Improved cellulosic beads for use as supports in bioaffinity chromatography are produced by dissolution of cellulose in a chaotropic cellulose solvent, formation of the dissolved cellulose into droplets, and immersion of the droplets into a non-solvent capable of solvent interchange with the cellulose solvent to form generally spherical porous cellulose beads of narrow particle size distribution. The beads formed are preferably made with cellulose having a degree of polymerization between 100 and 200, and the resulting beads when saturated with water without drying contain between 1% and 7% cellulose by weight and have a particle size of at least about 0.3 mm. The beads can be activated by a suitable activation method, and specific bioaffinity ligands are bound to the active sites in the beads. The beads reacted ligands, the beads then used in bioaffinity chromatography to isolate specific bioaffinity molecules having molecular weights between 5,000 and 500,000 from complex solutions. The beads are particularly useful in bioaffinity chromatography of antibodies, therapeutic proteins, enzymes, and other high molecular weight proteins. The cellulose beads have similar properties to agarose beads used in the prior art for bioaffinity chromatography of high molecular weight proteins, but the cellulosic beads of the present invention have much greater mechanical strength and resist crushing under higher column flow rates without chemical cross linking are much cheaper to produce than prior art agarose and dextran beads.

Bioaffinity chromatography involves the separation of specific molecules or bioaffinants from solutions through attraction to and binding by specific molecular recognition sites on stationary bioaffinity ligands attached to a chromatographic support.
The chromatographic supports used in bioaffinity chromatography are generally made in the form of beads that are made from polysaccharides, such as agarose and dextran, and other polymers, such as polyethylene oxide. An ideal solid support for use in affinity chromatography should allow for high flow rates with minimal pressure drop when processing in a column configuration. Agarose and dextran supports must be cross-linked (i.e., with epichlorohydrin) in order to achieve even a modest degree of rigidity and stability at low to moderate flow rates (e.g., 10 to 15 cm/min through a 1 cm diameter column with a 15 cm bed height). Much higher flow rates are required. This is because many of the compounds to be separated or purified are present at very low concentrations, and large volumes must flow through a column to obtain useful results.
The beads are generally small, having diameters less than about 250 microns. The widespread use of small beaded supports for column based immunoaffinity protein purification has been based upon two theories. The first theory states that antibodies are large molecules with specific activity at one end and crouding of these molecules reduces their specific activity. The second theory states that for proteins to interact with the majority of the active sites in a bead, it must diffuse into the bead to the location of the site. Thus, since the diffusion rates of most proteins are very slow, the diffusion length and therefore the bead size must be kept small. The correlary to this is that even if most of the antibody is immobilized near the surface of the bead, small beads have a larger surface area to volume ratio than large beads and therefore small beads will have lower local antibody concentrations (less crowding) than large beads for the same bulk antibody concentration. This has lead to the understanding that small beads are the only logical support for column based immunoaffinity protein separations.
The high flow rates necessary to treat large volumes tend to crush prior art beads made from materials such as crosslinked agarose or dextran. Thus, beads used as bioaffinity chromatography solid supports should have high mechanical strength to avoid crushing at high flow rates (e.g., above 20 cm/min in a 15 cm column). It has also been noted that packed column beds of nonspherical or irregular shaped particles tend to compact more readily than columns of spherical particles of the same grade. This makes it desirable to have a solid support made from spherical beads of high mechanical strength.
Certain chromatographic support materials form a gel due to hydration of the solids. These gels are preferred as bioaffinity chromatography stationary phase supports because of the large amount of binding sites available per volume of gel. The high density of binding sites provides great reactive or separative capacity. Gels are characteristically high in liquid content, containing a relatively low percentage of solids, and have a highly porous structure. The highly porous structure enables liquid to flow (perfuse) through, rather than around, the particles forming the gel. However, not all of the internal volume of the gel is necessarily accessible to all species dissolved in the liquid medium flowing through the gel. Thus, molecular sieving can occur as a result of this limited accessibility to species of different molecular size. In fact, this lack of accessibility to the internal gel particle matrices is used in gel permeation chromatography to separate molecules of different sizes.
However, in order for materials to flow through a gel, the matrix must be sufficiently porous to allow access to the internal volume of the particles making up the gel. If the gel is not sufficiently porous, undesirable clogging, molecular sieving, or low flow rates result (note, the term high porosity is used herein to indicate that the internal matrices of the gel particles, or beads, are accessible to molecules of high molecular weight, e.g., >50,000 daltons).
Bead cellulose forms a gel with polar solvents, such as water; and has been recommended as a support for affinity chromatography. This is due to the physical properties of cellulose beads which tolerate high column flow rates. This mechanical strength is achieved without chemical cross-linking. In addition, cellulose is less susceptible to dissolution from a wider range of chromatography solvents than other prior art support materials. Further, cellulose bead matrices do not tend to nonspecifically bind or attract (sorb) species in solution.
Binding interactions between a chromatographic support of cellulose and the components of a solution tend to occur between the ligands bound to the cellulose and the specific solution components with which they possess affinity or avidity. This results in a highly specific chromatographic support. Cellulose is also much cheaper to obtain than other prior art bead materials, such as agarose or dextran, and it is readily available throughout the world. In fact, lignocellulose (cellulose combined with lignin) is even easier to obtain since plants and trees contain lignocellulose, rather than pure cellulose. If beads for bioaffinity chromatography can be made from cellulose or lignocellulose, the efficiency of the method will improve, while the cost will decrease.
Cellulose beads have been successfully used as a support for bioaffinity chromatography of low molecular weight species. For example, Kucera, in "Affinity Chromatography Of Chymotrypsin (E.C. 22.214.171.124) On The Potato Trypsin Inhibitor Bound To Bead Cellulose By The Benzoquinone Method," Journal of Chromatography, 213, (1981) 352-354, herein incorporated by reference, bound trypsin inhibitor, prepared from potatoes, to bead cellulose in an amount of 200 mg per gram of the support. The trypsin inhibitor was bound to the bead cellulose after first activating the cellulose with benzoquinone. Affinity chromatography was then performed on a column having bound trypsin inhibitor using a solution of chymotrypsin in 0.1M Tris-glycine, pH 8.01. The chymotrypsin was eluted from the column using a buffer of 0.1M glycine-HCl at a pH of 2.07. Analysis of the column effluent via UV absorption, showed that 96.2% of the chymotrypsin was eluted with the buffer solution. Thus, Kucera was successful in performing affinity chromatography on bead cellulose with a bound ligand, trypsin inhibitor, that has a molecular weight of 14,000, which attracts a bioaffinant, chymotrypsin, that has a molecular weight of 25,000.
In spite of the success of Kucera and others in performing bioaffinity chromatography with cellulose beads, the prior art cellulose beads are incapable of binding bioaffinity ligands having molecular weights greater than 50,000. In general, only small molecular weight ligands and rigid ligands which do not have molecular recognition sites (i.e., the rigid ligands attract and bind to specific molecular recognition sites on the complementary bioaffinants) have been efficiently used for affinity chromatography. This is due to the high concentration of cellulose in the prior art beads which results in a denser bead structure of low porosity (low accessibility to the internal gel structure) when compared to beads made from materials such as agarose.
Typically, prior art cellulose beads used in bioaffinity chromatography are dried to reduce bead size, and, after drying and reconstitution in water, contain approximately 80% water by weight (20% cellulose by weight). Even at these cellulose concentrations, the beads are still insufficiently porous to allow for their use in bioaffinity chromatography of high molecular weight bioaffinants and bioaffinity ligands. However, a reduction in the amount of cellulose in the beads to make them more porous may compromise the strength of the beads.
Thus, there is a need for low cellulose beads, i.e., having reduced cellulose content, for use in bioaffinity chromatography that are sufficiently porous to allow molecules with molecular weights ranging from 5,000 to 5,000,000 to have access to their interiors; such high porosity, low cellulose beads are needed for use in bioaffinity chromatography of high molecular weight molecules, such as antibodies, therapeutic proteins, and enzymes. There is also a need for a bioaffinity chromatography support which has, in addition to the foregoing desired properties, high mechanical strength to resist crushing at high column flow rates, and which does not suffer from nonspecific adsorption by the support matrix of complex solution components. Further, there is a need for a support for high molecular weight bioaffinity chromatography which is made from an inexpensive and readily accessible material, and which is produced by a simple and inexpensive process that is readily adaptable for large scale production.
Therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to produce beads of cellulose of sufficient porosity to enable its use in bioaffinity chromatography with ligands having molecular weights between 5,000 and 500,000 and bioaffinants having molecular weights between 5,000 and 500,000.
It is a further object of this invention to produce beads of cellulose suitable for bioaffinity chromatography of high molecular weight substances which have high strength, and are inexpensive to produce.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a process for the production of cellulose beads for use in bioaffinity chromatography having cellulose or lignocellulose present in quantities low enough to permit the beads to be used in bioaffinity chromatography of high molecular weight proteins.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a process for performing bioaffinity chromatography of high molecular weight proteins, such as, but not limited to, antibodies, therapeutic proteins, and enzymes, on bead cellulose.

