comprising a cationic water-soluble resin having a specific structure, an ink composition containing the waterfastness-imparting agent, a reaction solution containing the waterfastness-imparting agent, and ink jet recording methods using the same.
2. Background Art
Realization of images having good waterfastness and lightfastness and, at the same time, having no significant feathering or bleeding is important for printing of images using ink compositions.
In order to realize good waterfastness, as exemplified below, a combination of a cationic resin with an anionic dye has hitherto been used.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 119280/1987 discloses an ink comprising a hydroxyethylated polyethyleneimine polymer and a dye component. This publication describes that the combination of the hydroxyethylated polyethyleneimine polymer with the dye component can develop waterfastness. Japanese Patent Publication No. 91494/1995 discloses an ink comprising a hydroxyalkylated polyallylamine polymer and a dye. This publication describes that the combination of the hydroxyalkylated polyallylamine polymer and the dye can develop waterfastness. In these two inks, however, a further improvement is required to ensure satisfactory waterfastness of printed images because hydroxyalkyl groups having high hydrophilicity are contained in the polymer.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 255876/1990, 296878/1990, and 188174/1991 disclose ink compositions comprising a polyamine, with a molecular weight of not less than 300, having primary amino groups, an anionic dye, and a stability-imparting agent. These publications describe that the combination of the primary amino group with the anionic dye can develop waterfastness. Disadvantageously, however, the resins used in these publications strongly attack the dye. Specifically, according to studies conducted by the present inventors, for example, when this ink is allowed to stand at high temperatures, in some cases, the dye is decomposed or otherwise the photodecomposition of the print is accelerated to render the lightfastness lower than that of an ink containing only the dye.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 305011/1995 discloses a water-base ink comprising a basic water-soluble polymer, an anionic dye with the counter ion being a volatile base, and a buffering agent with the counter ion being a volatile base. This publication describes that, in the ink, the volatile base prevents the dissociation of the polymer and, after printing, the volatile base on paper is evaporated to allow a salt-forming reaction between the polymer and the dye to proceed, thereby developing waterfastness.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 238783/1987 discloses an ink jet recording sheet comprising a homopolymer of an acid salt of diallylamine or an acid salt of monoallylamine or a copolymer of the acid salt of diallylamine with the acid salt of monoallylamine. According to the publication, the advantage of this recording sheet is that the polymer reacts with the dye to become insoluble on the recording medium to develop waterfastness. However, since the ink per se does not have waterfastness, use of a recording medium other than described in the publication cannot develop the waterfastness.
Ink jet recording is a printing method wherein droplets of an ink composition are ejected and deposited onto recording media, such as paper, to perform printing. This method has a feature that images having high resolution and high quality can be printed at a high speed by means of relatively inexpensive apparatuses. In general, the ink composition used in the ink jet recording comprises water as a main component and, added thereto, a colorant component and a wetting agent, such as glycerin, for preventing clogging and other purposes.
Furthermore, regarding the ink jet recording method, the application of a polyvalent metal salt solution onto a recording medium followed by the application of an ink composition containing a dye having at least one carboxyl group has been recently proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 202328/1993). The advantage of this method is that the polyvalent metal ion combines with the dye to form an insoluble complex, the presence of which can offer an image having waterfastness and high quality free from color bleeding.
Further, the use of a color ink comprising at least a surfactant for imparting a penetrating property or a solvent having a penetrating property and a salt in combination with a black ink capable of being thickened or agglomerated through the action of the salt has been proposed in the art (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 106735/1994). The advantage of this method is that high-quality color images having high image density and free from color bleeding can be yielded. Specifically, an ink jet recording method has been proposed wherein two liquids, a liquid containing a salt and an ink composition, are printed to realize good images.
Other ink jet recording methods, wherein two liquids are printed, have also been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 240557/1991 and 240558/1991.
The present inventors have now found that the addition of a cationic water-soluble resin having a specific structure to an ink composition and a reaction solution for use in ink jet recording involving the deposition of two liquids, an ink composition and a reaction solution, onto a recording medium can realize good images, especially images possessing excellent waterfastness and lightfastness, and having no significant feathering or bleeding. The present invention has been made based on such finding.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waterfastness-imparting agent which can realize an ink composition and a reaction solution for use in ink jet recording method involving the deposition of two liquids, an ink composition and a reaction solution, onto a recording medium, the method being capable of realizing images possessing excellent waterfastness and lightfastness and having no significant feathering or bleeding.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ink composition which can realize images possessing excellent waterfastness and lightfastness and, at the same time, having no significant feathering or bleeding.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a reaction solution for use in ink jet recording using two liquids and an ink jet recording method using the same, the method being capable of realizing images possessing excellent waterfastness and lightfastness and having no significant feathering or bleeding, especially having no significant color bleeding.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a waterfastness-imparting agent comprising a cationic water-soluble resin, said cationic water-soluble resin comprising a (co)polymer comprising, in formula (I), repeating units (a) represented by formula (a) and repeating units (b) represented by formula (b), the content of the repeating units (a) in the (co)polymer being 100 to 0% by mole, said (co)polymer having in its molecule a carboxyl-containing group as one of the terminal groups and an aromatic ring-containing group as the other terminal group:
wherein
R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group;
R2 and R3, which may be the same or different, represent a C1-3 alkyl group;
R4 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group;
R5, R6, and R7, which may be the same or different, represent a C1-3 alkyl group;
Zxe2x88x92 represents a counter ion; and
k and l which may be the same or different, are each 1, 2, or 3.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink composition comprising at least the cationic water-soluble resin as defined above.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reaction solution for use in ink jet recording method involving the deposition of a reaction solution and an ink composition onto a recording medium to perform printing, the reaction solution comprising at least the cationic water-soluble resin as defined above.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording method comprising the step of depositing an ink composition and a reaction solution onto a recording medium to perform printing, the reaction solution containing a waterfastness-imparting agent which comprises the cationic water-soluble resin having a specific structure as defined above.

