A traffic reporter gathers real-time information on traffic conditions within a network and sends out traffic reports to traffic managers. The traffic reporter analyzes the network and also gathers network information from the traffic managers and analyzers dispersed throughout the network. These traffic reports provide real-time information on network conditions to allow the traffic managers to route network traffic in the most efficient, reliable, and fastest manner.

The Internet consists of a network of interconnected computer networks. Each of these computers has an IP address that is comprised of a series of four numbers separated by periods or dots and each of these four numbers is an 8-bit integer which collectively represent the unique address of the computer within the Internet. The Internet is a packet switching network whereby a data file routed over the Internet to some destination is broken down into a number of packets that are separately transmitted to the destination. Each packet contains, inter alia, some portion of the data file and the IP address of the destination.
The IP address of a destination is useful in routing packets to the correct destination but is not very people friendly. A group of four 8-bit numbers by themselves do not reveal or suggest anything about the destination and most people would find it difficult to remember the IP addresses of a destination. As a result of this shortcoming in just using IP addresses, domain names were created. Domain names consist of two or more parts, frequently words, separated by periods. Since the words, numbers, or other symbols forming a domain name often indicate or at least suggest the identity of a destination, domain names have become the standard way of entering an address and are more easily remembered than the IP addresses. After a domain name has been entered, a domain name server (DNS) resolves the domain name into a specific IP address. Thus, for example, when someone surfing the Internet enters into a browser program a particular domain name for a web site, the browser first queries the DNS to arrive at the proper IP address.
While the IP address works well to deliver packets to the correct address on the Internet, IP addresses do not convey any useful information about the geographic address of the destination. Furthermore, the domain names do not even necessarily indicate any geographic location although sometimes they may suggest, correctly or incorrectly, such a location. This absence of a link between the IP address or domain name and the geographic location holds true both nationally and internationally. For instance, a country top-level domain format designates .us for the United States, .uk for the United Kingdom, etc. Thus, by referencing these extensions, at least the country within which the computer is located can often be determined. These extensions, however, can often be deceiving and may be inaccurate. For instance, the .md domain is assigned to the Republic of Moldova but has become quite popular with medical doctors in the United States. Consequently, while the domain name may suggest some aspect of the computer's geographic location, the domain name and the IP address often do not convey any useful geographic information.
In addition to the geographic location, the IP address and domain name also tell very little information about the person or company using the computer or computer network. Consequently, it is therefore possible for visitors to go to a web site, transfer files, or send email without revealing their true identity. This anonymity, however, runs counter to the desires of many web sites. For example, for advertising purposes, it is desirable to target each advertisement to a select market group optimized for the goods or services associated with the advertisement. An advertisement for a product or service that matches or is closely associated with the interests of a person or group will be much more effective, and thus more valuable to the advertisers, than an advertisement that is blindly sent out to every visitor to the site.
Driven often by the desire to increase advertising revenues and to increase sales, many sites are now profiling their visitors. To profile a visitor, web sites first monitor their visitors' traffic historically through the site and detect patterns of behavior for different groups of visitors. The web site may come to infer that a certain group of visitors requesting a page or sequence of pages has a particular interest. When selecting an advertisement for the next page requested by an individual in that group, the web site can target an advertisement associated with the inferred interest of the individual or group. Thus, the visitor's traffic through the web site is mapped and analyzed based on the behavior of other visitors at the web site. Many web sites are therefore interested in learning as much as possible about their visitors in order to increase the profitability of their web site.
The desire to learn more about users of the Internet is countered by privacy concerns of the users. The use of cookies, for instance, is objectionable to many visitors. In fact, bills have been introduced into the House of Representatives and also in the Senate controlling the use of cookies or digital ID tags. By placing cookies on a user's computer, companies can track visitors across numerous web sites, thereby suggesting interests of the visitors. While many companies may find cookies and other profiling techniques beneficial, profiling techniques have not won wide-spread approval from the public at large.
A particularly telling example of the competing interests between privacy and profiling is when Double Click, Inc. of New York, N.Y. tied the names and addresses of individuals to their respective IP addresses. The reactions to Double Click's actions included the filing of a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and outbursts from many privacy advocates that the tracking of browsing habits of visitors is inherently invasive. Thus, even though the technology may allow for precise tracking of individuals on the Internet, companies must carefully balance the desire to profile visitors with the rights of the visitors in remaining anonymous.
The difficulty in learning more about Internet users is further complicated when the Internet users are part of a private network, such as America On-Line (AOL). AOL and other private networks act as an intermediary by operating a proxy server between its member users and the Internet. The proxy server helps to create a private community of members and also insulates and protects the members from some invasive inquiries that can occur over the Internet. As part of this protection and insulation, many of these private networks assign its members a first set of IP addresses for routing only within the private network and do not reveal these IP addresses to entities outside of the private network, such as over the Internet. To communicate with the members, entities outside of the private network do not have direct access to the members but instead must go through the proxy servers. As should be apparent to those skilled in the art, profiling and otherwise gathering information on members of private networks can be made even more difficult due to the proxy servers.
In addition to learning more about Internet users for the purposes of targeting content to the user, knowledge of the user and of the destination can also be helpful in routing the user's request. With the Internet, user requests are broken down into packets and these packets are routed from node to node until the packets finally reach the intended destination. These packets are then reassembled to form the original request. During transit, the packets may take different routes and some of the packets may be dropped. The nodes typically try to send the packets to the destination by traversing the smallest number of nodes or hops. Each node has some latency time in sending off packets after it receives the packets, so by minimizing the number of hops the latency time is minimized. With knowledge of where the destination is located, the nodes can choose a more direct route, even if it has a greater number of hops.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,890 to Leinwand et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method and system for optimizing the routing of data packets. This patent explains that many of the international links between countries are often highly overloaded and that using these links can result in longer delays, even though it may have the fewest number of hops. The method described in this patent involves using information maintained on each AS, such as through the American Registry for Internet Numbers ("ARIN"), the Reseaux IP Europeans ("RIPE"), and the Asia-Pacific Network Information Center ("APNIC"). By querying the organizations, the system can obtain country information on each Autonomous System (AS) and map the ASs with their country designations. The packets can then be routed by selecting a direct link to the country associated with the destination.
The systems and methods disclosed in Leinwand et al. provide limited success in optimizing the routing of Internet traffic. As explained above, the Leinwand et al. patent describes country level routing of Internet traffic but does not explain how routing may be performed within one country. Since much of the Internet traffic originating in the United States is to a destination in the United States, the method and system described in the Leinwand et al. patent would be of only little benefit. Further, the information associated with AS numbers does not accurately identify the geographic location of an AS. The country information may list the AS in a different country than where it is really located and, as explained in the patent, may list an AS with more than one country. In addition to not always being accurate, the reliance on the AS information possibly may not be useful for the long term. The space reserved for the AS numbers are rapidly being depleted with the explosive growth of the Internet. If the AS numbers do become depleted, then it may not be possible to determine the geographic location of a later deployed AS with the methods described in this patent.
A need therefore exists for improved systems and methods for more efficiently and effectively routing Internet traffic.


Example systems and methods relate to a multi-player video game in which multiple players each supply inputs to a respective input device to control a corresponding game character in a game world displayed on a display screen. Movements of each game character in the game world are controlled in accordance with respective first game character control operations during the playing of the multi-player video game. In response to satisfaction of any one of a first condition and a second condition, one player's game character is protected from harm in the game world, wherein a position at which the protected game character appears when the first condition is satisfied is different than that when the second condition is satisfied. Movements of the protected game character are controlled in the game world and the protecting of the one player's game character is stopped in response to any one of one or more protecting stopping conditions, whereby the movements of the one player's game character in the game world are controllable in accordance with the first game character control operation for that game character.

In a typical video game, a player uses an input device to control actions and movement of a game character in a virtual game world. Games often include obstacles and challenges for the game character to overcome and the game may have multiple levels in which the obstacles and challenges become more difficult so that greater player skill is required.
When a player fails to overcome some obstacle or challenge, the game character may, for example, lose "vitality" or be returned to the beginning of a particular level. Generally, if the player fails a certain number of times or vitality becomes zero, game play ends for that player.
Games can be enjoyed by players having different skill levels. However, players of different skill levels can find it difficult to play a multi-player game together because player(s) having greater skill ("power player(s)") will relatively quickly proceed to game levels which are too complicated or difficult for those having lesser skill. This reduces enjoyment for the lesser-skilled player(s). On the other hand, the better player(s) are likely to become bored if the game remains at a level at which the lesser skilled players can play.
At the E3 convention in June 2009, a multi-player Super Mario Bros. game demo encased a game character in a protective bubble when the character lost a life. The character remained encased in the bubble until freed by another player. While in the bubble, the character could not be harmed, but also could not participate in game play. Thus, instead of the player being eliminated from further game play upon losing a life, the player was penalized, but was able to play on, albeit with reduced capabilities (e.g., very limited control of game character movements and actions) for at least some period time.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Video game systems and methods for protecting game characters during game play


In systems and methods of managing access node selection for a wireless device, a first handover of a wireless device from a first access node to a second access node is performed based on a traffic load of the first access node meeting a traffic load threshold, and a first signal level of the first access node and a second signal level of the second access node are monitored. During a predetermined time period, the performance of a second handover of the wireless device from the second access node to the first access node is prevented when the second signal level meets a first signal level criteria, but the second handover of the wireless device is performed from the second access node to the first access node when the second signal level meets a second signal level criteria and the first signal level meets a third signal level criteria.

