The invention relates to the synthetic gene coding for hG-CSF which enables expression in E. coli with an improved expression level of the recombinant hG-CSF regarding the total cellular proteins after expression.

The impact of several successive rare codons such as arginine codons (AGG/AGA; CGA), leucine codon (CTA), isoleucine codon (ATA) and proline codon (CCC), on the level of translation and consecutively on the decrease of the amount and quality of the expressed protein in E. coli are described in Kane J F, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 6:494-500 (1995). There is a similar impact of individual rare codons if they occur in different parts of the gene.
The GC rich regions also have an impact on the translational efficiency in E. coli if a stable double stranded RNA is formed in the mRNA secondary structure. This impact is the highest when the GC rich regions of mRNA are found either in the RBS, or in the direct proximity of the RBS or also in the direct proximity of the start codon (Makrides S C, Microbiological Reviews, 60:512-538 (1996); Baneyx F, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 10:411-421 (1999)).
There are known several methods for the prediction of the secondary structure and calculating minimal free energy of individual RNA molecule which is supposed to be the basic rule for the most stable/most probable structure (SantaLucia J Jr and Turner D H, Biopolymers, 44:309-319 (1997)). The reliable algorithms for the prediction of the correct secondary structure are not known, with the exception of some cases. There has been no evidence for the quantitative correlation with the expression level (Smit M H and van Duin J. J. Mol. Biol., 244, 144-150 (1994)). It is still impossible to predict the tertiary structures of RNA (Tinoco, I. and Bustamante C., J. Mol. Biol, 293:271-281 (1999)).
The increase of the expression level after the optimization of DNA sequence in the TIR region, in the RBS region and in the region between the start codon and the RBS region is described in McCarthy J E G and Brimacombe R, Trends Genet 10:402-407 (1994). In this case the expression level increased due to more efficient translation initiation and its smooth continuation in the mRNA coding region.
The production of adequate amounts of hG-CSF for performing the in vitro biological studies by expression in E. coli is described in Souza L M et al, Science 232:61-65 (1986) and in Zsebo K M et al, Immunobiology 172:175-184 (1986). The hG-CSF expression level was lower than 1%.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,643 discloses the use of synthetic gene coding for hG-CSF which was first of all constructed on the basis of replacement of E. coli rare codons with the E. coli preference codons. The combination with thermoinducible phage lambda promoter led to the expression level of 3 to 5% of hG-CSF regarding the total cellular proteins. This level is not sufficient for the economical large-scale production of hG-CSF.
8-10% accumulation of hG-CSF to total cellular proteins was reached by changing the first four codons in the 5′ end region of hG-CSF as is described in Wingfield P et al, Biochem. J, 256:213-218 (1988).
The expression of hG-CSF in E. coli with the yield up to 17% of hG-CSF to total cellular bacterial proteins is described in Devlin P E et al, Gene 65:13-22 (1988). Such yield was reached with partial optimization of DNA sequence in the 5′ end of the G-CSF coding region (codons coding for the first four amino acids) whereby the GC region was replaced with an AT region and a relatively strong lambda phage promoter was used. This expression level is not very high which leads to lower production yields and is less economical in the large-scale production.
The use of a synthetic gene and the expression level of about 30% are described in Kang S H et al, Biotechnology letters, 17(7):687-692 (1995). This level was attained by the introduction of E. coli preference codons, by the modifications in the TIR region, and with the additional modifications of codon sets whereby the 3′ end of the gene was not essentially changed. Thus, for attaining the stated expression level the changes of the gene in the TIR region were needed and the expression level did not exceed 30%.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,543 describes the synthetic gene coding for hG-CSF which was constructed by the introduction of AT rich regions at the 5′ end of the gene and with the replacement of E. coli rare codons with E. coli preference codons. Under the control of the Trp promoter, expression with the yield of 11% hG-CSF to total cellular proteins was reached. On the other hand, the addition of leucine and threonine or their combination into the fermentation medium (where the bacteria were cultivated) led to the accumulation of up to 35% of hG-CSF regarding total cellular proteins. Such expression level was therefore reached by the addition of amino acids into the fermentation medium which is an additional cost in the process for production of hG-CSF and is not economical for the industrial production. Only optimization of the gene coding for hG-CSF did not enable a higher expression level of hG-CSF.
The highest accumulation of hG-CSF regarding total cellular proteins found in the prior art is described in v Jeong et al, Protein Expression and Purification 23,:311-318 (2001) and is 48%. Such accumulation was obtained by the changes in the N-terminal end and by the induction with 1 mM IPTG.
In general, there are no reports on possible predictions of the expression level of native human genes in prokaryotic organisms, e.g. bacterium E. coli. The described expression levels are relatively low or difficult to detect even when the expression plasmids with strong promoters, e.g. from lambda or T7 phage are used. From the prior art literature it can be gathered that many parameters (rare codons or their clustering; GC base pairs rich regions, unfavorable mRNA secondary structures, unstable mRNA) have an impact on the accumulation of a human protein in E. coli.
Until now, there has been no entirely developed rule known on how to combine codons in order to obtain secondary or tertiary mRNA structures which are optimal for expression. Although there exist some mathematical and structural models for predicting and thermodynamic stability of secondary structures, they are too unreliable to predict the secondary structures. On the other hand, there are no such models for predicting the tertiary structures. These currently accessible models therefore do not enable the prediction of the impact of the codons on the expression level.
There are no reports in either the patent or the scientific literature on the more efficient way for solving the problem of low expression level of the gene coding for hG-CSF in E. coli.

Synthetic gene coding for human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor for the expression in


A three dimensional web store having product images is created. Three dimensional product images are rendered from manufacturing information instead of the products themselves. The location of all products, advertisements, aisles, signs, and displays is determined for a real world store. The web store is then created using three dimensional internet or virtual world viewing and maneuvering capabilities, to appear identical to the real world store.

Online shopping has been an increasing trend for those that do not have the time, desire or ability to access a real world store. For this reason, retailers have focused their attention on making increasingly interactive online shopping experiences for their customers.
With emerging technologies, such as three-dimensional internet (3Di) and virtual worlds, becoming popular, retailers are turning to these technologies to sell their products. Creating these three-dimensional (3D) web stores can become extremely time-consuming as well as costly. There are two areas that take up most of the time in designing such a store. These are designing the layout of the 3D web store and designing the product images that will be placed inside of it.
When creating a web store, retailers often approach a company with expertise in the area. This company then designs the layout of the web store, deciding where to put the shelves, signs, displays, etc. This creative design of the web store can take time and effort that neither party can afford. The company may also design the product images to be used within the web store. These product images increasingly need to look identical to the actual product as it will sit in the web store and where it will sit. Currently, companies are turning to commercial artists to create the product images. They draw the packaging and add any additional artwork or words that are featured on the actual product. This can take a very long time as this process needs to be done for each product that will be featured in the web store. For this reason, it is necessary to find a more efficient means for creating a 3D web store and 3D images of products that will be featured within it.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,376 describes a system that uses encoded digital signals to represent images in the online store as they would be seen by a shopper in a real world store.
World Intellectual Property Organization Publication (WO) 2005/041099 describes a system that shows each product in an online store as a digital image. This invention lines up the digital images of each product in the sequence that they occur in the store.
Both U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,376 and WO Publication 2005/041099 shall be incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
However, there exists a need in the art to overcome the limitations of creating a virtual store and product images as described hereinabove. It is believed that such a capability would constitute a significant advancement in the art.