Water resistance imparter, ink composition, reactive fluid, and method of ink-jet recording with two fluids

Abstract: wherein R1 represents hydrogen or methyl; R2 and R3 represent C1-3 alkyl; R4 represents hydrogen or methyl; R5, R6, and R7 represent C1-3 alkyl; Zxe2x88x92 represents a counter ion; and k and 1 are each 1, 2, or 3.


A wire harness which is generally a Y-shaped configuration for the interconnection between a standard main vehicle wire harness, a standard vehicle radio and an after market add-on electronic device. The Y-shaped wire harness eliminates the need to hardwire the after market electronic device to the vehicle main wire harness and also eliminates the need for an after market radio. The Y-shaped wire harness comprises three connectors at each location on the Y-shaped configuration, wherein each connector respectively mates to corresponding connectors provided on the standard vehicle radio, the main vehicle wire harness and the add-on electronic device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of harnesses for the interconnection between a standard vehicle radio, a standard vehicle harness, and an add-on electronic device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a conventional method of interconnecting a factory audio system 2 into a vehicle (not shown). The factory audio system 2 comprises a standard main vehicle wire harness 3 with a connector 4 at one end, a standard vehicle radio 5 which has a wire harness 6 with a connector 7, a battery 8 for providing power to the vehicle radio 5 and a vehicle speaker system 9 for providing audio output. The connector 4 from the vehicle wire harness 3 is connected to the connector 7 from the wire harness 6 of the vehicle radio 5. The battery 8 and the speaker system 9 are usually connected from the other end of the main vehicle wire harness 3.
To improve the sound quality of a factory audio system 2, a person would need to replace the radio 5 and the speakers 9 to improve the sound quality. Specifically, an after market audio system is preferably installed into the vehicle to improve the sound quality. To install the after market audio system, one must remove the standard vehicle radio 5 and cut off the connector 4 from the main vehicle wire harness 3 and splice the wires to connect the after market radio and speakers. The disadvantage with this traditional wiring of the after market audio system is that the installer must be competent in order to correctly hardwire the after market audio system to the main vehicle wire harness 3. If this is not done correctly, the audio system may malfunction, requiring the owner of the vehicle to spend more money to correct the problem caused by the incompetent installer. Another disadvantage is that by cutting off the connector from the vehicle, it voids the warranty on the vehicle and also violates the lease agreement.
The following eight (8) prior art patents were uncovered in the pertinent field of the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 2,047,152 issued to Mitchell on Jul. 7, 1936 for "Automobile Radio Cable" (hereafter the "Mitchell Patent");
2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,633 issued to Ghirardi et al. on Jan. 16, 1973 for "Fitting Means For Axially Slit Corrugated Conduits" (hereafter the "Ghirardi Patent");
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,062 issued to Miller et al. on Jul. 21, 1981 for "Auxiliary Light Wiring Harness" (hereafter the "Miller Patent");
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,853 issued to Chia et al. on Apr. 5, 1983 for "Cavitation Nozzle Plate Adapter For Rock Bits" (hereafter the "Chia Patent");
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,217 issued to Clabburn et al. on Nov. 15, 1983 for "Cable Joining Connector And Method" (hereafter the "Clabburn Patent");
6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,984 issued to Sugiyama et al. on Mar. 28, 1989 for "Wire Harness Assembly" (hereafter the "Sugiyama Patent");
7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,956 issued to Sepe on Apr. 18, 1989 for "Coaxial Cable" (hereafter the "Sepe Patent"); and
8. U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,960 issued to Hopkins et al. on Feb. 9, 15, 1993 for "Trailer Light Connection System" (hereafter the "Hopkins Patent").