The ability of a wireless device to communicate with a variety of access nodes is a vital function of a wireless communication system. A wireless device can be instructed to change from communicating with a first access node to communicating with a second access node for a variety of reasons. For example, based on the mobility of the wireless device, the communication system may determine to perform a handover of the wireless device to a new access node. As another example, an access node may perform a load balancing operation or a similar function and may perform a handover of the wireless device to another access node, for example, for purposes of load equalization, inter-frequency offloading, intra-frequency offloading, and the like. Typically, the performance of a handover is triggered at least in part due to load conditions at an access node, as well as received signal levels of access nodes at the wireless device.

Managing access node selection for a wireless device


A system for automatically complementing a profile partially specified by a user, based on profiles of other users of the systems. Complemented attributes of the profile can be used to search for recommended products or services in a partner dataset. User profiles are stored in a database table with multiple fields and the complementation of the fields, in response to a request to the server, is proposed as a list of possible values for each field. These suggested values can be matched with products or services descriptions in order to retrieve those that the user initiating the request might be interested in even though they did not appear explicitly in his profile in the first place.

The present invention relates to a search engine intended for extracting a list of data from a database in response to a request, in particular so as to extract from a database response data designating a product or service to be supplied by a supplier to a customer, as well as a computer aided process (CAP) implementing the search engine so as to make personalized commercial offers.

Method and apparatus providing recommendations based on automatically enriched user profile


A new and distinct cultivar of rose plant named ‘Evera 117’, characterized by its upright, compact and rounded plant habit; dark green-colored leaves; large bright double red-colored flowers; flowers held upright on strong and erect peduncles; and good postproduction longevity.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of the Rose class, botanically known as Rosa hybrida, commercially known as a potted Rose and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Evera 117'.
The new Rose plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Denmark. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new potted Rose cultivars with novel and attractive flower colors, disease resistance and excellent postproduction longevity.
The new Rose plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor on Apr. 1, 2002 of two unnamed proprietary Rosa hybrida seedlings, not patented. The cultivar Evera 117 was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Denmark. Plants of the new cultivar differ primarily from plants of the parent selections primarily in flower color.
Asexual reproduction of the new Rose plant by cuttings in Denmark since Dec. 1, 2003, has shown that the unique features of this new Rose plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.


Methods of selecting a color for an electronic ink are disclosed. A portion of a photograph may be analyzed to determine a representative color value, which may be an average color value for the portion. Depending on the photograph, more than one representative color value may be determined. A color or colors, that may include gradients in brightness or saturation levels, which will be visible on the representative color value or values, may then be determined. A color of the electronic ink is then set to the appropriate color or colors so that when a user inks on a photograph, the ink is visible.

Digital photography has mostly replaced film photography as the method of choice in archiving events and occasions. One advantage of a digital picture is that because the picture is digital, the same image can be sent to a number of people and it can be easily edited on a computer. For example, a digital picture can be cropped, rotated and touched up relatively quickly.
One potential problem with digital photographs, however, is that it is often difficult to remember what event a particular picture represents. For example, if a set of related photographs are stored in a computer file folder, it can be difficult to remember which picture represents what if the set is the result of a number of pictures taken over time. Conventional pictures also have this problem but since they have to be developed to be viewed, one can write on the back of the photograph and thus keep track. While it is possible to print digital photographs and write on the back as well, in practice the low cost of taking digital pictures allows many more pictures to be taken than are needed to be printed. Thus, a large number of digital pictures are not printed out but instead saved on a computer readable medium for some time when they are needed. While this is highly cost effective, the number of digital pictures that one can take and store makes it difficult to remember the details of a particular photograph. Therefore, it would be helpful to be able to mark up the photographs while they are still digital versions.
In addition, as pictures are a digital medium, sometimes it would be useful to place captions or text in the photograph before sending the photograph via email. For example, photographs may be made more appropriate for a particular occasion if comments are placed on the photograph. Thus, there are a number of reasons for why someone might want to mark up a digital photograph.
One method of marking up images such as photographs is to use electronic ink. In a manner similar to how a user marks up a physical image, a user can use electronic ink to mark up a digital image. For example, a user could use a device configured to control a cursor so as to electronically ink (e.g. write) on the photograph. Thus, one possible advantage of using electronic ink is that it is relatively intuitive for the user.
Certain existing software will allow a user to mark up a digital photograph (e.g. ink on the surface of the photograph). However, current software does not provide the level of ease that is desirable. For example, a default color used for the ink may not be compatible with a particular photograph or a region of the photograph (e.g. may not be readable or aesthetically pleasing in that region). Manually selecting the correct ink color can be time consuming and may even be difficult for some photographs or images.


A surgical apparatus for cutting and storing sections of body tissue is provided comprising a housing having a handle assembly, an elongated outer tube extending from the handle assembly, and a cutting tube positioned within the outer tube and movable in response to actuation of the handle assembly between a retracted position and a distal position to cut body tissue. The cutting tube has a chamber formed therein for storing the cut tissue sections. A removable plug assembly is mounted on the proximal end of the cutting tube. A release lever is engagable with the trigger and is movable from a blocking position to a release position to release the trigger and allow the cutting tube to be removed from the outer tube. An anvil is positioned at a distal end of the outer tube for forcing each cut tissue section proximally into the chamber of the cutting tube as the cutting tube is advanced to cut the body tissue. A locking member is engagable with a rotation knob to prevent rotation of the knob.

1. Technical Field
This application relates to a surgical cutting instrument, and more particularly to a surgical cutting instrument having a chamber for storing the cut tissue portions.
2. Background of Related Art
Surgical instruments for cutting body tissue are well known. One type of instrument has a pair of scissors type jaws in which either both jaws move or one jaw moves relative to the other fixed jaw in a scissors like fashion, i.e. at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the instrument. An example of this scissors type instrument is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,024 to Falk. Another type of cutting instrument, especially useful in orthopedic procedures for cutting hard tissue or bone, has a cutting blade which is slidable longitudinally in either a distal or proximal direction to sever the body portion. Examples of this type of instrument are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,364 to Hayafuji et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,354 to McGurk-Burleson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,910 to Kajiyama et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,884 to Boebel.
It is also recognized that as these cutting instruments dissect the body tissue, it is advantageous to remove the tissue portions as they are dissected or to store the dissected tissue portions in the instrument. This is especially the case in endoscopic surgical procedures. Endoscopic (minimally invasive) surgical procedures are performed under visualization through either small access ports or directly through small incisions in the body. Therefore, if the dissected body tissue is not removed as it is dissected, the instrument needs to be withdrawn from the surgical site each time a tissue portion is cut, the tissue portion needs to be manually removed from the instrument, and then the instrument needs to be reinserted to the surgical site. These steps need to be repeated until the entire tissue section is removed. This repeated re-insertion of the instrument can be very time consuming, and therefore more expensive, especially in endoscopic procedures, because the surgery is being performed at a remote surgical site. The repeated insertion can also cause complications in endoscopic procedures where access to the surgical site is difficult such as in endoscopic discectomy.
As noted above, the advantages attendant removing or storing the dissected body tissue portions are well known. One way of continuously removing the tissue portion as it is dissected is by utilizing suction. One example of the use of suction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,414 to Yoshida et al. In Yoshida, a cutting member slides longitudinally in a distal direction to cut body tissue positioned in the opening in the instrument and the cut tissue is withdrawn through a suction channel in the inner tube. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,917 to Evans discloses a rotatable cutting blade for cutting tissue and a suction tube for removing the tissue. The aforementioned patent to Falk discloses a vacuum extraction channel for use with a scissors type cutting instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,884 to Boebel, identified above, has a storage chamber for the cut tissue. The punch assembly is slid in a proximal direction, and the punched out tissue portion is pressed into a tubular receiver member and stored therein. At the end of the procedure, the tissue portions can be removed from the receiver member.
The need exists for an improved cutting instrument for storing dissected tissue portions for removal at the end of the procedure. Such instrument would advantageously be configured to force the tissue sections into the storage chamber to prevent clogging and allow for maximum use of the space in the chamber. The instrument would also advantageously enable easy access and removal of the tissue sections at the end of the procedure.


The present subject matter discloses a system(s) and a method(s) for determining a health state of an individual. According to an embodiment, a method comprises measuring, by a heart rate sensor, a heart rate of the individual during operation within the environment. The method further comprises outputting, by a pressure sensing platform, pressure data of the individual. Further, the method comprises outputting, by an image capturing device, image data of the individual. The method further comprises inferring, by a processing unit, an amount of fat of the individual in the image data. The method further comprises updating, by the processing unit, the amount of fat of the individual using the pressure data. The method further comprises controlling, by the processing unit, a threshold for determining the health state of the individual, using the amount of fat and the heart rate of the individual.