Lignocellulosic and cellulosic beads for use in affinity and immunoaffinity chromatography of high molecular weight proteins


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates creating a high-fidelity glyph prototype from low-resolution glyph images. The system operates by receiving a plurality of glyph images, wherein a glyph image specifies a characteristic shape of a character in a font, and wherein each glyph image in the plurality of glyph images is a separate instance of the same glyph image. Next, the system determines an average blackness for the plurality of glyph images, wherein the blackness of a given glyph image is the number of black pixels in the given glyph image. The system then creates a composite grayscale glyph image from the plurality of glyph images. Finally, the system creates a monochrome glyph image from the composite grayscale glyph image, wherein the monochrome glyph image has the same blackness as the average blackness of the plurality of glyph images.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for creating a high-fidelity glyph prototype from low-resolution glyph images.
2. Related Art
As businesses and other organizations become progressively more computerized, it is becoming increasingly common to store and maintain electronic versions of paper documents on computer systems. The process of storing a paper document on a computer system typically involves a "document-imaging" process, which converts a copy of the paper document into an electronic document. This document-imaging process typically begins with an imaging step, wherein document page-images are generated using a scanner, a copier, a camera, or any other imaging device. Unfortunately, this document-imaging process can often result in noise being introduced into the image, which can cause an imperfect conversion of the paper document into an electronic document.
One method for reproducing both the logical content and the physical appearance of the source document while reducing the overall file size involves creating "synthetic fonts" to represent characters in the original document. However, the scanned image glyphs are at a lower resolution and poorer quality than the original font glyphs in the source document. Consequently, the synthetic font often does not accurately represent the actual font in the source document. For example, while converting a grayscale synthetic font into a monochrome synthetic font, the resulting monochrome synthetic font is often too light or too dark in comparison to the original font.
Hence, what is needed is a method and an apparatus for producing synthetic fonts without the above-listed problems.

Method and apparatus for creating a high-fidelity glyph prototype from low-resolution glyph images


A circuit that includes a first diode-connected dummy device, a second diode-connected dummy device, a third diode-connected dummy device, a fourth diode-connected dummy device, and a first discharge path. The second diode-connected dummy device connected in cascode with the first diode-connected dummy device. The fourth diode-connected dummy device connected in cascode with the third diode-connected dummy device. The first and the second diode-connected dummy devices are formed in a first region. The third and the fourth diode-connected dummy devices are formed in a second region which is outside the first region. The first discharge path configured to discharge charges from at least one of the first and the second diode-connected dummy devices in the first region to a reference voltage terminal of one of the third and the fourth diode-connected dummy devices in the second region.

Deep well is frequently used as isolation between noisy and non-noisy region in a chip. For example deep well is used as the isolation of noisy digital block and non-noisy analog block in a chip. However, during fabricating processes including, for example, metal etching and/or via etching, charges are stored in a deep well region. When the fabricating processes are constructed, a potential drop across a gate oxide for a device outside the deep well region is built due to the stored charges. The gate oxide for the device outside the deep well region could be damaged due to the discharged charges.

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A heat-dissipating device and a housing thereof. The housing includes a passage for guiding an air stream flowing from an opening to another opening, wherein an sidewall of the passage at least one of the opening sides extends radially outwards with a rotational axis of the heat-dissipating device or the passage so as to enlarge intake or discharge area for the air streams. Accordingly, the intake airflow rate may be greatly increased and the heat-dissipating efficiency of the heat-dissipating device may be greatly enhanced without changing assembling conditions with other elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heat-dissipating device and a housing thereof, and more particularly to an axial fan having an increased intake airflow rate without modifying the assembling conditions with other elements so as to greatly enhance the heat-dissipating performance of the fan, and a housing for the fan.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical electrical product usually includes electrical elements positioned in a closed housing in order to prevent the electrical elements from being contaminated with particles in the air. However, since the electrical element (such as a central processing unit (CPU) or circuit board) raises its temperature during operation, the element tends to be consumed and the lifetime thereof tends to be shortened if the element is continuously kept at the high-temperature condition. Thus, a fan is typically disposed in the housing to dissipate heat to the outside in order to prevent the electrical element from failing.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional fan 1 is mainly composed of a fan housing 11 and an impeller 12. When the fan is operating, a motor may be used to drive the impeller 12 to rotate and to produce air streams flowing toward the electrical element in order to dissipate the heat generated from the electrical element. The fan housing includes an air inlet and an air outlet in communication with the air inlet via a central, cylindrical air passage 11a. The air streams caused by the impeller 12 may freely flow into and out of the fan housing via the air passage. Furthermore, a plurality of tapered portions 13, through which the air streams may smoothly flow into the air inlet side, are provided at the corners on the air inlet side of the air passage. In addition, a plurality of screw holes 14 is formed at four corners of the fan housing such that the fan may be mounted to a frame of an electrical apparatus (i.e., a computer) via the screw holes 14.
However, due to the restriction in the dimension of the rectangular fan housing of the conventional fan, the air passage at the lateral side has to be reduced. The optimized design in the shape of the blade based on the curve of the air passage is also restricted, and the space and material of the fan housing are also wasted. Besides, due to the restriction in the construction of the fan housing, air may be taken into the fan only in the axial direction. However, it only can achieve very limited improvement effect in the increased intake airflow rate by doing so.

Heat-dissipating device and a housing thereof


A wideband signal distribution system for distributing among a plurality of outlets wideband signals modulated onto RF carrier signals within a specified frequency band. The system functions as "passive" infrastructure and includes a distribution unit having a plurality of input ports, a plurality of output ports, a transmission path, a combiner for applying signals appearing at the plurality of input ports to the transmission path, and a splitter for applying signals appearing on the transmission path to all of the plurality of output ports. The system further includes a plurality of cables selected from the class of fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, and twisted pair wire cables, each extending between a respective one of the distribution unit ports and a respective one of the plurality of outlets, and a plurality of impedance matching devices, where such devices are appropriate for the type or types of cable used. Each of the devices terminates a respective end of a respective one of the cables. Distribution units can be cascaded utilizing combinations of cable, such as coaxial cable or optical fiber cable, to enhance functionality of the system.

This invention is directed to a wideband signal distribution system, where the transmission medium may be selected from the class of products comprising twisted pair, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, and combinations thereof. A preferred system is one which incorporates twisted pair as the primary distribution medium. In a combination system, for example, distribution units can be cascaded utilizing coaxial cable or optical fiber cable to enhance the functionality of the system.
There are numerous instances where it is desired to distribute over twisted pair coaxial cable, or fiber optic cable wire, within a relatively local area, such as a single building, wideband signals modulated onto RF carriers. A particular application is the distribution of video signals. For example, a school may have a number of classrooms and administrative offices, each having a television monitor, and it may be desired at a given time to provide a program to all of the classrooms and offices, originating either from a source within one of the classrooms or offices, such as a VCR, or from an outside source, such as a local cable system. Similarly, a corporation may have a building, or several closely spaced buildings, with numerous conference rooms equipped with television monitors and analogous program presentations may be desired. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide cabling infrastructure for distributing wideband signals within a relatively local area.
Such cabling infrastructure should preferably possess certain attributes. For example, it should be relatively inexpensive. Further, it should be readily expandable. It is therefore a more specific object of this invention to provide such cabling infrastructure which possesses those attributes. New construction is commonly pre-cabled by the local telephone company. Typically, Category 5 twisted pair cable is utilized for such pre-cabling. This cable includes four twisted pairs within its sheath. Category 5 twisted pair wire is capable of carrying wideband signals thereover. Accordingly, using pre-installed twisted pair wire as part of the desired cabling infrastructure would be cost effective. It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide a cabling system for distributing wideband signals which preferably incorporate category 5 twisted pair wire.
In such cabling system, outlets at various locations would be connected by twisted pair wire cables to concentrators, or distribution units, which interconnect the various outlets. It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide such a distribution unit which is adaptable so that it can be used singly when the number of outlets in the system is within the capacity of a single distribution unit, or which can be used in a multiple configuration cascaded with other such distribution units to expand the system beyond the capacity of a single distribution unit. Further, such cascading may also be done with twisted pair wire cable, coaxial cable, or optical fiber cable.


