There is described an image processing method and an image converting apparatus for performing the image processing for recording the medical image information. The apparatus includes an image converting section to convert the image in respect to the original image signals; an image feature extracting section to extract image features for every pixel included in the plurality of pixels in respect to the original image signals; a sharpness information obtaining section to obtain sharpness information from the image converting section; a sharpness calculating section to calculate correlation between the image features and the sharpness information; and a frequency processing section to compensate for a sharpness level of the image, based on the correlation calculated by the sharpness calculating section, so as to reduce a variation of the sharpness level before and after the image converting section converts the image in respect to the original image signals.

The present invention relates to an image processing for recording or displaying image on a recording medium based on the image information and, more exactly, relates to an image processing method and an image converting apparatus as well for performing the image processing for recording with ink-jet the medical image information obtained through an inputting device, such as medical photographing device.
These years, there have been invented methods of obtaining medical radiographic information without using a radiographic film made of silver-salt photosensitive material. For example, computed radiography (CR) has become popular; it is a device for reading radiographic image, in which a radiographic image, once stored on an imaging plate comprising mostly of stimulable phosphor, is taken out as an stimulable phosphor light, using an excitation light, and then the light is photoelectrically transferred into an image signal.
Of late, there has been proposed a device called flat panel detector (FPD) that reads out radiographic information using radiation phosphor or radiation photoconductive substance combined with a two-dimensional semiconductor detector such as a TFT switching device.
Besides, other radiographic image inputting devices better than simple radiographic device, for example, a X-ray computer tomographic unit (X-ray CT unit) and a magnetic resonance image generator (MRI generator) have also come into wider use. Most of these medical image inputting devices provide the image information in the form of digital signals.
A method most frequently employed for diagnosing these medical images is to record the image information on a transparent-type recording medium and/or a reflex-type recording medium and observe the image in the form of a hard copy. A recording type most frequently applied to a medical image recorder that records the medical image information on a recording medium is to record image on a transparent-type recording medium, made of silver-salt recording material, by laser exposure. With this recording type, monochrome multi-gradation image can be depicted with excellent gradient and besides, recording the image on a transmission medium and observing it with a transmission light enables to achieve high diagnostic resolution.
Besides, very recently, hopes are laid on a possibility of recording medical image using an ink-jet type recorder.
Though it is desirous for the above-mentioned medical image recorder to depict the image information obtained through a radiographic image inputting device as truly as possible, blurredness unique to each recorder is caused-to the image in practice.
For example, with a type that records image by laser exposure, some blurredness results from a fact that the laser beam has a certain size of diameter. With a so-called thermal recording type in which heat is added per every pixel to record image on a recording medium, blurredness results from a fact that the thermal head has a finite size or from the spread of heat. Even with an ink-jet recording type, blurredness results from various sizes of ink dots generated on a recording medium or from a fact that the coloring material of the ink blots and spreads into or on the recording medium.
Besides, when using a display monitor such as CRT or liquid crystal display, blurredness of image is caused. The blurredness like the above is likely to result in poor diagnostic resolution and wrong diagnosis.
The above-mentioned blurredness of image differs in its level on different medical image recorders and, besides, even on the same medical image recorder, the level of blurredness may vary with the density of image to be recorded. Thus, diagnosis with stable image quality is prevented.
For a laser exposure recording type, for example, reducing the laser beam diameter will be useful to minimize the blurredness of image. This, however, results in a problem that very expensive optical system is needed or that the reduced beam diameter causes recording unevenness and hence the image quality is rather deteriorated. For an ink-jet recording type, reducing the emitted ink particle size will be useful to reduce the ink dot diameter. This, however, also results in a problem that reducing the ink particle size is technically very difficult and that the reduced ink particle size leads to lower recording speed.
Besides, when recording image by the ink-jet recording type, the ink adhesion onto a recording medium may vary with the image density to be recorded. The ease of movement of the color in the recording medium depends upon the ink adhesion onto the recording medium and therefore, the extent of spread of the ink, i.e. the sharpness characteristic varies. As a result, there arises a problem that the sharpness varies with the image density to be recorded and hence stable image quality cannot be attained.
In addition, it may be preferable, to some extent, for a commercial ink-jet printer or similar device that an image after excessive correction of the sharpness may have a different condition from that of the original image (for example, a condition where the sharpness is higher than in the original image). In an application of diagnosing medical image, however, this leads to an inconvenience.

Image processing method and image converting apparatus


A headset, comprising: first and second ear cups, and a power and signal connector that extends between the ear cups, wherein each ear cup comprises a housing having a mounting structure for mounting the ear cup on a wearable support; a speaker; and a speaker drive circuit for operating the speaker. The first ear cup further comprises: an external power and signal connector; and a mounting structure having a first profile for mounting a removable control module having a corresponding first profile on the first ear cup such that corresponding power and signal connectors can engage the external power and signal connector so that the removable control module can provide operating signals to the speaker drive circuits. The second ear cup comprises an external power connector; and a mounting structure having a second profile for mounting a removable battery pack having a corresponding second profile on the second ear cup such that a corresponding power connector on the battery pack can engage the external power connector so that the removable battery pack can provide power to the control module via the power and signal connector.

There have been previous proposals for active ear defender systems that involve electronic functionality to interact and/or manage the process of damping or changing noise heard by a user. WO 2016/126476 A (3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY) Nov. 8, 2016 discloses a hearing protection device. The hearing protection device can include a speaker to relay sounds, such as conversations, to the user of the hearing protection. The hearing protection device can be powered by a rechargeable battery pack or separately by standard batteries. EP 1689337 A (PELTOR AB) 16 Aug. 2006 discloses a hearing protector comprising a hearing hood, a microphone, a loudspeaker and an amplifier. The hearing hood has passive noise damping. The microphone is disposed exteriorly on the hearing protector, while the loudspeaker is disposed inside the hood. The amplifier amplifies and transmits the signals from the microphone to the loudspeaker. The noise damping of the hearing hood is broad band. The frequency range of the amplifier corresponds to the frequency range of human speech. The amplification of the amplifier is variable and the greatest amplification is such that the sum total of the sound levels that are caused, on the one hand, by ambient sound passing through the hood and, on the other hand, by sound from the loudspeaker amounts to a maximum, predetermined value. Ear defender systems are also disclosed in WO 2009/131518 A (SPERIAN) and WO 2008/122081 A (SENSEAR).
A problem with previous active ear defender systems is that they are often configured for a specific use or environment and so may not be suitable when the use or environment changes.
This invention aims to provide a headset with improved configurability to address changing needs.


In a method of preparation of a series of mail items in which postal indicia are printed on the mail items when creating an indicium for a mail item after the first mail item, a determination is made as to whether an indicium created for a previous mail item in the series has not been used for example because the mail item was spoiled or removed. If a previously prepared indicium remains unused, a substitute indicium is created. The substitute indicium is a modification of the unused indicium and contains an indication that it is a substitute indicium.

This invention relates to the preparation of mail items and to providing evidence of accounting for postal charges in relation the mail items and in particular to providing evidence of accounting for postal charges in respect of a sequence of mail items when a mail item is withdrawn from preparation of the sequence of mail items.
When using known postage meters to account for postage charges in respect of mail items, accounting for the postage charges is effected prior to the printing of a postage imprint on the mail item. The postage imprint indicates that accounting for the postage charges has taken place in the postage meter. A mail item may become spoiled or damaged after a postage charge for the mail item has been accounted for by the postage meter, for example the mail item may be damaged during or after the printing of the postage imprint. Also a sender of mail may decide not to despatch a specific mail item that has been processed by the postage meter. In these instances accounting for a postage charge in respect of the spoiled or removed item has been effected and then it is necessary to go through a refund procedure with the postal authority in order to obtain a refund of the postage charge in respect of mail items which are not entered into the postal system. Usually the mail sender is required to present the spoiled or otherwise withdrawn mail when making a request for a refund. This procedure is inconvenient and is time consuming for the mail sender.
Accordingly it is desired to provide a method wherein an accounting for postage charges in respect of a specific mail item that has been withdrawn can be utilised in respect of a later mail item in a series of mail items in a manner that is secure and enables fraud to be detected.