The Mitchell Patent discloses an automobile radio cable. The Mitchell Patent is of interest with respect to the automobile radio cable with branches. It teaches inductively winding the lead wire about an insulated core, and providing a suitable insulated shield around the inductance, thereby providing a balancing capacity effect.
The Ghirardi Patent discloses a fitting means for axially slit corrugated conduits. It comprises a flexible axially slit corrugated tube for housing a plurality of electrical leads.
The Miller Patent discloses an auxiliary light wiring harness for use with a vehicle headlight system. The harness comprises a three prong plug adapted for connection to the existing vehicle plug, a pair of female plugs adapted for connection to a pair of vehicle headlights, and auxiliary connectors adapted for connection to a pair of auxiliary headlamps. The harness also comprises wires connected to the three prong plug, the pair of female plugs and the auxiliary connectors, and a six pole two position switch connected to the wires and operable to allow an operator to energize the vehicle headlights or the auxiliary headlamps.
The Chia Patent discloses a cavitation nozzle plate adapter for rock bits.
The Clabburn Patent discloses a cable joining connector and method. The re-enterable cable jointing connector is used for low voltage electrical power distribution network cables and a method of using the connector to isolate cables physically and chemically one from another, while achieving in-line electrical connection as well as environmental sealing adequate for underground burial.
The Sugiyama Patent discloses a wire harness assembly for mounting the work onto the vehicle body and the connection work between the electronic or electric parts and the connectors. It comprises a primary wire bundle and a plurality of branch wires branched from the primary wire bundle which is received in a wire protective casing. The protective casing is composed of a casing body and a casing cover along with the arrangement configuration of the wire harness. A plurality of engagement holes are formed in the protective casing, corresponding to connectors provided at terminal ends of the branch wires. Cushion arms that are engaged with engagement holes are formed on outer walls of housings of the connectors, so that the connectors are displaceable relative to the engagement holes.
The Sepe Patent discloses a coaxial cable. The cable is constructed by removing the outer insulation from a section of two single coaxial cables, electrically connecting together the exposed shields of each cable at both ends of the exposed section and reinsulating the abutted cables so that the shields remain in contact along their entire length.
The Hopkins Patent discloses a trailer light connection system. It comprises a T-shaped connector having three terminals which include a modularized tap plug as the third terminal for direct or indirect connection to the trailer lighting system.
None of these prior art patents have disclosed a wire harness for the interconnection between a standard vehicle radio, a standard main vehicle harness and an after market add-on electronic device. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a wire harness with the capability of rapidly interconnecting the standard vehicle radio, the standard main vehicle harness and the add-on electronic device so that a person does not have to be electrically or mechanically inclined to install an after market add-on electronic device to a vehicle. It is also desirable to provide a wire harness that is flexible so that additional accessories may be installed into a vehicle.

Y-shaped harness for the interconnection between a vehicle radio, a vehicle harness and add-on electronic device


The present disclosure relates to a drug delivery device comprising: a housing; a moveable number sleeve disposed within the housing and having numbers printed thereon; and a transparent window occupying an aperture of the housing and covering the number sleeve such that the number sleeve is visible through the transparent window. At least one region of the housing located adjacent to the transparent window is transparent to visible light and is in optical communication with the transparent window.