Provided is a liquid cosmetic characterized by comprising 5 to 25% by weight of a pearl pigment containing at least mica, mica titan or a surface-treated substance thereof and 0.2 to 2.0% by weight of an anionic high molecular compound as a structural viscosity-providing agent, wherein the non-Newtonian viscosity index (n) falls in a range of 0.16xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa60.28, and the viscosity satisfies the following condition (A):

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid cosmetic, specifically to a water based liquid cosmetic. More specifically, the present invention relates to a liquid cosmetic which is suited to a liquid cosmetic applicator using a brush as an applying means and containing therein a water based liquid cosmetic, particularly to a liquid makeup cosmetic which is suited to eye makeup.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-12924 is a liquid eye makeup cosmetic which contains lecithin such as soybean phospholipid and egg yolk phospholipid and hydrogenation products thereof, a nonionic surfactant and an inorganic pigment and which has a viscosity of 3 to 300 cps at 25xc2x0 C. A colorant is not specifically restricted.
Further, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-231233 is an eye makeup cosmetic which uses as a colorant, titan black without using black iron oxide having a difficulty in dispersion due to a magnetism thereof and carbon black having an anxiety of carcinogenesis and which provides a sufficiently high density of the drawn lines and can be wiped off well. However, nothing is referred to as long as a pearl pigment is concerned, and an eye makeup cosmetic comprising lecithin or a hydrogenation product thereof and a nonionic surfactant having an HLB value of 10 or more is disclosed.
Provided in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-57290 is a gelatinous cosmetic which is obtained from a composition comprising (A) an N-long-chain acyl acidic amino acid salt having an acyl group having 8 to 22 carbon atoms and (B) water in a weight ratio (A)/(B) falling in a range of 5/95 to 30/70 and which has a thixotropy, and provided are cosmetics such as cleansing cream and the like which are easy to apply and have a good use feeling and which have a low stimulation to skins and can readily contain a lot of oil components.
In the case of a liquid cosmetic having a low viscosity, pulverization of inorganic pigments into fine powders makes it possible to inhibit them from settling down, but involved are the problems that the masking property is reduced and the good color tone is not obtained. Further, when a thickener is added in order to prevent settling of inorganic pigments, an expected thickening effect is not obtained due to electrolytes depending the kind of the thickener, and the fluidity is lost due to gelation or there has been a problem on the stability with the passage of time. However, provided in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-175924 is a liquid cosmetic in which the problems described above have been solved by compounding an inorganic pigment dispersed with polysaccharides, a clay mineral, a water-soluble organic solvent and water.
A pearl pigment is suitably compounded for obtaining clear and brilliant finishing with makeup cosmetics, particularly eye makeup cosmetics. In a water based dispersion, however, a pearl pigment settles down quickly because of the coarse particles thereof as compared with those of ordinary organic and inorganic pigments. Further, because of the oblate particle form thereof, the pigment once settled is liable to form a cake and can not be redispersed easily even by stirring in using.
Because of this reason, there has not so far been available, a liquid cosmetic applicator using a brush as an applying member and containing therein a water based liquid cosmetic, in which a pearl pigment is compounded and in which a brilliant developed color is obtained and an ordinarily satisfactory quality is maintained.
Further, in a liquid cosmetic applicator using a brush as an applying member, use of conventional liquid cosmetics increases the amount of the cosmetics contained in the applying member since the applying member is a brush, and there has been the inconvenience that impact and vibration exerted in carrying allows the body in the periphery of the applying member and the inside of the cap to be contaminated, which in turn contaminates environment such as hands and fingers when the user uses it.
The present invention provides a pearl pigment-blended liquid cosmetic which is excellent in a stability against settling with the passage of time and which can readily be redispersed by stirring even if the pigment settles down, for example, a pearl pigment-blended, water based liquid cosmetic which is suited for using with a liquid cosmetic applicator of a type using a brush as an applying member and containing therein a water based liquid cosmetic.
Intensive researches repeated by the present inventors in order to develop a liquid cosmetic which is suited to a liquid cosmetic applicator containing therein a water based liquid cosmetic and using a brush as an applying member have resulted in finding that the subjects described above can be achieved by blending a pearl pigment containing at least mica, mica titan or a surface-treated substance thereof and composed made substantially of an inorganic substance, and an anionic high molecular compound as a structural viscosity-providing agent and by allowing the specific non-Newtonian viscosity index (n) and the viscosity at a prescribed shear rate to be maintained in the specific ranges, and coming to complete the present invention based on the knowledge described above.
That is, the present invention relates to a liquid cosmetic characterized by comprising 5 to 25% by weight of a pearl pigment composed made substantially of an inorganic substance, said pearl pigment containing at least mica, mica titan or a surface-treated substance thereof, and 0.2 to 2.0% by weight of an anionic high molecular compound, wherein the specific non-Newtonian viscosity index (n) falls in a range of 0.16xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa60.28, and the viscosity satisfies the following condition (A):
Preferably, the pearl pigment contained in the liquid cosmetic described above contains a surface-treated substance subjected to surface treatment with iron oxide.
More preferably, the anionic high molecular compound contained in the liquid cosmetic described above is xanthan gum.
Still more preferably, these liquid cosmetics display sufficiently the effects thereof when using a liquid cosmetic applicator using a brush as an applying member and containing therein a liquid cosmetic.
In the cosmetic of the present invention, at least mica, mica titan or a surface-treated substance thereof is contained in the pearl pigment used. Such pearl pigment comprises substantially an inorganic substance and has a high safety to a human body.
The surface-treated substance of mica or mica titan includes, for example, carmine-coated mica titan, carminexe2x80xa2Prussian blue-coated mica titan, black iron oxide-coated mica titan, black iron oxidexe2x80xa2carmine-coated mica titan, black iron oxidexe2x80xa2Prussian blue-coated mica titan, Prussian blue-coated mica, Prussian blue-coated mica titan, red iron oxide-coated mica, red iron oxide-coated mica titan, red iron oxidexe2x80xa2carmine-coated mica titan, red iron oxidexe2x80xa2black iron oxide-coated mica titan, red iron oxidexe2x80xa2Prussian blue-coated mica titan, red iron oxidexe2x80xa2black iron oxidexe2x80xa2Prussian blue-coated mica titan and Nxcex5-lauroyl-L-lysine-coated mica.
Further, bismuth oxychloride and the like can be compounded as a pearl pigment other than mica and mica titan.
The pearl pigments described above may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds thereof.
The blending amount of the pearl pigment is preferably 5 to 25% by weight based on the whole amount of the cosmetic in order to obtain the good drawn lines, applying performance and use characteristics.
Further, the pearl pigments described above may be used in combination with inorganic pigments. The preferred inorganic pigments include, for example, black iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, chromium oxide, ultramarine, Prussian blue, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, titanium oxide, magnesium oxide, chromium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, Titan Yellow and red iron oxide.
The blending amount of the inorganic pigments shall not specifically be restricted, and the optional amount can be blended in a range of the viscosity of the cosmetic according to the present invention.
In addition to the pearl pigments and inorganic pigments described above, there can be used as well, if necessary, pearl pigments (fish scales and Nxe2x80x2-lauroyl-L-lysine-coated talc) other than those designated above, organic pigments and various dyes.
In the cosmetic of the present invention, an anionic high molecular compound is used as a dispersant for the pearl pigment described above. This anionic high molecular compound includes, for example, tragacanth gum, guar gum, xanthan gum, gelatin, gum arabic, caraya gum, quince seed, carrageenan, sodium alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose, poly(sodium acrylate) and a maleic acid resin. They each may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds thereof. The blending amount of the anionic high molecular compound is selected so that the viscosity of the resulting cosmetic falls in a prescribed range. The blending amount of the anionic high molecular compound is varied according to the kind and the combination of the anionic high molecular compounds used and is preferably 0.2 to 2.0% by weight based on the whole amount of the cosmetic.
In addition thereto, the liquid cosmetic of the present invention can be blended with components the examples of which are given below.
Phospholipid added as a dispersion stabilizer includes, for example, various lecithins such as soybean phospholipid and egg yolk phospholipid and hydrogenation products thereof, and a chelating agent includes, for example, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylenediaminehydroxyethyltriacetic acid, and monosodium salts, disodium salts and trisodium salts thereof.
Paraben added as a preservative includes, for example, methyl paraoxybenzoate, ethyl paraoxybenzoate, propyl paraoxybenzoate, butyl paraoxybenzoate and isopropyl paraoxybenzoate.
Polyhydric alcohol added as a moisturizer includes, for example, 1,3-butylene glycol, 1,4-butylene glycol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol and glycerin.
A surfactant added as a dispersant includes, for example, polyglycerin esters of saturated or unsaturated fatty acids, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene sorbit fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene glycerin fatty acid esters, polyethylene glycol fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene phytosterols, polyoxyethylene phytostanols, polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ethers, polyoxyethylene castor oil, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil, polyoxyethylene alkyl ether acetates, and polyoxyethylene alkylphosphates.
Further, in the cosmetic of the present invention, other pigment particle-dispersing agents, and optional additives which are used for the purpose of providing a viscosity-controlling property, a fixing property, a water resistance, an oil resistance, a sweat resistance, a drying property, an antiseptic property and the like in addition to the components described above can be blended, if necessary, as long as they do not bring disadvantages to the dispersion system. In this case, it is necessary that the blending amounts thereof have to be controlled so that the above cosmetic has a non-Newtonian viscosity index (n) falling in a range of 0.16xe2x89xa6nxe2x89xa60.28 and a viscosity falling in a range of the condition (A) described above.
The non-Newtonian viscosity index (n) and the viscosity of the liquid cosmetic of the present invention can be controlled to the ranges described above by suitably selecting the blending amount of the anionic high molecular compound. That is, the suitable blending amount of the anionic high molecular compound is varied according to the kind and the combination of the anionic high molecular compounds and, for example, when xanthan gum and tragacanth gum are used in combination, the blending amount thereof is set preferably to 0.2 to 2.0% by weight, more preferably 0.6 to 1.0% by weight, whereby the non-Newtonian viscosity index (n) and the viscosity can be controlled to the ranges described above.
The non-Newtonian viscosity index (n) and the viscosity are measured on a fixed temperature condition of 25xc2x0 C.
The liquid cosmetic of the present invention can be produced according to a conventional process, and one example thereof includes a process in which a pearl pigment is mixed and dispersed with dispersants (an anionic high molecular compound and a surfactant), and then additives such as a preservative, a moisturizer, a chelating agent and the like are blended while stirring.
The liquid cosmetic of the present invention is suited particularly as a water based cosmetic, for example, an eye makeup cosmetic, but it shall not be restricted thereto and can widely be applied to the whole liquid cosmetics such as, for example, lip sticks, foundations and the like.
Further, the liquid cosmetic of the present invention is a water based cosmetic which is suited particularly to a liquid cosmetic applicator of a type using a brush as an applying member and containing therein a water based liquid cosmetic.