International Business Machines Corporation


The method for wire saw excavation provides a significant savings in time, effort, and expense in the cutting of a core of material from a solid substrate such as rock or concrete. A single downhole is formed, and a robotic excavator then forms a continuous, closed loop base passage at the distal end of the downhole to define the periphery of the core to be cut. When the base passage has been completed, the robotic excavator is removed and two subsurface guide pulleys are placed in the bottom of the downhole. A wire saw is passed from a first surface pulley around the first and second subsurface pulleys and back to a second surface pulley. The surface pulleys are advanced along the predetermined periphery of the core at the same rate as the subsurface pulleys, so that the saw simultaneously cuts the periphery and the bottom of the core.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the excavation of solid substrates, and particularly to a method for wire saw excavation wherein a single downhole is formed into the substrate and a wire saw is used to cut a core from the substrate from the single downhole.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of different methods have been developed in the past for earth excavation and tunneling. While the earliest tunnels and excavations were carried out using hand tools, a more practicable approach is by means of mechanized tools and equipment and/or the use of explosives. However, explosives can be difficult to control accurately, and not only destroy the core material being removed, but may also fracture and weaken the surrounding substrate. This requires considerably more time, effort, and cost to reinforce the weakened substrate around the hole formed by the detonated explosive charge. While mechanized equipment does not generally cause so much damage to the surrounding substrate, it generally results in the destruction of the core material. This may be an important consideration in such industries as granite quarrying and the like.
More recently, methods have been developed for the excavation of hard materials by means of wire saws. Wire saws comprise heavy cables having spaced cutting elements installed along the cables, which are driven by machinery similar to a chain saw or the like. Wire saws greatly reduce the damage both to the core and to the surrounding substrate (e.g., rock, concrete, etc.), reduce the energy expended during the excavation, and further reduce the time and effort required for creating the finalized shape of the excavation and/or core. However, conventionally it is necessary to bore or otherwise form a plurality of downholes into the substrate in order to introduce distal wire saw guides (pulleys, etc.) to the bottom of the intended excavation. The wire saw is then run around two or more such pulleys to make the cut in the substrate to form the core to be removed. The need for the formation of multiple downholes in the substrate requires significantly more time and effort than would otherwise be required if only a single downhole were needed.
Thus, a method for wire saw excavation solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS


A method of and device for forming vias on an electronic board (such as a PCB board) comprises forming one or more holes on the electronic board, placing a nanomaterial inside the one or more holes, and forming one or more filled holes on the electronic board. The nanomaterial can be nanocopper, which can be either push/pull into the holes on the electronic board or a combination of push and pull. The push/pull can be performed by using a mechanical device or by a person. A capping layer can be on both side of the via. The vias formed by using the nanomaterials provides a high efficient vertical heat transferring path from one side of the electronic board to the other side of the electronic board.

Typically, an array of plated through-hole vias is drilled and plated to thermally transfer heat from one side of the PCB to the other side of the PCB in a z-axis direction. However, it is time consuming and often unreliable to plate copper to a thickness greater than a small percentage of the via hole. For this reason, thermally conductive epoxy fillers are typically placed in the via holes. Nonetheless, thermally conductive epoxy filler typically makes a negligible contribution to the overall thermal conductivity because its thermal conductivity is substantially less than copper. Filling the via holes with traditional solder not only has much lower thermal conductivity than a copper material, but also can flow out during subsequent thermal processing.

Nano-copper solder for filling thermal vias


A structure for reducing turbulence and increasing flow uniformity in a flowing fluid in a wind tunnel, or a fluid channel, has a plurality of conduits or channels arranged into a conduit bundle. The conduit bundle has a number of parallel conduits with plurality of perforations on the inner side walls of the conduit. As the fluid flows through the conduit bundle the sides of the conduits reduce lateral turbulence while the perforations minimize pressure gradients in the flowing fluid in adjacent conduits, resulting in isotropic turbulence. The invention is particularly useful in testing aircraft, improving engine performance, and fluid mechanics applications.

When dealing with flowing fluids, it is often desirable to reduce the non-uniformity and turbulence in the flowing fluid. Generally speaking, any structure placed in a fluid will cause some turbulence when the fluid begins to flow. In addition, as the speed of a flowing fluid increases, the effects of the turbulence become more pronounced. For example, when testing aircraft in a wind tunnel, it is desirable to produce flowing air having a uniform flow with very low amount of inherent isotropic turbulence. Producing such a low turbulence fluid flow allows the users of the wind tunnel to more precisely monitor the effect of the flowing air in the tunnel on a model placed in the tunnel. If there is a large amount of turbulence in the flowing air in the tunnel, the turbulence will mask some of the effects of the model's structure on the fluid flow and vice versa.
The design of a flow straightening and Turbulence Reduction System (TRS) such as a wire-mesh screen for a wind tunnel application is based on a desire to maximize the attenuation of the flow unsteadiness and non-uniformity in the stilling chamber of the wind tunnel. To meet the very stringent flow uniformity and turbulence requirements in the test section where the test subject is positioned, mesh screens are integrated into the stilling chamber design. The stilling chamber is typically designed for operation at relatively lower flow speeds that have sub-critical Reynolds numbers based on the diameter of the fine wire used to create the screens. A Reynolds number is a non-dimensional number used to describe the turbulent nature of a flowing fluid. The Reynolds number of a flowing fluid is calculated as R=ρVD/μ where p is equal to the fluid density, V is equal to the velocity of the flowing fluid, D is equal to the characteristic distance or diameter, and μ is equal to the viscosity of the fluid. At Reynolds numbers larger than about 40 and higher, circular, cylindrical bodies, such as wire, positioned in a cross flow develop unsteady viscous wakes. The viscous wake is convectively unstable and rolls into large-scale coherent rotational flow regions. At higher Reynolds numbers, this is called the Karman vortex street and is composed of positive and negative vorticity that is present in concentrated patterns. These vortices develop higher frequency instabilities and eventually decay into turbulence.
The design of a Turbulence Reduction System (TRS) for most wind tunnels is based not only on modifying and reducing turbulence generated in the flow circuit by turbulence producing sources such as fans, heaters, coolers, turning vanes etc., but also on insuring that the turbulence generated by the TRS itself is small or negligible. TRS is generally formed by combination of perforated plates, honeycombs, and screens. Power losses associated with the performance of the TRS are proportional to the square of flow velocity through them. To reduce power consumed by TRS and to meet flow uniformity requirements, the stilling chamber is made as large as practically possible to lower the velocity in the chamber and the screen wire diameter is selected to be very small to achieve sub-critical Reynolds numbers. For large wind tunnels, there are at least two problems associated with this methodology. The first problem is that a wire screen extended over a large span does not retain its intended planar shape. The screen is deformed into a somewhat spherical shape that changes the flow direction in proportion to the local inclination of the screen relative to the flow upstream of the screen. This deformation is the result of a pressure drop that occurs when the fluid flows through the screen. The flow downstream of the deformed screen is, therefore, non-uniform and produces flow angularity in the test section. The second problem is the large required size of the stilling chamber necessary to produce the contraction ratio that is essential to reducing flow stream turbulence close to the desired value.
On the basis of both cost and mechanical considerations, the stilling chamber size requirement is especially limiting for the design of high Reynolds' number facilities which are often pressurized. Therefore, in high Reynolds number facilities, the stilling chamber is typically smaller in diameter, has a lower contraction ratio, and has a higher flow velocity for a given test section velocity than a non-pressurized tunnel of the same test section size. This places two contradictory requirements on the screens. The wire diameter must be kept small to operate at sub-critical Reynolds numbers. However, the wire diameter must be increased to reduce deformation due to increased loads on the screen and in turn, increases the turbulence level in the test section and requires a longer, and more expensive, contraction section to provide for increased decay of turbulence exiting the screen.
Thus, the current methods for reducing turbulence in a wind tunnel are to make the walls of the tunnel as smooth as possible and to place a screen across the fluid flow in the wind tunnel. Unfortunately, the smoothness of the walls does not help reduce turbulence in the center of the fluid flow and the screens tend to bend and produce turbulent vortices at higher flow velocities. Therefore, an improved structure and method for reducing turbulence in a wind tunnel are needed.
There are many other instances where it is desirable to decrease the turbulence and increase the flow uniformity of a fast flowing fluid. For example, with regard to engines, it is desirable to manage the flow of gas and air into the engine to increase the efficiency and the uniformity of the performance of the engine. This is typically accomplished by injecting the gas into the combustion chamber with a nozzle that creates a fairly uniform mixture of gas and air. In addition, valves are used to precisely control the amounts of gas and air injected into the engine. However, there are currently no methods for reducing the internal turbulence in the flowing fuel and air mixture itself. Turbulence in these mixtures results in small changes in the amount of fuel or air provided to the engine and in the uniformity of fuel air mixture. This variability in flow uniformity reduces the engines' overall performance and efficiency. Therefore, there is a need in the prior art for a method and structure for more effectively reducing turbulence and insuring flow uniformity in an engine.

Structure and method for improving flow uniformity and reducing turbulence


A sealing mechanism for a container for sealing an interface between two or more of the structural members, including a container body, a pouring spout, and a closing cap, includes an outer annular edge formed as part of a threaded neck opening for the container body, a radial lip formed as part of the pouring spout and being positioned in contact with the neck portion and the closing cap being configured so as to be attachable to the container body for closing the opening and being constructed and arranged so as to seal against the outer annular edge when attached to the container body.

