A heat sink containing a woolen material is provided for a band-pass filter in a curing lamp. Light having a particular wavelength(s) is transmitted through the band-pass filter and into the heat sink whereas light having other wavelengths is reflected by the band-pass filter. The heat sink absorbs the light transmitted through the band-pass filter and dissipates the heat associated therewith.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the lamps and the heat absorption and transfer properties associated therewith. More particularly, the invention relates in one embodiment to improving heat transfer and light trapping in lamps used in ultraviolet light curing applications.
2. Description of the Related Art
The purpose of a band-pass filter in an optical system is to reflect light in a specific range of wavelengths and to transmit light of a different set of wavelengths. A particular type of band-pass filter, often referred to as a "cold mirror," is used to provide good reflection of light having a wavelengths in a particular range and to transmit light outside of that range. For example, one type of cold mirror reflects light having wavelengths between about 200 nm and about 450 nm (i.e., UV light and the lower end of the visible light spectrum) and transmits light having wavelengths above about 450 nm, i.e., light which includes most visible light and IR light.
Band-pass filters are used to separate light into usable and unusable light. For example, a cold mirror may be used to separate light into ultraviolet ("UV") light and visible/infrared ("IR") light. The UV light may be reflected toward a material, such as a web, that is to be cured via a curing application. By way of contrast, the visible/IR light may be transmitted through the cold mirror (i.e., it is not directed toward the curing application at hand) to prevent unnecessary and unwanted heating of the materials that are to be cured.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art lamp housing 100. The lamp housing 100 contains a lamp 26 (also called a "light source 26") which projects diverging light having a variety of wavelengths from the interior 24 of the lamp 26. Some of the light is directed toward a reflective mirror 16 which reflects the light toward a band-pass filter 20 (which may be a cold mirror). In some prior art embodiments, the mirror 16 is planar (as shown) whereas in other prior art embodiments the mirror 16 is curved. However, in all prior art embodiments, at least some of the light reflected by the mirror 16 is redirected back toward the light source 26.
Some of the light from the light source 26 is also reflected off shutters 12 toward the band-pass filter 20. The shutters 12, which rotate on axes 14, have inside surfaces (i.e., on the side facing the light source) which are highly polished. As a result, when an object 8 (which may be in the form of a tape or label) to be cured is moved across a window 22 in the housing 100, the shutters 12 may be opened and the polished surface of the shutters 12 used to gather and direct the light toward the band-pass filter 20.
The shutters 12 may be opened due to their being adapted to rotate on the axes 14. In a first position (not shown), the distal ends 13 of the shutters 12 approach each other, thereby substantially containing the light emitted by light source 26. In a second position, shown in FIG. 1, the distal ends 13 of the shutters 12 are separated so that the light emitted by the light source 26 can be reflected toward the band-pass filter 20.
The shutters 12 also serve a heat containment function. The temperature of the light source 26 may reach from about 650° C. to about 850° C. In some embodiments, as the light source 26 is reasonably close to the moving object 8, if the object 8 is stopped while the lamp housing 100 is emitting light, it may be preferable to protect the object 8 from the heat associated with the light emitted by light source 26 by closing the shutters 12.
The band-pass filter 20 is adapted to reflect light having a wavelength which falls within a specified range and to transmit light having wavelengths outside of that range. For example, in curing applications, if a cold mirror is used for the band-pass filter 20, it may reflect light having wavelengths between about 200 nm and about 450 nm (e.g., ultraviolet light) and transmit light outside of this range, including visible light and IR light. The light which is reflected by the cold mirror passes through a protective window 22 and may be used in applications calling for a particular type of light, e.g., UV light.
As the remaining light (e.g. visible/IR) is transmitted through the band-pass filter, it may be necessary to protect people and/or items which may be harmed by exposure to this light. To address this concern, the light which is transmitted through the band-pass filter may pass through an air corridor 52 and into a solid heat sink 30 where it may be absorbed and converted into heat energy via radiant heat transfer.
Air, which is fed into the air corridor 52 via inlets 50, may be used to cool the heat sink 30. Similarly, air may be fed into the housing 100 via inlets 40. The air passing through the inlets 40 may be used to cool the light source 26, the mirror 16, and/or the shutters 12. Further, the heat sink 30 may be designed so that its shape and cross-sectional area will allow the heat absorbed therein to be transferred to a stream of cooling air in the air corridor 52 via forced/induced convection. Unfortunately, the heat sinks currently used tend to be large and expensive.
Thus, although a solution, in the form of a heat sink apparatus, currently exists to absorb visible and infrared light transmitted through a band-pass filter, the solution is imperfect due to the size and cost of the heat sink apparatus. In light of the aforementioned, it is desired to achieve one or more of the following in a new apparatus and method: (a) effectively absorbing visible/IR light; (b) dissipating the heat associated with the light absorption; and/or (c) reducing the size and/or cost of heat sinks used for this purpose.

Light trap and heat transfer apparatus and method


The present invention discloses methods for improving data-retrieval times from a non-volatile storage device. A method for preloading data to improve data-retrieval times from a non-volatile storage device, the method including the steps of: providing a cache memory for preloading the data upon a host-system request to read the data; determining that a plurality of data segments that constitute a non-contiguous data object, stored in the storage device such that at least one data segment is non-contiguous to a preceding data segment in the data object, are in a predictable sequence; and preloading a non-contiguous next data segment in the predictable sequence into the cache memory after loading a current data segment into a host system from the cache memory, wherein the next data segment is preloaded prior to the host-system request to read the next data segment.

The present invention relates to methods for improving data-retrieval times from a non-volatile storage device in which a cache memory is used for preloading a data segment before the data segment is loaded into a host system. Retrieved data (i.e. data which is requested by the host system) can be divided into ordered data (i.e. data that is arranged in a known and/or "predictable" sequence) and random data. The present invention focuses on retrieving ordered data from storage devices.
Data-retrieval operations from a storage device (e.g. a magnetic-tape recorder) are divided into two main sub-operations:                (1) an internal storage-device data-retrieval stage (hereinafter referred to as a "pre-loading stage"), which occurs upon a host-system request, involves the storage device's internal controller searching for the specific data, and preparing the data to be read by the host system. It is noted that the data is not delivered to the host system during the pre-loading stage.        (2) a host-system data-retrieval stage (hereinafter referred to as a "loading stage"), which occurs when the pre-loading stage is completed, involves the storage device notifying the host system that the data is ready to be read by the host system. Such notification can occur in two ways, such as by answering a host-system question as to whether the data is ready or not, or by invoking an interrupt to the host system, signaling that the data is ready.
Clearly, such data-retrieval operations, typical to all storage devices in the prior art, have a built-in latency which is the time needed for the first sub-operation. This latency does not disturb the host system, and is hardly noticed if the time to process one segment of data is much longer than this latency. However, in some data-retrieval operations (especially in streaming processes such as loading JPEG and MPEG data, for example), the processing time is very short, and the latency of waiting for the storage device to complete the initial pre-loading stage becomes a problem. Moreover, in some applications, it is important that the data in storage be available on demand (e.g. utilizes a "demand-paging mechanism").
It is important to note that proxy servers and cache storage systems known in the prior art do not solve the need described herein, as they are probabilistic and provide faster access based only on considerations that are external to the data itself (e.g. history of retrieval, availability of sectors, and a priori knowledge about future retrieval). The prior art fails to improve the loading time of an arbitrarily-selected data file using any type of predictive approach.
It would be desirable to have methods for predicting with a high probability of success which data segments will be subsequently loaded from a storage device. By applying such a prediction, and preparing the predicted data segment, such systems can save time and increase the efficiency of data retrieval.
It is noted that there are prior-art systems that cache a plurality of data segments for reducing the time of the reading process (e.g. a hard-disk drive that reads all the available sectors upon one revolution of the disk). Such prior art does not solve the need described above, as it applies only to contiguous data objects and to the amount of sectors that can be read in one revolution of the disk.

Method for preloading data to improve data-retrieval times


A liquid crystal device such as a display comprises a twisted liquid crystal layer whose surface director orientation at a first surface is oriented in a first direction and whose surface director orientation at a second surface is oriented in a second different non-perpendicular direction. The layer is disposed, for instance, between a linear polarizer and a reflector. A retarder is disposed between the layer and the polarizer and compensates for residual retardation of the layer at a first voltage across the layer. For instance, the retarder has a retardation substantially equal to the residual retardation and an optic axis perpendicular to the bisectrix of the orientations.