With advancement in technology, various techniques for monitoring health of individuals within an environment are nowadays implemented. Such techniques typically involve measuring a physiological parameter, such as a heart rate, of the individual and then assessing the health of the individual based on the measured heart rate. For assessing the health, the value of the parameter is typically compared with a threshold value. Based on a deviation of the measured value of the parameter from the threshold, the health state of the individual is determined.
In most conventional techniques, the threshold against which the measured value of the parameter is compared is static in nature. That is, the value of the threshold remains same for all individual. As is known, individuals differ in their physiological and biological characteristics. Accordingly, having a fixed threshold for determining health states of all individuals being monitored may not provide accurate health measurements.
Other conventional techniques of determining health states involve implementation of complex apparatuses/devices. Such techniques may employ obtrusive methods of determining health states. Accordingly, such techniques may require a clinical setup or even if implemented in routine spaces/environments, such techniques may hinder regular tasks/work of individuals. Accordingly, implementation of such devices in routine spaces/environments is not desirable.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


Heating cable comprising a first insulated conductor (1) and a second insulated conductor (2), which are located in a common sheath (4,5,6), wherein the first conductor (1) consists of electrical resistance material and the second conductor (2) consists of electrical resistance material or a material of high conductivity and wherein the first and second conductors (1,2) comprise first end regions (1b,2b) and second end regions (1c,2c) of a material of high conductivity and wherein end regions (1c,2c) of the first and second conductors (1,2) are electrically interconnected.

DE-B-1 250 026 discloses a heating cable, in which pieces of electrical resistance conductors are soldered or welded to pieces of copper conductors so as to produce a continuous length of a heating cable conductor. The continuous length is provided with a continuous insulating layer and other protective layers and sheaths.
The continuous length is cut into predetermined sections of heating cables with "cold ends" that is that a piece of an electrical resistance conductor has two ends of copper conductors. The purpose of the cold ends is that when the heating cable is installed the terminations and interconnections of the heating cables are displaced from the heating areas. Another purpose is that quite often the heating cable route leading from the switch or termination on a wall to the heated floor will pass over or through building sections which should not be heated.
Single conductor heating cables have some essential drawbacks. Both ends of the heating cable must be connected to the house wiring system. This procedure is very time consuming.
Single conductor heating cables generate electromagnetic fields (EMF). The EMF discussion now and then pops up due to environmental/health considerations/awarenees.
EP-A-0 858 244 discloses a heating cable which reduces the generation of electromagnetic fields. The cable consists of a central resistance conductor, a concentric sheath of insulation material surrounding the resistance conductor and return conductor means arranged to be interconnected with the resistance conductor in the far end of the cables. The return conductor means consists of at least two separate conductors which are distributed in the cable core. The return conductors are preferably embedded in a common insulation sheath arranged over the resistance conductor sheath. The production of such a heating cable is very cost intensive.


The invention provides a method for improving the texture of a food product by incorporating in the food product or a precursor of the food product a bioelastic polypeptide in an amount sufficient to increase the elasticity of the food product, the bioelastic polypeptide having tetrapeptide or pentapeptide repeating units or mixtures thereof and the repeating units existing in a conformation having a .beta.-turn. The invention also provides a method for binding a food product precursor by adding a bioelastic polypeptide in an amount sufficient to bind the food product precursor, the bioelastomer having tetrapeptide or pentapeptide repeating units or mixtures thereof and the repeating units existing in a conformation having a .beta.-turn. The present invention further provides a food adjunct containing a bioelastic polypeptide having tetrapeptide or pentapeptide repeating units or mixtures thereof where the repeating units exist in a conformation having a .beta.-turn, and an edible material suitable for human or animal consumption.

Flour prepared from wheat has always had a special place in baking and food preparation. Fine light breads and pastries can be made from wheat flour, but not from ground preparations of other grains (which are often called by a different name, e.g., as in corn meal). Protein elasticity is crucial in determining the functional properties of wheat flours and doughs. The proteins involved are the major storage proteins, such as glutenin, which account for about 10% of the grain dry weight and form a continuous network called gluten when flour is wetted and kneaded to give dough. This network entraps carbon dioxide generated by yeasts during proving of the dough which becomes expanded to form a light porous crumb structure. Leavened bread is therefore, in essence, a protein foam which supports the other flour components, the most important of which is starch.
The ability of the wheat gluten proteins to entrap carbon dioxide to form a foam depends on a combination of two physical properties, namely, elasticity and extensibility. A precise balance of these properties is crucial, as poor quality bread can result when doughs are either insufficiently elastic (weak and too low an elastic modulus) or too elastic (overstrong and too high an elastic modulus). Gluten elasticity is also important for other applications of wheat, including the manufacture of noodles and pasta.
Wheat gluten is a complex mixture of over 50 individual proteins which are classified into two groups present in approximately equal amounts. The gliadins are monomeric proteins which interact by strong non-covalent forces (chiefly, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions) and contribute to gluten extensibility. In contrast, the glutenins consist of subunits which form high M.sub.r (approx. 1 to 10.times.10.sup.6 Da) polymers stabilized by inter-chain disulfide bonds. These polymers appear to be the major determinant of gluten elasticity, although the precise molecular basis for this is not known. However, two features which may be relevant are the number and distribution of disulfide bonds and the presence in one group of glutenin subunits of .beta.-spiral-like structures.
These proteins are called high molecular weight (HMW) subunits of glutenin, and have been studied in some detail because allelic variation in their composition is correlated with differences in the breadmaking quality of wheats (Shewry et al. (1992) J. Cereal Sci. 15: 105-120). The individual proteins vary from 627 to 827 residues in length (M.sub.r s from about 67,500 to 88,100), and consist of central repetitive domains (481 to 696 residues) flanked by non-repetitive N-terminal (84 to 104 residues) and C-terminal (42 residue) domains. The repetitive domains consist of tandem and interspersed repeats based on nonapeptide (consensus GYYPTSP (SEQ ID NO:1) or LQQ), hexapeptide (PGQGQQ (SEQ ID NO:2) and tripeptide (GQQ) motifs, and appear to form .beta.-spiral structures based on repeated .beta.-turns (Miles et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 68-71). It has been proposed that these spiral structures are intrinsically elastic (by analogy with elastin) (Tatham et al. (1985) Cer. Chem. 62: 405-412; Tatham et al. (1984) FEBS Lett. 177: 205-208), although the mechanism is clearly different (Belton et al. (1994) J. Cereal Sci. 19: 115-121). The non-repetitive N- and C-terminal domains appear to be globular and form cross-links via disulfide bonds.
Elastin is comprised of a single protein containing a serial alignment of alanine-rich, lysine-containing cross-linking sequences alternating with glycine-rich hydrophobic sequences. With the entire bovine sequence known, the most striking hydrophobic sequences, both from the standpoint of length and of composition, are one that contains a polypentapeptide (PPP) and one that contains a polyhexapeptide (PHP). Elastin also contains several tetrapeptide (TP) units. As a result of work conducted by one of the present inventors, the polypentapeptide of elastin when cross-linked has been found to be elastomeric and the polyhexapeptide thereof has been found to be non-elastomeric and appears to provide a means for aligning and interlocking the chains during elastogenesis. It has also been found that the elastin polypentapeptide and polytetrapeptide are both conformation-based elastomers that develop entropic elasticity and strength on undergoing an inverse temperature transition to form a regular .beta.-turn containing dynamic structure.
Most importantly, cross-linked PPP, PTP and analogs thereof at fixed length exhibit elastomeric force development at different temperatures spanning a range of up to about 75.degree. C. depending upon several controllable variables. Moreover, these cross-linked elastomers develop near maximum elastomeric force over a relatively narrow temperature range. Thus, by synthesizing bioelastomeric materials having varying molar amounts of the constituent pentamers and tetramers together with such units modified by hexameric repeating units, and by choosing a particular solvent to support the initial viscoelastic phase, it is possible to rigorously control the temperature at which the obtained bioelastomer develops elastomeric force.
In general, the process of raising the temperature to form the above elastomeric state is an inverse temperature transition resulting in the development of a regular non-random structure, unlike typical rubbers, which utilizes, as a characteristic component, hydrophobic intramolecular interactions. The regular structure is proposed to be a .beta.-spiral, a loose water-containing helical structure with .beta.-turns as spacers between turns of the helix which provide hydrophobic contacts between helical turns and has suspended peptide segments between .beta.-turns. The elastomeric force of these various bioelastomers develops as the regular structure thereof develops. Further, a loss of regular structure by high temperature denaturation results in loss of elastomeric force. These polymers can be prepared with widely different water compositions, with a wide range of hydrophobicities, with almost any desired shape and porosity, and with a variable degree of cross-linking by selecting different amino acids for the different positions of the monomeric units and by varying the cross-linking process, e.g. chemical, photochemical, enzymatic, irradiative, used to form the final product.
These bioelastomeric polypeptides are a relatively new development that arose in the laboratories of one of the present inventors and are disclosed in a series of previously filed patents and patent applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,851 describes a number of tetrapeptide and pentapeptide repeating units that can be used to form a bioelastic polymer. Specific bioelastic polymers are also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,132,746, 4,187,852, 4,589,882, and 4,870,055. U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,430 describes polynonapeptide bioelastomers. Bioelastic polymers are also disclosed in related patents directed to polymers containing peptide repeating units that are prepared for other purposes but which can also contain bioelastic segments in the final polymer: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,605,413, 4,976,734, and 4,693,718,; 4,898,926, entitled "Bioelastomer Containing Tetra/Pentapeptide Units"; 4,783,523 entitled "Temperature Correlated Force and Structure Development of Elastin Polytetrapeptide"; 5,032,271, 5,085,055, and 5,255,518, entitled "Reversible Mechanochemical Engines Comprised of Bioelastomers Capable of Modulable Temperature Transitions for the Interconversion of Chemical and Mechanical Work"; 4,500,700, entitled "Elastomeric Composite Material Comprising a Polypeptide"; and 5,250,516. A number of other bioelastic materials and methods for their use are described in pending U.S. patent applications including: U.S. Ser. No. 184,873, filed Apr. 22, 1988 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,256); U.S. Ser. No. 07/962,608, filed Oct. 16, 1992; U.S. Ser. No. 08/187,441, filed Jan. 24, 1994; and U.S. Ser. No. 08/246,874, filed May 20, 1994 (now issued as U.S., Pat. No. 5,527,610), entitled "Elastomeric Polytetrapeptide Matrices Suitable for Preventing Adhesion of Biological Materials." All of these patents and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference, as they describe in detail bioelastomers and/or components thereof and their preparation. This information can be used in preparing and using the compositions and methods of the present invention.
While varieties of wheats have been selected for properties favorable for processing into foods, the proteins of grains are principally storage proteins held in readiness for germination; they were not selected in evolution for properties of elasticity, extensibility, etc. which would be optimal for production of breads, noodles, pastries, etc. The recent development of routine procedures for transformation of wheat (Vasil et al. (1992) Bio/Technology 10: 667-675; Weeks et al. (1993) Plant Physiology 102: 1077-1084) allows for the manipulation of wheat proteins by genetic engineering. There remains a need to improve the quality of flour doughs, especially flours produced from other, less conventional, more economically viable grains such as corn, oats, rye and millet, to improve the texture of breads, pastries and other condiments made from these agricultural products.
Relevant Literature
Belton, P.S., et al., (1994) .sup.1 H and .sup.2 H NMR relaxation studies indicate that the elasticity of the HMW subunits of glutenin is not elastin-like. J. Cereal Sci. 19: 115-121.
Miles, M. J., et al., (1991) Scanning tunnelling microscopy of a wheat gluten protein reveals details of a spiral supersecondary structure. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 88: 68-71.
Moonen, J. E., et al., (1982) Use of the SDS-sedimentation test and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for screening breeder's samples of wheat for bread-making quality. Euphytica 31: 677-690.
Payne, P. I. (1987) Genetics of wheat storage proteins and the effect of allelic variation on bread-making quality. Plant Physiol. 38: 141-153.
Payne, P. I., et al., (1981) Correlations between the inheritance of certain high-molecular weight subunits of glutenin and bread-making quality in progenies of six crosses of bread wheat. J. Sci. Food Agric. 32: 51-60.
Pomeranz, Y and Williams, P. C. (1990) Advances in Cereal Science and Technology, 10: 492-501, Eds Pomeranz, Y., American Association of Cereal Chemists Inc., St. Paul, Minn.
Shewry, P. R., et al., (1992) The high molecular weight subunits of wheat glutenin. (Critical Review Article) J. Cereal Sci. 15: 105-120.
Tatham, A. S., et al., (1985) The .beta.-turn conformation in wheat gluten proteins: relationship to gluten elasticity. Cer. Chem. 62: 405-412.
Tatham, A. S., et al., (1984) Wheat gluten elasticity: a similar molecular basis to elastin? FEBS Lett. 177: 205-208.
Vasil, V., et al., (1992) Herbicide resistant fertile transgenic wheat plants obtained by microprojectile bombardment of regenerable embryogenic callus. Bio/Technology 10: 667-675.
Weeks, J. T., et al., (1993) Rapid production of multiple independent lines of fertile transgenic wheat. Plant Physiology 102: 1077-1084.