The present invention relates in general to the sealing of an interface between two (or more) members, such as between a container body and a container lid.
More specifically, the present invention relates to sealing mechanisms, structures, and techniques to be used in combination with liquid-storage containers which may be used to store (and dispense) various liquid substances such as paint, household cleaners, laundry products, and beverages, to name a few. The sealing mechanisms of the present invention may be formed portions of the actual members which define the interface to be sealed or may be separate sealing components or may be a combination of both.
In the design of liquid-storage containers, a first location to incorporate some type of sealing mechanism or structure is at the interface between the body of the container and the closing lid. Whether the lid snaps into or onto or in some fashion over the upper opening of the container neck portion, or whether the lid threads into or onto the neck, some type of sealing mechanism or gasket would likely improve the sealed integrity of that interface. Depending on the size and shape of the container and depending on the material to be placed in the container, the choice for the preferred style of sealing mechanism may change. Another factor in the selection or design of the preferred sealing mechanism or structure is the frequency of opening and closing the container.
When the liquid-storage container includes a pouring spout, additional sealing considerations come into play. How the spout is positioned in the container body will dictate to some extent what sealing mechanisms may be required and what type of sealing mechanisms or structures would be possible to employ and which types would be preferred.
The present invention focuses on various sealing mechanisms which offer a variety of design options for a variety of applications and interfaces. These various sealing mechanisms of the present invention have a general applicability for sealing between two (or more) members. However, these sealing mechanism are also described in the context of molded plastic paint containers with a screw-on lid and a pouring spout. As described, the sealing mechanisms of the present invention may be configured using shaped portions of the members which define the interface to be sealed, or may be provided by the use of separate sealing components, or may be a combination of both.
While the use of a pouring spout as part of a liquid-storage container is now commonly used for liquid laundry detergents and fabric softeners, the present invention is directed to how this broad concept can be adapted to other liquid-product containers, specifically containers for paint. While the preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in the context of a molded plastic, one-gallon paint container, the present invention is not size restrictive.
Currently used metal paint cans include a generally cylindrical can body with a circular upper opening configured with a generally U-shaped peripheral channel which captures the outer peripheral lip or protrusion of a circular lid. A wire-like metal handle is provided and hinged at opposite ends to the paint can body. Anyone who has done any painting using such a paint can is no doubt familiar with the many problems in the sense of wasted and splattered paint. The awkwardness of pouring paint from the can into a tray for a roller is also seen as a drawback with this particular design. Dipping a paint brush into the can and then using the can edge as a wiping edge also creates a mess and causes paint to be deposited in the annular U-shaped channel. As paint collects in this peripheral channel, resealing the lid becomes particularly messy as the captured paint is pushed out and may either splatter or run down the side of the paint can. Aside from the mess, the current metal paint can design results in wasted paint, not only from what drips, splatters, or runs down the side of the can, but also from not being able to tightly reseal the lid onto the can body. If the lid is not tightly resealed on the can body, the paint can dry out or skim over, causing obvious problems of continued use and often resulting in the leftover portion of paint being discarded.
By designing a paint container with a screw-on lid and a pouring spout with an excess paint drain-back feature, a number of the disadvantages with metal paint cans and the use of such cans can be eliminated. While plastic containers with spouts are now in use for laundry products, there are a number of reasons why such containers are not suitable for paint and why significant design changes must be invented to be able to create a suitable paint container with these structural features. For example, the size of the opening in the container body needs to be expanded for a paint container as compared to a liquid laundry detergent and, as such, the spout design must change. As this occurs, the sealing mechanisms or structures have to be considered. There is a desire to have a wiping edge for the paint brush as part of a suitable paint container, a factor which is not a consideration with a liquid laundry detergent. The attempt to incorporate this type of wiping edge as part of the pouring spout presents additional design challenges. The drain-back feature is also an important part of any new and improved paint container. Any paint which is wiped off of the brush or drips from the brush and any paint which might run down the lip of the pouring spout needs to have a path to reenter the body of the paint container.
A further consideration for a suitable paint container is the overall shape and balance, not only for handling and transporting convenience, including the possibility of stacking, but also for the practical consideration of being able to tint to a particular color by adding pigment to a base color, such as white. This tinting requires access to the interior of the paint container body and also requires some type of vibratory shaking of the paint container. This in turn focuses some attention on the design in terms of the size and shape of the container as well as the design of the sealing mechanisms which are employed as part of the paint container at those interfaces where leakage could conceivably occur.
The present invention provides an improvement to the current designs in this field of art in a novel an unobvious manner.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Sealing mechanisms for use in liquid-storage containers


A motion estimation apparatus and method for estimating a global motion vector of an image due to hand trembling by using zoom information and focus information are provided. The motion estimation method includes: dividing a photographed image into a plurality of image blocks; determining a weight value for a motion vector of each of a plurality of image blocks based on focus information and zoom magnification information; predicting a motion vector for each image block; and estimating a global motion by applying the weight value determined for the motion vector for each image block to the predicted motion vector.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to motion estimation in an image pickup apparatus, and more particularly, to estimating a global motion vector of an image due to hand trembling by using zoom information and focus information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most moving picture processing techniques use a motion compensation approach to estimate only a motion of a local object appearing between neighboring frames. This motion is referred to as a local motion. However, in actual moving pictures, motion in addition to the local motion, such as a zoom motion, a pan motion, and rotation of a camera, affects the whole image. This motion affecting the whole image is referred to as global motion. In general, an image pickup device such as a camera or a camcorder uses a global motion detection method to adjust the position of a frame.
In such an image pickup device, the spatial position of an image changes over time due to hand trembling and nearby vibrations.
In general, in an image obtained through a moving camera, the motion of the background and the motion of an object exist at the same time, and therefore the global motion is calculated in each image, thereby detecting the motion of the object.
In a related art method of estimating a global motion vector, it is difficult to find a global motion vector because of a zoom magnification provided by an image pickup device.
FIG. 1A illustrates an image photographed when a magnification is small and FIG. 1B illustrates an image photographed when the magnification is larger.
When hand trembling and motion of an object occur at the same time, the motion of the object can be found in an object area 103 illustrated in FIG. 1A.
In this case, motion due to hand trembling also appears in an area outside the object image area 103.
However, if the zoom magnification becomes larger as illustrated in FIG. 1B, the object image area 104 becomes relatively larger with respect to the whole area 102.
Accordingly, the motion of the object has a frequency less than that of the camera intended by a user manipulating the camera, but with the increasing zoom magnification, the motion of the object becomes an increasing portion of the whole image.
As a result, if the zoom magnification increases, the motion of the object increasingly affects the whole image, thereby causing a problem in selecting a global motion vector due to hand trembling.

Apparatus and method for estimating motion due to hand trembling and image pickup device using the same


The disclosure concerns a power supply circuit comprising a voltage converter receiving an external voltage and outputting an internal voltage; a first switch and a second switch connected between an output of the voltage converter and a constant voltage source; a resistor provided between the first switch and the second switch, and dividing the internal voltage; a comparator including a first input unit, a second input, and an output which is connected to the voltage converter; a reference voltage source supplying a reference voltage to the first input; a feedback feeding back a voltage divided by the resistor to the second input from a node between the first switch and the second switch; a setting voltage source, to the second input; a third switch connected between the setting voltage source and the second input; and a control signal generator controlling the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a power supply circuit.
2. Related Art
In semiconductor devices such as a system LSI, it has become difficult to commonly use a fixed power voltage for its entire system. For such a semiconductor device, a power supply circuit is required that converts a power voltage to output the power. Some of the power supply circuits have a standby function to reduce power consumption. The standby function is a function that cuts a DC current by inactivating the power supply circuit.
The power supply circuit having the standby function includes two voltage converting circuits that are connected in parallel to each other and a reference-voltage generating circuit (also referred to as BGR (Band Gap Reference) circuit). These two voltage converting circuits are connected between the BGR circuit and an output terminal.
The BGR circuit receives an external voltage and outputs a reference voltage. The two voltage converting circuits convert the external voltage into an internal power voltage by reducing or boosting the external voltage based on the reference voltage, and outputs this internal power voltage. The internal power voltage is output from the output terminal of the power supply circuit, and is used as a power voltage in a semiconductor device.
One of the two voltage converting circuits (first voltage converting circuit) is active at all times, and the other one of the two voltage converting circuits (second voltage converting circuit) is controlled to be active or inactive by a control signal. When the second voltage converting circuit is active, the internal power voltage is a voltage that is determined by the first and the second voltage converting circuits. On the other hand, when the second voltage converting circuit is inactive, the internal power voltage is a voltage that is determined by the first voltage converting circuit active at all times.
In a conventional power supply circuit, when the second voltage converting circuit transits from an inactive state to an active state, the internal power voltage is deviated from a desirable voltage, and it takes time to recover a steady state. That is, a transition response time is long when the second voltage converting circuit transits from the inactive state to the active state. This is because RC delay is caused due to a parasitic capacitance and a resistor of wirings arranged in the power supply circuit.