Devices include an impulse current generator that is configured to provide a direct impulse current (DIC) that includes a specified waveform to a test load during a test duration, a continuous power supply that is configured to provide a continuous power to the test load during the test duration, a trigger circuit that is configured to determine a trigger condition that corresponds to the DIC and to generate a trigger signal responsive to determining the trigger condition, and a current bypass circuit that is configured to receive the trigger signal generated by the trigger circuit and to conduct a majority portion of the DIC being conducted by the load responsive to the trigger signal.

Frequently, excessive voltage or current is applied across service lines that deliver power to residences and commercial and institutional facilities. Such excess voltage or current spikes (transient overvoltages and surge currents) may result from lightning strikes, for example. The above events may be of particular concern in telecommunications distribution centers, hospitals and other facilities where equipment damage caused by overvoltages and/or current surges and resulting down time may be very costly.
Typically, sensitive electronic equipment may be protected against transient overvoltages and surge currents using Surge Protective Devices (SPDs). Since SPDs may be relied upon to protect sensitive and potentially costly electronic equipment, manufacturers of such devices may perform stringent performance testing on SPDs using one or more testing regimens. For example, high current generators may be used to produce current waveforms in order to experimentally simulate lightning related surges.
Some testing standards have determined specific current curves for simulating a surge event, such as, for example, a lightning strike. An example international testing standard includes IEC 61643-11 "Additional duty test for test Class I" for SPDs (Clause 18.104.22.168) based on the impulse discharge current waveform defined in Clause 8.1.1 of IEC 61643-11, typically referred to as 10/350 microsecond ("μs") current waveform ("10/350 μs current waveform"). For example, brief reference is made to FIG. 1, which is a plot illustrating the 10/350 μs waveform. The 10/350 μs current waveform may characterize a current wave in which the maximum current (100%) is reached at about 10 μs and the current is 50% of the maximum at about 350 μs. Under 10/350 μs current waveform, the transferred charge, Q, and specific energy, W/R, to SPDs should be related with peak current according to one or more standards. For example, the IEC 61643-11 parameters to Class I SPD test are illustrated in Table 1, which follows:
TABLE 1Parameters for Class I SPD TestIimp within 50 μsW/R within 5 ms(kA)Q within 5 ms (As)(kJ/Ω)2512.5156201010012.56.25391052552.56.2521110.50.25
However, the required Q and W/R can be achieved within a time interval several times lower than that corresponding to a zero impulse current flow.
Conventionally, high current may be produced by the discharge of capacitors through an RL circuit. In order to obtain unidirectional current, critical and/or overcritical damping of the RLC circuit may be used and may be achieved by using a damping resistance R≧2 (LC)0.5. For example, brief reference is made to FIG. 2, which is a graph that illustrates current waveforms. A critically damped RLC circuit may be represented by curves "a" and "b" illustrated therein. Higher peak currents for the same generator energy can be achieved by an undercritical damping circuit (R<2(LC)0.5). However, as illustrated by curve "c", the current waveform may be oscillatory. In order to get an unidirectional current a crowbar device may be used, usually in conjunction with a controllable three electrode gap, ignited at the instant of the crest value of the current so as to achieve a non-oscillating waveform, such as shown in curve "d". Such crowbar devices may be successful at producing current waveforms according to one or more testing standards. However, such devices may require calibration and synchronization for different types of varistor based SPDs. Because they may be configured to trigger at the peak current. As such a different generator may be used for each type of SPD.
Additionally, the application of greater Q and W/R than is specified in the test standard may result in excessive electrical and thermal stress on the SPD being tested. For example, the SPD being tested may experience excessive electrical and mechanical stress corresponding to the 'tail' of the 10/350 μs waveform. Such stress may be particularly critical regarding the performance of varistors.

Devices and methods for providing an impulse circuit


A toner for developing an electrostatic latent image, which includes ground toner particles having physical properties meeting with at least one of the following conditions (a) and (b):. (a) the toner particles have an average surface roughness of at least 0.89, the average suface roughness being an average of SF1 of respective toner particles, where SF1 is defined as follows: EQU SF1=Le/Lp PA1 wherein Le and Lp represent the length of the minimum envelope line and the peripheral length of each toner particle, respectively; PA1 (b) the toner particles have an average shape index SF3 of at least 0.63, the average shape index being a product of the average of SF1 and an average of SF2, where SF1 is as defined above and SF2 is defined as follows: EQU SF2=4S/(P.sup.2 .times..pi.) PA1 wherein S and P represent the area and the maximum diameter of each toner particle, respectively.

This invention relates to a toner for developing electrostatic images in an image forming method such as electrophotography, electrostatic printing or electrostatic recording.
In a dry copying method, an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive medium is developed with a toner composed of a binder and a coloring agent. The developed toner image is transferred to a transfer member such as paper and fixed there.
Toner is generally produced by a grinding method or a polymerization method. In the former method, a blend of a binder, a coloring agent and other optional additives is kneaded at a temperature higher than the softening point of the binder. The kneaded product is then solidified, crushed, pulverized and sieved to have a desired particle size distribution, thereby obtaining a toner (hereinafter referred to ground toner). In the latter, polymerization method, a raw material monomer is polymerized in the presence of a coloring agent and any other optional additives to form fine toner beads. Thus, the toner of the latter type is not subjected to grinding or pulverization.
Known ground toner has a problem because part of the toner image on a photosensitive medium remains untransferred in the image transferring step. Thus, it is a general practice to remove such residual toner in a cleaning step. In view of the recent demand for light weight, compact-sized copying machines, however, it is desired that the cleaning be performed with a simple mechanism. Hence, there is a strong demand for a toner which ensures the efficient image transfer. The provision of such a toner with a high image transfer efficiency is essential in the case of an image forming apparatus in which the image transfer is effected by bringing an image transfer medium into pressure contact with an image-bearing photosensitive medium while applying a bias voltage thereto, since the toner image when pressed to the photosensitive member is more tightly held thereto as compared with a case where no pressure is applied to the toner image.
The toner obtained by the polymerization method has a serious problem because the content of the coloring agent cannot be increased to a desired level. In addition, residual toner remaining on a photosensitive medium after the image transfer is difficult to be removed in the succeeding cleaning step.

Toner for developing electrostatic images


A method of locating an inhibitory/instability sequence or sequences within the coding region of an mRNA and modifying the gene encoding that mRNA to remove these inhibitory/instability sequences by making clustered nucleotide substitutions without altering the coding capacity of the gene is disclosed. Constructs containing these mutated genes and host cells containing these constructs are also disclosed. The method and constructs are exemplified by the mutation of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Rev-dependent gag gene to a Rev-independent gag gene. Constructs useful in locating inhibitory/instability sequences within either the coding region or the 3' untranslated region of an mRNA are also disclosed. The exemplified constructs of the invention may also be useful in HIV-1 immunotherapy and immunoprophylaxis.