An actuatable fastener assembly is disclosed. The actuatable fastener assembly includes a fastener body and a fastener head attached to the fastener body. An initiator is embedded within the fastener body. Activation of the initiator causes the fastener head to separate from the fastener body. The actuatable fastener assembly also includes a retainer that is slidably movable along the fastener body toward the fastener head. The retainer includes a retention feature that resists movement of the retainer away from the fastener head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to actuatable fasteners. More specifically, the present invention relates to retention mechanisms for actuatable fasteners that may be used to releasably fasten objects together.
2. Description of Related Art
Actuatable fasteners, such as exploding bolts, are often used to releasably fasten together objects that may need to become unfastened under certain circumstances. Such actuatable fasteners are generally shaped like standard male fasteners, with an elongated fastener body extending from an attached fastener head. Ordinarily, some type of explosive is contained within the fastener body or the fastener head. When the fastened objects are to become unfastened, the explosive is ignited. The resulting explosion causes the fastener head to separate from the fastener body, permitting the fastened objects to become unfastened.
One situation where actuatable fasteners may be used is in connection with airbag systems. Typical airbag systems include an inflatable cushion contained within a housing and an activation device which is configured to sense a collision through the use of a collision sensor, such as a piezoelectric accelerometer. The activation device may utilize acceleration data, alone or in combination with other data, to determine whether the inflatable cushion should be inflated. The activation device may also detect other relevant metrics, such as the impact velocity, occupant weight, occupant position, and the like through the use of additional sensors. These metrics may be used to determine the desired stiffness of the inflatable cushion, which may be adjusted through the use of one or more venting tubes. A venting tube generally extends from the inflatable cushion and is attached to and compressed against the airbag housing by an actuatable fastener.
When an actuatable fastener is used in this manner, the fastener is generally positioned so that the venting tube is compressed between the fastener head and the airbag housing. In this configuration, the venting tube is "closed;" namely, gas from the inflatable cushion is substantially prevented from flowing through the venting tube. When the actuatable fastener is actuated (i.e., when the fastener head separates from the fastener body), the venting tube moves to an "open" configuration and inflation gas can flow out of the inflatable cushion through the venting tube. If the activation device determines that the stiffness of the inflatable cushion should be reduced, the activation device typically sends an activation signal to the actuatable fastener, causing the actuatable fastener to be actuated.
Some type of retention mechanism is generally used to retain an actuatable fastener in a particular location. In the airbag example discussed above, the retention mechanism is generally used to keep the fastener in a position where the venting tube is compressed between the fastener head and the airbag housing, so that the venting tube is maintained in a closed position.
One example of a known retention mechanism is an internally threaded female fastener, such as a nut. With such a retention mechanism, the fastener body is generally manufactured with external threads that mate with the internal threads in the female fastener. To retain the actuatable fastener in a desired position on the airbag housing, the fastener body is generally inserted through a hole in the venting tube and a hole in the airbag housing. The female fastener is then screwed onto the fastener body on the side of the airbag housing opposite the fastener head, and tightened until the fastener is held in place.
Unfortunately, such a retention mechanism requires the use of parts that have been machined to include threads. Machined parts are typically more expensive to produce than parts that are not machined. Moreover, it takes a considerable amount of time to screw the female fastener onto the fastener body, making this type of retention mechanism quite labor intensive. Accordingly, a need exists for a retention mechanism for an actuatable fastener that is less costly to produce and that is easier to install than presently available retention mechanisms.


A method, system, computer program product, and computer readable media for a semi-automated surface extraction approach to delineating an object of interest (OOI) from 3-D medical image data sets. This approach is imaging modality independent and results in enhanced displays of blob-like anatomies, including internal organs (e.g., cardiac chambers, liver) or disease processes (e.g., tumor masses). In an embodiment of the method: (I) the user provides multiple representative points located on the surface of the OOI using a Multi-Planar Reconstruction (MPR) tool; (2) those Cartesian points are translated into polar coordinates (each 3-D point is represented via two angles and a height), which uniquely define the surface points for a radial object, (3) a Radial-Basis Function (RBF) interpolator, with a Thin Plate Spline (TPS) radial function, finds the height function for the polar domain, and (4) polar domain representation of the OOI surface is converted back to Cartesian coordinates.

Medical imaging using advanced three-dimensional (3-D) or four-dimensional (e.g., 3-D plus time dimension) modalities, such as Computed Tomography (CT), Single Photon Emission CT (SPECT), and Magnetic Resonance (MR) has become an important contributor to healthcare, providing valuable information during the screening, diagnostic, treatment planning, clinical monitoring, and/or prognostication phases. There is an increasing need for representation of objects of interest (OOIs) detected by imaging specialists within the produced data sets as display extractions (e.g., colored 3-D renderings) or as quantitative elements (e.g., histograms of changing volume or mass) for improved understanding of anatomic relationships or disease extent by clinicians applying the insights to decision making about patient care. To date, techniques directed at these goals have been largely modality-specific or industry-specific, which typically precludes integrative use across imaging applications.
Radial Basis Functions (RBFs) have been applied to the interpolation of scattered data in various studies. In some studies, RBF-based multilevel approaches were used for the interpolation of scattered height data. More recently, a technique was introduced where the scattered data is interpolated with locally and globally supported basis functions in a hierarchical fashion for 3-D model reconstruction applications. Using constraining scattered data, this approach sought an implicit function separating the inside of the object from its outside using function valued RBFs; this approach produced impressive results when only a few hundred model mesh points and their normal directions were provided. Extending similar concepts to medicine, for example, two different studies used novel formulation of RBFs for the delineation of body part borders. In the first of the two studies, RBFs were fitted to depth maps of skull surfaces in CT image data in order to smoothly interpolate the surface of the skull across regions containing defects; in so doing, this study defined a model for future investigations as it: (1) applied RBFs in a medical setting (i.e., cranioplasty procedure), and (2) compared Thin Plate Splines (TPSs) and Linear Radial Bases (LRBs). In the approach used with the second study, the shapes defined in N dimensions by multiple constraining "seeds"—or reference points—were transformed, creating an (N+1)-dimensional ((N+1)-D) shape; briefly, for generating an (N+1)-D surface: (1) scattered boundary/normal constraints were delineated in multiple N-dimensional (N-D) images, and (2) a stack of N-D constraints underwent variational interpolation to create a single implicit function defining an (N+1)-D shape. This approach can be applied to a variety of topologies. However, when segmenting 3-D images, many constraining seeds, which include the boundary and normal for each seed position, will likely need to be provided for multiple selected 2-D cross-sections; this can be a very labor-intensive process.