Bioelastomers suitable as food product additives


The device for forming a variable-shape mold surface includes a plurality of cylindrical and helically threaded rods each having a mold surface defining end. These rods are assembled into a bundle of laterally adjacent rods in which (a) the helical thread of each rod is engaged with the helical threads of the adjacent rods, (b) each rod is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, and (c) the mold surface defining ends of the rods define the variable-shape mold surface. Upon rotation, the thread of one helically threaded rod slides on the threads of the adjacent rods to impart longitudinal movement to this rod relative to the adjacent rods and therefore axial movement of the mold surface defining end of this rod, to thereby modify the configuration of the variable-shape mold surface. Each rod has a second end shaped for engagement thereof with a digitally controlled rod rotating tool.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for forming a variable-shape mold surface. It is within the scope of the present invention to digitally adjust the configuration of the mold surface through a computer system.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the industry of plastic and foam molding as well as in the foundries, models are currently used to fabricate molds. When intricate shapes are involved without requiring a great dimensional precision, these models are often made by craftsmen. Such models are costly and the delivery delay is of some weeks.
The manufacture of these models can also be automated by means of digitally controlled machining equipments. The drawback is that these equipments require complex and lengthy programs often overstepping their memory capacity. Also, machining by means of these equipments is very time-consuming. Finally, purchase and operation of such equipments involve high costs.
Moreover, in a research and development project, many versions of the same model are often required. Craft or digitally controlled manufacture of models are both time-consuming and costly.
Canadian patent N.sup.0 938,173 granted to the Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited on Dec. 11, 1973 discloses a solution to the above problem. More specifically, this document describes a method of constructing mold surfaces by means of a bundle of laterally adjacent hexagonal rods. In accordance with this method, the hexagonal rods are precut at given lengths and angles, and are thereafter assembled together to form the bundle. Obviously, each rod must be placed in a predetermined position in the bundle to form the desired mold surface shape. The drawback of this prior art method is that the configuration of the mold surface is permanent and cannot be modified.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,838 (Hicks) issued on Jan. 24, 1961 also proposes the use of a bundle of laterally adjacent rods to imprint on a generally planar surface an image having a tridimensional appearance. These rods have a square cross section. They are slid longitudinally to enable machining thereof at one end. The shaped ends are then replaced in coplanar relationship to form a planar die. The rods are then assembled permanently into a bundle. Again, the disadvantage is that the pattern of the die is permanent.


Systems and methods include providing an aircraft with a fuselage having a sliding door system disposed on at least one side of the fuselage. The sliding door system includes a forward sliding door having an upper slide rail and a lower slide rail, a rearward sliding door having an upper slide rail and a lower slide rail, an upper rail coupled to each of the upper slide rail of the forward sliding door and the upper slide rail of the rearward sliding door, a lower rail coupled to each of the lower slide rail of the forward sliding door and the lower slide rail of the rearward sliding door, and a plurality of actuators coupled to each of the upper rail and the lower rail and configured to displace and retract the forward sliding door and the rearward sliding door linearly with respect to the fuselage.

Cargo and passenger aircraft require efficient and safe loading of both cargo and passengers into the aircraft. Increasing the size of access openings (e.g., cargo doors, passenger entrances and exits, etc.) in the fuselage of such aircraft relative to the overall size of the aircraft itself provides easier and quicker access to the inside of the fuselage, which not only provides for more efficient cargo loading but also allows passengers to enter and exit the fuselage more safely and quickly. However, increasing the size of these access openings often creates many design challenges, such as providing adequate mounting support and an airtight seal between the access opening and the fuselage of the aircraft.


A process for preparing a Mn4+ doped phosphor of formula IAx[MFy]:Mn+4  Iincludes contacting a mixture of a compound of formula Ax[MFy], a compound of formula AX, and a Mn+n source comprising a fluoromanganese compound, with a fluorine-containing oxidizing agent in gaseous form, at an elevated temperature, to form the Mn4+ doped phosphor;wherein                A is Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, or a combination thereof;        M is Si, Ge, Sn, Ti, Zr, Al, Ga, In, Sc, Hf, Y, La, Nb, Ta, Bi, Gd, or a combination thereof;        X is F, Cl, Br, I, HF2, or a combination thereof;        x is the absolute value of the charge of the [MFy] ion;        y is 5, 6 or 7; and        n is 2, 3, or 4.

Red-emitting phosphors based on complex fluoride materials activated by Mn4+, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,358,542, 7,497,973, and 7,648,649, can be utilized in combination with yellow/green emitting phosphors such as YAG:Ce or other garnet compositions to achieve warm white light (CCTs<5000 K on the blackbody locus, color rendering index (CRI)>80) from a blue LED, equivalent to that produced by current fluorescent, incandescent and halogen lamps. These materials absorb blue light strongly and efficiently emit between about 610-635 nm with little deep red/NIR emission. Therefore, luminous efficacy is maximized compared to red phosphors that have significant emission in the deeper red where eye sensitivity is poor. Quantum efficiency can exceed 85% under blue (440-460 nm) excitation.
Methods for preparation of the phosphors typically require hydrofluoric acid as a solvent. For example, WO 2007/100824 describes preparation of complex fluoride phosphors using aqueous HF as solvent. The processes utilize significant quantities of this highly toxic material, and alternatives that eliminate HF or at least reduce the amount are economically advantageous.