While much work has been devoted to studying transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, it has become increasingly clear that post-transcriptional processes also modulate the amount and utilization of RNA produced from a given gene. These post-transcriptional processes include nuclear post-transcriptional processes (e.g., splicing, polyadenylation, and transport) as well as cytoplasmic RNA degradation. All these processes contribute to the final steady-state level of a particular transcript. These points of regulation create a more flexible regulatory system than any one process could produce alone. For example, a short-lived message is less abundant than a stable one, even if it is highly transcribed and efficiently processed. The efficient rate of synthesis ensures that the message reaches the cytoplasm and is translated, but the rapid rate of degradation guarantees that the mRNA does not accumulate to too high a level. Many RNAs, for example the mRNAS for proto-oncogenes c-myc and c-fos, have been studied which exhibit this kind of regulation in that they are expressed at very low levels, decay rapidly and are modulated quickly and transiently under different conditions. See, M. Hentze, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1090:281-292 (1991) for a review. The rate of degradation of many of these mRNAs has been shown to be a function of the presence of one or more instability/inhibitory sequences within the mRNA itself.
Some cellular genes which encode unstable or short-lived mRNAs have been shown to contain A and U-rich (AU-rich) INS within the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of the transcript mRNA. These cellular genes include the genes encoding granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), whose AU-rich 3' UTR sequences (containing 8 copies of the sequence motif AUUUA) are more highly conserved between mice and humans than the protein encoding sequences themselves (93% versus 65%) (G. Shaw, and R. Kamen, Cell 46:659-667 (1986)) and the myc proto-oncogene (c-myc), whose untranslated regions are conserved throughout evolution (for example, 81% for man and mouse) (M. Cole and S. E. Mango, Enzyme 44:167-180 (1990)). Other unstable or short-lived mRNAs which have been shown to contain AU-rich sequences within the 3' UTR include interferons (alpha, beta and gamma IFNs); interleukins (IL1, IL2 and IL3); tumor necrosis factor (TNF); lymphotoxin (Lym); IgG1 induction factor (IgG IF); granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), myb proto-oncogene (c-myb); and sis proto-oncogene (c-sis) (G. Shaw, and R. Kamen, Cell 46:659-667 (1986)). See also, R. Wisdom and W. Lee, Gen. & Devel. 5:232-243 (1991) (c-myc); A. Shyu et al., Gen. & Devel. 5:221-231 (1991) (c-fos); T. Wilson and R. Treisman, Nature 336:396-399 (1988) (c-fos); T. Jones and M. Cole, Mol. Cell Biol. 7:4513-4521 (1987) (c-myc); V. Kruys et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89:673-677 (1992) (TNF); D. Koeller et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:7778-7782 (1991) (transferrin receptor (TfR) and c-fos); I. Laird-Offringa et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 19:2387-2394 (1991) (c-myc); D. Wreschner and G. Rechavi, Eur. J. Biochem. 172:333-340 (1988) (which contains a survey of genes and relative stabilities); Bunnell et al., Somatic Cell and Mol. Genet. 16:151-162 (1990) (galactosyltransferase-associated protein (GTA), which contains an AU-rich 3' UTR with regions that are 98% similar among humans, mice and rats); and Caput et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 83:1670-1674 (1986) (TNF, which contains a 33 nt AU-rich sequence conserved in toto in the murine and human TNF mRNAs).
Some of these cellular genes which have been shown to contain INS within the 3' UTR of their mRNA have also been shown to contain INS within the coding region. See, e.g., R. Wisdom, and W. Lee, Gen. & Devel. 5:232-243 (1991) (c-myc); A. Shyu et al., Gen. & Devel. 5:221-231 (1991) (c-fos).
Like the cellular mRNAs, a number of HIV-1 mRNAs have also been shown to contain INS within the protein coding regions, which in some cases coincide with areas of high AU-content. For example, a 218 nucleotide region with high AU content (61.5%) present in the HIV-1 gag coding sequence and located at the 5' end of the gag gene has been implicated in the inhibition of gag expression. S. Schwartz et al., J. Virol. 66:150-159 (1992). Further experiments have indicated the presence of more than one INS in the gag-protease gene region of the viral genome (see below). Regions of high AU content have been found in the HIV-1 gag/pol and env INS regions. The AUUUA sequence is not present in the gag coding sequence, but it is present in many copies within gag/pol and env coding regions. S. Schwartz et al., J. Virol. 66:150-159 (1992). See also, e.g., M. Emerman, Cell 57:1155-1165 (1989) (env gene contains both 3' UTR and internal inhibitory/instability sequences); C. Rosen, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U.S.A. 85:2071-2075 (1988) (env); M. Hadzopoulou-Cladaras et al., J. Virol. 63:1265-1274 (1989) (env); F. Maldarelli et al., J. Virol. 65:5732-5743 (1991) (gag/pol); A. Cochrane et al., J. Virol. 65:5303-5313 (1991) (pol). F. Maldarelli et al., supra, note that the direct analysis of the function of INS regions in the context of a replication-competent, full-length HIV-1 provirus is complicated by the fact that the intragenic INS are located in the coding sequences of virion structural proteins. They further note that changes in these intragenic INS sequences would in most cases affect protein sequences as well, which in turn could affect the replication of such mutants.
The INS regions are not necessarily AU-rich. For example, the c-fos coding region INS is structurally unrelated to the AU-rich 3' UTR INS (A. Shyu et al., Gen. & Devel. 5:221-231 (1991), and some parts of the env coding region, which appear to contain INS elements, are not AU-rich. Furthermore, some stable transcripts also carry the AUUUA motif in their 3' UTRs, implying either that this sequence alone is not sufficient to destabilize a transcript, or that these messages also contain a dominant stabilizing element (M. Cole and S. E. Mango, Enzyme 44:167-180 (1990)). Interestingly, elements unique to specific mRNAs have also been found which can stabilize a mRNA transcript. One example is the Rev responsive element, which in the presence of Rev protein promotes the transport, stability and utilization of a mRNA transcript (B. Felber et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86:1495-1499 (1989)).
It is not yet known whether the AU sequences themselves, and specifically the Shaw-Kamen sequence, AUUUA, act as part or all of the degradation signal. Nor is it clear whether this is the only mechanism employed for short-lived messages, or if there are different classes of RNAs, each with its own degradative system. See, M. Cole and S. E. Mango, Enzyme 44:167-180 (1990) for a review; see also, T. Jones and M. Cole, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:4513-4521 (1987). Mutation of the only copy of the AUUUA sequence in the c-myc RNA INS region has no effect on RNA turnover, therefore the inhibitory sequence may be quite different from that of GM-CSF (M. Cole and S. E. Mango, Enzyme 44:167-180 (1990)), or else the mRNA instability may be due to the presence of additional INS regions within the mRNA.
Previous workers have made mutations in genes encoding AU-rich inhibitory/instability sequences within the 3' UTR of their transcript mRNAs. For example, G. Shaw and R. Kamen, Cell 46:659-667 (1986), introduced a 51 nucleotide AT-rich sequence from GM-CSF into the 3' UTR of the rabbit .beta.-globin gene. This insertion caused the otherwise stable .beta.-globin mRNA to become highly unstable in vivo, resulting in a dramatic decrease in expression of .beta.-globin as compared to the wild-type control. The introduction of another sequence of the same length, but with 14 G's and C's interspersed among the sequence, into the same site of the 3' UTR of the rabbit .beta.-globin gene resulted in accumulation levels which were similar to that of wild-type .beta.-globin mRNA. This control sequence did not contain the motif AUUUA, which occurs seven times in the AU-rich sequence. The results suggested that the presence of the AU-rich sequence in the .beta.-globin mRNA specifically confers instability.
A. Shyu et al., Gen. & Devel. 5:221-231 (1991), studied the AU-rich INS in the 3' UTR of c-fos by disrupting all three AUUUA pentanucleotides by single U-to-A point mutations to preserve the AU-richness of the element while altering its sequence. This change in the sequence of the 3' UTR INS dramatically inhibited the ability of the mutated 3' UTR to destabilize the .beta.-globin message when inserted into the 3' UTR of a .beta.-globin mRNA as compared to the wild-type INS. The c-fos protein-coding region INS (which is structurally unrelated to the 3' UTR INS) was studied by inserting it in-frame into the coding region of a .beta.-globin and observing the effect of deletions on the stability of the heterologous c-fos-.beta.-globin mRNA.
Previous workers have also made mutations in genes encoding inhibitory/instability sequences within the coding region of their transcript mRNAs. For example, P. Carter-Muenchau and R. Wolf, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., U.S.A., 86:1138-1142 (1989) demonstrated the presence of a negative control region that lies deep in the coding sequence of the E. coli 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (gnd) gene. The boundaries of the element were defined by the cloning of a synthetic "internal complementary sequence" (ICS) and observing the effect of this internal complementary element on gene expression when placed at several sites within the gnd gene. The effect of single and double mutations introduced into the synthetic ICS element by site-directed mutagenesis on regulation of expression of a gnd-lacZ fusion gene correlated with the ability of the respective mRNAs to fold into secondary structures that sequester the ribosome binding site. Thus, the gnd gene's internal regulatory element appears to function as a cis-acting antisense RNA.
M. Lundigran et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:1479-1483 (1991), conducted an experiment to identify sequences linked to btuB that are important for its proper expression and transcriptional regulation in which a DNA fragment carrying the region from -60 to +253 (the coding region starts at +241) was mutagenized and then fused in frame to lacZ. Expression of .beta.-galactosidase from variant plasmids containing a single base change were then analyzed. The mutations were all GC to AT transitions, as expected from the mutagenesis procedures used. Among other mutations, a single base substitution at +253 resulted in greatly increased expression of the btuB-lacZ gene fusion under both repressing and nonrepressing conditions.
R. Wisdom and W. Lee, Gen. & Devel. 5:232-243 (1991), conducted an experiment which showed that mRNA derived from a hybrid full length c-myc gene, which contains a mutation in the translation initiation codon from ATG to ATC, is relatively stable, implying that the c-myc coding region inhibitory sequence functions in a translation dependent manner.
R. Parker and A. Jacobson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87:2780-2784 (1990) demonstrated that a region of 42 nucleotides found in the coding region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MAT.alpha.1 mRNA, which normally confers low stability, can be experimentally inactivated by introduction of a translation stop codon immediately upstream of this 42 nucleotide segment. The experiments suggest that the decay of MAT.alpha.1 mRNA is promoted by the translocation of ribosomes through a specific region of the coding sequence. This 42 nucleotide segment has a high content (8 out of 14) of rare codons (where a rare codon is defined by its occurrence fewer than 13 times per 1000 yeast codons (citing S. Aota et al., Nucl. Acids. Res. 16:r315-r402 (1988))) that may induce slowing of translation elongation. The authors of the study, R. Parker and A. Jacobson, state that the concentration of rare codons in the sequences required for rapid decay, coupled with the prevalence of rare codons in unstable yeast mRNAs and the known ability of rare codons to induce translational pausing, suggests a model in which mRNA structural changes may be affected by the particular positioning of a paused ribosome. Another author stated that it would be revealing to find out whether (and how) a kinetic change in translation elongation could affect mRNA stability (M. Hentze, Bioch. Biophys. Acta 1090:281-292 (1991)). R. Parker and A. Jacobson, note, however, that the stable PGK1 mRNA can be altered to include up to 40% rare codons with, at most, a 3-fold effect on steady-state mRNA level and that this difference may actually be due to a change in transcription rates. Thus, these authors conclude, it seems unlikely that ribosome pausing per se is sufficient to promote rapid mRNA decay.
None of the aforementioned references describe or suggest the present invention of locating inhibitory/instability sequences within the coding region of an mRNA and modifying the gene encoding that mRNA to remove these inhibitory/instability sequences by making multiple nucleotide substitutions without altering the coding capacity of the gene.