Sample point-based, blob-like, closed-surface delineation approach


A system for updating battery software includes a programmable battery unit that includes an internal access point. The programmable battery unit includes a battery control unit that controls the overall functionality of the programmable battery unit. A programmable storage medium may be included on the battery control unit. The storage medium has stored therein battery software operable to control certain features of the programmable battery unit. An input port may be connected with the battery control unit. An update device that includes a second storage medium having stored therein updated battery software for the programmable battery unit. A connector may be included for connecting the update device to the input port of the programmable battery unit. A software routine on the update device is operable to automatically transfer the updated battery software from the update device to the first storage medium of the programmable battery unit thereby reprogramming the programmable battery unit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates broadly to batteries, and more particularly to a battery update system used to update software in programmable battery units that may be used in various types of electronic devices.
2. Related Art
Almost all portable electronic devices use rechargeable batteries to power the devices so that they are portable. These batteries are very complex and often include software that is typically stored in a memory device located on a printed circuit board inside the battery. The software may be used to monitor and control charging of the battery as well as certain functionality when the battery is connected to a respective electronic device. For example, the software located on the battery may communicate with the electronic device to allow the electronic device to know how much charge is remaining on the battery. The charge level indication may then be communicated to a user of the electronic device through a display of the electronic device in the form of a charge bar or a minutes remaining indication.
Various manufacturers of electronic devices that use these batteries make improvements to these electronic devices each year or come out with new electronic devices each year that may use the same type of battery. However, the software of existing batteries may not be compatible with the new electronic devices. As such, battery manufacturers need to reprogram the batteries to be compatible with new devices. Currently, the batteries are reprogrammed by shipping the batteries back from the store in which they may be located to the manufacturer where they are disassembled and new printed circuit boards are placed in the batteries with updated software. As readily apparent, the costs associated with shipping these batteries back to the manufacturer and replacing existing printed circuit boards with new printed circuit boards having updated software is extremely expensive.
As such, a need exists for a portable handheld update device and batteries that are designed to be quickly and easily reprogrammed in the field without requiring the need to ship the batteries back to the manufacturer for disassembly.

System for updating programmable batteries


A map data processing method is performed at a computing device, the method including: detecting a positioning result updated in a three-dimensional space; determining a field of view area corresponding to the updated positioning result; obtaining a tile corresponding to the updated positioning result and a tile corresponding to the field of view area; dynamically loading, into an internal memory space, the tile corresponding to the updated positioning result, and the tile corresponding to the field of view area; and rendering, based on the loaded tiles, an image, in the three-dimensional space, located on the positioning result and corresponding to the field of view area.

An electronic map is an outcome of fusing a conventional map with a computer technology, a geographic information system (GIS) technology, and a network technology, and is a modern information product in which a visual digital map is used as a background, and a plurality of mediums such as a text, a picture, a chart, a sound, an animation and a video are used as representation means to comprehensively present a comprehensive feature of an area such as a region, a city, or a tourist attraction, breaks through temporal and spatial limitations on the conventional paper map, and has richer information content and a wider application range.
When the electronic map is used, as a positioning location changes, map data required for rendering also changes. There is currently no effective technical solution about how to quickly obtain matching map data according to the change in the positioning location and perform rendering and output.

Map data processing method, computer device and storage medium

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A seal clamp assembly for sealing an opening in a piping system includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a base having a first side, a second side and an aperture extending therethrough from the first side to the second side, and a brace coupled to the base. The brace includes a distal pad hingedly coupled to a distal end portion of the brace. The seal clamp assembly also includes a spring bridge coupled to the base first side. The bridge includes a substantially rectangular U-shaped frame and an aperture extending through the spring bridge frame such that the spring bridge aperture is in substantial lineal alignment with the base aperture. A clamping assembly is coupled to a proximate end portion of the brace.

This invention relates generally to nuclear reactors and, more particularly to apparatus for plugging openings or leaks in nuclear plant piping systems for maintenance or repair.
A typical boiling water reactor (BWR) includes a pressure vessel containing a nuclear fuel core immersed in circulating coolant water which removes heat from the nuclear fuel. The water is boiled to generate steam for driving a steam turbine-generator for generating electric power. The steam is then condensed and the water is returned to the pressure vessel in a closed loop system. Piping circuits carry steam to the turbines and carry recirculated water or feed-water back to the pressure vessel that contains the nuclear fuel.
Additional piping circuits perform emergency cooling of the core. Some of these piping systems are high pressure systems, others provide reactor cooling water at relatively lower pressures, still others are designed to supply cooling flow while the reactor is in a shutdown state and the pressure vessel is open. During shutdown conditions maintenance work is performed on reactor plant systems rendering some components inoperable in their normal mode. To accomplish maintenance work during shutdowns, alternate means of isolating piping systems and vents need to be provided. This can be accomplished by lowering the water level in the reactor below a level of the elevation of the equipment desired to be worked on. Depending on the elevation of the equipment, a significant disruption to reactor maintenance activities may be required. The isolation of equipment may require removable of all fuel from the reactor, installation of the reactor pressure vessel head, restriction of access or evacuation of the containment and drywell areas. After completion of the maintenance, the above steps must be reversed prior to returning to normal outage maintenance activities.


An engine 40 includes a breather device 20 and an oil passage defining member 30 disposed in the breather device 20. The breather device 20 includes a breather main body 22 integral with a crankcase 50, and a breather cover 24. The breather main body 22 and the breather cover 24 define an enclosed space 26 in communication with an inner space of the crankcase 50. The oil passage defining member 30 includes a first member 32 integral with the crankcase 50, and a second member 34. The first and second members 32 and 34 define an oil passage 38. The crankcase 50 includes a transmission chamber 60 in which a main shaft 72 and a drive shaft 74 are disposed, and oil feed holes 82A to 82C through which the oil passage 38 and the transmission chamber 60 are in communication with each other.

In an engine of a motorcycle, for example, an oil passage is conventionally provided inside a crankcase containing a crankshaft, inside a cylinder body disposed on the crankcase, and inside a cylinder head disposed above the crankcase. A transmission is disposed inside the crankcase. The transmission includes a main shaft and a drive shaft which rotate by receiving a driving force from the crankshaft. Oil is allowed to flow through the oil passage, thus lubricating the main shaft and the drive shaft. Japanese Patent No. 4717795 discloses an engine in which an oil pipe is assembled into the crankcase. The oil pipe is separate from the crankcase, and an oil passage through which oil flows is provided inside the oil pipe. The oil pipe is provided with an oil ejection hole from which oil is ejected toward the main shaft and the drive shaft.

Engine and straddle-type vehicle including the same


A wall mounting system is provided including a fastening member including one or more mounting studs and one or more anchor apertures. The fastening member is configured to be anchored to a support structure by one or more fasteners disposed through the one or more anchor apertures. The wall mounting system also includes a bushing assembly including an inner portion including a through hole configured to receive a mounting stud and an outer portion configured to rotate about the inner portion and including at least one set screw aperture configured to align with a set screw aperture of an accessory sleeve and receive a set screw. Rotation of the outer portion about the inner portion enables indexing of the set screw aperture about a longitudinal axis of the bushing assembly.

A large variety of accessory items may be mounted to walls throughout workplaces and homes for functional or decorative purposes, such as partition walls, hooks, shelves, handles, pulls, shower doors, grab bars, seats, baskets, luggage racks, towel racks, shower rods, or the like. Typically, mounting of these accessory items to the wall includes drilling one or more holes into a wall to insert one or more anchor screws. The accessory items may then be mounted to the wall by the one or more anchor screws directly, through a portion of the accessory item, or via a mounting plate. However, drilling holes into the wall may create an entry point for water and moisture, which is not conducive for wet surface applications, such as bathrooms, kitchens, showers, and the like. Moisture entry may cause degradation of the wall, mold, mildew, or other undesired results. Additionally, the strength of the mounting may be dependent on the material that the anchor screws are inserted into. For example, if the anchor screw is inserted into a low strength material, such as plaster, fiber board, drywall, panel board, or the like, the anchor and therefore accessory item may have a low hold strength, such as less than five lbf. Wall anchors, anchors, such as expanding anchors or helical anchors may increase the hold strength of an anchor screw inserted into a low strength material to a value sufficient to hold low weight items exerting five to forty lbf. Anchor screws inserted into a high strength material, such as a wall stud may have a higher hold strength, such as fifty lbf, but rely on one or a few penetrating anchor points. The individual attachment points of the one or more anchor screws may create force concentration areas in the wall material and/or the accessory item when under load, which may cause the wall material and/or the accessory item deform or fail.