A method for providing a light output from a lighting system (100) capable of emitting light within a lighting system color gamut (202) in an x-y color plane, comprising the steps of: receiving (302) a light output target comprising a target color point (210, 219) and a target flux; comparing (304) the target color point with the lighting system color gamut (202); and if the target color point is outside of the color gamut: determining (310) a first approximation color point (212, 220) inside the color gamut based on a minimization of a distance in the x-y color plane between the target color point and the first approximation color point; determining (312) a highest possible flux achievable by the lighting system at the first approximation color point; if the highest possible flux achievable by the lighting system at the first approximation color point is equal to or larger than the target flux, control (309) the lighting system to provide light defined by the first approximation color point and the target flux; and if the highest possible flux achievable by the lighting system at the first approximation color point is lower than the target flux, determining (314) a second approximation color point (214, 222) at which the lighting system is capable of providing the target flux based on a minimization of a distance in the x-y color plane between the first approximation color point and the second approximation color point; and controlling (315) the lighting system to provide light defined by the second approximation color point and the target flux.

A current trend in lighting is that light is more and more used for creating an atmosphere rather than for just illumination. Lighting systems suitable as "atmosphere providers" need to be capable of emitting light of different colors as well as being variable in intensity (dimmable). Ideally, such lighting systems should be variable over the entire color triangle (for example in the xy-plane of the CIE XYZ-system) perceptible by a human eye. In reality, however, a color variable lighting system can span only a part of the color triangle. For a particular color variable lighting system, this part of the color triangle is referred to as the color gamut of the lighting system. Moreover, different lighting systems generally have different color gamuts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,519 discloses an example of such a variable color lighting system in which light from at least three dimmable mono-color light sources is mixed in order to emit light of a desired color. When the different LEDs are far apart in color space (as is the case with RGB), making colors in the centre of the range (whites) is relatively simple and the possible range and flux is relatively independent of the exact position of the primaries. However, a disadvantage of such a system is the sensitivity of color point in relation to color temperature and a rather limited color rendering index (CRI).
Since the color gamut of any variable color lighting system only spans a part of the color triangle, there is always a possibility that a user may request light of a color outside the color gamut of the lighting system. As the light sources in a color system may be slightly different between one system and the next due to uncontrollable variations in the fabrication process, two apparently similar lighting systems may provide slightly different color gamuts. The uncertainty in which color can be provided be the lighting system can for example be eliminated by limiting the allowable gamut of the modules to the minimal gamut that can always be guaranteed. However, such a limitation would be excessive in most cases.
Furthermore, there are known solutions for approximating a color point within an allowable gamut if a requested color lies outside of the allowable gamut. However, merely approximating a new color point within the allowable gamut, for example the nearest point within the gamut, may provide a color which is perceived as significantly different from the requested color with respect to color temperature and CRI.


The present invention provides an optical path processing method and apparatus. The apparatus includes an FA, an LA, an aspheric lens, a filter, and a reflector, where the FA includes a test optical channel, where the test optical channel is configured to receive test light, and enable the test light to be incident through the LA and the aspheric lens to a surface of the filter; the filter is located between the aspheric lens and the reflector, and is configured to perform transmission on the test light; and the reflector is at a distance of less than or equal to a first preset value away from a focus of light transmitted through the aspheric lens, and is configured to reflect, at a preset angle, the test light transmitted through the filter to a specular surface of the reflector.

As an access network involves a large quantity of end users and complexly distributed optical link branches, and an all-fiber passive network is used for an entire network, how to implement appropriate monitoring and maintenance on optical links becomes a technical problem that needs to be urgently resolved by an operator. Currently, a monitoring system of an operator mainly uses an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) to test a link. A relatively mainstream manner of the testing is: using a 1×N optical switch and a dense wavelength division multiplexer (DWDM) to access N access ends. Specifically, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a principle of a monitoring system in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the monitoring system may be placed in a central office optical distribution frame (ODF), and monitors multiple passive optical networks (PONs), where the PONs include an optical line terminal (OLT), and the monitoring system includes an OTDR 11, a 1×N optical switch 12, and N WDMs 13. An operating principle of the monitoring system is as follows: The OTDR 11 is connected to an input end of the 1×N optical switch 12; after the OTDR 11 inputs OTDR test light to the 1×N optical switch 12 by using the input end of the 1×N optical switch 12, the OTDR test light may be switched to a particular output channel by using a control system; then, by using a WDM 13 corresponding to the particular output channel, the OTDR test light is coupled to a corresponding PON, and is transmitted downstream to an ONU to generate backscattering, where backscattered light coupled to the PON is transmitted upstream to the WDM 13 and is returned to the OTDR 11.
However, each output end of a 1×N optical switch needs one WDM, and therefore, when a large-split ratio optical switch is used, costs of the monitoring system and difficulty in managing a fiber patch cord between the optical switch and a WDM may be increased. In addition, space pressure on an equipment room whose space resource is already tight is also increased.

Optical path processing method and apparatus


A structural connection is obtained between elements (21, 22) of the reinforcement texture to be assembled by using at least one blocking means (23). The latter is made of a fibrous texture that is compacted prior to being inserted in a corresponding lodging formed in at least one of the elements of the reinforcement texture in order to conform with the shape of the lodging. The blocking means (23) then locks itself into the lodging by relaxation of its fibrous texture, as a result of a removal of the prior compacting. The blocking means can be in the form of a dowel (23) inserted inside aligned lodgings formed in the elements (21, 22) of the reinforcement texture to be assembled, or may alternatively be part of one of the elements of reinforcement texture to be assembled.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a process for joining elements in the manufacture of thermostructural composite material parts.
Thermostructural composite materials essentially comprise a fibrous reinforcement texture, substrate, or preform, comprising an arrangement of reinforcing fibers, densified by a matrix around the fibers. The fibers of the reinforcement texture and the matrix material are selected to satisfy applications requiring excellent mechanical characteristics at high temperatures. Typical examples of thermostructural composite materials include carbon-carbon materials (carbon fiber reinforcement texture and carbon matrix), carbon-ceramic (carbon fiber reinforcement structure and ceramic matrix, e.g. silicon carbide), and ceramic-ceramic (ceramic fiber reinforcement structure and ceramic matrix).
In some applications, especially in the space and aviation field, there is an ever-increasing need for large-size parts made of thermostructural composite materials. This is e.g. the case with stiffening web assemblies forming structural parts of a space vehicle.
2. Prior art
A large-size part could be produced from several separately produced parts that are finally assembled by mechanical means or gluing. However, known methods for assembling prefabricated elements made of thermostructural composite materials are difficult to put into practice, or do not give complete satisfaction.
One solution would consist in producing the elements of reinforcement texture separately, assembling them, possibly after a pre-densification step, and then providing a simultaneous densification by infiltration of the matrix material into the porosity of the reinforcement texture formed by the assembled elements of reinforcement texture. The elements of reinforcement texture are assembled simply by bringing them into mutual contact and holding them in contact by means of a tool. The linking between the elements of reinforcement texture results from the co-infiltration, or simultaneous infiltration, of the matrix material into the porous structure of these elements as they are held in contact. This co-infiltration can e.g. be obtained by means of a well-known method of chemical vapor deposition.
This type of linking by co-infiltration requires large contact surfaces to obtain an effective link by the matrix material, and presents a permanent risk of cohesion loss, both during manufacture and in use.