Nucleic acid constructs containing HIV genes with mutated inhibitory/instability regions and methods of using same

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


A windshield (transparent substrate) 1 having the function of detecting the presence of water drops W upon one side surface of the windshield depending upon variations in an amount of reflected light, comprising a rain sensor provided on the other side surface of the windshield, which further comprises: light emitting means 6 for guiding light into the windshield 1; light receiving means 7 for detecting the light which is reflected within the windshield 1; and, light shielding members 10 and 11 provided on the other side surface of the windshield 1 opposing the light emitting means 6 and the light receiving means 7, respectively; wherein the light shielding member 10 shields the light emitted from the light emitting means 6 at an incident angle less than a critical angle at which total internal reflection occurs at a boundary surface between air and the windshield 1, while the other shielding member 11 shields outside ambient light incident upon the light receiving means 7.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water drop detector on a transparent substrate for detecting the presence of water drops present on a front surface of the transparent substrate by using a light emitting element and a light receiving element.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventionally, as is described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-67945 (1990), for example, there is already known a water drop detector apparatus for detecting water drops present on a windshield or other front window glass of a vehicle, which comprises a light emitting means including a light emitting element and so on and a light receiving means including a light receiving element and so on, wherein light is irradiated towards the windshield from the light emitting means, thereby determining that the water drops adhere only on the front surface of the windshield when an output signal from the light receiving means that receives the reflected light lies within a predetermined region of a level indicative of no adhesion of water drops, while determining that the water drops do adhere even on an interior surface of the windshield when the signal exceeds the predetermined region of the level indicative of no adhesion of water drops.
However, the water drop detector apparatus of the conventional art has drawbacks in that it may malfunction if any light coming from the outside enters directly into the light receiving means, and also in that the light from the light emitting means may go directly to the outside thereof, and further in that it has poor aesthetic appeal since a portion of the light receiving means can be seen from the outside thereof.

Water drop detector on transparent substrate


An earthing device which needs not be buried under the ground is provided. The earthing device includes an earthing panel and a discharging device mounted inside the earthing panel. The discharging device includes at least one electrode plate, multiple discharging electrodes coupled to the electrode plate, and catalyst filled between the discharging electrodes. Since an earth electrode needs not be buried under the ground, it requires less construction costs, time and area, and environmental pollution (especially, soil pollution) does not happen. Further, the earthing device can be simply and economically installed regardless of place.

In order to secure a stable operation of a high-tech electronic equipment and protect human life from an electrical accident and an excess voltage by lightning, electrical surge, static electricity, earth fault or the like, an earthing is necessarily required. Because the conventional earthing is performed by burying an earthing rod under the ground, there are many problems of not only constructing costs, time and area but also environmental pollution (especially, soil pollution).
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an earthing device of a prior art. As shown in the drawing, a lightning rod 50 and electric, electronic and communication equipment 31a, 31b and 31c are earthed to the ground through earthing rods 50a and 30a. When the electric, electronic and communication equipment 31a, 31b and 31c are provided in plural, they are connected to an MGB (Main Ground Board) 40, and the MGB 40 is connected to the earthing rod 30a. The electric, electronic and communication equipment 31a, 31b and 31c operate by receiving power branching from a panel board 20. The panel board 20 receives power through a transformer 10. The transformer 10 is also earthed to the ground through an earthing rod 10a. Instead of the earthing rod 10a, a bare copper wire (mesh grounding) 32a or a copper earth plate 33a may be used.
However, since the earthing of the prior art is performed by boring or digging in the ground and burying an earth electrode, such as the earthing rod, the bare copper wire or the copper earth plate, under the ground, it requires much construction costs and time and needs a large area for burying the earth electrode. Especially, it is very difficult and takes much cost to bury the earth electrode under the ground and draw out an earth wire in a downtown region due to lots of skyscrapers and limitations of construction area.
Because a soil resistivity is different in each case, the number of the earth electrodes for acquiring a target earth resistance value is varied according to circumstances. The soil resistivity is a very important element in earthing. Generally, the soil resistivity ranges from hundreds of ohm-meter (Ωm) to thousands of ohm-meter (Ωm), and averages between 300 to 1,000 Ωm. Because of such a high soil resistivity, fault current by lightning, electrical surge, noise, static electricity or earth fault is not discharged promptly to the ground, which occasionally causes electrical accidents.
Recently, since a variety of high-tech equipment capable of operating with a low voltage has been increasingly used, a small earth resistance value is required. Therefore, still more earth electrodes should be buried under the ground, which causes problems of larger area for burying the earth electrodes and more construction costs and time.

Earthing device which needs not be buried under ground


An image sensor includes a pixel with a photosensitive region accommodated within a semiconductor substrate and a MOS capacitive element with a conducting electrode electrically isolated by a dielectric layer. The dielectric layer forms an interface with both the photosensitive region and the semiconductor substrate, the interface of the dielectric layer including charge traps. A control circuit biases the electrode of the MOS capacitive element with a charge pumping signal designed to generate an alternation of successive inversion regimes and accumulation regimes in the photosensitive region. The charge pumping signal produces recombinations of photogenerated charges in the charge traps of the interface of the dielectric layer and the generation of a substrate current to empty recombined photogenerated charges.

Image sensors typically comprise pixels comprising photodiodes and a read circuit. In the sensors of the global shutter type, an integration phase, in other words a phase for exposure of the photodiodes to light, is carried out simultaneously for all the pixels. Each pixel typically comprises a memory location, and the charges photogenerated by all the photodiodes are transferred to the respective memory locations. A read of the image is then carried out sequentially in each memory location without, however, introducing a time shift in the integration.
This type of image sensor typically comprises a device for resetting each pixel, allowing the charges photogenerated outside of an integration phase to be emptied, conventionally by means of an additional transistor that is switched into its conducting state for the reset. The charges of the photodiode are thus typically evacuated via the conduction terminals of the additional transistor, for example, towards a high-voltage reference terminal, typically a metal track contacting the drain of the transistor.
This type of additional transistor also conventionally allows an effect of light overloading of the pixel, due to a saturation of charges photogenerated during the integration, to be limited. The light overload effect (usually referred to as 'blooming') corresponds to a surplus of charges when the photodiode is at saturation, which can spontaneously empty itself for example into the memory location of the pixel or into a neighboring pixel. The additional transistor is accordingly switched into its conducting state in order to evacuate said charge surplus towards the high-voltage reference terminal.
However, the space used by the additional transistor, notably the conduction regions of this transistor and the contacts on the conduction regions, are detrimental to the density of pixels and to the performance characteristics of the pixels, such as the sensitivity and the saturation charge.
There is accordingly a need in the art to provide solutions reducing the size of the pixels, for resetting the photodiodes and for reducing or even eliminating the blooming effect.