System and method for wall mounting with a rotating bushing


A medical device comprises a catheter, a retractable sheath, and a rolling membrane. The catheter includes a catheter shaft about which a stent in a reduced diameter configuration may be disposed. A stent retaining region of the sheath is disposed about the stent to retain the stent in the reduced diameter state prior to delivery. The rolling membrane is engaged to a portion of the sheath at an engagement region. The rolling membrane is positioned between the catheter shaft and the sheath and prior to retraction of the sheath the rolling membrane is disposed about at least a proximal section of the stent and is rollingly retracted therefrom when the sheath is retracted to deliver the stent.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to catheters and catheter assemblies for use in medical procedures. More specifically, this invention relates to a stent delivery catheter system, such as the kind used in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures, for the delivery of a stent into a body lumen.
2. Description of the Related Art
Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is a procedure which is well established for the treatment of blockages, lesions, stenosis, thrombus, etc. present in body lumens such as the coronary arteries and/or other vessels.
A widely used form of percutaneous coronary angioplasty makes use of a dilatation balloon catheter which is introduced into and advanced through a lumen or body vessel until the distal end thereof is at a desired location in the vasculature. Once in position across a afflicted site, the expandable portion of the catheter, or balloon, is inflated to a predetermined size with a fluid at relatively high pressures. By doing so the vessel is dilated, thereby radially compressing the atherosclerotic plaque of any lesion present against the inside of the artery wall, and/or otherwise treating the afflicted area of the vessel. The balloon is then deflated to a small profile so that the dilatation catheter may be withdrawn from the patient's vasculature and blood flow resumed through the dilated artery.
In angioplasty procedures of the kind described above, there may be restenosis of the artery, which either necessitates another angioplasty procedure, a surgical by-pass operation, or some method of repairing or strengthening the area. To reduce restenosis and strengthen the area, a physician can implant an intravascular prosthesis for maintaining vascular patency, such as a stent, inside the artery at the lesion.
Stents, grafts, stent-grafts, vena cava filters, vascular implants, and similar implantable medical devices, collectively referred to hereinafter as stents, are radially expandable endoprostheses which are typically intravascular implants capable of being implanted transluminally and enlarged radially after being introduced percutaneously. Stents may be implanted in a variety of body lumens or vessels such as within the vascular system, urinary tracts, bile ducts, etc. Stents may be used to reinforce body vessels and to prevent restenosis following angioplasty in the vascular system. They may be self-expanding, such as a nitinol shape memory stent, mechanically expandable, such as a balloon expandable stent, or hybrid expandable.
Prior to delivery a stent or stents may be retained on a portion of the delivery catheter by crimping the stent onto the catheter, retaining the stent in a reduced state about the catheter with a removable sheath, sleeve, sock or other member or members, or by any of a variety of retaining mechanisms or methods. Some examples of stent retaining mechanisms are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,345; U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,707; U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,155; U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,045; U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,097; U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,186; U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,066; U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,277; U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,880; U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,814 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/664,268 entitled Rolling Socks and filed Sep. 18, 2000.
The present invention provides catheter assemblies with a variety of embodiments and features which improve stent retention and deployment characteristics.
All US patents, applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.


Methods and systems for semiconductor testing. In one embodiment, a semiconductor testing method includes one or more of the following stages: defining a rule relating to semiconductor testing, validating the rule, bundling the rule with other rules, correlating the rule with other rules, publishing the rule, actualizing the rule, and follow up relating to the rule. In one embodiment, a semiconductor testing system includes one or more of the following modules: rule creation module(s), analysis module(s), simulation module(s), real time production module(s), and offline production module(s). In one embodiment, user friendly graphical user interface(s) can be used for defining the building blocks of a rule and/or for viewing an optional hierarchy of categories to which the rule belongs.

Testing has emerged as a key constraint in the push for more advanced, reliable and cost-effective semiconductor based products. Advances in semiconductor process technology have enabled chip designers to pack high volume production chips with 100 million transistors. Experts predict this will increase to more than 1 billion transistors within the next few years.
Semiconductor process technology is characterized by Moore's Law, which states that the numbers of transistors in a given surface area will double every 18 months. Much of this density increase is driven by smaller and smaller line widths or geometries. Today 90 nm devices are common and 25 nm designs are in development (a nanometer is one millionth of a meter or 1/1200th width of human hair). These advances place a strain on test systems as more transistors and structures must be tested. This exponential growth rate also drives a continual increase in the process, design and manufacturing complexities which, in turn, can increase systemic problems that affect quality, yield and product reliability. All of these factors tend to drive the need for more test time and more comprehensive testing, thus test cost has become a major factor in the overall manufacturing cost of an integrated circuit.
It will now be illuminated some terms used in semiconductor testing industry:                An integrated circuit (IC) is a small electronic device made out of a semiconductor material.        A wafer is a thin slice of semiconductor material, such as silicon, upon which microcircuits are constructed by doping (for example, diffusion or ion implantation), etching, and deposition of various materials.        A wafer is usually made up of many single units also called dice (one unit=die, two or more units=dice). After the fabrication process is completed, the wafer will be cut during the assembly process and each die may be connected into a package using aluminum (or occasionally gold) wires which are welded to pads, usually found around the edge of the die.        There are various testing stages. For example, sort (also known as wafer probe) is done while the units are still at wafer level. For example, final test is done after the units have been packaged.        A "touchdown" is the term used when the interface unit (either at Sort—probe-card or Final Test—contactor) "touches" the unit under test. In parallel testing, units tested at the same time have the same touchdown.        Note that the term device may have many meanings in semiconductor testing, including integrated circuits, product type, wafer or die and the meaning can be construed based on the context.        The term lot may also have more than one meaning in semiconductor testing. Typically although not necessarily in fabrication and sort test, a lot refers to a plurality of wafers that were manufactured at the same time, whereas in assembly/final test, a lot typically although not necessarily refers to a plurality of units that were tested in the same batch.
In one test floor configuration, there are one or more testing stations. In each station there are a tester (test equipment) and a prober or handler (the prober is configured to handle a wafer and the handler is configured to handle an individual unit). The tester and prober/handler together are considered the test module. On the prober/handler sits an interface unit—probe-card or contactor configured to hold a wafer or individual packaged unit. One or more station controllers control the tester and the prober/handler. For example one station controller may control both the tester and the prober/handler. As another example one station controller may control the tester and another station controller may control the prober/handler. Upon receiving instructions from the controlling station controller, the prober/handler takes the device to the tester so that the tester can test device. Typically although not necessarily, the tester and the station controller include programs which when run cause the tester and the station controller to perform the testing in accordance with the programs.
Currently testing is performed by two basic methods. Either, devices are tested a single one at a time, sequentially, or several are tested at the same time in "parallel". Single tests are more common with complex products such as CPUs while memory devices are most often tested in parallel. Note, however, that these examples are not binding. Currently, there are various test sockets (aka operations or stages) for a given product that together comprise a test flow. A test socket is an operation that may be distinguished by a specific testing type at specific test conditions. For instance, for a given socket, a set of tests is performed at a given temperature, whereas for another socket, the same (or similar) tests are performed at a different temperature. By way of another example, functional tests are applied at the first socket and structural tests are applied at the second socket. Test sockets include (again, non-binding): E-test (or parametric electrical testing), Sort (or wafer probe test), Burn-in, Final Test, and System Validation. Each socket may include various sub-steps such as Sort1, Sort2 and Sort3. Sort is done while the dice (aka devices or units) are still at the wafer level whereas at Final test, the semiconductor devices have been packaged. The main goal of the specified stages is to separate out potentially good devices from those that fail testing. Electrical parametric tests are executed on the wafers scribe line (between the dice) and usually measure transistor parametric characteristics. Burn-in is executed, after packaging, in order to simulate an extended life cycle by stressing the devices at a high temperature (in a burn-in oven) while applying an elevated voltage at an extended duration. It is important to note that there are various types of burn-in. Some methods only "bake" the devices at a high temperature, others apply an elevated voltage as well and some perform all this while executing a functional pattern (with high toggle coverage) on the device IO's. System validation is performed usually as the last step by testing the device in "customer mode". For example a CPU device will be placed on an actual motherboard and "booted-up" using an operating system as well as testing other software applications. In summary, every product may go through a different flow. In addition, not all devices of the same product may go through the entire flow. For example, burn-in and system validation are good examples where devices are tested in "sample mode".

Methods and systems for semiconductor testing using a testing scenario language


An improved double-layered rubber laminate is proposed, which is an integral body consisting of a first layer of an organopolysiloxane-based rubber composition and a second layer of an acrylic rubber-based composition. When the acrylic rubber in the latter composition is not a conventional acrylic rubber but a copolymeric rubber of a (meth)acrylate ester monomer and an organosilicon monomer having, in a molecule, at least one silicon-bonded vinyl group and an ethylenically unsaturated group other than silicon-bonded vinyl groups, such as 3-methacryloxypropyl, very firm bonding can be obtained between the layers by the co-vulcanization of the laminated layers to exhibit very high resistance against delamination.