Process for preparing red-emitting phosphors


This invention relates to thallium tellurite glasses possessing a high Verdet constant and high optical nonlinearity, as well as good visible and infrared transmission, making them suitable materials for the fabrication of active optical devices. The glasses consist essentially, expressed in terms of cation percent, of 5-74.5% TeO.sub.2, 0.5-20% SiO.sub.2, 4-50% TlO.sub.0.5, and 0-71% PbO, wherein PbO+T10.sub.0.5.gtoreq.25 %, TeO.sub.2 +SiO.sub.2 .gtoreq.25%, and TeO.sub.2 +SiO.sub.2 +TlO.sub.0.5 +PbO constitutes at least 65% of the total composition.

Active optical devices, which are currently being studied for use in future telecommunications and computational systems, require materials that are characterized by large optical nonlinearity. In such materials a light beam will cause a significant change in the optical properties of the medium, altering the propagation of other light beams (cross-modulation) or of itself (self-modulation). Many optical devices further require that the materials have a fast response time and low optical loss. Glasses containing high concentrations of heavy metal oxides (HMO) have been found to display a high degree of optical non-linearity which, due to its electronic nature, is further characterized by a rapid response time. For example, measurements on representative HMO glasses have shown a non-linear refractive index some 50.times. that of vitreous silica. These features, coupled with excellent transmission in both the visible and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, render these materials ideal for a wide range of optical applications, including those where light induced phase changes, beam steering, optical phase conjugation, and bistability of resonator structures are desired.
Optical devices utilized in these applications require that the optical properties of the active material change in response to an applied optical field, the magnitude of this effect being characterized by a single term called the third order susceptibility tensor, X.sup.(3). The latter can be thought of as a coefficient in a power series expansion of the relationship between the applied electric field, E, and the polarization, P, written schematically as EQU P=X.sup.(1) E+X.sup.(2) EE+X.sup.(3) EEE+. . . .
where X.sup.(1) is the linear susceptibility tensor, X.sup.(2) is the second order susceptibility tensor, and so on. X.sup.(1), the linear susceptibility, is related to the linear refractive index, n.sub.o, by X.sup.(1) =(n.sub.o.sup.2 -1)/4.pi..
When an optical field is applied to a material, such as a glass, the optical properties of the material are affected. The magnitude of this effect can be measured, and is characterized in the art by X.sup.(3). Illustrative of this phenomenon is the example where a high-intensity light beam is passed through a nonlinear medium, consequently inducing a change in the index of refraction. For a light beam of intensity I, the index of refraction can be described by the equation EQU n=n.sub.o +.gamma.I
where n is the index of refraction, n.sub.o is the linear (low intensity) index, and .gamma. is the nonlinear refractive index of refraction. The nonlinear index, in turn, is related to X.sup.(3) by the equation EQU .gamma.=[(480.pi..sup.2)/(n.sub.o c.sup.2)]X.sup.(3).sub.1111
where X.sup.(3) .sub.1111 is the first diagonal term of the third order susceptibility tensor and c is the velocity of light. In a nonlinear device this change in refractive index is achieved when one light beam is used to manipulate the behavior of another.
One technique that may be used in measuring X.sup.(3) of various oxide glasses, called degenerate four wave mixing (DFWM), has shown that the maximum values of X.sup.(3) are attained in those glasses having the highest concentration of the heavy metals thallium, lead, and bismuth. The ions of these metals, in their normal oxidation state in HMO glasses, i.e., T1.sup.+, Pb.sup.++, and Bi.sup.+3, have an electronic configuration which is essentially that of an inert gas plus two 6s electrons. Strictly speaking, the electronic configuration of these ions is [Xe](4f.sup.14)(5d.sup.10)(6s.sup.2), but, as the filled 4f and 5d shells as well as the xenon core comprise a spherically symmetric density, the configuration can be abbreviated as 6s.sup.2. These two 6s electrons comprise a stereochemically active lone electron pair in that they occupy a directed orbital, but this orbital is essentially non-bonding in character. The presence of this lone electron pair is responsible for the highly distorted geometry assumed by Tl-O, Pb-O, and, to a lesser extent, Bi-O coordination polyhedra, and is postulated to be the source of the high values of X.sup.(3) characteristic of HMO glasses.
DFWM measurements on a number of HMO glasses suggest that, of the three heavy metal ions, T1.sup.+ has the largest overall contribution on an atom-for-atom basis to the net X.sup.(3) of an HMO glass. Thus, oxide glasses with high concentrations of thallium are here identified as being especially well suited for the fabrication of nonlinear optical devices.
The enhanced nonlinearity of the HMO glasses described herein and waveguide structures that may be synthesized from these glasses make them useful in a number of device configurations, some of which can only be implemented in waveguide form (either fiber or planar waveguides), and some of which can also be implemented in bulk-optics form. Such devices include, but are not limited to: nonlinear mode coupling devices, nonlinear interference devices, and optical amplifiers, and areas where optical phase conjugation is desirable.
Nonlinear mode coupling devices operate through changing the coupling of two (or more) modes of a waveguide structure as a result of the third order susceptibility. They include various multi-core couplers and single-core devices where two or more modes of the waveguide structure (such as modes with different polarizations or spatial distributions) have their coupling altered through nonlinear interaction.
In nonlinear interference devices the relative phases of two or more light beams (or even various reflections of a single light beam) are changed by utilizing variations in the optical path length resulting from the third order susceptibility. Such differences are brought about by the change of index of refraction due to the nonlinearity. Representative of this group of nonlinear interference devices is a bulk or guided wave Mach-Zehnder interferometer, although Sagnac interferometers, Michelson-type interferometers, distributed feedback grating devices, and Fabry-Perot resonators may also be included.
When these HMO glasses are used in synthesizing optical amplifiers, the gain coefficients for stimulated Raman and Brillouin amplification are also enhanced. This gain can be used to amplify a signal beam using a pump beam in a guided-wave geometry.
In areas where optical phase conjugation is desired, four-wave mixing interactions (bulk or guided wave) are utilized, wherein three input optical waves interact via the third order susceptibility to form a fourth wave, called a phase conjugate wave, which has unique properties. These properties can be exploited for such uses as aberration corrections, optical memory, beam steering, generation of new wavelengths, and neural networks.
In summary, the primary objective of the present invention was to design new glasses containing large concentrations of thallium, which glasses will exhibit a high degree of optical nonlinearity as well as superior visible and infrared transmission, those properties rendering the glasses particularly suitable for use in the aforementioned general areas of application.

Thallium germanate, tellurite, and antimonite glasses


An actuating device (23) for a lay ramp (6) of a vessel (1) for laying underwater pipelines “(2) has a runner (28), and a carriage (29) connected to the lay ramp (6) and which runs along the runner (28) to lift and lower the lay ramp (6); the runner (28) being defined by a first, a second, and a third portion (31, 32, 33), of which the first and third portion (31, 33) are out of line with respect to each other, and the second portion (32) is mounted on a movable assembly (37) to selectively align the second portion (32) with the first and third portion (31, 33).

A pipeline laying vessel is a floating unit comprising a production line for producing the underwater pipeline, and equipped at the stern with a lay ramp, which forms an extension of the production line and provides for laying the underwater pipeline on the sea bed. Though the following description refers specifically to laying pipelines in the sea, the present invention also applies to any stretch of water large and deep enough to accommodate a pipeline laying vessel.
At present, underwater pipelines are produced and laid using two main methods, depending on the depth of the sea bed.
A first method is to produce the pipeline on a vertical production line, and lay the pipeline vertically, so that the portion of the pipeline extending between the vessel and the sea bed assumes a "J" shape. This method is particularly suitable for laying deep-sea underwater pipelines.
A second method is to produce the pipeline on a substantially horizontal production line, and lay the pipeline using a lay ramp, which, in the work configuration, guides and supports the pipeline along an arc-shaped path having a first portion above sea level, and a second portion below sea level. Using this method, the pipeline being laid assumes an "S" shape between the vessel and sea bed, and various types of vessels can be employed, such as pontoons, barges, semisubmersible and single-hull vessels. Pontoons and barges are the underwater-pipeline laying vessels most commonly used in the past; semisubmersible vessels are particularly suitable for laying underwater pipelines in bad weather (rough sea); and single-hull vessels have the advantage of being fast, have ample pipe storage space, and can accommodate relatively long production lines with a high output rate.
Laying underwater pipelines using the second method calls for relatively good weather conditions, so much so that, in rough-sea conditions, laying is suspended: the pipeline being laid is left on the sea bed, possibly attached to a salvage cable; and the lay ramp is set as high as possible above sea level in a so-called "survival configuration".
The lay ramp must normally be movable into various work configurations, depending on the depth of the sea bed and the characteristics of the pipeline, and into an in-transit configuration allowing unobstructed movement of the vessel.
Accordingly, the lay ramp is connected to an actuating device for altering its configuration and its position with respect to the vessel.
One particular type of lay ramp, designed to assume various configurations and positions, is described in the Applicant's Patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,718, which describes a semisubmersible underwater-pipeline laying vessel equipped with a lay ramp comprising an inside ramp hinged to the vessel, and an outside ramp hinged to the inside ramp; and an actuating assembly comprising a first and second actuating device for operating the inside ramp and outside ramp respectively.
Each actuating device comprises two runners; and two carriages which run along respective runners and are connected by rods to the respective inside/outside ramp to rotate the respective inside/outside ramp about a hinge axis. The runners of the inside-ramp actuating device are fixed substantially vertically to the vessel; and the runners of the actuating device of the outside ramp hinged to the vessel are fixed substantially horizontally to the deck of the vessel.
Though highly efficient, the above actuating device has the drawback of requiring relatively long runners to achieve an extensive range between the extreme positions of the lay ramp.
The longer the runners, however, the greater the problems caused on board the vessel, such as obstructing other on-board equipment, and major structural alterations to the vessel, the high cost of which may even exclude the possibility of employing certain types of vessels structurally unfit to accommodate long runners.