Process for joining elements in the manufacture of thermostructural composite material parts


A gamma correction apparatus set in a liquid crystal display (LCD), comprising a gray-scale voltage generating circuit and a gamma correction circuit. The gray-scale voltage generating circuit includes the common gray-scale voltage generating circuit and a plurality of individual gray-scale voltage generating circuits, wherein every individual gray-scale voltage generating circuit generates individual gray-scale voltage and corresponds to one of the displaying colors of the pixels of the LCD panel. The gamma correction circuit, according to the corresponding color of the pixel signal, selects the common gray-scale voltage and the corresponding individual gray-scale voltages of the color, and then outputs a pixel voltage corresponding to the pixel signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a digital analog signal converting apparatus, and more particularly, to a gamma correction apparatus for a liquid crystal display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Featuring the favorable advantages of thinness, lightness, and low electromagnetic radiation, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have been widely used nowadays.
An LCD panel includes a plurality of pixels arranged in matrix form. Each pixel is composed of an upper plate, a lower plate and a liquid crystal layer set between the lower plate and the upper plate. When the potential difference between the upper plate voltage and the lower plate voltage changes, the liquid crystal molecular arrangement of the liquid crystal layer will change accordingly. As a result, the pixel luminance is affected. Therefore, the luminance of the pixels of an LCD can be controlled by adjusting the magnitude of voltages applied to the lower plate and the upper plate respectively. The difference between the upper plate voltage and the lower plate voltage is called the "gray-scale voltage".
Please refer to FIG. 1, a diagram of gamma curve illustrating the relationship between pixel voltage and pixel luminance. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the relationship between pixel voltage and pixel luminance is nonlinear. In addition, pixel luminance is related to the magnitude of pixel voltage but is not related to the polarity of pixel voltage. The gamma curve, thus, is symmetrical to the Y-axis, with a positive polarity gamma curve 102 and a negative polarity gamma 104 on the both sides of the Y-axis. According to the gamma curve, when pixel voltages of the same magnitude are individually applied to a pixel, the pixel will generate the same level of luminance regardless of the polarity of the pixel voltage. If it is desired to display a pixel at the same luminance over a long period of time, the liquid crystal molecules can be protected by alternating the polarity of the pixel voltage applied to the pixel.
Normally, pixel signals are binary digital signals. Since the gamma curve relationship between pixel voltage and pixel luminance is non-linear, the LCD needs a particular circuit to convert digital pixel signals into corresponding pixel voltages according to the gamma curve relationship and to output the pixel voltages to achieve a linear relationship between pixel signal and pixel luminance. This conversion is called "gamma correction", which is used to improve the display quality of an LCD panel.
Please refer to FIG. 2, a schematic diagram illustrating the theory of gamma correction. When executing gamma correction, first of all, a plurality of pixel signals are selected as reference pixel signals. In FIG. 2, pixel signals D0, D1, D2, D3, and D4 are selected as reference pixel signals. According to the gamma curve, each reference pixel signal corresponds to a positive polarity reference voltage and a negative polarity reference voltage respectively. Take pixel signal D0 for example; D0 corresponds to positive polarity reference voltage V0 and negative polarity reference voltage V9 respectively. By the same analogy, reference pixel signals D0, D1, D2, D3, and D4 respectively correspond to five positive polarity reference voltages V0, V1, V2, V3, and V4, and five negative polarity reference voltages V9, V8, V7, V6, and V5 as shown in FIG. 2. During gamma correction, the corresponding pixel voltages of other pixel signals can be obtained via interpolation based on the relationship between the reference pixel signals and reference voltages. Each pixel corresponds to a positive polarity pixel voltage and a negative pixel voltage respectively.
It is noteworthy that the more pixel signals are selected for gamma correction, the more accurate the corresponding pixel voltage of each pixel signal estimated will be. Normally 8 pixel signals are selected for the execution of gamma correction. According to the gamma curve, 8 pixel signals correspond to 8 positive polarity reference voltages and 8 negative reference voltages respectively. The gamma correction device thus executes gamma correction based on the 16 reference voltages.
Please refer to FIG. 3, a schematic diagram for a conventional gray-scale voltage generating circuit. Normally, pixel signals, denoted by DATA, are signals of 8-bit binary data which can represent at most 256 gray levels. Therefore, a gray-scale voltage generating circuit 300 needs to be set in the gamma correction device to output 256 positive polarity gray-scale voltages and 256 negative polarity gray-scale voltages according to inputted reference voltages, wherein each gray-scale voltage corresponds to a pixel signal DATA. gray-scale voltage generating circuit 300 is composed of two series of resistors for outputting positive polarity gray-scale voltages and negative gray-scale voltages respectively. Each series of resistors have 255 resistors, numbered as R0, R1, . . . , R254; a plurality of input nodes for the input of corresponding reference voltage signals V0 to V4 and V5 to V9; and 256 output nodes for outputting gray-scale voltages. According to voltage dividing rule, by setting appropriate resistance value of each resistor in the two series of resistors, the corresponding gray-scale voltage of each of the digital pixel signals DATA can be outputted from each output nodes in the two series of resistors.
Please refer to FIGS. 4A to 4G, diagrams illustrating gamma curves of various patterns. To make the diagrams simpler and clearer, FIGS. 4A to 4G illustrate only part of the gamma curve with the remaining part of corresponding complete gamma curves left to be inferred from the illustrated part in FIGS. 4A to 4G. According to what color is to be displayed, three kinds of pixel signals corresponding to the red, green and blue colors are employed to control the luminance of the red, green and blue pixels respectively in a color LCD. In FIGS. 4A to 4G, the three gamma curves labeled R, G and B represent the gamma curve relationship between the luminance of a pixel and the gray-scale voltage of the pixel when the pixel is used to display the red, green, and blue colors respectively. The gamma curve relationship between the gray-scale voltage applied to the pixel and pixel luminance changes when the conformation of the pixel's liquid crystal molecules changes. The possible patterns of the gamma curve are illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4G.
In FIG. 4A, as the pixel voltages applied to pixels of different colors approach their maxima, the luminance difference between the pixels of different colors turns larger. FIG. 4B shows that as the pixel voltages applied to pixels of different colors approach their minima, luminance difference between the pixels of different colors turns larger. FIG. 4C, a mixture of FIGS. 4A and 4B, shows that whatever the pixel voltages applied to pixels approach their maxima or minima, luminance difference between the pixels of different colors turns larger. FIG. 4D is similar to FIG. 4A except that when the pixel voltage applied to the pixel reaches its maximum, the liquid crystal molecules will have the same light transmittance no matter what color the pixel displays. FIG. 4E is similar to FIG. 4B except that when the pixel voltage applied to a pixel reaches its minimum, the light transmittance of the liquid crystal molecules will be the same no matter what color the pixel displays. FIG. 4F is similar to FIG. 4C except that when the pixel voltage applied to a pixel reaches whatever its maximum or minimum, the light transmittance of the liquid crystal molecules will be the same no matter what color the pixel displays. FIG. 4G shows that the luminance difference between pixels of different colors turns smaller as the pixel voltages applied to the pixels approach their minima or maxima, but turns larger as the pixel voltages are getting closer to middle values. The gamma curve of an ordinary TN mode LCD panel is basically the same as the gamma curve shown in FIG. 4A, while the gamma curve of an ordinary VA mode LCD panel is basically the same as the gamma curve shown in FIG. 4B.
It can be understood from FIGS. 4A to 4G that patterns of gamma curve vary with the conformation of the liquid crystal molecules in an LCD panel. However, they share one common characteristic: the gamma curve changes when the displaying color of the pixel changes.
When executing gamma correction, the conventional gamma correction device determines the relationship between the pixel signal and the reference voltage according to an already established gamma curve disregarding what color the corresponding pixel of each pixel signal displays, thereby determining the magnitude of the corresponding pixel voltage of each pixel signal. This method avoids the circuit of the gamma correction device becoming too complicated and prevents the drive circuit of the gamma correction device from occupying too large a space. However, the conventional method is disadvantaged by failing to execute gamma correction of pixel signals with respect to the colors of the pixels to which the pixel signals are to be applied. In this way, a linear relationship between the pixel signal and the pixel luminance, as well as the maximum luminance, under certain circumstances, can not be obtained. Therefore, the display quality of the LCD panel is affected.