A variety of diseases exists that require regular treatment by injection of a medicament. Such injection can be performed by using injection devices, which are applied either by medical personnel or by patients themselves. As an example, type-1 and type-2 diabetes can be treated by patients themselves by injection of insulin doses, for example once or several times per day. For instance, a pre-filled disposable insulin pen can be used as an injection device. Alternatively, a re-usable pen may be used. A re-usable pen allows replacement of an empty medicament cartridge by a new one. Either pen may come with a set of one-way needles that are replaced before each use. The insulin dose to be injected can then for instance be manually selected at the insulin pen by turning a dosage knob and observing the actual dose from a dose window or display of the insulin pen. The dose is then injected by inserting the needle into a suited skin portion and pressing an injection button of the insulin pen. To be able to monitor insulin injection, for instance to prevent false handling of the insulin pen or to keep track of the doses already applied, it is desirable to measure information related to a condition and/or use of the injection device, for instance information on the injected insulin type and dose.

Drug delivery device with at least one transparent region of housing


A nonvolatile memory device with nanowire channel and a method for fabricating the same are proposed, in which side etching is used to shrink side walls of a side-gate to form a nanowire pattern, thereby fabricating a nanowire channel on the dielectric of the side walls of the side-gate. A nonvolatile memory device with nanowire channel and dual-gate control can thus be achieved. This nonvolatile memory device can enhance data writing and erasing efficiency, and also has the capability of low voltage operation. Moreover, through a process of low cost and easy steps, highly reproducible and mass producible fabrication of nanowire devices can be accomplished.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a nonvolatile memory device and a method for fabricating the same and, more particularly, to a nonvolatile memory device with nanowire channel and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Description of Related art
General nonvolatile memory devices can make use of multiple-gate structure and ultra-thin channel to enhance the control capability over channel in order to increase data writing/erasing efficiency. FinFETs and nanowire FETs are common selections. In ordinary industrial circles, however, it is usually necessary to use E-beam and silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer material for the fabrication of ultra-thin channel devices. Therefore, both the cost and the technology threshold are high. In addition, general academic circles fabricate nanowire in a bottom-up manner. Although the cost is not high, there exist the problems of reproducibility, reliability and mass production. Moreover, when fabricating FETs, it is difficult to align electrode and nanowire. Therefore, there are many improvements to be made in practical application.
For instance, Taiwan Pat. No. 1,246,541 discloses a fabrication method of low-cost and mass producible silicon nanowire, in which a silicon substrate is catalyzed by sensitizer and activator so that reacting metal atoms can be adsorbed on the surface of the silicon substrate. The processed silicon substrate is then dipped in an acidic electroless plating solution for electroless deposition in order to form a metal layer containing catalytic metal particles on the silicon substrate. Next, this silicon substrate is heated in a tubular oven to catalyze metal particles and silicon atoms on the surface of the silicon substrate to form liquid silicide alloy at the metal/silicon interface. Subsequently, a solid-liquid-solid (SLS) chemical synthesis process prompts rearrangement of silicon-silicon bonds due to catalyst effect through temperature gradient so as to form silicon nanowire by stacking. Although this disclosure can mass produce silicon nanowire, the problem of alignment will still be encountered when fabricating FETs. Moreover, there is doubt of contamination by residual catalytic metal.
In the paper "FinFET SONOS flash memory for embedded applications" disclosed by P. Xuan et al. in 2003, the thickness of a silicon film is reduced from 100 nm to 40 nm on a fully-depleted (FD)-SOI wafer by means of thermal oxidation and etching, and a fin-shaped channel is then defined by means of E-beam lithography. Next, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxide film are grown in turn to form a gate dielectric stack structure of oxide/nitride/oxide (ONO). Subsequently, an n-type poly-Si film is deposited, and a gate is defined by means of E-beam lithography so as to form a FinFET SONOS memory device. However, advanced techniques and expensive SOI wafer and E-beam lithography equipments are required in these process steps.
In the paper "Nonvolatile memory and programmable logic from molecule-gated nanowires" disclosed by X. Duan et al. in 2002, a nanowire metal seed is used as the medium for the fabrication of nanowires, and nanowires are then sprayed on a silicon wafer covered by an insulator. Next, metal electrodes are formed by means of E-beam evaporation, and the positions of electrodes are defined by means of E-beam lithography so that the electrodes can be connected with nanowires to finish the fabrication of an FET with nanowire channel. However, the reproducibility of devices fabricated in this manner is low, and there is doubt of residual metal seed in nanowires. Moreover, there exists the problem of accurate alignment of nanowires on the wafer.