The present invention relates to a double-layered rubber laminate or, more particularly, to a double-layered rubber laminate consisting of integrally laminated cured rubber layers of different types of rubber compositions.
Needless to say, various types of rubbers each have different chemical and physical properties and each of them has its own merits and demerits so that it is sometimes required that an article shaped from a cured rubber material have a laminate structure consisting of two layers of which one of the layers is formed from a rubber composition of a type different from that of the other layer when one of the surfaces of the rubber article is exposed to an ambient condition different from that to which the other surface of the article is exposed. In a rubber oil hose running within the engine room of an automobile, for example,it is essential that the inner surface of the hose in direct contact with an oil be highly oil-resistant while the outer surface of the hose, which receives the heat radiation from the high-temperature engine, be highly heat resistant. Further, laminated rubber bodies consisting of layers of, one, an electroconductive rubber and, the other, an insulating rubber are widely used in electronic instruments as a rubber contact. It is sometimes required that a coating layer of rubber provided on a substrate surface be laminate consisting of a top layer having high weatherability and an underlying layer which is highly susceptible to adhesive bonding to the substrate surface.
One of the problems common in these rubber laminates is that the bonding strength between the rubber layers of different types is not always very firm and reliable so that partial peeling or delamination of the layers is unavoidable even in the products as manufactured, resulting in a decreased yield of acceptable products, if not to mention the disadvantage in such a product that the serviceable life thereof is not long enough due to separation of the layers during use.


A liquid dispensing chamber for use with a drainage system for gathering and dispensing liquids to the ground is disclosed, which includes an elongated wall body having a generally arch-shaped cross-sectional configuration with a top wall portion and a pair of side wall portions thereby defining an enlarged enclosure therein, the elongated wall body including a first end portion and a second end portion, at least one of the end portions defining therein an axial opening to allow axial flow of liquids there-through, a plurality of circumferential reinforcing members disposed along the circumference of the elongated wall body for reinforcing structural strength thereof, and at least one side desk member disposed at least a location in the side wall portions of the elongated wall body. The at least one side deck member selectively includes a lateral opening therein for connecting a connection conduct thereto. Liquid drainage systems utilizing the liquid dispensing chambers of the invention is also disclosed.

Various methods, systems and apparatus are known to handle wastewater and/or storm water. Culverts, catch basins, storm sewers and out falls have been used for handling storm water. Although such systems provide substantial advantages over direct discharge into the existing water body, they preclude other uses of the land. This is particularly important where land values are high such as in urban, residential and industrial areas. In addition, such known approaches have adverse environmental effects, for example, lowering of local water tables when water is diverted from percolating into the earth.
Consequently, it is desirable to direct rain or storm water into the earth. This has typically been done such as by using infiltration trenches filled with large gravel or crushed stone with perforated pipes running there though. Stone filled trench systems are somewhat non-economical or inefficient since the stone occupies a substantial volume limiting the ability of the system to handle large surge volumes associated with heavy storms. Both the stone and the perforated pipe are also susceptible to clogging by particles or debris carried by water.
Recently, in order to solve such problems or disadvantages, underground plastic drainage chambers have been introduced in the market for handling either storm water or sewage system effluent. Such plastic chambers typically have an arch-shaped cross-section and are relatively long with open bottom for dispersing water beneath the surface of the ground. Plastic storm water chambers are generally laid on gravel side by side in parallel rows. End portions of the chambers are connected to a catch basin, typically through a plastic or metal pipe network to distribute storm water to drainage chambers in high velocity.

Storm water chamber for ganging together multiple chambers


A radio communication device (100) for displaying information about a signal includes a display (120) for presenting the information. A measurer (110) measures signal quality of the signal received by the radio communication device (100), and an entry element (145) determines from the signal quality whether the radio communication device (100) is out of range. The entry element (145) then stores times of out-of-range conditions in a history table (130). A report element (150) can be activated to drive the display (120) for presentation of the times of the out-of-range conditions. The report element (150) can, for instance, be activated by the user, at periodic times, at specified times, or in response to specific events.

Conventional radio communication systems include one or more transmitting devices for transmitting messages throughout different geographic regions and portable radio communication devices for receiving the messages. In this manner, a user can carry a radio communication device, such as a pager or cellular phone, to remain accessible even when away from the home or office. However, messages intended for a particular radio communication device do not always reach the device because it may be out of range of the transmitting device. The radio communication device could be, for instance, outside the geographic region serviced by the transmitting device, in a fringe area, or in a region where radio communications are blocked. Furthermore, the user is often not aware that a message has been missed, so he does not know to request retransmission of missed messages.
Thus, what is needed is a way to inform the user of the possibility of missed messages.

Method and apparatus for displaying signal information in a radio communication device


A method of calibrating a gas analysis apparatus that measures the moisture concentration in a gas using a radiating unit includes a moisture concentration measurement value calibrated based on the relationship between the intensity of an absorption spectrum of moisture of a concentration to be measured and the intensity of an absorption spectrum of an other component gas that can be measured by the radiating unit, for which the relationship to the intensity of the absorption spectrum of moisture of the measured prescribed concentration is known, and based on the intensity of an absorption spectrum obtained by measuring the other component gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of calibrating and a calibration apparatus for a moisture concentration measurement apparatus that measures the moisture concentration in a gas using a light source.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the combustion exhaust gas discharged from a boiler that burns coal, heavy oil, and the like contains components such as NOx, SOx, CO2, and CO. Furthermore, gas analysis apparatuses have been developed that analyze the content of these components in a gas. An example of such a gas analysis apparatus that has been developed is one that employs a probe. In a probe type gas analysis apparatus, a measuring beam emitted from a light source is caused to be reflected by a reflector, which is disposed in a tip part of the probe, and the concentration of a prescribed component in the sample gas is analyzed based on information from the measuring beam reflected by the reflector.
In addition, an example of a known probe type gas analysis apparatus is one that comprises a calibration function in addition to a component concentration analysis function.
However, the calibration of a gas analysis apparatus is problematic when measuring the concentration of moisture at 0 degree in Celsius saturation or greater, such as, for example, moisture in an exhaust gas after a combustion process and an exclusion treatment process that uses an aqueous solution. In particular, if calibration is performed using moisture of a high concentration, such as when the dew point is room temperature or greater, then all pipings wherein the gas flows and that include the measurement area must be maintained at the temperature of the dew point or greater. It is difficult to install such calibration equipment in an actual equipment environment, even if it is possible to prepare an environment like that of a laboratory.
To solve such problems, a calibration apparatus for a laser type gas analyzer that can measure moisture concentration has been proposed (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-96561). This apparatus comprises a light emitting unit 250 and a light receiving unit 260; furthermore, a signal processing circuit measures the concentration of a measurement target gas by detecting the second harmonic signal of a modulated signal of a light source unit 204 based on an output signal of a light receiving unit 207. Provided are a piping 301, which hermetically connects both units 250, 260 and maintains a prescribed optical path length of a laser light, a gas washing bottle 500, which supplies air of a prescribed moisture concentration into the piping 301, and an oxygen meter 400, which measures the oxygen concentration of moisture-containing air supplied into the piping 301. The apparatus converts the measured oxygen concentration to moisture concentration, and, using this moisture concentration and the optical path length, calibrates the moisture concentration measurement value produced by the gas analyzer.
In the moisture concentration calibration apparatus recited in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-96561, oxygen concentration before and after bubbling is measured in order to compensate for the concentration of gas generated by the bubbling. However, in this case, the actual calibration procedure is problematic because the calibration apparatus must be transported to the site.

Method of calibrating and calibration apparatus for a moisture concentration measurement apparatus


Provided herein are novel bioavailable dual inhibitors capable of inhibiting both soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), and methods of using the same.

Multi-target ligands are designed to improve efficacy and safety in treatment of complex diseases [Ref. 2]. Target combinations are selected to generate a synergistic effect on one or several physiological disorders. In a previous study, a synergistic analgesic effect of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitors and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors were discovered as reported [Ref. 1]. To develop sEH/PDE4 dual inhibitors, the polypharmacological agents require the combination of at least two pharmacophores in one molecule.
Located in the arachidonic acid cascade, cytochrome P450 (CYP450) forms several epoxy-fatty acids such as epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which are metabolized by the sEH to their corresponding diols, called dihydroxy eicosatrienoic acid (DHETs) [Ref. 6]. Inhibition of sEH elevates EET levels causing beneficial physiological effects in animal models of inflammation [Ref. 7], pain [Ref. 8], hypertension [Ref. 6] and depression [Ref. 9]. PDE4 is the major enzyme degrading cAMP into 5-AMP and PDE4 inhibition increases cAMP levels, leading to a down-regulation of multiple inflammatory mediators [Ref. 10]. PDE4 is therefore a valuable target in the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) [Ref. 10], chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) [Ref. 11] and asthma [Ref. 12]. Additionally, cAMP levels in neurons are shown to be correlated with symptoms of neuronal disorders such as depression [Ref. 13], schizophrenia [Ref. 14] and Alzheimer's disease [Ref. 15].
Nevertheless, the historical challenge of PDE4 based therapy is the limited therapeutic index, caused by side effects such as nausea or vasculitis [Ref. 11]. The multi-target ligand approach has potential for an improvement in this challenge.
Described herein, inter alia, are solutions to these and other problems in the art.