Image sensor comprising, a pixel equipped with a MOS capacitive element, and corresponding control method


An apparatus and method for combining multiple simultaneous sources to multiple exhibitor receivers in a secure manner is disclosed. An exemplary system includes a plurality of live event sites each producing and transmitting a live video source. A live event director system is used for receiving and combining each transmitted live video source in an overall transmission and transmitting the overall transmission for exhibition. A network operation center coordinates encryption of the overall transmission at the live event director system and decryption of the overall transmission by at least one authorized exhibitor site. In further embodiments, the live event sites selectively transmit high bandwidth signals to reduce bandwidth usage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for transmitting live events to multiple viewing locations. Particularly, this invention relates to transmitting secure live events from multiple simultaneous sources and locations to multiple exhibitors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although it is currently possible to combine multiple simultaneous live source of events and transmit to multiple exhibitors worldwide in standard TV or HDTV quality, it is very difficult and expensive to do so. A key source of the expense is the large bandwidth that such high quality signals require. At present, there are no systems which combine multiple simultaneous live source events and distribute to multiple exhibitors at cinema quality level.
In addition, for most practical uses of cinema quality events, the transmission must be made secure so that only authorized receivers are able to make use of it. At present there are no systems for distributing such live multiple source events to multiple exhibition locations that operate in a secure manner to prevent unauthorized reception of the transmission.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for combining and delivering cinema quality live events from multiple sources in a cost effective manner. There is also a need for such systems and methods to enable such broadcast events in a secure manner. Finally, there is a need for such systems to operate in a bandwidth efficient manner. The present invention meets all these needs.

Combining multiple simultaneous source cinema to multiple exhibitor receivers


Compositions of the anticholinergic agent trospium chloride suitable for localized administration are provided, in the form of an aqueous solution having a pH-value of.gtoreq.4.5, that is prepared prior to administration. Methods of using the provided compositions for treating dysfunctions of the bladder and the urinary system are also provided. The treatment methods are characterized by the intravesicular administration of the inventive composition into the bladder of a patient in need thereof

Trospium chloride is an agent that has been known for several decades (cf. German patent 1 194 422) as an anticholinergic that is useful, for example, as a spasmolytic agent. This active agent has been available as an orally administrable, solid administration form (tablets and dragees), for intravenous or intramuscular injection as an injection solution and for rectal administration as suppositories and is mainly used for the treatment of bladder dysfunctions (urge incontinence, detrusorhyperreflexia). When these administration forms are used, losses of trospium chloride occur during the transport of the agent from the administration point to the action point. These losses are due to the excretion and metabolism processes occurring during systematic passage. In the case of the oral and rectal administration forms, losses are also due to poor absorption of trospium chloride, a quaternary ammonium compound, from the intestinal lumen into the system. In addition, with such active agent administration types, the typical side effects for anticholinergics, such as heart rate increases, dryness of the mouth, accommodation difficulties, etc. become disadvantageously noticeable.
Other anticholinergics, which as a result of their molecular structure constitute tertiary amines (e.g. oxybutynin), are absorbed to a greater extent following intravesicular instillation than following the administration of equivalent oral dosages (Massad C. A., Kogan B. A. & Trigo/Rocha F. E.: The Pharmacokinetics of intravesical and oral oxybutynin chloride. J. Urol. 148: 595/597, 1992). Thus, intravesical instillation of tertiary amine anticholinergics will not limit undesired anticholinergic side effects, because intravesicular absorption of tertiary amines will result in systemic effects at the target organ (e.g., heart, salivary gland, eye).
The problem to be solved by the present invention is consequently to prevent the disadvantages of the existing trospium administration forms, but still provide for administration by the patient, so that there is no need for clinical personnel or a doctor.

Use of trospium chloride and 2-component system for the same


A FinFET and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The method includes forming a semiconductor fin. The method further includes forming a first region, the first region being one of a source region and a drain region. The method further includes forming a sacrificial spacer. The method further includes forming a second region with the sacrificial spacer as a mask, the second region being the other one of the source region and the drain region. The method further includes removing the sacrificial spacer. The method further includes replacing the sacrificial spacer with a gate stack comprising a gate conductor and a gate dielectric that separates the gate conductor from the semiconductor fin.

Field
The disclosed technology relates to semiconductor technology, and particularly to a FinFET and methods of manufacturing the same.
Description of the Related Technology
As planar semiconductor devices scale down, short-channel effects become increasingly significant. In order to address such problems, three-dimensional semiconductor devices such as fin field effect transistors (FinFETs) have been proposed. Generally, a FinFET includes a semiconductor fin in which a channel region may be formed, and a gate stack covering at least one sidewall of the fin. The gate stack intersects the fin, and includes a gate conductor and a gate dielectric. The gate dielectric isolates the gate conductor from the fin. The FinFET may have a double-gate, tri-gate, or annular-gate configuration. The fin has a small width (i.e., thickness), and thus the FinFET may improve control of carriers in the channel region by the gate conductor, and suppress short-channel effects.
A conventional process for manufacturing the gate stack includes depositing a dielectric layer and a conductor layer, and then patterning the gate stack by photolithography. However, as the size of devices decreases, it is increasingly difficult to form a gate of small size (i.e., length) in a length direction of the semiconductor fin. Therefore, there is a need for methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices including FinFETs with small gate sizes.

FinFET and method of manufacturing the same

Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences


The present disclosure is generally related to beverage containers, including cannabinoid and/or alkaloid-infused beverage containers, and associated devices, systems, and methods. In at least some embodiments, a beverage container can include one or more container walls forming the sides and/or bottom of the container, a conditioning component configured to releasably contain an active ingredient and to release at least a portion of the active ingredient into the container, and a lid which may be sealably attached to the container wall to create a sealed container. When a liquid is inserted into the beverage container and the lid is sealed to the container wall, the active ingredient can be held separate from the liquid by the conditioning component unless or until the conditioning component is activated/actuated to cause the active ingredient to mix with the liquid and create a beverage infused with the active ingredient.

The distribution and sale of beverages infused with an active ingredient (e.g., one or more cannabinoids and/or alkaloids) has been challenged by a degradation or loss of the active ingredient from the associated beverage prior to consumption, often resulting in underwhelming effects from the beverage and adversely affecting the enjoyment of the consumer. For example, the concentration/dose of infused active ingredient(s) in a beverage can decrease over time, such as from a first concentration provided during manufacturing to a second, reduced concentration at some time later when the beverage is consumed by a consumer. Because the time between manufacturing and consumption can vary greatly, it is difficult to achieve a generally consistent desired concentration of active ingredient(s) within the beverage at the time of consumption. One existing solution is to increase the concentration of active ingredient(s) added to the beverage in order to counteract the subsequent loss of active ingredient(s) over time. However, even after increasing the concentration, the range of active ingredient concentrations at the time of consumption can still vary greatly depending on how much time has passed since manufacturing. Furthermore, if the beverage is consumed shortly after manufacturing such that the concentration of active ingredient is at or near the original, increased concentration, the user may consumer a greater amount of active ingredient than expected. This can lead to improper dosing of the active ingredient, can result in an undesirable experience by the consumer or patient, and may additionally increase the production cost by requiring far more active ingredients (e.g., overages) to ensure that the consumer experiences the desired effect.
Furthermore, the lipophilic nature of cannabinoids and many alkaloids can allow them to migrate into a beverage container's liner and either get stuck there or displace potentially harmful molecules that are byproducts of liner fabrication, such as metal ions in the liner. Metal ions are potentially deleterious themselves and also can catalyze degradative chemistry of active beverage constituents and/or can impart off-flavors to the beverage. Additionally, some liner materials can act as endocrine disruptors and affect the consumer at relatively low concentrations.
In addition, the process of manufacturing beverages to contain cannabinoids or lipophilic alkaloids is akin to mixing oil with water, and thus can present significant stability challenges associated with maintaining the cannabinoids and/or alkaloids in an emulsified state within a liquid. As such, a dosing method is needed to minimize the amount of active ingredient(s) added to an aqueous-based beverage and to simplify the active beverage manufacturing process while ensuring that the concentration of the active ingredient remains within a desired range through the point of consumption.