Nonvolatile memory device with nanowire channel and method for fabricating the same


.[.A process is provided for purifying argon gas, especially an argon gas stream obtained by cryogenically separating air, wherein the argon gas is heated and compressed, and then permeated through a solid electrolyte membrane selective to the permeation of oxygen over other components of the gas, and removing oxygen from the argon by selective permeation of oxygen through the membrane. The purified argon can then be distilled to remove other components such as nitrogen..]..Iadd.A process is provided for producing a purified argon stream wherein oxygen and nitrogen are removed from crude bulk argon streams, particularly those produced by cryogenic, adsorptive or membrane separation of air. The process comprises separating a heated, compressed crude argon stream containing nitrogen and oxygen into an oxygen permeate stream and an oxygen-depleted argon stream by passing the compressed heated argon stream through a solid electrolyte membrane selective to the permeation of oxygen. The oxygen-depleted argon stream is then fed to a distillation column to separate nitrogen from the oxygen-depleted argon stream to form the purified argon stream and a nitrogen waste stream. .Iaddend.

Argon is a useful inert gas which has many applications such as in light bulbs, in the welding of metals, as inert atmosphere for steel production as well as in various electronic industries, and the like. A major source of argon is atmospheric air, about 1% of which is argon.
Commercially, argon is produced as a valuable by-product in cryogenic air separation plants for producing oxygen and nitrogen. Crude argon produced cryogenically usually contains trace amounts of nitrogen (0.02 to 1%) and appreciable quantities of oxygen (2 to 7%). This crude argon stream must be purified to reduce nitrogen and oxygen before it is suitable for use, particularly as an inert gas. Because of the proximity of the boiling point of argon (87.28.degree. K) and oxygen (90.19.degree. K), distillative separation of argon and oxygen in particular is very difficult and energy intensive.
Heretofore, oxygen has been removed from crude argon streams by catalytic reduction to water with excess hydrogen over platinum catalyst beds, referred to herein as the deoxo process, followed by drying to remove the water and then by dual pressure distillation to remove nitrogen and excess hydrogen. See, for example, R. E. Latimer, Distillation of Air, Chemical Engineering Process, pp. 35-59, February, 1967, which illustrates a typical scheme.
Although argon streams purified by this method usually contain only ppm levels of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen, the process does have significant drawbacks. First, the hydrogen used in conventional cryo/deoxo processes is expensive. For example, for a crude argon stream containing only about 2.8% oxygen, about 3 mols of hydrogen are consumed for each ton of argon processed. At eight dollars per thousand standard cubic feet of hydrogen cost, the oxygen removal cost is $9.20 per ton of argon for hydrogen consumption alone. Further, hydrogen is not always conveniently available in many parts of the world.
Another shortcoming of the cryo/deoxo process for purifying argon is that the water produced from the deoxo reaction must be removed completely before the argon is fed to the final cryogenic distillation column. This requires feeding the argon stream through a dryer preliminary to the cryogenic distillation. Capital and operating costs associated with this additional step add significantly to overall cost.
Further, the excess hydrogen introduced to remove the oxygen in the first place must itself be removed and recovered before a pure argon stream can be produced. This adds further to the complexity and cost of the overall design and operation of the process.
Other techniques for purifying argon gas streams have also been suggested. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,144,038 and 4,477,265 suggest separating argon from oxygen using aluminosilicate zeolites and molecular sieves. Such processes trade argon recovery for purity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,463 suggests using polymeric membranes such as polysulfones, polysiloxanes, polyaryleneoxides, polystyrenes, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate and the like for separating pairs of gases such as hydrogen and argon and polymeric membranes such as polysulfones have been suggested for the removal of oxygen from argon. Studies of hybrid processes involving cryogenic distillation and membrane separation have been reported as, see, for example, Jennings. et al., Conceptual Processes for Recovery of Argon with Membranes in an Air Separation Process, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1987 Summer National Meeting, and Agrawal, et al., Membrane/Cryogenic Hybrid Scheme for Argon Production from Air. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1988 Summer Meeting in Denver, Colo. Selectivity and recovery in such hybrid schemes has been rather poor. Much of the argon permeates with oxygen through membranes and must be recycled to crude argon distillation columns.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for an improved process for purifying crude argon produced by cryogenic air separation.