The invention relates to a liquid crystal device and to a liquid crystal display incorporating such a device. Such a display may comprise a reflective display for use in low power equipment or in bright environments, such as outdoor sunshine, where a back lit display would be difficult to read.
A known type of reflective liquid crystal display comprises a liquid crystal layer disposed between a linear polarizer and a reflector. The liquid crystal layer is switchable between a first state, in which polarized light from the polarizer is incident on the reflector with linear polarization, and a second state, in which light from the polarizer is incident with circular polarization on the reflector. When linearly polarized light is incident on the reflector, it is reflected without effectively changing its polarization azimuth. The display or picture element (pixel) of the display in this mode is reflective and appears bright. In the second mode, the circularly polarized light is reflected by the reflector with the opposite sense of circular polarization. In this case, the display or the pixel appears dark. The liquid crystal layer may provide linear polarization in the absence of an applied electric field across the layer, in which case the display is of the normally white type. Alternatively, the liquid crystal layer may provide circular polarization in the absence of an applied field, in which case the display is of the normally black type.
A known display of this type has a twisted nematic liquid crystal layer. Beynon et al, Proceeding of the International Display Research Conference, 1997, L-34 relates to this type of display and derives values for the liquid crystal parameters of retardation, twist and alignment orientation necessary to produce circular polarization by the layer. Most of these sets of parameters are such that the display brightness approaches a maximum value asymptotically as the electric field across the liquid crystal layer approaches infinity. Thus, the maximum brightness white state cannot be achieved for a finite applied field.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,003 and Yang, Euro Display 1996, pp 449 disclose an arrangement where the maximum brightness can be achieved. However, this arrangement has a somewhat chromatic dark state and the maximally bright state occurs at a relatively high voltage.
Untwisted liquid crystal displays of this type exhibit the same problem of being unable to achieve the maximum brightness white state for finite applied field. U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,190 discloses an arrangement of this type in which an additional fixed retarder of relatively low retardation is disposed optically adjacent the untwisted liquid crystal layer with the optic axes of the retarder and the layer crossed. The retardation of the additional retarder is therefore effectively subtracted from the retardation provided by the liquid crystal layer and this allows the maximum brightness white state to be achieved for a finite applied field. However, this technique is not applicable to twisted liquid crystal displays because the direction of the director, and hence the optic axis, varies azimuthally so that perfect cancellation of retardation cannot be achieved.
In order to achieve a high contrast ratio (the ratio of light reflected by the display in its maximal reflection state to light reflected by the display in its darkest state), the dark state should be made as achromatic as possible. This requires that the light incident on the reflector for the dark state should be as close to perfectly circularly polarized as possible for as much of the visible spectrum as possible. In order to improve the achromaticity of the dark state, it is known to provide extra retarders which are optically in series with the twisted liquid crystal layer, generally between the layer and the linear polarizer. For instance, it is known to provide an achromatic quarter wave retarder between the polarizer and the twisted liquid crystal layer as disclosed in Wu et al, Appl. Phys. Lett., 1996, 68, pp 1455.
In the display or pixel dark state, the liquid crystal layer should have minimal effect on the polarization of light from the retarder so that the achromaticity of the display should be determined by the achromatic quarter wave retarder. In the bright state, the liquid crystal layer converts the circular polarization produced by the quarter wave retarder to linear polarization. However, the liquid crystal layer only has zero retardation at infinite voltage so that there is some residual retardation which degrades the achromaticity of the dark state and requires as large a voltage as possible to achieve the best possible dark state. Further, most achromatic quarter wave retarders are formed from combinations of retarders and are therefore usually circular polarizers rather than quarter waveplates, which compounds the problem further.
In the case of twisted liquid crystal layers, the only exception to the problem of residual retardation is in the case where the twist of the liquid crystal is 90xc2x0. In this case, the surface portions of the liquid crystal layer approximately cancel each other when the voltage and hence applied field across the layer exceeds a predetermined value (assuming equal pretilts at both liquid crystal layer surfaces). For instance, Wu et al, Appl. Phys. Lett., 1996, 68, pp 1455, discloses a twisted nematic liquid crystal display of this type including an achromatic retarder. However, such a display cannot achieve as bright a white state as displays in which the liquid crystal twist is different from 90xc2x0 except for much larger retardation.
The term xe2x80x9coptic axisxe2x80x9d as used herein refers exclusively to the slow axis of a birefringent material.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid crystal device including: a layer of twisted liquid crystal having a first surface director orientation oriented in a first direction at a first surface of the layer and a second surface director orientation oriented in a second direction at a second surface of the layer, the first direction being different from and non-perpendicular to the second direction; a retarder arranged to compensate for a residual retardation of the layer with a first finite applied field across the layer, the retarder having an optic axis which is substantially parallel or perpendicular to the bisectrix of the first and second directions; and a reflector for reflecting light transmitted through the layer.
The retarder may have a retardation substantially equal to the residual retardation and the optic axis of the retarder may be substantially perpendicular to the bisectrix.
The term xe2x80x9cbisectrixxe2x80x9d as used herein is used essentially in its conventional mathematical sense i.e. the direction in the smaller included angle between the first and second directions and equiangularly spaced from each. Further, the term xe2x80x9csurface director orientationxe2x80x9d as used herein is defined as the orientation of the director at an alignment surface projected onto the alignment surface plane of the liquid crystal layer, so that the surface director orientation is the orientation which the director would have in the absence of any surface pretilt. Also, the surface director orientation (SDO) is equivalent to (SDOxc2x1xcfx80). Thus, the first and second directions and t he bisectrix are located in a common plane which is perpendicular to the optical axis of the device.
The retarder may be a waveplate whose retardation differs from xcex/4 by the residual retardation, where xcex is a working wavelength of the device. In one embodiment, the retardation of the retarder may be substantially equal to the sum of xcex/4 and the residual retardation and the optic axis of the retarder may be substantially perpendicular to the bisectrix of the first and second directors. In another embodiment, the retardation of the retarder may be substantially equal to the difference between xcex/4 and the residual retardation and the optic axis of the retarder may be substantially parallel to the bisectrix of the first and second directions.
The direction of twist of the layer is defined to be positive if the liquid crystal director twists clock-wise in the direction of propagation of light through the layer and negative if the direction of twist is anti-clockwise.
The retarder may be disposed between the layer and at least one xcex/2 plate.
The layer may produce a retardation substantially equal to xcex 4 with a second finite applied electric field across the layer, where the second applied field is different from the first applied field and xcex is working wavelength of the device. The second applied field may correspond to zero potential difference across the layer.
The first applied field may correspond to a potential difference across the layer of less than or equal to seven volts.
The layer may be homogeneously aligned.
The layer may be pixellated.
The retarder and the layer may be disposed between a linear polarizer and a reflector. The retarder may be disposed between the layer and a quarter waveplate.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display including a device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.
It is thus possible to provide a device in which a twisted liquid crystal is used as a retarder and the device is capable of providing a retardation substantially equal to zero at a chosen finite voltage. For instance, in the case of single polarizer reflective displays using twisted liquid crystal, the contrast ratio of the display may be increased by a factor of between 2 and 10 compared with known displays of this type. The device can achieve a dark state of good achromaticity for any chosen voltage applied across the liquid crystal layer. For instance, the dark state may be achieved for an applied voltage less than 5 volts so as to allow the device to be used in an active matrix addressing arrangement.
Reflective displays are frequently used in low power equipment because of the lower power consumption. For instance, reflective displays do not require a back light so that the power consumed by a back light is avoided. As the retardation of the retarder increases, the voltage at which the dark state is achieved falls. This allows the driving voltage of a display of this type to be made as low as possible. As a result, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of a display of this type.
The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.


Electroporation is performed in a controlled manner in either individual or multiple biological cells or biological tissue by monitoring the electrical impedance, defined herein as the ratio of current to voltage in the electroporation cell. The impedance detects the onset of electroporation in the biological cell(s), and this information is used to control the intensity and duration of the voltage to assure that electroporation has occurred without destroying the cell(s). This is applicable to electroporation in general. In addition, a particular method and apparatus are disclosed in which electroporation and/or mass transfer across a cell membrane are accomplished by securing a cell across an opening in a barrier between two chambers such that the cell closes the opening. The barrier is either electrically insulating, impermeable to the solute, or both, depending on whether pore formation, diffusive transport of the solute across the membrane, or both are sought. Electroporation is achieved by applying a voltage between the two chambers, and diffusive transport is achieved either by a difference in solute concentration between the liquids surrounding the cell and the cell interior or by a differential in concentration between the two chambers themselves. Electric current and diffusive transport are restricted to a flow path that passes through the opening.