Gamma correction apparatus for a liquid crystal display


Haloperidol analogs that conforms to the structural formulae:

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to analogs of haloperidol possessing anti-psychotic properties and clozapine-like therapeutic profiles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Schizophrenia is a chronic disease that is characterized by positive (hallucinations, delusions), negative (social withdrawal, flattened affect) and cognitive (formal thought disorder, executive memory dysfunction) symptoms. The dopamine hypothesis, that schizophrenia stems from excessive midbrain dopamine transmission, originated from studies with neuroleptics that revealed correlations between clinical efficacy, effects on dopamine metabolism (Carlsson & Lindqvist, Acta Pharmacol. Toxicol. 20:140-144, 1967) and binding to dopamine receptors (Creese et al., Science 192:481-482, 1976). In addition, drugs that increase synaptic dopamine concentration, (e.g., amphetamines) produce aberrant, stereotyped behavior in animals (W T McKinney, in S C Shultz and C A Tamminga (eds) Schizophrenia: Scientific Progress. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 141-154, 1989) and schizophrenia-like symptoms in humans (Snyder, Am. J. Psychol. 130:61-67, 1976).
The therapeutic treatment of schizophrenic patients, as well as patients suffering from other psychoses, by the administration of neuroleptic drugs. One class of such drugs comprises the so-called typical antipsychotic agents (TAAs), such as chlorpromazine [2-chloro-N,N-dimethyl-10H-phenothiazine-10-propanamine, described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,645,640], haloperidol [4-[4-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxy-1-piperidinyl]-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-1-butanone, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,991], sulpiride [5-aminosulfonyl)-N-[(1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)methyl]-2-methoxybenzamide, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,826], and chemically closely related compounds, is widespread. Haloperidol is a drug of choice in the treatment of schizophrenia and acts in part by inhibiting dopamine receptors in the CNS [Seeman, P.; Lee, T.; Chau-Wong, M.; Wong, K Nature, (1976), 261, 717]. While control of schizophrenic symptoms has been successful, treatment with these drugs does not cure the psychotic patient, who will almost certainly relapse if medication is discontinued.
Moreover, some of the known neuroleptics produce unwanted side effects. For example, the side effects of many antipsychotic drugs such as haloperidol, for example, include the so-called extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), such as rigidity and tremor, continuous restless walking, akathisia, dystonia, late dyskinesia and tardive dyskinesia (TD), e.g., Parkinsonism dyskinesia, which causes facial grimacing, and involuntary movements of the face and extremities. The occurrence of orthostatic hypotension in patients taking anti-psychotic drugs is also common. These side effects are believed to be caused by blockage of the dopaminergic neurotransmission by the administered neuroleptics [Rowley, M.; Bristow, L. J.; Hutson, P. H. J Med. Chem. 2001, 44 (4), 477; Jaber, M.; Robinson, S. W.; Missale, C.; Caron, M. G. Neuropharm. 1996, 35 (11), 1503; Capuano, B.; Crosby, I. T.; Lloyd, E. J. Curr. Med. Chem. 2002, 9, 521.
The incidence rate of TD increases throughout the patient's exposure to antipsychotic drugs. The longer the exposure, the higher the patient's risk of developing, e.g., TD. This phenomenon points to the inadequacy of preclinical trials which only assess the risk of TD during the trial period. This phenomenon also suggests that the neuronal insults associated with TD are cumulative and the process which leads to this disease may be insidious and subtle in nature.
Anticholinergic agents such as Cogentin.RTM., have been used to reduce the Parkinson-like side effects, but these also cause their own side effects such as mental and/or physical impairment, tachycardia, dysuria and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Recently, atypical antipsychotic agents (AAAs), such as clozapine [8-chloro-1-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-5H-dibenzo[b,e]-[1,4]-diazepine, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,573] and olanzapine [2-Methyl-10-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-4H-thieno-[2,3-b][1,5]benzodiazepine, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382], have been introduced, which possess a therapeutic profile exhibiting greatly reduced Parkinson-like side effects. However, the TAAs also possess unwanted side effects as well, e.g., hypotension, sedation, confusion, weight gain, inter alia. Therefore, large numbers of patients continue to receive the TAAs such as, e.g., haloperidol.
Thus, there exists a continuing need in the art for antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of psychoses that produce fewer or less severe manifestations of the above discussed common side effects. In addition, because of the frequent long term administration of neuroleptics and the problems with patient compliance, there is a further need in the art for long lasting neuroleptics, which can be formulated into sustained release depot preparations, without causing the side effects mentioned above.

Abstract: wherein: R is H, or —(CH2)n—OH,                    n is an integer from 0 to 2, and            A is a heterocyclic bridging group, consisting essentially of carbon and at least one nitrogen atom, which effectively maintains the distance between the moieties connected thereby such that the compound (1) is incapable of metabolizing to BCPP+ like species, (2) has an affinity for the D2 receptor subtype of 15<D2<250 and (3) functions as a dopamine receptor antagonist, or the structural formulae:

Abstract: wherein: R1 is H, or —(CH2)n—OH,                    n is an integer from 0 to 2,            B is an aza- or diaza-bicyclo group, which effectively maintains the distance between the moieties connected thereby such that the compound is incapable of metabolizing to BCPP+ like species; and            Z is —CH— or N; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, derivatives, metal complexes, conjugates and prodrugs thereof.


A sprayer system includes one or more spray nozzle systems and a recirculation line which contains a Venturi for recirculation of non-sprayed liquid into a tank during breaks in spraying. To facilitate circulation, restrictors are placed in an upstream area of each nozzle system feeding line, and a downstream control valve is inserted between each nozzle system and the recirculation line. Each nozzle system can be independently controlled. Closing a control valve activates the spraying system associated with that valve, whereas opening the valve enables the liquid to circulate through the recirculation line into the tank to prevent unwanted dripping, demixing and depositing.

Sprayer systems with different designs are used in agriculture during treatment of grain to distribute liquids or mixtures, such as pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or other liquid chemicals. One problem with many designs is that the liquid to be sprayed or distributed must be agitated or always kept in motion by flow so that demixing or deposits do not occur in the sprayer system. Demixing and deposits can cause clogging of the sprayer system and nonuniform concentration of the liquid or mixture.
Prior art attempts to overcome demixing and deposits typically include circulation systems wherein the liquid being sprayed is circulated, especially during interruptions in the spraying operation or sectional operations, so that continuous liquid movement is present in all lines of the sprayer system. Such systems often have separately controlled spray nozzles, such as pneumatically or electrically flow interrupting spray nozzles to avoid output of spray liquid at the spray nozzles when the liquid must be passed by the nozzles for circulation. Such spray nozzle systems, however, require much maintenance and attention and are costly.
A circulation system is disclosed, for example, in DE 34 01 734, in which a spray device contains a recirculation line wherein the liquid being sprayed is kept in continuous circulation. A shortcoming with such a system is that circulation no longer occurs during interruptions in spraying, and deposits can occur in the liquid remaining in the sprayer system.
The spraying machine disclosed in FR 2 678 181 is representative of another type of system in which liquid circulation can be produced using a recirculation line and a control valve located in the recirculation line. In this type, liquid circulation is provided by opening the control valve when the spray operation is discontinued or interrupted. A shortcoming of such a system is that no liquid circulation is made possible during the spray operation, so that liquid remaining in the recirculation line can experience precipitation and demixing. In addition, the spray nozzles cannot be operated separately from each other to permit sectional operation.
A sprayer system is also disclosed in a brochure of the Amazone company with the masthead MI 126/S 233 (D) 04.02, referred to as a pressure circulation system (PCS) for towed field spraying. In this system, circulation is implemented by reversal of the flow direction, wherein a three way valve is contained between a feed line, a recirculation line and a spray nozzle system. The spray nozzle system is designed as a circulation line, and the direction of flow in the spray nozzle system can be reversed by controlling the three way valve. A drawback with the PCS type of system is that during spray operation, no liquid movement occurs in a portion of the spray nozzle system circulation line, and particles can deposit in this portion. In addition, this system requires additional hardware which increases maintenance requirements and expense.
EP 820 224 B1 discloses another type of spraying machine that permits circulation of the liquid during interruption in spraying via recirculation line structure provided with partial vacuum and a feed line in addition to the main feed line. A drawback with this type of machine is that, during spraying with sectional operation, the liquid remaining in the recirculation line and the additional feed line does not circulate since a vacuum can only be generated during an interruption in spraying.
The problem to be solved by the invention is seen in the fact that the known sprayer systems are demanding and costly and/or permit no circulation of the spray liquid during an interruption in spraying or sectional operation.


Disclosed herein are crystalline compositions comprising tessellated rigid triangular macrocycles in a two-dimensional plane and methods of making the same.

Tessellation or tiling is a process of arranging polygons in a plane in order to cover a surface entirely without gaps or overlaps, and in so doing, generate uniform or irregular two-dimensional (2D) patterns. Tessellation has been used1 to tile regular polygons for decoration in art since antiquity. The mathematical treatment of tiling regular polygons, however, was first reported in 1619 by Kepler,2 who identified 11 types of Archimedean tilings. At the molecular level, a growing interest has emerged in the past decades in 2D tiling of semi-regular Archimedean Tilings3 (ATs) and quasi-crystalline superstructures4 (QCs) on account of their potential optical,5 magnetic6 and catalytic7 properties. Molecular tessellations are often discovered serendipitously, and the mechanisms by which specific molecules can be tiled seamlessly to form periodic structures remain unclear. In addition, molecular tessellations using organic polygons fabricated on a metal surface have been observed with 2D spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, but detailed 3D structural information derived from X-ray crystallographic studies of tessellated materials is still lacking. Noteworthy, tessellations with shape-persistent polygons through π . . . π and charge transfer (CT) interactions, leading to the construction of 2D networks, is not well explored because of synthetic difficulties in accessing such macrocyclic structures. Moreover, the design of organic Donor/Acceptor CT complexes are so far limited to the one-dimensional arrays of Donor/Acceptor stacks.