Process for removing oxygen and nitrogen from crude argon


A method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a portable electronic device (100) with an LCD screen (104) and operating with a CPU (114) switchable between a high power mode and a low power mode. When input commences on a surface of the LCD screen (104), an interrupt signaler (108) generates a first interrupt signal to an interrupt controller (112). Upon receiving the first interrupt signal, the interrupt controller (112) switches the CPU (114) from the low power mode to the high power mode, turning on at least one detection panel (106) coupled to the LCD screen (104) and to an ADC (110). When input ceases on the surface, the interrupt signaler (108) generates a second interrupt signal to switch the CPU (114) from the high power mode to the low power mode, turning off the at least one detection panel (106) and the ADC (110).

A portable electronic device, such as a selective call receiver or a cellular telephone, typically has a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen for displaying visual information. Conventionally, the visual information is obtained from processing data received from input devices such as a keyboard. It is also common to use the LCD screen as an input device in order to reduce space required by the keyboard and to make the portable electronic device easier to use.
Receiving inputs from an LCD screen require detection panels on the LCD screen to sense, for example, movements of a stylus-shaped apparatus inscribing information on the surface of the LCD screen. These movements, converted to voltage or pressure variations by electronic circuitry coupled to the detection panels, are typically processed by an analog to digital converter (ADC) to provide data for deriving the visual information.
Conventionally, a controller within the portable electronic device is dedicated to control the detection panels and the circuitry coupling to the detection panels. The controller sets the detection panels and the electronic circuitry to scan the LCD screen at a predetermined sampling frequency. As is known in the art, scanning in portable electronic devices unnecessarily consumes power when no inputs are received. Furthermore, as portable electronic devices operate with batteries having limited energy content, reducing or eliminating unnecessary power consumption prolongs the operating duration of such portable electronic devices.
Thus, what is needed is a method for an LCD screen to detect inputs efficiently and thereby reduce power consumption in a portable electronic device with the LCD screen.

Method for reducing power consumption in a portable electronic device with a liquid crystal display screen


A method for key agreement for a cryptographically secured point-to-multipoint connection between a server and a plurality of clients includes altering, as a function of an identifier included in a first server message, a sequence of messages in a handshake initiating a secure socket layer protocol session. The identifier identifies the connection as an IP multicast connection. A MasterKey is generated using the server, the MasterKey being used to generate a session key for encrypting application data. The MasterKey is transmitted to the client.

The present invention relates to a method for key agreement for a cryptographically secured point-to-multipoint connection.
The increased use of the Internet also involves the risk of misuse and/or manipulation of the multitude of sometimes sensitive data that is exchanged over the Internet. The majority of Internet users and, of course, even more the experts are aware of the fact that the Internet has to be considered an unsafe environment in this respect. However, to increase the possibilities of use of the Internet in spite of this, there is an increasing demand for solutions for secure data transmission because of the aforementioned reasons. Solutions are required which ensure the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of data. Due to the technical nature of the Internet as a network which is open to everybody, protection of sensitive data in the form of a physical access barrier is not applicable. Therefore, the solution to the problem consists in that the data that is passed over the Internet is encrypted at least to the extent that it is sensitive data or even generally, and that in the course of this encryption, criteria for proving the authenticity of the respective data are obtained by processing the data in a suitable manner.
In this context, different approaches for securing client-server connections have already become known. A method for key agreement which is used in connection that allow secure data exchange and which, meanwhile, is relatively widespread, is the so-called "Secure Sockets Layer Protocol" (SSL), which, in its standard variant, is also known as "Transport Layer Security" (TLS). This protocol establishes the modalities for a connection between a client and a server in which the data is transmitted in encrypted form. Using the protocol, the client and the server agree on the encryption method to be used, on the session keys used for encryption while the connection is active, on authenticity criteria and, possibly, on further connection modalities as, for example, methods for reducing the data volume by data compression. In this context, the advantage of the method is to be seen in that the SSL protocol seamlessly integrates into the OSI layer model for data transfer. In this respect, the protocol represents a transition (socket) which is transparent in both directions, preferably between the application layer and the transport layer according to the layer model. The SSL protocol is explained in greater detail, for example, by Stephen Thomas in "SSL & TLS Essential", John Wiley & Sons, New York 2000, which is Stephen Thomas in "SSL & TLS Essential", John Wiley & Sons, New York 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The protocol will be discussed in greater detail later in the context of the explanation of the present invention.
As described, SSL/TLS was designed to secure point-to-point connections. This becomes clear, inter alia, from the fact that two of the three values (PremasterSecret, ClientRandom) from which the cryptographic key is ultimately derived, are generated by the client. Therefore, it is not possible for the server to use the same key in the communication with different clients, respectively. This fact makes it impossible for the SSL handshake, as is known from the standard SSL protocol, to be used in point-to-multipoint connections, with the server as the data source and a plurality of clients as data sinks. In many application cases, such IP multicast connections allow effective use of the bandwidth available in the network and, overall, an economical use of time and hardware resources. They are used, for example, in the streaming of audio/video data. Here too, however, there is of course a need for connections that are protected from misuse and manipulation. In this context, however, only proprietary solutions have become known so far, such as in connection with DVB (Digital Video Broadcast), which, however, cannot be so easily used for other purposes.