Electroporation is a technique that is used for introducing chemical species into biological cells, and is performed by exposing the cells to an electric potential that traverses the cell membrane. While its mechanism is not fully understood, electroporation is believed to involve the breakdown of the cell membrane lipid bilayer leading to the formation of transient or permanent pores in the membrane that permit the chemical species to enter the cell by diffusion. The electric potential is typically applied in pulses, and whether the pore formation is reversible or irreversible depends on such parameters as the amplitude, length, shape and repetition rate of the pulses, in addition to the type and development stage of the cell. As a method of introducing chemical species into cells, electroporation offers numerous advantages: it is simple to use; it can be used to treat whole populations of cells simultaneously; it can be used to introduce essentially any macromolecule into a cell; it can be used with a wide variety of primary or established cell lines and is particularly effective with certain cell lines; and it can be used on both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells without major modifications or adaptations to cell type and origin. Electroporation is currently used on cells in suspension or in culture, as well as cells in tissues and organs.
Electroporation is currently performed by placing one or more cells, in suspension or in tissue, between two electrodes connected to a generator that emits pulses of a high-voltage electric field. The pore formation, or permealization, of the membrane occurs at the cell poles, which are the sites on the cell membranes that directly face the electrodes and thus the sites at which the transmembrane potential is highest. Unfortunately, the degree of permealization occurring in electroporation varies with the cell type and also varies among cells in a given population. Furthermore, since the procedure is performed in large populations of cells whose properties vary among the individual cells in the population, the electroporation conditions can only be selected to address the average qualities of the cell population; the procedure as currently practiced cannot be adapted to the specific characteristics of individual cells. Of particular concern is that under certain conditions, electroporation can induce irreversible pore formation and cell death. A high electric field, for example, may thus produce an increase in transfection efficiency in one portion of a cell population while causing cell death in another. A further problem with known methods of electroporation is that the efficiency of transfection by electroporation can at times be low. In the case of DNA, for example, a large amount of DNA is needed in the surrounding medium to achieve effective transformation of the cell.
Many of the problems identified above are a consequence of the fact that the process of electroporation in both individual cells and tissues cannot be controlled in real time. There are no means at present to ascertain in real time when a cell enters a state of electroporation. As a result, the outcome of an electroporation protocol can only be determined through the eventual consequences of the mass transfer process and its effect on the cell. These occur long after the mass transfer under electroporation has taken place. These and other deficiencies of current methods of electroporation are addressed by the present invention.
Also relevant to the present invention are current techniques for the study and control of mass transfer across cell membranes. Knowledge of mass transfer across cell membranes in nature, both in cells that are functioning normally and in diseased cells, is valuable in the study of certain diseases. In addition, the ability to modify and control mass transfer across cell membranes is a useful tool in conducting research and therapy in modern biotechnology and medicine. The introduction or removal of chemical species such as DNA or proteins from the cell to control the function, physiology, or behavior of the cell provides valuable information regarding both normal and abnormal physiological processes of the cell.
The most common method of effecting and studying mass transfer across a cell membrane is to place the cell in contact with a solution that contains the compound that is to be transported across the membrane, either with or without electroporation. This bulk transfer method does not permit precise control or measurement of the mass transfer across the membrane. The composition of the solution at specific sites is not known and is variable. In addition, when an electric field is present, the local field intensity will vary from one point to another. Furthermore, the surface of the cell that is exposed to the solution is not well defined. Cell surface areas vary among cells in a given population, and this leads to significant differences among the cells in the amount of mass transfer. For these reasons, the amount of mass transfer achieved by bulk transfer processes is not uniform among cells, and the actual amount transferred for any particular cell cannot be determined.
Attempts made so far to overcome the limitations of bulk transfer techniques include techniques for treating individual cells that include either the mechanical injection (microinjection) of chemical compounds through the cell membrane or electroporation with microelectrodes. In injection techniques, the membrane is penetrated with a needle to deliver a chemical agent, localizing the application of the chemical agent to a small region close to the point of injection. This requires manipulation of the cell with the human hand, a technique that is difficult to perform, labor-intensive, and not readily reproducible. Electroporation with microelectrodes suffers these problems as well as the lack of any means to detect the onset of electroporation in an individual cell. These problems are likewise addressed by the present invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Controlled electroporation and mass transfer across cell membranes

The Regents of the University of California


The glancing angle exclusion technique described herein selectively limits projective texturing near depth map discontinuities. A depth discontinuity is defined by a jump between a near-depth surface and a far-depth surface. The claimed technique can limit projective texturing on near and far surfaces to a different degree—for example, the technique can limit far-depth projective texturing within a certain distance to a depth discontinuity but not near-depth projective texturing.

Free Viewpoint Video (FVV) is created from images captured by multiple cameras viewing a scene from different viewpoints. FVV generally allows a user to look at a scene from synthetic viewpoints that are created from the captured images and to navigate around the scene. In other words, in a FFV each end user can interactively generate synthetic (i.e., virtual) viewpoints of each scene on-the-fly while the video is being rendered and displayed. This creates a feeling of immersion for any end user who is viewing a rendering of the captured scene, thus enhancing their viewing experience.
The process of creating and playing back FVV or other 3D spatial video typically is as follows. First, a scene is simultaneously recorded from many different perspectives using sensors such as RGB cameras and other video and audio capture devices. Second, the captured video data is processed to extract 3D geometric information in the form of geometric proxies using 3D Reconstruction (3DR) algorithms which derive scene geometry from the input images. Three dimensional geometric proxies can include, for example, depth maps, point based renderings, or higher order geometric forms such as planes, objects, billboards, models or other high fidelity proxies such as mesh based representations. Finally, the original texture data (e.g., RGB data) and geometric proxies are recombined during rendering, for example by using Image Based Rendering (IBR) algorithms, to generate synthetic viewpoints of the scene.
Texture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture or color to a computer-generated 3D graphic or 3D model. Projective texturing is a method of texture mapping that allows a textured image to be projected onto a scene as if by a slide projector. For example, in FVV, the original scene image data (for example, RGB image data originally captured of the scene) can be recombined with the geometric proxies by applying the original scene images/texture data to the geometric proxies by using projective texture mapping. The geometric proxy is rendered to a virtual viewpoint and surface texture is sampled from adjacent camera images. Projective texturing uses the captured scene to create a depth map of the scene collocated with each original scene image (e.g. RGB image) which provides accurate calculations of how far objects in the scene are from a point of origin on the z-axis. A near-depth surface is closer to the point of origin on the z-axis than a far-depth surface. A depth discontinuity is defined by a jump between a near-depth surface and a far-depth surface
When creating three dimensional spatial video, such as, for example, Free Viewpoint Video, errors in the geometric proxy can cause errors in projective texturing leading to artifacts that reduce the image quality. For example, if the geometric proxy does not match the silhouette boundary of an object, low depth (e.g., near depth) textures can end up on high depth (e.g., far depth) surfaces.


The present invention relates to new, distinct and stable Capsicum annuum plants that have an ornamental phenotype and produce fruit that is non-pungent.

Within the genus Capsicum, several cultivars possess an aesthetic value for ornamental purposes in the garden and as indoor pot plants. Ornamental peppers can provide a range of pod shapes and colors complemented by varying degrees of green or purple foliage. Classification of ornamental peppers includes cultivars within three species: Capsicum annuum L., Capsicum Chinese Jacq., and Capsicum pendulum Willd. (See, Corley, W. L. and A. H. Dempsey. 1972. Ornamental Pepper Evaluation 1965-1971. University of Georgia College of Agriculture Experiment Stations Research Report 136:10 pp.).
Fruits of the ornamental peppers are edible but very pungent (See, Corley, W. L. and A. H. Dempsey, Ornamental Pepper Evaluation 1965-1971. University of Georgia College of Agriculture Experiment Stations Research Report 136:10 pp. (1972)). The pungent active ingredient found in peppers is the aromatic phenol capsaicin, which is capable of causing severe irritation. Capsaicin is produced by oil secreting glands located along the placenta. The presence or absence of pungency in Capsicum is reported to have simple trait inheritance with pungency partially dominant to non-pungency (See, Deshpande, R. B., Indian Journal of Agricultural Science, 5:513-516 (1945). The degree of pungency within a genotype is subject to unidentified genetic factors and the environment, in particular temperature (See, Lipper, L. F., et al., The Botanical Review, 32:24-55 (1966)).
Non-pungency is a characteristic of the Grossum Group of Capsicum annuum L. Var. annuum, containing the commonly known peppers Bell Pepper, Sweet Pepper or Green Pepper (Hortus Third A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada, MacMillan Publishing Company 1976). It would be desirable to have non-pungent ornamental peppers thereby eliminating possible hazards from capsaicin in the landscape or indoor environment.


A silicone rubber composition that yields silicone rubber whose durometer can be freely reduced without a concomitant reduction in the mechanical properties of the silicone rubber. The reduction in durometer is achieved by controlling the concentration of an organosiloxane having hydrogen substitution on terminal silicon atoms.

This invention relates to organoperoxide-curing silicone rubber compositions. More particularly, this invention relates to a silicone rubber composition that yields silicone rubber whose durometer can be freely reduced without a concomitant reduction in the mechanical properties of the silicone rubber.
Organoperoxide-curing silicone rubber compositions cure rapidly when heated to yield cold-resistant and heat-resistant silicone rubber. A general tactic employed here consists of the admixture of SiH-containing organopolysiloxane into these silicone rubber compositions in order to inhibit discoloration during cure (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Kokai! Numbers Sho 53-40050 40,050/1978! and Hei 4-300962 300,962/1992!), to improve the tear strength of the silicone rubber (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Kokai! Number Sho 56-41252 41,252/1981!), to improve the fatigue resistance of the silicone rubber (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Kokai! Number Sho 62-197454 197,454/1987!), and to reduce the surface tack of the silicone rubber (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Kokai or Unexamined! Numbers Sho 63-130663 130,663/1988! and Hei 2-124977 124,977/1990!). In order to improve the described properties, however, organohydrogenpolysiloxane or organohydrogencyclosiloxane containing at least 3 SiH per molecule is typically used, which causes such properties in the silicone rubber as the durometer and tensile strength to increase in value. At the same time, with respect to the silicone rubber compositions used to form packings, gaskets, tubing, and the fixing and pressure rolls in copiers and printers, the durometer of the silicone rubbers afforded by these compositions must be rigorously controlled. The durometer can be adjusted downward, for example, by blending a non-crosslinking silicone oil into the precursor silicone rubber composition. Another method for adjusting the durometer downward consists of preparing silicone rubber with the desired durometer by blending two different silicone rubber compositions--one that forms silicone rubber with a durometer below the desired value and one that forms silicone rubber with a durometer above the desired value--in freely selected proportions
The former method requires that large amounts of non-crosslinking silicone oil be admixed to achieve a reduction in the durometer of the silicone rubber. This creates problems such as a reduction in the mechanical strength of the resulting silicone rubber and bleed-out of the silicone oil from the silicone rubber. The existence of these problems has caused the latter method to be the method in general use. This notwithstanding, the latter method requires the preliminary preparation of at least two different silicone rubber compositions and also requires skill to prepare a silicone rubber with the desired durometer without impairing the mechanical properties.
The object of the present invention is to provide a silicone rubber composition that yields silicone rubber whose durometer can be freely reduced as desired without a concomitant reduction in the mechanical properties of the silicone rubber.