Supramolecular tessellation of rigid triangular macrocycles

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)


Disclosed herein are compositions and methods of using such compositions to modulate pigmentation and proliferation of a melanocyte, such as to prevent or treat skin disorders, including skin cancer or for use for cosmetic purposes. In one example, a method of modulating pigmentation of a melanocyte includes contacting the melanocyte (such as a human melanocyte) with an agent that modulates neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) activity, such as an agent that increases or decreases NRG-1 activity, thereby modulating pigmentation of the melanocyte. In one particular example, the method of increasing melanocyte pigmentation or proliferation can be used to reduce UV skin damage, including that associated with skin cancer. In another example, the method of decreasing melanocyte pigmentation can be used to treat a skin pigmentation disorder associated with undesired increased skin pigmentation.

The constitutive color of human skin varies widely among different ethnic groups and is frequently classified into one of six distinct skin phototypes, the most commonly used method to categorize skin color depending on its ability to tan or to burn following exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UV radiation stimulates the expression and function of many melanocyte-specific proteins, such as tyrosinase (TYR), tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) and melanoma antigen recognized by T-cells 1 (MART1). The observed increases are typically more dramatic in darker skin types than in lighter skin types. Despite that diversity, the density of melanocytes in all types of skin is virtually identical and the differences in visible skin color depend on a number of factors including the amount of melanin produced, the efficiency of their transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes, and the ratio of pheomelanin to eumelanin synthesized. Levels of constitutive skin pigmentation not only have dramatic social and cosmetic consequences, but also are closely and inversely correlated with the risk of skin cancers.

Regulation of skin pigmentation by neuregulin-1 (NRG-1)

The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services


A generally flat, elongated edge-sealed polymeric blood bag having a length to width ratio of at least 2 to 1 and one end portion in tapering communication with a connected single tubing which in turn is in closed communication via a Y-connector with both a bag access port and at least one other Y-connector. The second Y-connector is in closed communication with at least one auxiliary bag, preferably two auxiliary bags. Once the upper neocyte portion is expressed from the elongated blood bag the lower, more dense gerocytes can be saved in the original elongated bag or expressed into another connected bag via the Y-connector assembly for subsequent use or storage. The bag system is especially useful for separating and isolating both components of a neocyte/gerocyte red blood cell mixture in an open system and for providing a means for saving the otherwise discarded gerocytes for subsequent use. A physiological solution can be introduced via the Y-connector assemblies into the elongated bag to reconstitute the dense gerocytes.

This disclosure is concerned generally with flexible plastic bags used for collecting, processing and storing blood and blood components. The disclosure is especially concerned with a blood bag system found useful for separating, isolating and storing both old and young red cells on the basis of their relative densities.
The manufacture and use of flexible, plastic containers, or bags, for the collection, processing and storage of blood and blood components is well known. Whole blood from a donor is typically obtained via venipuncture and collected via tubing in a donor bag. The donor bag may or may not be connected via tubing to one or more satellite or transfer bags.
When connected to at least one transfer bag, the donor/transfer bag combination is commonly referred to as a "multiple" blood bag system. Such a system may include one, two, or three transfer bags, all in sealed communication with the donor bag so that, once blood or blood components are introduced into the system, the whole blood or its components may be moved from one bag to another by external manipulation of valves, and the like, thereby avoiding or minimizing contamination. Such multiple bag systems are thus commonly referred to as "closed" blood bag systems. Multiple blood bag systems not in sealed communication with the donor bag, or designed for attachment to the donor bag following initial collection are generally referred to as "open" blood bag systems.
In a typical multiple blood bag application, whole blood is collected into a donor bag and all connected transfer bags, which are typically empty, are placed in a centrifuge cup designed to hold the filled donor bag in a generally upright position. The bag contents are then centrifuged to separate whole blood into its lighter plasma component and its heavier red blood cell component.
By manipulating a valve, which typically is a frangible valve within the system, the upper plasma may then be expressed into one of the transfer bags, possibly for further processing (e.g., into platelet-rich and platelet-poor components which may be expressed further into other connected transfer bags). The separated platelet-poor plasma component subsequently may be fractionated into a variety of other products useful in so-called component therapy, including clotting factors, immune serum globulins, albumin, and the like.
During the first separation of plasma from red blood cells in a centrifuged donor bag, the upper plasma portion is often removed from the donor bag using a relatively simple device known as a plasma expresser. The expresser simply squeezes the donor bag until the upper, less dense plasma is fully expressed out of the bag, typically into a connected transfer bag.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,190 (Wada et al.), a blood bag for separating white blood cells from platelets is shown. In that disclosure, a conventional blood bag is modified at the bottom to provide a small receptacle for collection and isolation of white blood cells (WBCs) from a platelet/WBC mixture. That disclosure focuses on minimizing the interface between the separated platelets and WBCs by carefully controlling the volume and dimensions of the continuous receptacle and by providing a centrifuge insert adapted to accommodate the bag and receptacle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,918 (Turner), there is disclosed an hour-glass shaped plastic blood bag comprising several compartments for the separation and isolation of blood components. That bag is capable of being separated to form a number of individual storage compartments for the separated components following component separation. As pointed out in that patent, prior art blood storage containers previously had not been detailed in size and shape to contain a predetermined quantity of blood or a blood component, such as plasma, in separate compartments.
More recently in U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,778 (Rogers), there is disclosed a dual compartment plastic blood bag in which the two compartments are connected via a tubing. The tubing includes a valve adapted to open only after a given centrifugation force is obtained. The bag is said to be especially useful for separating less dense and relatively younger red blood cells (i.e., neocytes) from more dense and relatively older red blood cells (i.e., gerocytes). As pointed out in that patent, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference, the use of neocytes is thought to be useful in minimizing iron overload possibilities in patients who depend on repeated blood transfusions.
To date, the primary method used for separating various blood components is simple centrifugation using either conventional bags or specially designed blood bags or using a specialized mechanical apparatus. One apparatus useful for separating blood components, including neocytes and gerocytes, is an instrument known as an IBM Model 2991 blood cell separator.
Unfortunately, the bags and apparatus available for fine separation of blood components tend to be fairly complex and expensive, thus limiting their use. Various ways of providing simpler, less costly methods and devices for the separation and isolation of blood components, especially the separation of neocytes and gerocytes, have been investigated recently.
An elongated bag specifically designed for neocyte preparation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,537 (Carmen et al.). See also continuation U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,882 to the same inventors. That system does not provide a way for saving gerocytes for later use. Furthermore, in that system the supernatant is expressed along with the neocytes into the satellite bag, which results in a generally undesirable increase in total neocyte transfusion volume.
In practicing that patented system, the tubing leading from the donor bag to the elongated bag is often severed after both transfer of the RBC mixture into the elongated bag and centrifugation. The supernatant is then expressed out of the severed tube, and the remaining packed neocytes are transferred into the satellite bag. The remaining gerocytes are viscous and generally are not used. Thus, it is desirable to provide a self-contained system for introducing a diluting solution into the main bag to enable storage and subsequent use of gerocytes from a neocyte/gerocyte mixture.

Blood bag system for separation and isolation of neocytes and gerocytes


A grill guard which can be adapted to different vehicles includes a pair of horizontal tubes fastened to a pair of vertical side plates. The side plates are attached to the bumper of a vehicle by an L-shaped bracket attached to the lower end of each side plate, a triangular plate attached near the middle of each side plate, and an L-shaped bracket connecting each triangular plate to the bumper. Each side plate has a plurality of regularly shaped holes along the rear edge thereof for adjusting the vertical spacing of the triangular plate from the lower L-shaped bracket. A dog fastens the tubes to the side plates at each intersection thereof.