Method for key agreement for a cryptographic secure point—to—multipoint connection


In snowmaking apparatus having a fan which forces air through a tubular housing, an improved nucleator assembly wherein an air-water mixture is injected at an angle into the airstream close to the downstream side of the fan and remote from the housing outlet from nozzles on vanes designed to create turbulence and wherein the air-water mixture for the nucleator is formed in a multi-passage mixing block on the exterior of the housing with the pressure of both the air and water regulated.

In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,937 there is described a nucleating assembly for snowmaking apparatus which is the prior art design upon which the improvements of the invention have been made. The nucleating nozzles in that design are positioned far downstream from the fan and its flow straightening fins almost at the outlet end of the housing where water is sprayed into the airstream. The mixing of air and water for the nucleators takes place within the nucleator vanes themselves in that prior art design immediately upstream of the nucleating nozzles. The downstream edge portions of those nucleator vanes are tapered in the same manner as their upstream edge portions.
In addition the mixture of air and water ejected from the nucleator nozzles enters the airstream in a direction parallel to the axis of the tubular housing rather than at an angle thereto. Ejection of an air-water mixture from a nucleator nozzle in snowmaking apparatus at an angle to the tubular housing axis is not itself novel as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,105,161 and 5,180,106. However the air-water mixture in those prior art patents is not ejected directly into the straight airstream flow but rather into the lee or shadow of other parts in the tubular housing around which the airstream flows. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,106 that other part is a manifold casing around the nucleator nozzles and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,161 it is a deflector which directs the airstream flow away from the nucleator nozzles.
It is the principal purpose of the present invention to improve the nucleating effect of the nucleator assembly by changing the position of the nucleator nozzles in relation to the downstream air spray, by mixing the water and air well upstream from the nucleating nozzles, by designing the nucleator vanes so that they create turbulence around the nucleator nozzles, and by angling the air-water mix into the straight line airstream flow.

Nucleator assembly for snowmaking apparatus


An array substrate includes a plurality of gate lines, first data line segments, second data line segments, first thin film transistors and second thin film transistors. Each first thin film transistor includes a first gate electrode, a first source electrode and a first drain electrode, and each second thin film transistor includes a second gate electrode, a second source electrode and a second drain electrode. The first data line segment, the second data line segment and the next first data line segment arranged sequentially in a first direction define a first gap and a second gap, where the second gap is greater than the first gap. The first source electrode, the second source electrode and the next first source electrode arranged sequentially in the first direction define a third gap and a fourth gap, where the third gap is greater than the first gap, and the fourth gap is smaller than the second gap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an array substrate, and more particularly, to an array substrate with asymmetric thin film transistor design and reduced pixel size.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The array substrate (also referred to as thin film transistor substrate) of a display panel includes a plurality of gate lines and data lines, wherein the pixel array are defined by the crossing structure of the gate lines and the data lines, and the pixel array includes a plurality of sub-pixels arranged in an array. As the market demand has changed, high resolution has become one of the most important requirements for display panels. For instance, smart phones with FHD resolution (1920*1080) display panels have been commercialized in the market recently. However, due to the limit of the manufacturing ability, the sizes of the sub-pixels are not able to be further reduced, which becomes the bottleneck for developing high resolution display panels.