Lay ramp actuating device and method for an underwater-pipeline laying vessel, and relative pipeline laying vessel


A processing system comprising multiple tiles and an interconnect between the tiles. The interconnect is used to communicate between a group of some or all of the tiles according to a bulk synchronous parallel scheme, whereby each tile in the group performs an on-tile compute phase followed by an inter-tile exchange phase with the exchange phase being held back until all tiles in the group have completed the compute phase. Each tile in the group has a local exit state upon completion of the compute phase. The instruction set comprises a synchronization instruction for execution by each tile upon completion of its compute phase to signal a sync request to logic in the interconnect. In response to receiving the sync request from all the tiles in the group, the logic releases the next exchange phase and also makes available an aggregated a state of all the tiles in the group.

A multi-threaded processor is a processor which is capable of executing multiple program threads alongside one another. The processor may comprise some hardware that is common to the multiple different threads (e.g. a common instruction memory, data memory and/or execution unit); but to support the multi-threading, the processor also comprises some dedicated hardware specific to each thread.
The dedicated hardware comprises at least a respective context register file for each of the number of threads that can be executed at once. A "context", when talking about multi-threaded processors, refers to the program state of a respective on of the threads being executed alongside one another (e.g. program counter value, status and current operand values). The context register file refers to the respective collection of registers for representing this program state of the respective thread. Registers in a register file are distinct from general purpose memory in that register addresses are fixed as bits in instruction words, whereas memory addresses can be computed by executing instructions. The registers of a given context typically comprise a respective program counter for the respective thread, and a respective set of operand registers for temporarily holding the data acted upon and output by the respective thread during the computations performed by that thread. Each context may also have a respective status register for storing a status of the respective thread (e.g. whether it is paused or running). Thus each of the currently running threads has its own separate program counter, and optionally operand registers and status register(s).
One possible form of multi-threading is parallelism. That is, as well as multiple contexts, multiple execution pipelines are provided: i.e. a separate execution pipeline for each stream of instructions to be executed in parallel. However, this requires a great deal of duplication in terms of hardware.
Instead therefore, another form of multi-threaded processor employs concurrency rather than parallelism, whereby the threads share a common execution pipeline (or at least a common part of a pipeline) and different threads are interleaved through this same, shared execution pipeline. Performance of a multi-threaded processor may still be improved compared to no concurrency or parallelism, thanks to increased opportunities for hiding pipeline latency. Also, this approach does not require as much extra hardware dedicated to each thread as a fully parallel processor with multiple execution pipelines, and so does not incur so much extra silicon.
One form of parallelism can be achieved by means of a processor comprising an arrangement of multiple tiles on the same chip (i.e. same die), each tile comprising its own separate respective processing unit and memory (including program memory and data memory). Thus separate portions of program code can be run in parallel on different ones of the tiles. The tiles are connected together via an on-chip interconnect which enables the code run on the different tiles to communicate between tiles. In some cases the processing unit on each tile may itself run multiple concurrent threads on tile, each tile having its own respective set of contexts and corresponding pipeline as described above in order to support interleaving of multiple threads on the same tile through the same pipeline.
In general, there may exist dependencies between the portions of a program running on different tiles. A technique is therefore required to prevent a piece of code on one tile running ahead of data upon which it is dependent being made available by another piece of code on another tile. There are a number of possible schemes for achieving this, but the scheme of interest herein is known as "bulk synchronous parallel" (BSP). According to BSP, each tile performs a compute phase and an exchange phase in an alternating cycle. During the compute phase each tile performs one or more computation tasks locally on tile, but does not communicate any results of its computations with any others of the tiles. In the exchange phase each tile is allowed to exchange one or more results of the computations from the preceding compute phase to and/or from one or more others of the tiles in the group, but does not yet proceed to the next compute phase. Further, according to the BSP principle, a barrier synchronization is placed at the juncture transitioning from the compute phase into the exchange phase, or transitioning from the exchange phase into the compute phase, or both. That is it say, either: (a) all tiles are required to complete their respective compute phases before any in the group is allowed to proceed to the next exchange phase, or (b) all tiles in the group are required to complete their respective exchange phases before any tile in the group is allowed to proceed to the next compute phase, or (c) both. In some scenarios a tile performing computation may be allowed to communicate with other system resources such as a network card or storage disk, as long as no communication with other tiles in the group is involved.
An example use of multi-threaded and/or multi-tiled processing is found in machine intelligence. As will be familiar to those skilled in the art of machine intelligence, a machine intelligence algorithm is based around performing iterative updates to a "knowledge model", which can be represented by a graph of multiple interconnected nodes. Each node represents a function of its inputs. Some nodes receive the inputs to the graph and some receive inputs from one or more other nodes, whilst the output of some nodes form the inputs of other nodes, and the output of some nodes provide the output of the graph (and in some cases a given node may even have all of these: inputs to the graph, outputs from the graph and connections to other nodes). Further, the function at each node is parameterized by one or more respective parameters, e.g. weights. During a learning stage the aim is, based on a set of experiential input data, to find values for the various parameters such that the graph as a whole will generate a desired output for a range of possible inputs. Various algorithms for doing this are known in the art, such as a back propagation algorithm based on stochastic gradient descent. Over multiple iterations based on the input data, the parameters are gradually tuned to decrease their errors, and thus the graph converges toward a solution. In a subsequent stage, the learned model can then be used to make predictions of outputs given a specified set of inputs or to make inferences as to inputs (causes) given a specified set of outputs.
The implementation of each node will involve the processing of data, and the interconnections of the graph correspond to data to be exchanged between the nodes. Typically, at least some of the processing of each node can be carried out independently of some or all others of the nodes in the graph, and therefore large graphs expose great opportunities for concurrency and/or parallelism.

Synchronization in a multi-tile processing arrangement


The invention described herein relates to a flush cut saw that is capable of safely making a flush cut. The saw has a handle with a thin, flexible blade extending therefrom. The blade has two elongated extensions running away from the handle. The extensions can each have external and internal edges, and are mounted in a spaced, opposed relation. The internal edges can be provided with teeth preferably oriented to allow for a pull cut. The external edges are dull, and may be curved to prevent injury.

In woodworking, there are often times when protrusions interrupt a flat surface of wood. For example, people often times use nails, dowels or other similar devices to connect two different pieces of wood. When so doing, a portion of the dowel may undesirably extend beyond the surface of the article that it is connecting. In order to create a smooth surface, it is desirable to saw off the extending portion of the dowel.
Saws are well known in the art. Traditional saws, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,423,843 make it difficult to make flush cuts. One reason this is difficult is that the handle is oriented such that an operator's knuckles would hit the surface of the article, preventing an accurate cut. Further, the blade of a traditional saw is not oriented such that a flat flush cut can be made with precision and accuracy.
Saws that have been designed to make flush cuts suffer other deficiencies. Typically, these saws have blades on their exterior. During any sawing operation, there is a tendency of an operator to angle the blade while cutting. When using a typical flush cut saw, a typical right-handed operator gripping the saw with his right hand may unintentionally allow his fingers to rotate upward (and vice versa for a left-handed operator). This rotation causes the exterior saw blade to be angled slightly downward toward the surface of the wood. This results in the operator unintentionally cutting into the flat surface. These unwanted scratches are a problem in the woodworking industry because they are very difficult to remove. In high quality goods, a scratch can wreck the value of the entire article being constructed. This problem is especially acute in commercial production where repeated, monotonous sawing can cause an operator to make many of these scratches throughout the day.
In addition, exterior blades can be quite dangerous. While sawing, the tendency is for a right-handed operator to place his left hand on the surface to stabilize it and achieve leverage, and then saw inwardly, toward the left hand with his right hand (and vice versa for a left-handed operator). With an exterior blade, this is dangerous because, on completing the cut through the dowel, the sharp blade of the saw is being pushed toward the exposed left hand. This is especially a problem in environments where there can be careless sawing due to repetitiveness (such as in factories) or where safety is imperative. For example, schools often times have wood shop classes that require flush cuts to be made. The prior art flush cut saws can be extremely dangerous for distracted or inexperienced sawers taking this class, and injuries caused by prior art saws can be a source of major liability for the school system.
It is therefore desirable to have a flexible saw capable of making a flush cut to consistently achieve a tight, flush cut without a significant possibility of scratching the wood. It is also desirable to have a flexible saw that is safe for use by inexperienced or careless sawers.