Cannabinoid and alkaloid beverage containers, and associated devices, systems, and methods


Illumination systems are disclosed, which include illumination channels of different colors and at least one image-forming device. Each illumination channel, in turn, includes a bank of light sources, and the image-forming device is disposed to receive illumination from at least one of the illumination channels. At least one of the illumination channels includes an optical element, such as an optical element having optical power or a homogenizing optical element, that is not shared with any other illumination channel and is preferentially constructed or preferentially positioned for the color of its illumination channel.

Typical projection systems usually include a source of light, illumination optics, one or more image-forming devices, projection optics and a projection screen. The illumination optics collect light from one or more light sources and direct that light in a predetermined manner to one or more image-forming devices. The image-forming devices, controlled by an electronically conditioned and processed digital video signal or by other input data, produce images corresponding to the video signal or to that data. Projection optics then magnify the image and project it onto the projection screen. White light sources, such as arc lamps, in conjunction with color-maintaining systems, have been and still are predominantly used as light sources for projection display systems. However, recently, light emitting diodes (LEDs) were introduced as an alternative. Some advantages of LED light sources include longer lifetime, higher efficiency and superior thermal characteristics.
One example of an image-forming device frequently used in projection systems is a digital micro-mirror device, or digital light processing device (DLP). The main feature of a DLP is an array of tiltable micro-mirrors. The tilt of each mirror is independently controlled by the data loaded into a memory cell associated with each mirror, so that the mirrors steer reflected light and spatially map a pixel of video data onto a pixel on a projection screen. Light reflected by a mirror in an ON state passes through the projection optics and is projected onto the screen to create a bright field. On the other hand, light reflected by a mirror in an OFF state misses the projection optics, which results in a dark field. A color image may be produced with a single DLP by color sequencing, or, alternatively, with three DLPs, each illuminated with a primary color.
Other examples of image-forming devices include liquid crystal panels, such as a liquid crystal on silicon device (LCoS). In liquid crystal panels, the alignment of the liquid crystal material is controlled incrementally (pixel-to-pixel), as determined by the data corresponding to a video signal. Depending on the alignment of the liquid crystal material, polarization of the incident light may be altered by the liquid crystal structure. Thus, with the appropriate use of polarizers or polarizing beam splitters, dark and light regions corresponding to the input video data may be created. Color images are formed using liquid crystal panels in a manner similar to DLPs, by using a sequential color approach with one LCoS device or by using a separate LCoS device for each primary color.
Another type of an image-forming device is a high temperature polysilicon liquid crystal device (HTPS-LCD). HTPS-LCD also includes a liquid crystal layer, in which the alignment can be controlled incrementally (pixel-to-pixel), as determined by the data corresponding to a video signal. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a glass substrate and an array of transparent electrodes, thus being adapted for operation in transmission. At the corner of each HTPS-LCD pixel, there is a microscopic thin film transistor.

Illumination system with separate optical paths for different color channels


The disclosure discloses a printer comprising a storage part, a winding core, a rotating speed detecting portion, and a determining portion. The storage part stores a print-receiving tape roll that winds a print-receiving tape around an outer circumference part of a first winding core. The winding core driving device drives a second winding core for sequentially taking up the print-receiving tape on which print has been formed on an outer circumference part, and forming a roll. The rotating speed detecting portion detects a rotating speed of the second winding core. The determining portion determines whether or not the print-receiving tape roll has reached a tape end based on the rotating speed of the second winding core detected by the rotating speed detecting portion.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a printer that forms print on a print-receiving tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known printers that form desired print on a print-receiving tape. According to the printer of this prior art, a print-receiving tape roll winds the print-receiving tape around an outer circumference part of a winding core. The print-receiving tape fed out from the print-receiving tape roll is fed by a feeding roller, and desired print is formed on the fed print-receiving tape by a printing head. The print-receiving tape of the print-receiving tape roll is consumed as print formation is thus performed, eventually reaching the tape end. According to this prior art, a zebra mark is provided on a tip end (rear end) of the print-receiving tape on the transport direction upstream side, and the tape end is detected by optically detecting this mark.
However, in this printer, if the printing head performs the print formation by heat transfer by an ink ribbon, for example, when the feeding of the print-receiving tape stops, the feeding of the ink ribbon also stops in linkage thereto, possibly decreasing the durability of the ink ribbon due to the high heat of the printing head. To avoid the above, the tip end (rear end) of the print-receiving tape on the transport direction upstream side may be configured to be removable from the winding core (designed with a structure that is not firmly fixed). In such a case, when the print-receiving tape roll reaches the tape end by consumption of the print-receiving tape, the rear end of the print receiving tape comes off the winding core, becomes a free end, and advances to the transport direction downstream side.
In the prior art, detection of the tape end in a case where the rear end becomes a free end as described above was not taken into particular consideration.


A bicycle transmission is configured and arranged to improve the durability of the transmission. The transmission basically has a transmission operating device, a support structure, a front input section, an intermediate transmission and a rear output section. The transmission operating device operates the intermediate transmission to change the gear ratio between the front input section and the rear output section. The intermediate transmission has a plurality of drive members arranged to move in the axial direction on an intermediate drive axle in response to its pivotal movement shifting structure. An endless drive member is operatively coupled between a rotatable driving member of the front input section and one of the intermediate drive members. The endless drive member remains substantially in a single plane during shifting of the drive members on the intermediate drive axle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a bicycle transmission. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bicycle transmission in which an endless drive member or chain remains substantially in a single plane.
2. Background Information
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle. One component that has been extensively redesigned is the bicycle transmission.
One of the most popular types of bicycle transmissions utilizes a plurality of sprockets mounted on the hub of a rear wheel. A rear derailleur is utilized to shift a chain between adjacent sprockets. The rear derailleur is typically operated by an operating lever or control mechanism that is mounted on the handlebar of the bicycle. Thus, the rider can selectively change gears by operating the operating lever which in turn causes the rear derailleur to shift the chain between various sprockets. This type of transmission is typically also provided with a front derailleur for shifting the chain between a plurality of chain wheels. While these type of typical transmissions work very well, these types of bicycle transmissions require the chain to be pushed or pulled in a transverse direction of the bicycle. In other words, in this type of bicycle transmission, the chain line of the chain never remains constant. Rather, utilizing a derailleur system, the chain must be bent to some degree in either direction which is parallel to the chain pins. Over an extended period of time, this bending of the chain causes the chain to be damaged. Thus, the life span of the chain is reduced.
Moreover, in most conventional bicycle transmissions that utilize a derailleur system, the rear derailleur is located below the rear hub. This exposes the rear derailleur to dirt and debris from the wheel. Thus, the rear derailleur can become excessively dirty and stop shifting properly. Moreover, the location of the rear derailleur is prone to being hit by objects during riding. Also, the rear derailleur is often damaged if the bicycle falls over. Thus, a transmission located at the rear hub has several potential disadvantages.
In addition, the rear wheel is often mounted on a suspension where the rear wheel swings up and down when traveling over rough terrain, such as in the case of a free ride or downhill type bike with eight inches of rear wheel travel. Thus, in these conventional derailleur type transmissions that are at least partially disposed at the rear wheel, these conventional derailleur type transmissions are shaken and swung up and down violently with the rear wheel. This can significantly decrease the operation and durability of the drive train. Further, conventional derailleur type transmission has considerably more unsprung weight than a rear wheel without derailleur type transmission mounted thereto.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved bicycle transmission. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


A board for sliding over snow, or snow board, incorporating a non-plane synthetic top layer with elevated central part. The snow board is provided with lateral reinforcing members whose height is less than that of the board. The reinforcing members receive the multiple feet of a rigid platform in the form of a low table and intended to receive the bindings. At those spots, the lateral edge elements preferably present wider portions. Corresponding recesses are made in the shell, each adapted to receive a conjugate foot of the platform. The feet of the platform are preferably high enough for the platform to rest on the edge elements of the snow board only by its feet.