This invention relates to an automotive accessory and, in particular, to a grill guard that can be adapted to most, if not all, utility vehicles and light trucks.
Originally found on LAND ROVER type vehicles in wilderness areas, the grill guard was bolted or welded to the front of the vehicle to protect the radiator from tree branches and shrubs, or even an accidental encounter with a large animal, as the vehicle travelled "off-road" or across country where there were no roads. Grill guards became more widely used as four wheel drive vehicles became more popular and more accessible to the general public and as more people discovered "four-wheeling." Even for owners of two wheel drive vehicles, a grill guard adds a certain rugged look which many owners want their vehicles to have. A grill guard may serve in addition or instead as a platform for attaching a variety of other accessories, such as auxiliary lights, a small winch, a water bag, or a bug screen.
After-market suppliers have a problem trying to fit a grill guard to all of the different sizes and shapes of bumpers and grills on their customers, vehicles. Providing a large number of different kits is expensive for the supplier, requiring an inventory of a different kit for each vehicle. Providing a large number of adapters in each kit is wasteful and expensive for the customer. In addition, the customer may not install the guard properly if given too many parts from which to choose. Further, the guard must have a custom look, i.e. as though it were designed for the particular vehicle on which it is installed.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a universal grill guard having a custom look.
A further object of the invention is to provide a strong, universal grill guard.
Another object of the invention is to provide a kit having as few parts as possible for assembly into a universal grill guard.


The embodiments disclose a method including fabricating a one section foldable phone case for coupling with a foldable phone configured to fold from top to bottom, fabricating a one section foldable phone case for coupling with a foldable phone configured to fold from side to side, fabricating a two-section foldable phone case for coupling with a foldable phone configured to fold from top to bottom, fabricating a two-section foldable phone case for coupling with a foldable phone configured to fold from side to side, wherein phone cases are configured to view front and back foldable phone folded and unfolded screens, and embedding a RFID chip with a unique ID number into a foldable phone cases configured for locating and identifying a user's foldable phone case.

The entry into the market of cell phones that are foldable has left many of the buyers exposed to damaging the foldable cell phones when dropped or exposed to a force impacted against the foldable cell phones when folded or unfolded. Damage to the foldable screen can be much more expensive to repair than the typical glass cover on un-foldable cell phones.


An inflatable product has a socket disposed in a wall of an inflatable body and extending into an interior of the inflatable body. A pump is slidably disposed in the socket, and is slidable from a retracted position to an extended position. The retracted position defines an insertion limit of the pump into the socket, and the extended position defines a withdrawal limit of the pump from the socket. The pump is operable to inflate the inflatable body when in the extended position. The pump includes a power source connected to a fan, operable to inflate the inflatable body. The pump includes a switch operable to activate the fan when in a closed position. The switch is in an the closed position when the pump is in the extended position, and in an open position when the pump is in the retracted position. The pump includes an air intake in fluid communication with ambient air when the pump is in the extended position, and the air intake is sealed from the ambient air when the pump is in the retracted position. The socket includes an outlet in fluid communication with an interior of the inflatable body, and, when the pump is in the extended position, the socket and the pump define a sealed conduit fluidly connecting an outlet of the pump to the outlet of the socket to inflate the body indirectly via the sealed conduit. The socket has an opening through which the pump extends and the opening is substantially sealed by the pump. The pump seals the outlet of the socket when the pump is in the retracted position. Detent projections and recesses releasably maintain the pump in the extended position. A battery is removable when the pump is in the extended position.

Inflatable products, such as inflatable air mattresses and the like typically include an air pump for inflation and, in some cases, deflation of an inflatable body. Some inflatable products also include a socket in the inflatable body for receiving or storing the pump. Such designs are suitable for some purposes. However, the present invention avoids certain drawbacks of such prior designs and incorporates substantial improvements.
The inflatable product of the present invention includes an inflatable body, such as an air mattress, which includes a flexible body wall. A rigid socket is disposed in the body wall and extends into an interior volume of the inflatable body.
The socket includes a socket opening which may be flush with the body wall. The socket also includes side walls aligned substantially perpendicular to the socket opening. In addition, the socket includes an innermost end wall aligned substantially parallel to the socket opening.
The socket includes a socket outlet located on the end wall, which socket outlet is in fluid communication with an interior volume of the inflatable body. A one-way valve is disposed over the socket outlet to permit ingress of air into the interior volume of the inflatable body through the socket outlet and to prevent egress of air out the socket outlet. The inflatable product preferably includes a user-operable deflation valve which is located on the body wall.
The socket forms a recess in which an air pump is slidably disposed. The pump has a retracted position, an extended position and intermediate positions wherein the pump is intermediate the retracted and extended positions. The pump includes a handle on an outward face suitable to permit a user to grasp and pull the pump from the retracted position to the extended position.
The pump is substantially entirely within the socket when in the retracted position and is substantially entirely outside the socket when in the extended position. The pump includes a pump outlet on an inward face which is in fluid communication with an interior of the socket when the pump is in the extended position, or in an intermediate position.
The socket opening is substantially sealed by the pump to prevent pressurized air injected into the interior of the socket by the pump from escaping. The pump includes an air intake opening which is in fluid communication with ambient air outside the inflatable body when said pump is in the extended or intermediate positions. The pump includes a fan in fluid communication with the air intake and pump outlet whereby the fan is operable to force pressurized air into the interior of the socket to inflate the inflatable body. The fan is electrically connected to a power source in series with a switch, which switch is operable to activate the fan when in a closed (on) position. The switch is biased into an open (off) position by a resilient member, such as a spring, or the like, when the pump is in a deactivated position. The switch is in the closed position when the pump is in an activated position. In this manner, the pump is automatically activated, without further action by the user when the pump is moved to an activated position. The extended position of the pump is preferably an activated position.
The pump has a sealing position in which the pump substantially blocks, closes or seals the socket outlet and substantially prevents egress of air from the inflatable body through to socket outlet. The pump has a displaced position in which the pump is substantially displaced from the socket outlet where the pump allows ingress of air into the inflatable body.


An atmospheric chemical vapor deposition method of making a zinc oxide coated glass article, made by directing one or more streams of gaseous reactants, specifically a zinc containing compound, and an oxygen containing compound, onto a surface of a transparent substrate material heated to a temperature of 400° C. or less.

The present invention is related to a method of depositing a zinc oxide coating on a transparent substrate. More particularly, it is related to a chemical vapor deposition method of depositing a zinc oxide coating on a transparent substrate which coating is modified to create a zinc oxide coating having a combination of desired properties.
Growth of zinc oxide coatings by CVD has been reported in the scientific literature. For example, Smith, Frank T. J., "Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of oriented ZnO films over large areas", Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 43, No. 12 (1983) pg. 1108-1110, describes a metal organic chemical vapor deposition process for preparing c-axis-oriented ZnO films in a system similar to that which is commercially available for SiO2 deposition. The resulting films are said to be highly uniform in thickness and to adhere to a variety of substrates.
Gerfin and Dahmen in CVD of Nonmetals (W. S. Rees, Jr. ed., VCH Publishers, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1996), chapter 3, pg. 180-185, describe the work of a number of researchers regarding the use of a variety of chemical preparation techniques to form zinc oxide films. Use of dialkyl zinc compounds and various oxygen-containing compounds is discussed.
Deposition of zinc oxide films has also been described in the patent literature.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,149 to Vijaykumar, P., et al. describes a low temperature (200° C. or less) low pressure (2 torr or less) static deposition method for zinc oxide films, utilizing an organozinc compound and water carried in an inert gas. The resulting zinc oxide film is said to have a low resistivity which can be varied by addition of a Group 13 element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,286 to Gordon, R., et al. describes deposition of fluorine-doped zinc oxide films by chemical vapor deposition from vapor mixtures of zinc, oxygen and fluorine-containing compounds. The films produced are said to be highly electrically conductive, transparent to visible light, reflective to infrared radiation, and absorbing to ultraviolet light. Temperature sensitive substrates are said to be suitable with the process of the subject invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,522 describes processes for coating a substrate, in particular, substrates including shielded surfaces, coated with zinc oxide containing coatings. The described processes include the elements of contacting a substrate with a zinc oxide precursor, preferably maintaining the precursor coated substrate at conditions to equilibrate the coating, then oxidizing the precursor to form a coating containing zinc oxide. The substrates coated by the process for use in various applications, are also described.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,743, which is related to the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,522, includes additional information related particularly to the zinc oxide coated articles made by the described process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,814 to Giolando, D. describes the use of ligated compounds of tin, titanium, and zinc as metal oxide precursor compounds in a method to produce high quality metal oxide coatings when coming in contact with a heated substrate.
Durable, coated transparent substrate materials are increasingly in demand. It would be desirable to have zinc oxide coated transparent substrate materials exhibiting high visible light transmittance, low emissivity properties and/or solar control properties, high electrical conductivity/low sheet resistance, and which could be manufactured cost effectively.

Low temperature method of making a zinc oxide coated article and the coated article made thereby