An electron beam microscope includes an electron beam pattern source, a vacuum enclosure, electron optics, a detector and a processor. The electron beam pattern source generates a sequence of electron beam patterns for illuminating a set of pixels on a specimen. The electron optics directs the sequence of electron beam patterns to the specimen. The detector detects a result of an interaction between each of the electron beam patterns and the specimen and produces a sequence of detector signals. The processor, in response to the sequence of detector signals, generates an image including a pixel value representative of each of the illuminated of pixels on the specimen. The electron beam microscope preferably includes a deflector for deflecting each of the electron beam patterns relative to the specimen.

Electron beam microscopy involves generation of an electron beam, directing the electron beam at a specimen and detecting a result of the interaction of the electron beam with the specimen. The result of the interaction is typically secondary electrons and backscattered primary electrons, but may also be visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays or the like. The electron beam source, the specimen and the detector are located within a vacuum enclosure. Traditionally, electron beam microscopy has been performed using single beam or projection techniques.
Single, or point, beam systems, such as the scanning electron microscope (SEM) are used extensively for microscopy due the relative simplicity of design and use. In point beam systems, an electron beam is focused to a small diameter, and particles emitted from the specimen are detected as a function of position to generate an image of the specimen. The diameter of the electron beam sets a lower limit on resolution. For many applications using this approach, the primary limitation on performance is space charge interaction within the beam. This causes irreversible defocusing of the beam and thus limits the current that can be delivered to the specimen for a given resolution. The deliverable current determines the speed with which the microscope can scan a given specimen with a given signal-to-noise ratio. For many applications, higher speed is desirable.
In projection techniques, areas of the specimen larger than a single pixel are exposed to a uniform flood beam of electrons, and a result of the interaction with the specimen is detected with an imaging detector to generate an image of the specimen. These techniques have the advantage of improved throughput because space charge effects are reduced but have the disadvantage of the complexities associated with the imaging optics and the imaging detectors, and have not been widely used.
The throughput advantages of pattern projection in electron beam lithography have been established in simulation and experiment. See, for example, J. E. Schneider et al, "Semiconductor on Glass Photocathodes as High-Performance Sources for Parallel Electron Beam Lithography", J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, Vol. 14, No. 6, Nov./Dec. 1996, pp. 3782-3786 and A. W. Baum et al, "Semiconductor on Glass Photocathodes for High Throughput Maskiess Electron Beam Lithography", 41st Electron. Ion and Photon Beam and Nanolithography Conference, 1997.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and apparatus for electron beam microscopy, wherein high resolution and high speed are achieved simultaneously, while minimizing added complexity.

Electron beam microscope using electron beam patterns


The present invention provides a liquid crystal display panel that is adaptive for preventing a liquid crystal contamination as well as improving an adhesive strength of a sealant and an organic insulating film, and a fabricating method thereof. A liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a first and a second substrate having a liquid crystal region, a sealant region, and an outer region; a wiring disposed on the first substrate, the wiring crossing the sealant region; a gate insulating film disposed on the wiring; an organic insulating film disposed on a portion of the wiring; and a sealant disposed on the sealant region of the first and second substrates, wherein the sealant is in contact with the gate insulating film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel having an organic insulating film. More particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel that is adaptive for preventing liquid crystal contamination as well as improving an adhesive strength of a sealant and an organic insulating film, and a fabricating method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display device displays a picture by controlling the transmission of light through a liquid crystal by use of an electric field. A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel in which liquid crystal cells are arranged in a matrix shape, and a drive circuit to drive the liquid crystal display panel.
The liquid crystal display panel, as illustrated in FIG. 1, has a structure in which a thin film transistor substrate 2 and an upper plate 4 a disposed opposite each other and are bonded by a seal material 6. The bonded thin film transistor array substrate 2 maintains a fixed cell gap from the upper plate 4 by a spacer, and the cell gap is filled with the liquid crystal which is for controlling the transmission of light in accordance with an applied electric field.
The thin film transistor substrate 2 includes a gate line and a data line formed on a first substrate; a thin film transistor connected at a crossing of the gate line and the data line; a pixel electrode formed at each pixel area which is defined by the crossing of the gate line and the data line and connected to the thin film transistor; a passivation film to protect the structure; and an alignment film to align liquid crystal. The gate line receives a scan signal from a gate driver through a gate pad 10. The data line receives a video signal from a data driver through a data pad 8. The thin film transistor responds to the scan signal of the gate line to supply a video signal of the data line to the pixel electrode.
The upper plate 4 includes a color filter which is formed on a second substrate; a black matrix for dividing between the color filters and to reflect external incident light; a common electrode for supplying a reference voltage to the liquid crystal cells; and an alignment film to align liquid crystal.
The thin film transistor substrate 2 and the upper plate 4 are bonded together by a sealant 6 which is spread along the outer area of a picture display area where the liquid crystal cells are arranged. The upper plate 4 is bonded with the thin film transistor substrate 2 such that the gate pad 8 and the data pad 10, which are provided at a bordering area of the thin film transistor substrate 2, are exposed.
An inorganic insulating film or an organic insulating film is used for the passivation film which is included in the thin film transistor substrate 2 in the liquid crystal display panel. The inorganic insulating film is formed of an inorganic insulating material, such as SiNx, SiOx. The inorganic insulating film has a high dielectric constant and is formed by a deposition method. Accordingly, it has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to increase the height of the inorganic insulating film. Because of this, the pixel electrode and the data line, which have the inorganic insulating film disposed between them have to keep a fixed horizontal gap, e.g., a horizontal gap of 3˜5 μm, in order to minimize a coupling effect caused by a parasitic capacitance. As a result, the size of the pixel electrode which controls the aperture ratio of the liquid crystal cell is diminished, thereby lowering the aperture ratio.
An organic insulating film is applied in order to solve the low aperture ratio problem caused by the inorganic insulating film. As such, the organic insulating material has relatively low dielectric constant. Further, the organic insulating film has an advantage that it can be formed to be relatively thick by application methods such as spin coating. The presence of the organic insulating film, which has a relatively low dielectric constant and which can be formed relatively thick, reduces the capacitance of the parasitic capacitor between the data line and the pixel electrode. As a result, the pixel electrode can be formed to overlap the data line. As a result, the size of the pixel electrode is increased along with the aperture ratio.
An organic insulating film might also be applied to a structure in which the color filter is formed on the thin film transistor substrate, and a transflective structure in which each pixel area is divided into a transmission area and a reflection area.
According to the related art, the organic insulating film included in the thin film transistor substrate is in contact with the sealant, which is for bonding the thin film transistor substrate with the upper plate. The organic insulating film and the sealant, which is generally an epoxy resin have a weak adhesive characteristic such that its adhesive strength deteriorates over time. Deterioration of the organic insulating film provides a path through which the moisture of the outside penetrates due to its structure, resulting in defects such as a liquid crystal contamination. Further, at the interface where the organic insulating film and the sealant are in contact with the liquid crystal, liquid crystal contamination may be caused by the organic material with polarity which is generated by the mutual reaction of the polymer and monomer remaining behind at the organic insulating film and the sealant.

Method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device using gate and common links to link gate and common lines to gate and common pads


The present invention relates to a method for determining the biofilm-forming capacity of microorganisms. The present invention also relates to a method for classifying microorganisms according to the biofilm-forming capacity thereof. In particular, the present invention is useful in the fields of analysis, biological and enzymological research, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and/or medicine. The present invention is also useful in the clinical, environmental and food-processing fields.