An imaging system is provided for imaging media of differing widths while supported at an imaging position on a support surfaces. The system includes a loading device configured to move the medium to be imaged along the support surface to the imaging position. During loading, the leading edge of the medium, which extends across the medium width and substantially perpendicular to a direction of movement of the medium, moves in a direction towards a registration device. The registration device is contacted by the leading edge of the medium during loading so as to position the medium in the imaging position on the support surface. A drive mechanism is provided to move the regristration pin, typically prior to loading of the medium, to a position which corresponds to the particular width of the medium to be imaged.

Modern imagesetters and platesetters utilize optical scanners to write or record images for subsequent reproduction or to read a prerecorded image at a predefined resolution rate. Such scanners may write or record images on or read prerecorded images from various media including photo or thermal sensitive paper or polymer films, photo or thermal sensitive coatings or erasable imaging materials, an aluminum or other metal base printing plate, or other type media. The medium is typically mounted on an imaging surface which may be planar or curved and then scanned with an optical beam.
The primary components of modern imagesetting and platesetting systems include an image processor to generate and/or edit an image, a raster image processor (RIP) for converting data signals from the image processor into signals which can be understood by a controller which controls the imaging by the imagesetter or platesetter. The imagesetter or platesetter itself typically includes an imaging head such as a scan assembly which is often disposed and movable within a drum cylinder in which the recording or recorded medium is mounted. The controller, in accordance with the signals from the RIP and its own programmed instructions, generates signals to control the optical scanning so as to write images on or read images from the medium mounted within the drum cylinder by scanning one or more optical beams over the inside circumference of the drum cylinder while the cylinder itself remains fixed. A typical scan assembly of a cylindrical drum type imager system may include a spin mirror or other optical device to direct the light beam over the inside circumference of the drum cylinder, as will be well understood by one skilled in the art.
In order to provide quality imaging, it imperative that the medium to be imaged be properly positioned on the support surface of the imaging system. Conventionally, registration pins, punches or notches are utilized for this purpose. In this regard, the applicable registration devices are fixedly mounted along the medium support surface such that, when the medium is loaded into the imaging system it is positioned against the registration devices. Although suitable for use in imaging systems which are intended to image only media of one width, such fixed registration devices are less than ideal for use in imaging systems which are intended to image media of varying widths.
Typically, it is assumed that the medium being loaded onto the support surface prior to imaging is properly positioned by forcing the medium to be imaged against the registration devices. However, if the medium is being loaded in a skewed disposition, the medium may contact less than all the registration devices and therefore be skewed on the support surface at the time of imaging.
To confirm proper contact between the loaded medium and the registration device, it has been proposed to provide electric detection circuits which are closed when a metallic medium contacts a metallic registration device. However, such circuits can only confirm whether or not the medium is properly positioned and are useless when a non-metallic medium is being imaged

Imaging system with moveable registration pins


A method of forming a floating gate structure is disclosed, and includes modifying the etch chemistry of a plasma treated reactive ion etch process using an inert atom to physically damage a dielectric region. The damaged dielectric region is subsequently etched using a wet etch process.

Semiconductor devices are used in many electronic and other applications. Semiconductor devices comprise integrated circuits that are formed on semiconductor wafers by depositing many types of thin films of material over the semiconductor wafers, and patterning the thin films of material to form the integrated circuits.
One type of semiconductor device is a memory device, in which data is typically stored as a logical "1" or "0." A memory device may be static or dynamic. A dynamic memory device needs to be refreshed to "remember" the data, whereas a static memory device does not need to be refreshed to retain stored data.
One type of static memory device, also referred to in the art as a non-volatile memory (NVM) device, is a floating gate memory device. A floating gate memory device can be either erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). Both these type of floating gate memories rely on a charge stored in the floating gate (or a charge trap layer) by suitable application of a bias to the various terminals of the device. The charge may be stored by a number of mechanisms such as carrier tunneling and/or injection. The charge may be removed either electrically as in EEPROM devices or by an external source such as an ultra violet light. The presence of this charge in the floating gate determines the state of the memory as logical "1" or "0." Flash EEPROM memories are called such due to their fast program and erase times (as in a lightning flash).
The floating gate devices are usually stacked in large arrays to form memory cells such as flash memory cells. Based on the stacking or layout of the floating gate transistors, flash memory may comprise a NOR, NAND, or an AND memory architecture. As an example, most commercial memory cards such as memory sticks comprise NAND flash memory cells. Flash memory is amongst the most popular memories available in the market today. The popularity of flash memory arises partly due to its compatibility with existing CMOS process flows. Flash memory is simply a field effect transistor, except it has a poly-silicon floating gate (or Silicon Nitride charge trap layer) sandwiched between a tunnel oxide and an inter-poly oxide to form a charge storage layer. However, flash memory devices have some disadvantages or bottlenecks that need to be overcome for continued success.

Method of producing non volatile memory device


A system and method for rapidly correcting the time difference between two signals is disclosed. In particular, a system and method for very rapidly correcting timing errors to the very high degree of accuracy required for digital predistortion adaptation is disclosed. The method is a signal processing technique, which can be performed in either hardware or software, which employs a correlation computation. The correlation results are processed in a manner that enables very rapid and accurate estimation of the time difference between the two signals.

Most Radio Frequency (RF) amplifier systems exhibit nonlinearity. The effect of the nonlinearity is to produce distortion of the amplified signal that reduces the performance of the signal receiver, produces energy outside of the intended band of operation of the system, or interferes with adjacent carrier frequencies. These problems are particularly important in cellular telephony systems such as GSM, UMTS, cdma2000, and IS-95.
One way to reduce the level of distortion produced at the output of an amplifier is to operate the amplifier in a more linear region of its response. The disadvantage of this approach is that the amplifier operates in a 'backed-off' mode, which means that the amplifier uses energy from its power supply very inefficiently through wasted heat. Energy efficiency, and heat dissipation, are important factors in selecting equipment for use in cellular systems.
Other more advanced methods used to reduce the level of distortion are called linearization techniques. The two most common techniques are feedforward linearization and digital predistortion.
Digital predistortion has a number of advantages, however, a known problem exists in using digital predistortion for reducing distortion by linearization of the amplifier system. Typically in such systems, there is a digitally represented 'desired' output signal that is provided as the input to the amplifier system. At the same time, there is also a digitally represented 'obtained' signal that is taken from the actual amplifier output and passed back to the digital predistortion system. The goal of the digital predistortion system is to minimize the difference between the 'obtained' signal and the 'desired' signal. The minimization is made by correcting time-variant and time-invariant distortions in the amplifier, and its associated frequency-conversion circuits, using a process commonly called adaptation. In order for the adaptation to proceed, it is vital that the desired input signal and the obtained output signal are aligned very accurately in time. Unfortunately the delays through the amplifier analog circuits are variable from amplifier unit to amplifier unit. The delays also vary as the amplifier changes temperature and they also vary as the amplifier ages.
Since the delay through the amplifier cannot be known at manufacture for the lifetime of the amplifier, the digital predistortion system must both estimate the timing offset and correct it automatically. The usual methods for performing such timing error estimation and correction, known as delay-locked loops, are well known to those skilled in the art of radio modem design. However, there are drawbacks to the existing methods that are specific to the problem of predistortion. First of all, delay-locked loops are sensitive to input power. The loop-gain of the delay-locked loop is a function of the power of the 'desired' signal and the 'obtained' signal. Therefore, it is difficult to design a delay-locked loop that will converge quickly with the very low estimation error required for digital predistortion systems. Also, delay-locked loops are sensitive to the statistics of the input signal. In multi-carrier systems, the digital predistortion system and the amplifier must be capable of supporting more than one signal carrier. The loop gain and capture range of the delay-locked loop also depend upon the number of carriers that are active in the system. In some cases with many carriers, or when there are two carriers that are separated in frequency sufficiently, the capture-range of the delay-locked loop may be too low to reliably 'pull in' all expected timing errors. Also, there is an unavoidable trade-off in a delay-locked loop between the time to converge and the subsequent noise in the converged timing delay estimate. Many digital predistortion systems are required to be fully operational in as short a time as possible. This places design constraints upon the achievable timing error estimation precision that can be obtained with a delay-locked loop.
The prior art methods for timing error estimation are suitable for wireless receiver design where the accuracy of the timing error estimate is not of primary importance. In a predistortion system, the goal is to minimize the differences between the 'desired' and the 'obtained' signal. Therefore, any differences between the 'desired' and the 'obtained' signal that are due to slight timing differences must be minimized as much as possible. This is a much more stringent timing requirement than is usual in receiver systems.
Accordingly, a need presently exists for an improved system and method for timing error estimation and correction in a predistortion linearized wireless communication system.