A snow board or the like as defined hereinabove is made in accordance with the so-called "DUALTEC" concept (Registered Trademark filed by the firm SKIS ROSSIGNOL S.A.)
A transverse section made on a "DUALTEC"-type ski shows that it generally comprises:
a lower sole for sliding, possibly bordered on each side by metal edges, PA1 a possible "lower" reinforcing layer which rests on this sole, PA1 a core which may for example be a core of wood or a core of polyurethane preferably obtained by a process of injection, PA1 auxiliary reinforcing members, whose height is less than that of the ski, forming longitudinal reinforcing members and positioned on each side of this core, PA1 an upper layer of plastic material, or top layer, whose inner face is possibly lined, over all or part of its width, with an "upper" reinforcing layer and which covers the ski from one edge to the other, bearing on either side of the board, directly or not, on each of said auxiliary reinforcing members. PA1 in that this rigid platform presents a cross-section in the form of an upturned U and is shaped to rest, by its feet and directly or not, on said lateral reinforcing edge elements, PA1 and in that said top layer of this board presents, on each side and at the level of each foot of said platform, a recess positioned and dimensioned to receive this foot, each of these recesses being of length corresponding substantially to that of the matching foot of the platform and of width equal to or greater than the width of the base of this foot which thus rests on virtually the whole of the recess.
These auxiliary reinforcing members, which are substantially perpendicular to the surface of the sole, do not form part of the concept, already generalized, of so-called "shell" skis, since, in that case, the top layer is a shell which bears directly on the lower edges of the ski. In the so-called "DUALTEC" concept, the effect of the reinforcing members is to improve the efficiency of the ski over an ordinary shell ski, in that they increase the efficiency of the transmission of the efforts, made by the skier on the upper face of the ski, to the lower metal edges, i.e. in fact to the sliding surface.
The invention proposes to improve, on a ski (or other snow board) made in accordance with the "DUALTEC" concept mentioned above, the transmission of the impulses of the skier to the snow, by optimalizing the connection of the bindings of the skier's boot to the ski or other snow board.
In fact, to obtain good efficiency, it is essential that the efforts made by the skier's boot be transmitted as directly as possible on the lower lateral arrises of the ski.
It is known to provide, in the binding mounting area, a plate or platform for superelevation of the bindings of the boot and receiving these bindings, this plate or platform being able to be positioned at a distance from the upper surface of the ski.
Such binding-elevating plates or platforms prove to be necessary at the present time due to the reduction, at the level of the binding mounting area, of the width of downhill skis, one consequence of which is a risk of skidding in a tight turn, as the boot, which projects laterally, touches the snow whenever contact of the edge is great. With sufficient superelevation, there is virtually no risk of the boot contacting the snow whenever the ski inclines considerably to the side, and the ski may therefore be used normally, particularly in slalom.
It should be recalled that binding mounting area is intended to mean the intermediate zone located between the front and the rear of the snow board and on which the boot bindings are mounted.

Board for sliding over snow provided with auxiliary edge elements of height less than that of the board


A substrate for a light-emitting element based on an organic light-emitting material and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The substrate can be manufactured at low cost and has long lifespan, and an organic material used on the substrate and has high electrical conductivity. The substrate for a light-emitting element includes a base substrate with metal layer formed on the base substrate and a conductive polymer layer disposed on the metal layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a substrate for a light-emitting element based on an organic light-emitting material, a method of manufacturing the same, an electrode for a light-emitting element, and a light-emitting element having the same.
2. Description of the Background
A transparent substrate is generally used as an electrode in an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display or in a light-emitting element. In an OLED display, a layer formed of indium tin oxide (ITO) that is disposed on a base substrate is generally used as an anode.
In order to operate efficiently, OLED elements may have a variety of properties such as electron conductivity, hole conductivity, and light emission, but most materials that are used for an OLED satisfy only one of these properties. Multilayered elements in which different layers are combined may be used to increase efficiency. For example, one layer may have excellent hole conductivity and another layer may have a better electron conductivity.
In OLED applications, a hole injection layer (HIL) may be used on an ITO layer to increase the efficiency of an anode comprising a base substrate and an ITO layer. Polyethylene dioxythiophene/polystyrene sulfonate (PEDT/PSS) may be used as an HIL. One problem with this HIL is that the surface of the ITO layer becomes etched due to the acidity of the PEDT/PSS and ion diffusion and penetration to an organic layer of an OLED cannot be completely avoided. The ions adversely affect the durable lifespan of the OLED elements (Nucl. Inst. and Meth. In Physics Res. B194 (2002) 346; Appl. Phys. Lett. 75 (1999) 1404; Appl. Phys. Lett. 81/6 (2002) 1119; Mat. Sci. Engin. B97 (2003) 1-4; J. Appl. Phys. 79 (1996) 2745).
In order to maintain the same efficiency and increase the durable lifespan, it is desirable to use a substrate that has an electrode material other than ITO that is more resistant to PEDT/PSS. The electrode material is preferably inexpensive, translucent, and has high electric conductivity. In addition, the electrode material may be flexible so that it can be applied to flexible elements such as organic display elements or organic solar cells.
Polyethylene dioxythiophene (PEDT) with high conductivity is known as a substitute for ITO. Highly conductive PEDT such as that produced by Bayer ("in situ" PEDT with conductivity of 500 S/cm) has a very large voltage loss with large surface OLED elements when it is used as an ITO substitute (the conductivity of ITO is 104 S/cm). As such, the brightness of the OLED elements degrades as the distance from voltage contacts increases.
WO 03/106571 A1 discloses increasing the conductivity of PEDT/PSS by replacing a solvent. PEDT/PSS is typically water-soluble and has a conductivity of up to 10−3 S/cm (H. C. Starck Baytron P TP A1 4083). Through the formulation of a soluble polymer, PEDT can have a conductivity of up to 130 S/cm (H. C. Starck Baytron F CPP 105D M) or 120 S/cm (Agfa Orgacon foil) or 500 S/cm (H. C. Starck polyster foil JOF 6073 coated with "in situ" PEDT).
By replacing water with an alcohol such as ethylene glycol, the conductivity of a PEDT/PSS solvent may be increased by a factor of two. According to WO 03/106571 A1, a PEDT/PSS solvent with a conductivity of up to 10−1 S/cm can be achieved. Thus, the conductivity of the PEDT/PSS solvent is not sufficiently increased with the replacement of ITO as an anode material for organic elements. It is also disadvantageous that the stability of a PEDT/PSS alcohol solvent is low. Due to agglomeration and coagulation that occurs after a predetermined amount of time, printability or homogenous processing during spin coating becomes difficult and the durability of the PEDT/PSS solvent diminishes.

Substrate for light-emitting element, method for manufacturing the same, electrode for light-emitting element, and light-emitting element having the same


A garment has a main body part 20 having a pair of collar parts 10 and a waistline part 40 positioned below the collar parts 10, two swinging sleeve parts 30 coupled to the main body part 20 and an obi part 100 wound around the waistline part 40. One of the collar parts 10 is fixed to the other. The swinging sleeve part 30 has a plurality of swinging sleeve convex-concave parts 35 extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction from a root 30a to a sleeve opening 30b.

Regarding conventionally known Japanese clothing, inventions have been proposed, for example, from the viewpoint of dressing beautifully. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes the problem that it is difficult to make an ohashori fold and, for this reason, many people hesitate to wear Japanese clothing. Patent Literature 1 proposes forming a pseudo-ohashori obi that looks like ohashori as a separate body from the main body of Japanese clothing.
In addition, Patent Literature 2 describes an improvement of Patent Literature 1 in which ohashori can easily be formed (presented by a pseudo-ohashori obi), the right and left hems can easily be narrowed inward, and the hem of the right-hand shitamae-okumi, which is a lower layer, is set to be higher than the hem of the left-hand uwamae-okumi, which is an upper layer.