The formation of a biofilm is a key property of bacteria, enabling long-term survival both in natural ecosystems and animal hosts (Høiby, 2010b). In fact, bacteria that grow in a biofilm matrix are intrinsically more resistant to agents from the environment and also antimicrobial agents, compared to growing planktonic cells. Bacterial biofilms represent a serious problem in industry and medicine, including surgery and dentistry, where they frequently cause chronic and recurrent infections (Lindsay, 2006). Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are both capable of forming a biofilm (Donlan, 2001). It has been estimated that up to 80% of human infectious diseases which have a significant impact on morbidity and healthcare costs for patients are associated with biofilms (Romling, 2012; NIH Parent Grant Announcement, 2002). The formation of biofilms on implantable medical devices causes persistent infections which represent more than 60% of reported nosocomial infections (Darouiche, 2004). In this context, infections associated with catheters represent the most serious and costly undesirable event caused by a biofilm produced by bacteria, frequently leading to failed treatment and requiring the removal of the medical device (Costerton et al, 2003). Typical examples of diseases associated with biofilms include "difficult" infections such as bone and joint infections, caused by Staphylococcus aureus which is a strongly biofilm-producing bacterium (Kurtz, et al., 2012, Jacqueline, 2014, Gbejuade, 2015), infectious endocarditis caused mainly by staphylococci or streptococci, which is associated with high mortality rates (Furuya, 2003) and infections affecting patients suffering from cystic fibrosis, in which P. aeruginosa causes chronic pulmonary infections and respiratory failure (Singh, 2000; Høiby, 2010a).
Antibiotic treatment, which is either empirical or based on drug sensitivity testing, is often unable to control difficult infections associated with biofilms such as in the case of infection on medical devices (Høiby, 2010a). Indeed, profiles of resistance to traditional antibiotics are produced based on microorganisms in planktonic growth. Thus, in vitro susceptibility to antibiotics does not take into account the production of biofilms and may not be representative of the in vivo resistance of the bacteria to medications (Costerton et al., 1999). Consequently, new laboratory tests capable of evaluating biofilm production and the susceptibility to antibiotics of the microorganisms' biofilm formation are necessary and desirable in addition to routine microbiology tests in order to effectively target difficult infectious agents.
There is therefore a real need to find a novel process that makes it possible to evaluate the production of a biofilm by a microorganism and also any potential susceptibility thereof, in the formation of the biofilm or the biofilm formed, to antibiotics.
In addition, there is a real need to find a process that is easy to carry out and makes it possible to rapidly characterize the biofilm-producing capacity of the microorganism.
An ideal diagnostic technique must be capable of providing rapid identification of the microorganism(s), in order to help to guide suitable antimicrobial therapy.
A variety of direct or indirect quantitative methods have been developed for evaluating the ability of bacterial strains to adhere to surfaces (Peeters, 2008), either based on colorimetry (Stepanovic, 2000; Joseph, 2004) or on microscopic techniques (Sangetha, 2009; Currently, crystal violet (CV) staining is the most widely used method for the in vitro quantification of biofilms, due to its relative simplicity and sensitivity (Christensen, 1985; Stepanovic, 2000). However, this method has significant limitations. In fact, at least 24/48 hours of incubation and repeated treatment measurements are necessary, leading to results with a large standard deviation, and making the method neither easy to carry out for standardization or suitable for large-scale screening in a clinical context. In addition, this method gives results for MIC for eradicating a biofilm after 24/48 hours that involve very high concentrations of antibiotics that are not clinically relevant. In other words, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) are so high that they cannot be used clinically. Recently, a new technology, namely the Biofilm Ring Test® (BFRT), has been proposed for the evaluation of bacterial biofilms. The principle is based on the immobilization of magnetic beads by the biofilm matrix that is growing in vitro (Chavant, 2007). This process does not require extensive handling (for example does not require steps of washing or of staining), which thereby ensures reproducibility of the results and reduces the standard deviation, which is a positive criterion for standardizing procedures. Thus, BFRT represents a promising tool for detecting a biofilm in a clinical context. Nonetheless, this process only makes it possible to determine the presence or absence of a biofilm. In addition, this process does not make it possible, especially in a single determination operation, to provide direct information on the "dynamics" and the "power" of a microorganism to produce biofilm, in particular compared to a reference standard from microbial isolates.
Indeed, the initial procedure may require repeat measurements, carried out at different times, in order to estimate the microbial biofilm formation, constituting another significant limitation to routine use in laboratory tests.
There is therefore a real need to find a means/process making it possible to determine the biofilm-producing capacity/dynamics of a microorganism.
There are also processes, especially for diagnostic applications, making it possible to determine the capacity of antibiotics to inhibit biofilm formation. This is especially the antibiofilmogram (registered trademark) process, in a format in which for example 11 antibiotics, at 8 different doses, are ready to use in microplates (Olivares, 2015). Nonetheless, this known process that is commonly used in diagnosis does not make it possible to characterize or determine the biofilm-producing capacities of microorganisms.
There is therefore a real need to find a process that overcomes these drawbacks, disadvantages and obstacles of the prior art, in particular a process making it possible especially to determine the biofilm production and to determine the biofilm-producing capacity of a microorganism, making it possible for example to adapt the treatment processes as a function of the microorganism's characteristics.
In addition, there is a real need to find a simple, inexpensive and clinically applicable process that makes it possible to evaluate especially the potential biofilm-producing capacity of a microorganism.
There is also a real need to find a means/process that makes it possible to determine the biofilm-producing capacity of a microorganism in a short period of time.


Compositions and methods are provided that relate to the unexpected specific association of (i) the TGF-beta binding protein sclerostin with the BMP antagonist protein chordin to form a complex, and of (ii) the TGF-beta binding protein sclerostin with the BMP antagonist protein noggin to form a complex, either of which complex is incapable of binding to a TGF-beta superfamily member such as a BMP. The invention provides isolated complexes for use in screening assays to identify agents that modulate bone mineralization, and offers other related advantages.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pharmaceutical products and methods and, more specifically, to methods and compositions suitable for modulating (increasing or decreasing) the mineral content of bone. Such compositions and methods may be utilized to treat a wide variety of conditions, including for example, osteopenia, osteoporosis, fractures and other disorders in which low bone mineral density is a hallmark of the disease.
2. Description of the Related Art
Changes to bone mass occur in distinct phases over the life of an individual (e.g., Riggs, West J. Med. 154:63–77, 1991). The first phase occurs in both men and women, and proceeds to attainment of a peak bone mass. This first phase is achieved through linear growth of the endochondral growth plates, and radial growth due to a rate of periosteal apposition. The second phase begins around age 30 for trabecular bone (flat bones such as the vertebrae and pelvis) and about age 40 for cortical bone (e.g., long bones found in the limbs) and continues to old age. This phase is characterized by slow bone loss, and occurs in both men and women. In women, a third phase of bone loss also occurs, most likely due to postmenopausal estrogen deficiencies. During this phase alone, women may lose an additional 10% of bone mass from the cortical bone and 25% from the trabecular compartment (see Riggs, supra).
Loss of bone mineral content can be caused by a wide variety of conditions, and may result in significant medical problems. For example, osteoporosis is a debilitating disease in humans characterized by marked decreases in skeletal-bone mass and mineral density, structural deterioration of bone including degradation of bone microarchitecture and corresponding increases in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture in afflicted individuals. Osteoporosis in humans is preceded by clinical osteopenia (bone mineral density that is greater than one standard deviation but less than 2.5 standard deviations below the mean value for young adult bone), a condition found in approximately 25 million people in the United States. Another 7–8 million patients in the United States have been diagnosed with clinical osteoporosis (defined as bone mineral content greater than 2.5 standard deviations below that of mature young adult bone). Osteoporosis is one of the most expensive diseases for the health care system, costing tens of billions of dollars annually in the United States. In addition to health care-related costs, long-term residential care and lost working days add to the financial and social costs of this disease. Worldwide approximately 75 million people are at risk for osteoporosis.
The frequency of osteoporosis in the human population increases with age, and among Caucasians osteoporosis is predominant in women (who comprise 80% of the osteoporosis patient pool in the United States). The increased fragility and susceptibility to fracture of skeletal bone in the aged is aggravated by the greater risk of accidental falls in this population. More than 1.5 million osteoporosis-related bone fractures are reported in the United States each year. Fractured hips, wrists, and vertebrae are among the most common injuries associated with osteoporosis. Hip fractures in particular are extremely uncomfortable and expensive for the patient, and for women correlate with high rates of mortality and morbidity.
Although osteoporosis has been regarded as an increase in the risk of fracture due to decreased bone mass, none of the presently available treatments for skeletal disorders can substantially increase the bone density of adults. There is a strong perception among many physicians that drugs are needed which could increase bone density in adults, particularly in the bones of the wrist, spinal column and hip that are at risk in osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Current strategies for the prevention of osteoporosis may offer some benefit to individuals but cannot ensure resolution of the disease. These strategies include moderate physical activity (particularly weight-bearing activities) with the onset of advanced age, including adequate calcium in the diet, and avoiding consumption of products containing alcohol or tobacco. For patients presenting with clinical osteopenia or osteoporosis, the prevalent current therapeutic drugs and strategies are directed to reducing further loss of bone mass by inhibiting the process of bone absorption, a natural component of the bone remodeling process that occurs constitutively.
For example, estrogen is now being prescribed to retard bone loss. There is, however, some controversy over whether there is any long term benefit to patients and whether there is any effect at all on patients over 75 years old. Moreover, use of estrogen is believed to increase the risk of breast and endometrial cancer. Calcitonin, osteocalcin with vitamin K, or high doses of dietary calcium, with or without vitamin D, have also been suggested for postmenopausal women. However, high doses of calcium can often have unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects, and serum and urinary calcium levels must be continuously monitored (e.g., Khosla and Rigss, Mayo Clin. Proc. 70:978–982, 1995).
Other therapeutic approaches to osteoporosis include bisphosphonates (e.g., Fosamax™, Actonel™, Bonviva™, Zometa™, olpadronate, neridronate, skelid, bonefos), parathyroid hormone, calcilytics, calcimimetics (e.g., cinacalcet), statins, anabolic steroids, lanthanum and strontium salts, and sodium fluoride. Such therapeutics however, are often associated with undesirable side effects (e.g., calcitonin and steroids may cause nausea and provoke an immune reaction, bisphosphonates and sodium fluoride may inhibit repair of fractures, even though bone density increases modestly) that may preclude their efficacious use (see Khosla and Rigss, supra).
Limited currently practiced therapeutic strategies for treating a condition associated with excessive or insufficient bone mineralization, such as osteoporosis or other disorders characterized by loss of bone mineralization, involves a drug that modulates (i.e., increases or decreases in a statistically significant manner) bone mass. In particular, no current strategy therapeutically stimulates or enhances the growth of new bone mass. The present invention provides compositions and methods which can be utilized to increase bone mineralization, and which therefore may be used to treat a wide variety of conditions where it is desirable to increase bone mass. The present invention also offers other related advantages.

Ligands for TGF-beta binding proteins and uses thereof