System and method for digital timing error correction in a communications system utilizing adaptive predistortion


The present disclosure provides systems and methods directed to processing payments using an event-triggered distributed rules-based system (“DRBS”). In one embodiment, a system comprises a DRBS comprising a DRBS virtual holding account associated with the DRBS, a merchant virtual account associated with a merchant, the merchant being a member of the DRBS, and/or a consumer virtual account associated with a consumer. The system also comprises a database configured to manage virtual balance information for the plurality of virtual accounts. The DRBS is configured to receive payment information associated with a payment transaction of the consumer at the merchant, receive funds from a consumer financial account associated with the consumer into a DRBS financial account associated with the DRBS, credit virtual funds to the DRBS virtual holding account or the consumer virtual account, transfer the virtual funds to the merchant virtual account, and transfer the funds from the DRBS financial account to a merchant financial account associated with the merchant.

The use of payment cards, such as credit and debit cards, has become ubiquitous. Generally, when a consumer makes a purchase at a merchant using a payment card, funds are transferred from an issuing bank with which the consumer has an account (e.g., a bank account or a line of credit), to an acquiring bank with which the merchant has an account. The purchase transaction generally results in various fees being assessed on the transaction. These fees can include fees collected by the issuing bank as well as fees collected by the acquiring bank. It is often the case that these interchange fees include both fixed, per-transaction fees as well as variable fees based on a percentage of the transaction amount.

Distributed rules-based system payment systems and methods


Techniques are described herein that are capable of dynamically installing plugin(s) for application(s). An agent plugin is caused to run in a deployment of a specified application (e.g., across multiple machines in a cloud environment or “on premises”). The specified application is packaged to include the agent plugin. The agent plugin is used to install designated plugin(s) dynamically based on configuration information regarding the specified application. The configuration information indicates that the designated plugin(s) are to be installed in response to the specified application being deployed.

A plugin is a software component that adds one or more designated capabilities to a software application. The plugin may be used to enable third-party developers to create abilities that extend the application, to support easily adding new features (e.g., profiling, diagnostics, etc.) to the application, to reduce the size of the application, etc. Developers traditionally include plugins in an application prior to deployment of the application. One limitation regarding conventional techniques for installing plugins is that the application owner, which is not necessarily the application developer, typically is not able to add, remove, and/or update the plugins based on current need without rebuilding and redeploying the application. Rebuilding and redeploying the application may be a time consuming and/or costly process. Also, such conventional techniques often provide many copies of the same plugin(s) packaged within many different applications, which may hamper wide-spread deployment of updated versions of the plugin(s). For instance, if a new version of a plugin fixes a security vulnerability, every application which was packaged with that plugin traditionally is repackaged and redeployed; this repackaging and redeploying may occur relatively slowly. Accordingly, the conventional techniques may result in increase package size, storage costs, and/or transmission costs.
In some conventional techniques, developers create their own startup tasks that utilize existing installation mechanisms (e.g., Web Platform Installer) to install pre-requisites (a.k.a. dependencies) of the application. A pre-requisite of an application is a software component that is not included in the application and that the application needs in order to properly run. For example, if the application is JAVA®-based, the JAVA® run time may be a pre-requisite of the application. In another example, if the application is a PHP™ application, the PHP™ run time may be a pre-requisite of the application. Each startup task often uses a script to call a command-line utility to install a particular product needed by the application. While using scripts in this manner may not be unduly burdensome for individual applications, the scripts typically are hand-written and tested by every developer, for each application. No standard, general, robust mechanism is known for installing such components. Furthermore, if the application requires a different set of pre-requisites (e.g., a new version of a pre-requisite), it may be necessary to rebuild and redeploy the application in order to install and execute the different set of pre-requisites. Again, no standard, general, robust mechanism exists for installing such components post-deployment.

Dynamic plugin(s) for cloud application(s)


A magneto-optical device includes a waveguide structure that has at least one cladding region and core region. The cladding region and core region comprise semiconductor alloy materials. Either the at least one cladding region or the core region is doped with ferromagnetic materials so as to increase the magneto-optical activity of the device.

The invention relates to the field of optical communication, and in particular to magnetooptical isolators having high faraday rotation that can be integrated on InP and GaAs substrates.
Optical isolators are widely used to isolate active optoelectronic components, such as lasers and optical amplifiers, from unwanted optical feedback. The isolators available today utilize bulk magneto-optical materials (crystals of yttrium iron garnet or bismuth iron garnet) and birefringent crystals (lithium niobate) or bulk optical polarizers. These bulk optical components made from non-semiconducting materials cannot be easily integrated with semiconductor lasers and optical amplifiers. There is a need in the art to have magnetically active semiconductor waveguide structures so as to enable the monolithic integration of optical isolators and circulators with semiconductor optoelectronic devices.

Magnetically active semiconductor waveguides for optoelectronic integration


A joystick includes an operating member, which has shaft portions respectively protruded from both side faces thereof, an upper rotary member, which supports the operating member so as to be pivotable in a first direction, a lower rotary member, which supports the operating member so as to be pivotable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and an urging member, which urges the lower rotary member and the upper rotary member so that the operating member is situated at a neutral position thereof. The lower rotary member has an elongated hole through which the operating member is passed, and the elongated hole extended in the first direction. The shaft portions are rotatably engaged in shaft holes which are formed in side walls of the elongated hole. Expansion parts are formed on the operating member so as to expand within the elongated hole in the first direction. The operating member rotates through the shaft portions so that both side faces of each expansion part slide along both inner wall faces of the elongated hole.

The present invention relates to a small type joystick, and more particularly, to the small type joystick in which engaging performance of operating shafts projected from an operating member with respect to shaft holes which are formed in both side walls defining an elongated hole of a rotary member can be maintained, and at the same time, deformation of the rotary member will be prevented.
A related small type joystick will be described referring to FIGS. 4 to 7. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates a small type joystick (hereinafter, simply referred to as a joystick). The joystick 1 includes arms 3, 4 as rotary members perpendicular to each other which are provided above and below in a casing 2 so as to freely rotate. These arms 3, 4 are pivotally supported by the casing 2 at their respective opposite ends, and respective one end portions of the arms 3, 4 are coupled to variable resistors 5, 6 as outputting members.
Moreover, the arms 3, 4 are formed, in respective center parts thereof, with elongated holes 7, 8 which extend in a longitudinal direction of the arms 3, 4, and an operating stick 9 as an operating member is provided so as to pass through the elongated holes 7, 8. A lower end portion of the operating stick 9 is formed to have a convex spherical face 9a, while concave spherical portion 10a is formed in a center part of a base 10 of the joystick 1 so that the convex spherical face 9a may be rotatably mounted on the concave spherical portion 10a. Further, a knob (not shown) is fitted to an upper end of the operating stick 9.
Accordingly, when the operating stick 9 is operated, the operating stick 9 rotates on the concave spherical portion 10a making it as a rotation pivot, thereby to rotate the arms 3, 4. Then, the arms 3, 4 rotate the variable resistors 5, 6 which are coupled to the arms 3, 4, and the variable resistors 5, 6 produce outputs depending on the rotation of the operating stick 9.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the joystick 1 has shaft portions 11 which are laterally projected from a lower end part of the operating stick 9. The shaft portions 11 are rotatably engaged, in a manner of pin joint, in shaft holes 13 which are formed in center parts of both side walls 12 defining the elongated hole 8 of the lower arm 4, and the operating stick 9 is fixed to the arms 3, 4 in a vertical direction. Moreover, in order to hold the arms 3, 4 in neutral positions, a coil spring 15 is interposed between the base 10 and a ring-like support member 14 which has a large opening in its center part which is abutted against a lower face of the lower arm 4 and has an inverted concave shape in cross section.
In the above related small type joystick, the shaft portions projected from the lower part of the operating stick are forced to be elastically inserted into the shaft holes which are formed in the lower rotary member, and rotatably engaged therein. Therefore, especially in such a mechanism that the operating shaft and the rotary member is engaged with each other, the rotary member need to be flexed, and so, rigidity of the rotary member cannot be increased. Under the circumstances, in case where a user has violently operated this small type joystick, the rotary member which is recovered to the neutral position by the coil spring is subjected to a violent force. Particularly, the rotary member will receive much more load at positions near the shaft portions of the operating stick, due to a load from the above and leverage. Then, this load will make the rotary member deformed and remarkably damage durability of the rotary member. This phenomenon will be prominent in case of the small type joystick formed of plastics by molding.


A lighted visor mirror assembly is provided. The lighted visor mirror assembly includes a mirror having a first side, a light source, and a door. The light source is located adjacent to the first side of the mirror. The door has a translucent portion and an opaque portion. As the door is moved from a closed position covering the mirror and the light source, to an open position uncovering the mirror, the translucent portion of the door is positioned with respect to the light source such that the intensity of the light from the light source passing through the translucent portion of the door is increased by progressively uncovering the light source.

Sun visors in motor vehicles frequently include mirror assemblies, some of which provide illumination to facilitate use of the mirror in low light conditions. Typically, prior art visors have supplied this illumination through a light source attached to the visor and designed to emit light at either constant or variable intensity. In the latter case, the intensity of the light source is controlled by an electrical rheostat or potentiometer which varies the voltage applied to the light source. The intensity of the light emitted from the light source is proportional to the voltage applied to the light source. For example, as the rheostat or potentiometer increases the voltage applied to the light source, the intensity of the light source increases.
One shortcoming of known variable intensity lighted visors is that the light emitted at low intensity settings is yellowish in color, a condition which many users find less desirable than white light. Another shortcoming is that control of the light intensity through electrical means, such as a rheostat or potentiometer, increases the cost of the visor. Still another shortcoming is that control of the light intensity by way of electrical means is not entirely reliable.