Orally available sEH/PDE4 dual inhibitors

The Regents of the University of California


An improved golf glove that encourages the proper placement of the golf club in the user's hand and enhances grip while providing a visual means of placement of the user's hand relative to the golf club to allow selection of different strokes. A novel pad which employs multiple layers and a tapered profile is located in the palm of the golf glove to ensure proper club placement over the knuckles of the hand and an enhanced grip. A graduated set of circular indicia are strategically aligned on the dorsal surface of the glove to allow the user to visually determine when the hand is in the desired grip by aligning the appropriate indicia over the shaft of the golf club; alignment over the largest circle ensures a "strong" grip, alignment over the smallest circle ensures a "neutral" grip.

It is well known that a proper grip is essential to success in golf. The golf glove of this invention addresses two aspects of golf grip. The first aspect of grip which is addressed is directed to holding the golf club in the proper position in the hand. That is, the golf club should lie across the base of the fingers rather than in the palm of the hand. Although the golf club may be placed in correct position initially, the golfer may inadvertently reposition the golf club to the palm of the hand during prolonged use. The second aspect of grip which is addressed by this invention is directed to the alignment of the hand relative to the shaft of the golf club. By consistently achieving the same alignment the golfer will achieve consistency in his golf game. By adjustment of this alignment, the golfer enhances his golf game by adding a selection of shots to his repertoire.
Therefore, it is a principle object of this invention to provide a golf glove which assures correct placement of the golf club over the base of the fingers by means of a visual target on the palmar surface of the glove. The visual target is in the form of groups of small ventilation perforations in the glove fabric, placed strategically over the base of the fingers in the precise location the golf club handle should be placed for correct grip.
Another object of this invention is to provide a novel multilayered pad in the palmar surface of the glove to promote and maintain the correct placement of the golf club handle within the hand.
Another object of this invention is to provide a set of indicia strategically placed on the dorsal surface of the glove which allows the golfer to selectively align his hand over the shaft and insures a consistent grip.
Golf gloves to aid in the gripping of golf club handles have been disclosed in the prior art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,863,271, 4,329,741, and 5,253,367 disclose golf gloves having padding in the palm of the glove to aid in positioning and improve hand grip strength. However, none of these gloves employed a palmar pad having multilayered construction to improve comfort and performance. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,848,874, 4,962,547, and 5,184,353 describe the use of indicia to visually determine and consistently position the hands from one golf shot to another but do not disclose means to allow the user to adjust his grip consistently so as to select a hook, neutral, or slicing shot.


There are provided a transfer request module 2 for interpreting a data transfer request received from outside; a transfer instruction module 1 including a receiving section 10 for receiving the data transfer request after interpretation by the transfer request module 2, a remaining data setting section 12 for setting a data volume to be transferred in accordance with the data transfer request after the interpretation the receiving section 10 receives, a remaining data retaining section 16 for holding the data volume set by the remaining data setting section 12, a remaining data reading section 13 for reading the data volume held in the remaining data retaining section 16, a counter setting section 14 for setting a limit of the number of times of transfer unit settings in accordance with the data transfer request after the interpretation the receiving section 10 receives, a counter 17 for holding the limit of the number of times of the settings carried out by the counter setting section 14 and for counting down the value it holds every time the transfer unit is set, a counter reading section 15 for reading the value held in the counter 17, and a transfer instruction section 11 for instructing a controller module to transfer data in response to the data transfer request after the interpretation which is transmitted via the receiving section; and the controller module 3 for transferring the data in accordance with the instruction from the transfer instruction section 11.

To achieve efficient data transfer by minimizing the number of times of the data transfer, a conventional data transfer device based on a DMA method sets the maximum transfer unit allowed from a plurality of predetermined transfer units according to a data volume to be transferred, and transfers the data at the transfer unit, followed by repeating, in accordance with the remaining data volume, the processing of setting the maximum transfer unit allowed and of transferring the data at the transfer unit until the data to be transferred is reduced to zero (see Patent Document 1, for example).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-187636.
With the foregoing configuration, the conventional data transfer device aims at only transferring data efficiently by minimizing the number of times of the transfer, but does not consider the number of times of the setting processing of the transfer unit. In addition, as for the transfer unit settings, since a CPU (Central Processing Unit) performs them, a greater number of times of the transfer unit settings at the data transfer offers a problem of increasing the load of the CPU by that amount.
The present invention is implemented to solve the foregoing problem. Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a data transfer device and data transfer method capable of reducing the load of the CPU at the data transfer by limiting the number of times of the transfer unit settings.

Data transfer device and data transfer method


A method of applying at least one web of insulator material to a plurality of spring assemblies is provided. Each web of insulator material is unwound from a roll, passed along a roller and applied to multiple spring assemblies which are passed between rollers. Each web of insulator material is folded around outermost coil springs along longitudinal edges of the spring assemblies. Side portions of each web of insulator material are glued, welded or otherwise permanently secured to a middle portion of the web of insulator material.

At the present time, most mattress spring core assemblies are manufactured by a spring manufacturer who assembles the springs into a spring assembly. To save space and therefore reduce shipping costs, the spring manufacturer compresses multiple spring assemblies and ties them in a crate. The crates are shipped to a mattress manufacturer, who then uncrates the compressed spring cores, applies a primary insulator to the top and bottom surfaces of the mattress, and then applies conventional padding and upholstery to complete the mattress. In order to keep the mattress spring assemblies straight and avoid the mattresses top and bottom surfaces being permanently canted and distorted as the spring assemblies are compressed for shipment in a crate, there are rods inserted through the spring assemblies during the compression process. These rods function to prevent misalignment of the top and bottom surfaces of the spring assemblies during compression, which rods are then removed after compression and during shipment within the crate.
As an alternative to compression of the spring assemblies for shipment in crates, some spring assemblies are compressed and roll-packed while sandwiched only between separator plies of paper or plastic, which paper or plastic may be either discarded or reused, depending on the nature of the separating materials.
For instance, it is known in the art to roll-pack multiple spring assemblies or units for use in making mattresses by winding disposable paper or re-usable hessian around a mandrel and feeding the spring units successively into the nip between the growing roll and the traveling web material. The spring units are compressed as they are drawn into the roll, and the result is that the roll-packed spring assemblies have a much reduced volume as compared to conventionally stacked spring units.
Prior art roll packing machines compress and wrap spring assemblies in a single web of disposable paper or reusable material which separates the multiple layers of spring assemblies in a roll and maintains the spring assemblies in a compressed state for shipment from a spring manufacturer to a mattress manufacturer. The mattress manufacturer then must unroll the spring units and manually attach an insulator pad to at least the top and usually the top and bottom surfaces of each spring unit before adding conventional padding and upholstery to the unit to complete the mattress. The insulator pads prevent the conventional filling materials such as padding from falling between the wire gaps in the spring assembly. The manual application of these insulator pads is time consuming and costly because it requires an operator manually securing the insulator pads to the spring assemblies with hog rings or other fasteners.
Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,209, which is fully incorporated by reference herein, discloses a method of packaging spring units in which at least one layer of insulator material is permanently secured to multiple spring units before the spring units and insulator material are roll packed. The roll packed bedding products are then shipped in a roll to a mattress manufacturer who unrolls them and applies padding or other filling materials before encased each spring unit in a fabric covering.
However, in certain circumstances, a mattress manufacturer may receive a roll of roll packed spring assemblies which do not have any webs of insulator material attached thereto. In such a situation, the mattress manufacturer must unroll the roll packed spring assemblies and subsequently apply at least one web of insulator material to each spring assembly before padding and/or filling materials are added and the product encased in fabric. Heretofore, this process has been manual, an operator hog ringing or otherwise securing at least one web of insulator material individually to each spring assembly. This manual application of the insulator pads is time consuming and costly because among other things, this process requires a skilled, trained operator.
Therefore, it has been one objective of the present invention to provide an automated method of quickly and easily securing at least one web of insulator material to multiple spring assemblies.
It has been a further objective of the present invention to facilitate and ease the manufacture of spring mattresses by a mattress manufacturer.

Method of applying at least one web of insulator material to multiple spring assemblies