Lighted visor mirror assembly providing variable light intensity


The present invention provides a MOS-type variable capacitance element which can obtain a sufficient capacitance valuable width and, at the same time, can eliminate restrictions imposed on a control voltage range. A MOS-type variable capacitance element includes a MOS transistor in which an N well having polarity opposite to polarity of the P type is formed on a P type semiconductor substrate, a pair of source and drain regions are formed in the inside of the N well, an N-type high-concentration region is formed in the inside of the N well, a gate oxide film is formed on the N well, and a gate electrode is formed on the gate oxide film, a first electrode which connects the source and drain regions to a reference potential, a second electrode which is connected to the gate electrode, and a third electrode which is connected to the N well and applies a control voltage having polarity equal to polarity of the P type to the N well using the reference potential as a reference, wherein a variable capacitance element is provided between the second electrode and the third electrode.

The present invention relates to a MOS-type variable capacitance element and a voltage control oscillation circuit.
Conventionally, there has been proposed a MOS-type variable capacitance element of a voltage controlled oscillator which is used in a RF field such as communication. FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional MOS-type variable capacitance element. As shown in FIG. 22, the MOS-type variable capacitance element 100 is configured such that an N well 111 is formed on a P-type Si substrate 110, an N+ diffusion region 112 and P+ diffusion regions 113, 114 are formed on a surface of the N well 111 and, further, a gate electrode 115 is formed on the P+ diffusion regions 113, 114 by way of a gate oxide film.
A control voltage terminal 116 is connected to the N+ diffusion region 112 and the P+ diffusion regions 113, 114. The terminal 117 is connected with the oscillation circuit and the gate electrode 115. The P+ diffusion regions 113, 114 form a source electrode and a drain electrode. The N+ diffusion region 112 forms an N-well electrode. In the MOS-type variable capacitance element, by controlling a voltage applied to the control voltage terminal 116, a voltage between the gate electrode 115 and the N well 111 is changed whereby a capacitance value between the gate electrode 115 and the N well 111 is changed.
National Publication of Translated Version of PCT Application 2001-516955 (patent literature 1) proposes a technique similar to the MOS-type variable capacitance element shown FIG. 22.

MOS-type variable capacitance element and voltage control oscillation circuit


A mechanical decladder for a spent nuclear fuel rod-cut includes an opening and closing unit configured to open and close an outlet of a basket into which the nuclear fuel rod-cut is loaded, a supporter on which the nuclear fuel rod-cut discharged from the outlet of the basket is seated, a hydraulic cylinder module configured to move the nuclear fuel rod-cut seated on the supporter; and a cutting module for slitting the nuclear fuel rod-cut while the nuclear fuel rod-cut is being moved by the hydraulic cylinder module. The opening and closing unit opens and closes the outlet of the basket in conjunction with a movement of the hydraulic cylinder module.

A nuclear fuel used for a nuclear power generation is supplied to a nuclear power plant in the form of nuclear fuel rods. The nuclear fuel rod is formed by linearly arranging a plurality of pellets in a cladding tube having a receiving space formed therein.
These fuel rods are supplied to the nuclear power plant in the form of a bundle, and the spent nuclear fuel rod assemblies that have been gone through a fission reaction stored in a water tank. As a cumulative amount of these spent fuel rods is enormous, it grows a need to deal with them. Thus, a technology has been developed to cut away and dislodge the cladding tubes and separate the nuclear fuel accommodated in the cladding tube to permanently dispose of or recycle it. To this end, a mechanical decladder for a spent nuclear fuel rod-cut has been proposed to recover the nuclear fuel materials by slitting the cladding tube of the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut (see, e.g., Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1778580).
In the types of the mechanical decladder for the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut, there are a vertical type mechanical decladder which slits the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut in a vertical direction by vertically feeding the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut, a horizontal type mechanical decladder which slits the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut in a horizontal direction by horizontally feeding the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut, and a slant type mechanical decladder which slits the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut in an inclined direction by obliquely feeding the spent nuclear fuel rod-cut.
Recently, there has been a need for the mechanical decladder having a structure capable of preventing debris generated during slitting the cladding tube from being accumulated in a cutting module while avoiding scattering of the debris, while continuously feeding the spent nuclear fuel rod-cuts.

Mechanical decladder for spent nuclear rod-cuts


A process for producing soybean protein comprising the step of adding to a soybean protein-containing raw material an aqueous solution of 0.05 to 3.0% by weight of an inorganic salt to form a suspension, causing soybean protein to dissolve in the suspension with adjustment of the pH thereof to 7.5 to 9.0 to form a suspension extract, and removing insoluble components from the suspension extract to obtain an extract; the step of subjecting the extract to acid precipitation with adjustment of the salt concentration thereof to from 0.2 to 1.0% by weight and the pH thereof to 5.0 to 5.7, to collect an acid precipitate; and the step of washing carried out at least once by adding water or an aqueous solution of not more than 1.0% by weight of an inorganic salt to the acid precipitate to form a dispersion, and stirring the dispersion with adjustment of the pH thereof to from 5.0 to 5.7, to collect a precipitate. In place of the washing step, the precipitate obtained by the acid precipitation may be again dissolved to again make acid precipitation.. As an advantage of the process, phytic acid and salts thereof can be efficiently removed even when extracted using an aqueous inorganic salt solution with a very low concentration.

At present, people in some developed countries are well nourished, and said to be almost free from nutrient deficiency diseases. However, according to national nutrition examinations made every year in Japan, only calcium is not sufficiently taken with respect to the necessary intake. In order to supplement such an insufficient intake of calcium, it is on the one hand recommended to ingest calcium supply food such as dairy products, small fish and seaweeds, and on the other hand energetically attempted to develop various types of calcium preparations and calcium enriched food.
Many of minerals including calcium, however, are commonly sparingly absorptive, and hence mere enrichment of minerals in food can not be effective for a sufficient supply of minerals. Also, food enriched in only one kind of mineral may competitively inhibit absorption of other minerals, and rather has a possibility of causing a deficiency of minerals, as pointed out in a report (Science of Food, the November, 1989 Issue, pages 8-16).
Hence, in recent years, research and development has been carried out on various absorption promotors that promote absorption of minerals tending to be insufficiently taken, in particular, calcium. For example, casein phosphopeptide (CPP), which is a phosphoserine-containing peptide having about 20 amino acid units, is known to prohibit the insolubilization of calcium in the digestive organs to promote the absorption of calcium.
The CPP, however, is contained in casein only in an amount of about 1/50 of casein, and has had the problem that it is very expensive. The CPP is also a peptide having about 20 amino acid units. Hence, it has a possibility that its molecular structure necessary for the solubilization of calcium is destroyed when digested by proteolytic enzymes contained in gastric juice and intestinal juice and consequently no intended effect can be obtained.
Meanwhile, soybean protein is a protein composed chiefly of globulins such as 11S, 7S and 2.8S, and, different from .beta.-casein, contains almost no phosphoserine having a phosphoric acid group. Also, soybean protein contains phytic acid and salts thereof in a reasonable quantity. Such phytic acid and salts thereof are known to inhibit the intracorporeal absorption of minerals, in particular, of calcium (Toshiro Hayakawa, The First Niigata Prefecture Food Biotechnology Social Meeting, Separate Volume, 1989). As evidence therefor, it is reported that a comparative test made in respect of CPP and separated soybean protein to examine their calcium absorption promotion effect revealed that the CPP showed an apparent absorption of 60% but the separated soybean protein about 30% (Japan Nutrition Food Society, 45 (4) 333, 1992).
It is also reported that the phytic acid and salts in soybean protein can be removed to a content of as small as 0.14% by extracting soybean protein from a soybean protein-containing raw material with use of, e.g., a 8.5% by weight brine, and treating the resulting extract using an ultrafiltration membrane (Rham and Jost, J. Food Sci. 44 (2) 596, 1979).
In relation to the above finding, the present inventors have undertaken research on the phytic acid and salts thereof contained in soybean protein. In the course of the research, they have discovered that the phytic acid and salts thereof can be efficiently removed from a soybean protein-containing raw material by precipitation utilizing a calcium salt and/or a magnesium salt and electrodialysis, used in combination, and the soybean protein thus obtained, having the phytic acid and salts thereof in a low content, well effectively promotes the absorption of minerals. In this regard, they have filed patent applications, having been laid open as Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open No. 7-227215 and No. 7-228540.
However, when attempts have been made to obtain from soybean protein-containing raw materials soybean protein having a low level of phytic acid, difficulty has been encountered in removing the phytic acid. For example, in the above report by Rham and Jost, it is stated that phytic acid and salts thereof are removed when the brine is in a salt concentration of 8.5% but are not well removed when it is in a salt concentration of 7%. Thus, it is difficult to do so in the case when the brine (an extracting medium) has a low salt concentration. However, such extraction with a salt solution having a high concentration has the problem that it takes a long time for desalting and makes productivity poor, resulting in a high production cost.
Accordingly, the present inventors made further researches, and have discovered a process for producing soybean protein by extracting soybean protein from a soybean protein-containing raw material with use of an aqueous inorganic salt solution having a concentration not less than 1.0% by weight and less than 7.5% by weight, and subjecting the resulting extract to desalting by electrodialysis or ultrafiltration, followed by removal of phytic acid and salts thereof by isoelectric point precipitation. In this regard, they have filed a patent application as Japanese Patent Application No. 6-337321 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 8-173052).
According to the above process, even when the extracting medium has a relatively low salt concentration, the phytic acid and salts thereof can be well removed by the combination of electrodialysis or ultrafiltration with isoelectric point precipitation, and the desalting can be carried out in a shorter time. Hence, a soybean protein having phytic acid and salts thereof in a low content can be obtained while enjoying an economical advantage.
The above process enables extraction with a medium having a low salt concentration. However, it still requires the desalting treatment such as electrodialysis or ultrafiltration, and has had a problem of requiring plant investment therefor and treatment cost. Also, even though the salt concentration can be relatively low, there has been the problem that in an instance where bean-curd refuse, which is a residue formed after extraction of soybean protein from a soybean protein-containing raw material, is utilized as feed or the like the residue still has a high salt concentration and the salt must be removed.


A heat exchanger having light weight and an excellent recycling property and capable of exhibiting high sealing property of an air flow passage without using an adhesive agent. This heat exchanger is configured by alternately laminating heat transfer plates A and heat transfer plates B which are respectively integrated by vacuum molding a polystyrene sheet into heat transfer surface, air flow passage rib, air flow passage end surface, groove A, protrusion, outer peripheral rib A, outer peripheral rib B, air flow passage end surface cover, and a groove B. The groove A is brought into close contact with the groove B, upper surfaces of the outer peripheral rib A and the outer peripheral rib B are brought into close contact with the heat transfer plate, the protrusion is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral rib B and the groove B, the air flow passage end surface is brought into contact with the outer peripheral rib B, the air flow passage end surface cover is brought into contact with the end surfaces of the outer peripheral rib A and the outer peripheral rib B, and the side surfaces of the outer peripheral rib A are brought into contact with each other.

Conventionally, as a conventional counter flow method heat exchanger of this type, the present applicant proposed a heat exchanger described in, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Application No. 8-75385.
Hereinafter, the heat exchanger is described with reference to FIGS. 44, 45 and 46.
As shown in FIG. 44, for forming parallel air flow passages on one side of flat plate 101 made of paper and the like, end ribs 102a that are disposed obliquely at substantially the same angles are provided in the vicinity of inlets and outlets of the air flow passages, and center ribs 102b connected to end ribs 102a are provided in the center portion for forming counter flow portions. End rib 102a and center rib 102b form substantially S-shaped rib 102.
Furthermore, also on the rear surface of plate 101, similar to S-shaped ribs 102 provided on the front surface, substantially S-shaped ribs 103 each composed of end rib 103a and center rib 103b are provided in a way in which end ribs 103a on the rear surface are respectively disposed obliquely with respect to end ribs 102a on the front surface, and center ribs 102b provided on the front surface are disposed intersecting center ribs 102b provided on the rear surface. Unit member 104 is configured by integrating S-shaped ribs 102 and 103 by using resin.
Between unit members 104, cut plate 105 made of paper and the like that was cut in a predetermined dimension is inserted. Unit member 104 and cut plate 105 are laminated so that the air flow passages A and the air flow passages B are formed alternately to form a heat exchanger. Fluid flowing in the air flow passage A and fluid flowing in the air flow passage B exchange beat by way of plate 101 and cut plate 105.
As an attachment structure of handle 106 used for attaching and detaching this type of heat exchanger to equipment and carrying the heat exchanger, for example, as shown in FIG. 47, a handle provided as a separate member on at least one end surface of the both end surfaces in the laminating direction has been known.
In such a conventional heat exchanger, since ribs other than plate 101 of unit member 104 are solid, weight is heavy and material cost is high.
Since plate 101 made of paper and the like and ribs are integrated with each other by using resin, it is difficult to classify a plurality of materials for recycling, and thus a recycling property is low.
Furthermore, a sealing property of the air flow passages A and the air flow passages B is deteriorated because of accuracy defect in cutting dimension and dislocation, and the like, of plates 101 and cut plates 105.
When unit members 104 and cut plates 105 are laminated alternately, it is difficult to laminate unit members 104 and cut plates 105 while positioning thereof in order to prevent dislocation of cut plates 105, and thus productive efficiency is low.
Furthermore, since handle 106 is provided on the end surface in the laminating direction of heat transfer plates, it is necessary to design equipment on which a heat exchanger is mounted in a way in which the direction of attaching and detaching the heat exchanger become the laminating direction, thus lowering the degree of freedom in designing of equipment on which the heat exchanger is mounted.
Furthermore, since fluid flowing in the air flow passages A and fluid flowing in the air flow passages B are opposed to each other in the central portion, although heat exchanging efficiency is improved as compared with a heat exchanger composed of only air flow passages having equal heat transferring areas that are disposed orthogonally or obliquely, the heat exchanging efficiency is still insufficient.


A magnetic recording medium using a plastic substrate as a non-magnetic substrate includes an adhesive layer that prevents film expansion even under severe conditions. The adhesive layer has a chemical affinity to the plastic substrate and is formed on the surface of the plastic substrate, and an underlayer and subsequent layers are formed over the adhesive layer. A polymerized carbon film is used as the adhesive layer.

With ever increasing recording density of magnetic recording media, the surfaces of the magnetic recording media need to be flat to enable the recording head to float closely over the surface. To improve the magnetic recording media, a variety of proposals have been made with regard to the composition and structure of magnetic layers, materials for non-magnetic underlayer, materials for non-magnetic substrates, and so forth. Aluminum and glass are mainly used as material for the non-magnetic substrates, but plastic materials, in particular high polymer resin material, have been proposed as materials for the non-magnetic substrates based on their characteristics.
It is desirable for the high recording density magnetic recording media to have long-term reliability, even for use in the severe environment, to enable a low floating magnetic head to maximize a higher recording density, and for digital electric home appliances that are expected to be widely used in the near future. An extremely low temperature of −40° C. to a high temperature and high humidity of 80° C./80% RH are assumed as the severe conditions, and under such conditions, the future magnetic recording media need to be durable, such as being operable without any problem for five years. Further, the cost of the magnetic recording media for use with the digital electric home appliances needs to be considerably lower than that of the conventional magnetic recording media. Magnetic recording media using plastic substrates have a future, but they need to be improved for use with severe conditions. That is, if a conventional magnetic recording medium using a plastic substrate is subjected to severe conditions, film expansion, i.e., a kind of film exfoliation, can occur.
There is a need for a magnetic recording medium, which uses a plastic substrate, that overcomes the film expansion problem. The present invention addresses this need.

Magnetic recording medium, method of manufacturing the same and magnetic recording apparatus

Fuji Electric Device Technology Co., Ltd.


The application relates to hepatic fibrosis, specifically to hepatic fibrosis that may appear in a patient infected with one or more hepatitis viruses and/or who is suffering from hepatitis, specifically chronic hepatitis. The application provides methods and means for determining the stage (or degree) of hepatic fibrosis of such a patient. Specifically, the methods and means of the application make it possible to determine whether or not the stage (or degree) of hepatic fibrosis of the patient has exceeded the stage of light fibrosis. The methods and means of the invention use a combination of biomarkers such as, in particular, the CXCL10 protein and hyaluronic acid (HA).

Various diseases cause or lead to tissue lesions of the liver known as hepatic fibrosis. A hepatic fibrosis results, in particular, from excessive accumulation of molecular compounds of the altered extracellular matrix in the hepatic parenchy-ma.
The stage of damage of the liver tissue, especially the nature and extent of hepatic tissue lesions, is evaluated by a score of hepatic fibrosis, especially by the F Metavir score system, which comprises 5 stages from F0 to F4 (cf. Table 25 below). The determination of the score of hepatic fibrosis is essential to the physician since it is a prognostic score.
In fact, this determination is the basis that allows the physician to make a decision of administrating or not administrating a treatment in view of treating these lesions, or at least in view of alleviating their effects. It is also on this basis that the physician decides to initiate a treatment. In particular, if the Metavir fibrosis score is at most F1 (mild fibrosis), the physician generally decides that no treatment should be administered, whereas, if the Metavir fibrosis score is at least F2, it is recommendable to administer a treatment, regardless of the necroinflammatory activity. However, possible treatments bring about major side effects for the patient (treatments including interferon), or their cost is very high (novel antiviral agents).
In this context, it is of crucial importance to the patient to be able to determine reliably whether or not a patient has passed beyond the stage of mild fibrosis.
Now, even though it is relatively easy to identify the stage of cirrhosis (Metavir fibrosis score F4), for example, by transient elastography (FIBROSCAN™), it is nevertheless much more complicated to distinguish in a non-invasive, but still clinically reliable way:                the stages for which the fibrosis is mild at most (Metavir fibrosis score F0 or F1);        advanced fibrosis stages (Metavir fibrosis score F2 or F3).
There are different non-invasive tests that can be applied in the clinic to a patient to attempt to determine the stage of hepatic fibrosis. They employ different biomarkers.
For example, the biomarker HA is employed in the clinical tests ELF™ (U.S. Pat. No. 7,141,380 B2), HEPASCORE™ (Adams et al. 2005; US 2007/0225919 Å1), FIBROSPECT™ (U.S. Pat. No. 6,986,995 B2), FIBROMETER™ (U.S. Pat. No. 8,489,335 B2), and SHASTA™ (Kelleher et al. 2005).
These tests do not employ the protein CXCL10, however.
In fact, the protein CXCL10 is essentially known as a biomarker of the response to anti-HCV therapy using interferon, and has scarcely been described in the context of hepatic fibrosis.
HA has the capacity of inducing the expression of the protein CXCL10. Thus, an increase in HA induces an increase of CXCL10. The concentrations of the two molecules develop into the same direction (an increase of the concentration of HA results in an increase of the concentration of CXCL10). Thus, it was not expected from the beginning that a combination of these two molecules as biomarkers would lead to an extra result in addition to that obtained with only one of the two molecules. However, the present application describes that a synergistic effect is obtained that goes beyond that of a simple juxtaposition of the two molecules as biomarkers.
In addition, the prior art describes experiments trying to associate the protein CXCL10 with other biomarkers to attempt to reliably discriminate the Metavir fibrosis scores F0-F1 from the Metavir fibrosis scores F2-F4, and reports that such experiments are fruitless (Zeremski et al. 2009, page 179, left column, first sentence: "The combination of multiple parameters did not improve the ability to identify patients with minimal fibrosis"). Thus, the subject matter of the present application has overcome a technical prejudice.

Synergistic combination of biomarkers for detecting and assessing hepatic fibrosis


A lacing system configured to selectively adjust the size of an opening on an object and allow for the incremental release of the lace within the lacing system. The lacing system can have a reel comprising a housing, a spool supported by the housing, and a knob supported by the housing. The reel can be configured so that cable is gathered in the channel formed in the spool when the spool is rotated in a first direction relative to the housing, and so that cable can be incrementally released from the spool when the spool is rotated in a second direction relative to the housing. In some embodiments, the reel can include a rotation limiter which can be configured to prevent over-tightening of the lacing system and/or to prevent rotation past the substantially fully loosened state.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to lacing or closure systems and their related components used alone or in combination in any of a variety of articles including closeable bags, footwear, protective gear, or other wear.
2. Description of the Related Art
There currently exist a number of mechanisms and methods for tightening articles. Nevertheless, there remains a need for improved devices and methods.


A system and method for data service management of electronic files. A user selects the file or files to be stored on a remote storage device. The user is also able to selectively scan to archive, or storage, a document or other data. The user then selects the appropriate payment option. The user is presented with the total cost of the service, and upon acceptance, the selected service is performed. The details of the transaction are archived and the user is billed for the service. The fees charged are based on the number of pages of the document, file, or other data stored. The fees are charged at the commencement of the services, rather than each day. The fees are also based on the location form which the services are accessed based on selected criteria of such location. Renewal of the storage duration includes fees are those fees charged when the document, file, or other data was first stored.

This invention is directed to a system and method for managing and charging for data storage and management services. More particularly, this invention allows users in a non-office environment to temporarily store and manage documents, files, or other data, and to be charged for such services.
Typically, professionals routinely work with documents or other data while away from their office environment. These professionals or other mobile users often need to temporarily store or manage such documents or other data. In most storage based systems, users are charged for storage services based on the amount of disk space used to store the document or data and are charged on a per day basis. In addition, the charges generally increase over time, thereby making storage of a document or electronic data file an increasing expense.
Previous attempts to provide remote data storage do not allow for the payment of storage based upon the location from which the file to be stored originates. The present storage based systems further lack the ability to determine the number of pages of a file being stored and combining such page information with the storage location. Current implementations lack the ability to factor in the different data storage costs incurred by providers in maintaining data storage equipment. These systems do not take into account the different physical locations in which the storage is accessed. For example, the costs associated with operating data storage equipment or uploading equipment will vary from a region to region. In addition, power costs, network speeds, bandwidth costs, all vary depending upon the location. The current technology does not allow a provider to distinguish the cost for storage based on location.
There is a need for an improved system and method for managing and charging for data storage and management services.

System and method for managing and charging for data storage devices


An engine control system includes an EGR device 10 which connects an exhaust passage Ex and an intake passage I and has an EGR valve; an intake throttle valve 41 placed in the intake passage I; and an engine control unit which is provided with an engine operation data calculator A1 accumulating mileages of a vehicle or an engine operation period, a fuel injection controller A2 controlling a fuel injection amount and a fuel injection timing, an EGR controller A3 controlling an opening of the EGR valve; a throttle valve controller A4 controlling an opening of the intake throttle valve; and an EGR passage cleaning controller A5 which delays a fuel injection timing Tn, increases an opening β g of the EGR valve, and reduces an opening θ s of the intake throttle valve when the total mileage or the total operation period calculated by the engine operation data calculator becomes equal to a predetermined threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an engine control system, and more particularly relates to an engine control system which can remove stains, soot, particulates and so on from an exhaust gas recirculating passage.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to detoxify exhaust gases, an engine is generally provided with not only filters, catalyzers and so on which constitute an exhaust emission control unit, but also an exhaust gas recirculating (EGR) device recirculating exhaust gases to a combustion chamber, thereby preventing NOx from being discharged to the exterior.
For instance, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-309,987 (called the "Reference 1") describes an exhaust gas denitrifying device which includes a NOx absorbent in an engine exhaust passage and an exhaust gas recirculating unit (EGR) in order to recirculate exhaust gases to a combustion chamber. The NOx absorbent usually absorbs NOx, and discharges NOx when an air-fuel ratio is low in the combustion chamber. In other words, NOx is reduced using carbon monoxide (CO) and hydro carbon (HC). Conversely, in order to reduce the air-fuel ratio, an EGR control valve is opened in order to recirculate exhaust gas, to decrease an amount of intake air, and to increase an amount of fuel to be injected, thereby preventing an engine output torque from being changed.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-186,631(Reference 2) describes an internal combustion engine, which includes an EGR device in order to recirculate combustion gases into an EGR passage of the EGR device, and in order to burn SOF (soluble organic fractions), soot and so on accumulated in the EGR device when the engine stops operating.
In Reference 1, a bypass having a large quantity EGR valve is utilized together with an ordinary EGR passage when the engine is operating at a low air-fuel ratio. Recirculation of a large amount of exhaust gases reduces NOx to be discharged, so that a NOx occluding catalyzer may be downsized. However, during the engine operation with the low air-fuel ratio, EGR gases contain a lot of unburned gas (HC) and soot, which stick on and contaminate an EGR pipe, an EGR cooler, an EGR valve, an intake manifold and so on. As a result, the EGR valve will fail to quickly open or close, or the EGR pipe will be clogged.
In the internal combustion engine with the EGR device in the Reference 2, gases burnt by the combustion-based heater are introduced into the EGR passage when the engine stops operating, so that SOF, soot or the like accumulated in the EGR device will be burnt. However, the combustion-based heater tends to enlarge the EGR device, which is difficult to be mounted on a vehicle. Further, since the EGR device is cleaned when the engine stops operating, hot exhaust gases may be emitted via an exhaust pipe even during the non-operation of the engine.


A switching circuit has input terminals, switching MOS transistors, and a control circuit having a control terminal. Diodes are connected between the respective input terminals and the control circuit. When input voltage (V1, V2) are applied to the input terminals, the output terminal is selectively put in either a fixed or a floating state according to the voltage applied to the control terminal.

The present invention relates to a switching circuit of the monolithic IC type.
FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the conventional switching circuit. Input terminals 1 and 2 receive different voltages V1 and V2, respectively. Either of the received voltages is outputted from an output terminal 5 through corresponding switching transistors 3 and 4. The voltages V1 and V2 are inputted into a comparator 6. The comparator 6 produces an output which is concurrently applied to a gate of the switching transistor 4 and to a gate of the other switching transistor 3 through an inverter 7.
In a condition where V1>V2, the comparator 6 produces an output having a high level so that the switching transistor 4 is turned off or placed in a non-conductive switching state. On the other hand, the output of the inverter 7 is held at a low level so that the other switching transistor 3 is turned on or placed on a conductive switching state. Consequently in this condition, the output terminal 5 provides the voltage V1. In a condition where V1<V2, the switching states of the switching transistors 3 and 4 are reversed so that the output terminal 5 provides the voltage V2. The comparator 6 and the inverter 7 are powered from the output terminal 5.
However, in this circuit construction, it is impossible to turn off both of the switching transistors so as to place the output terminal 5 in a floating state. The reason is that the switching transistor of the MOS type is structurally accompanied with a parasitic diode having an anode coupled to either of the input terminals 1 and 2 and a cathode coupled to the output terminal 5. Therefore, the output terminal 5 receives through the parasitic diode a voltage equal to the higher one of the input voltages minus the voltage drop across the parasitic diode. This voltage is effective to operate the comparator 6 and the inverter 7 to enable the same to turn on and off the switching transistors 3 and 4 to thereby constitute a current path having a voltage drop smaller than the voltage drop across the parasitic diode.
For the above described reason, the output terminal 5 necessarily provides the higher one of the voltages V1 and V2, thereby causing a problem that the floating state cannot be realized.

Switching circuit for selecting an output signal from plural input signals