The present invention provides for receiving a radio frequency signal which encodes transmitted data, and for outputting data corresponding to the transmitted data. The radio frequency signal is received and converted to inphase and quadrature data. Phase information is extracted from the inphase and quadrature data. A symbol timing for the radio signal is determined based on the extracted phase information. The transmitted data encoded within the radio frequency signal is detected and processed based on the determined symbol timing. Data is output based on the detected and processed transmitted data. Since symbol timing is determined based on phase information, in the phase domain, a radio frequency receiver can be constructed with a lower complexity and a simpler structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of radio frequency receivers utilized within wireless communication systems, and more particularly to synchronization of symbol timing for such radio frequency receivers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems typically utilize a radio frequency transmitter for wirelessly transmitting data, and a radio frequency receiver for receiving the transmitted data. However, the radio frequency transmitter and the radio frequency receiver typically operate under the control of different clocks. As such, although the clocks of the two devices are designed to operate under the same frequency, there is a likelihood of a clock rate difference between the radio frequency transmitter and the radio frequency receiver. This clock rate difference can cause the receiver to see incoming data at a rate which is different than that expected, thus leading to improper acknowledgment and processing of the data.
As such, the radio frequency receiver cannot start randomly at any time. Rather, the radio frequency receiver needs to know a certain time index to detect the transmitted data. This timing index can be provided by using a symbol timing.
In conventional approaches, synchronization of symbol timing typically relies on signal correlations within a received signal. Such conventional approaches typically calculate a symbol timing as follows:
                              C          n                =                                            ∑                              N                -                1                                                    i              =              0                                                                    y                                            (                                  n                  -                  i                                )                                                  y            *                          (                              n                -                i                -                L                            )                                                          (Equation 1)            where Cn represents a symbol timing candidate, y(n) represents the received signal, L represents the symbol duration between two neighboring identical symbols, and N denotes the correlation block size. The received signal y(n) is a complex value having real and imaginary (quadrature) components, and y*(n) is the complex conjugate. Symbol timing {circumflex over (n)} can be found at the position where Cn reaches its peak value, substantially as follows:
                              n          ^                =                              max            n                                          (                                                        C                n                                                    )                                              (                  Equation                                                              2                )
Although the conventional approaches are capable of symbol timing synchronization, they are not without problems. For example, since the above equations are seen to include complex multiplications and additions, implementation costs, surface requirements and power consumption can be high. Accordingly, a symbol timing method with lower complexity and simpler structure, but comparable performance, is desired.

Symbol timing method and digital receiver apparatus


A self-propelled off-road agricultural vehicle such as a product applicator is provided with a system for torque control at shift points. The self-propelled applicator has a drivetrain configured with two power levels of its engine. One power level limits engine power output to a value at or below a shifting-state clutch rating of the transmission to protect the transmission while shifting. The second power level allows engine power to exceed a shifting-state clutch rating of the transmission when the transmission is not shifting.

Engine power management to reduce power during shifting is known for on-road trucks, in efforts to improve transmission longevity. Compared to on-road trucks, agricultural and other off-road vehicles operate at substantially slower travel speeds and can operate in some conditions offering less traction, which can lessen at least some types of loading and other forces in off-road transmissions. Transmissions in such off-road applications therefore can experience different operating parameters and different considerations for ensuring acceptable use lives compared to on-road trucks. However, agricultural and other off-road vehicles such as self-propelled applicators including sprayers and spreaders are getting larger.
As self-propelled applicators get larger, the power requirements to operate the spray systems, dry product delivery system, and other accessories have correspondingly increased. Engines with higher torque output ratings have been used to meet the increased power requirements of recent self-propelled applicators. When comparing on-road trucks to self-propelled applicators, an on-road truck can have relatively more of its engine power output utilized for propelling the truck and its load whereas a self-propelled applicator can have a substantial amount of its engine power output utilized for powering its operational systems including various auxiliary systems such as sprayer or spreader systems and large hydraulic systems to hydraulically power boom folding and other movements as well as to hydraulically power front wheel assist drive systems.
Transmission ratings are greatly influenced by the abilities of clutches that perform drive ratio changes or the shifts. The transmission is typically capable of more torque transfer when the drive ratio is static versus when the drive ratio is changing or shifting gears. Accordingly, the transmission has both a relatively greater non-shifting-state transmission ratings) and a relatively lesser shifting-state transmission rating(s) that correspond to a relatively greater non-shifting-state clutch rating(s) and a relatively lesser shifting-state clutch rating(s).
However, some of the high output engines required to power the various systems of larger self-propelled applicators can deliver more torque during operation than the shifting-state clutch ratings of the transmissions. Heavy duty industrial off-road transmissions with shifting-state clutch ratings that match or exceed power output ratings of such high output engines are expensive, large, and heavy. Known attempts to implement such high output engines in the larger self-propelled applicators typically include using control systems that always limits engine torque across its entire power band so that engine torque output never exceeds the shifting-state clutch ratings) of the transmission.

Self-propelled off-road vehicle with system for torque control at shift points


An image processor arranged in operation to generate an interpolated video signal from a received video signal representative of an image. The image processor comprises an adaptable register store comprising a plurality of register elements and is coupled to a control processor which is operable to receive the video signal and to provide pixels of the received video signal, under control of the control processor to an interpolator, selected regester elements being connected to the interpolator to provide the pixels of the received video signal for interpolation, each of the register elements being arranged to store a pixel of the received video signal and each is connected to a plurality of other register elements and is configurable under control of the control processor to feed the pixel stored in the register element to one of the plurality of other register elements in accordance with a temporal reference and the interpolator being coupled to the adaptable register store.

In the field of image processing, there is often a requirement to change the shape of images. In general, images can be represented as sampled values known as pixels. The shape of an image can be changed by interpolating the pixels from which the image is comprised. This could provide for example a linear stretch of the image, or a shape change determined in accordance with a higher order function. The present invention relates to image processors and image processing methods which operate to perform such interpolation.
In order to facilitate explanation and understanding of the advantages provided by the present invention, an example application will be considered of interpolating an image formed using an image lens, which introduces into the image a chromatic error. As such, it will be appreciated that the present invention also relates to video cameras having image processors which operate to improve the quality of an image represented by a video signal generated by the camera, by interpolating at least part of the image.
Optical imaging equipment such as cameras and light projectors are typically provided with an imaging lens, which focuses light to form an image. For cameras, the imaging lens is provided in order to focus an image falling within the field of view of the lens onto a sensor. For colour cameras, the sensor is typically provided with a dichroic element which serves to divide the colour image formed by the lens into red, green and blue components. For colour cameras in which the image is sensed electronically, such as in the case of digital cameras, camcorders, or television cameras, the red, green and blue components are then sampled in order to produce a colour image signal representing in digital form the sampled red, green and blue components of the colour image. In the case of still image digital cameras, the data represented by the colour image signals are stored in order to be reproduced or processed in some way. In the case of television cameras, the colour signals may be recorded, or communicated to a mixing apparatus where for example the camera is used in a television production studio. Similarly however the camera may be a conventional camera in which the sensor is a film which is exposed to a predetermined amount of light produced from the image focused by the lens.
In the above examples a lens is used in order to focus the image falling within a field of view of the lens. However, lenses do not form a perfect representation of the image falling within the field of view of the lens. This is because optical properties of the lens itself cause distortion in the focused image formed by the lens. One example of such distortion is chromatic aberration. Chromatic aberration arises, for example, from dispersion which is a property of the lens resulting from the refractive index of the material forming the lens, such as glass, differing with wavelength. As a result the quality of the colour image formed by the lens is impaired, particularly at the boundaries of the image, where the chromatic aberration causes greatest error.
It is known from co-pending UK patent applications numbers UK 9823400.8 and UK 9823401.6 to improve the quality of an image represented by a video signal by compensating for the effects of the chromatic aberration. This improvement is effected by interpolating between parts of the image represented within a field of the video signal and corresponding parts of the image represented in a different field. As disclosed in these UK patent applications, interpolation can be performed using frame-based interpolation or field-based interpolation. With frame-based interpolation pixels from two or more fields are used to generate an output pixel, whereas with field-based interpolation, pixels from only one field are used. Frame-based interpolation can provide better spatial resolution, because the interpolation is performed on two interlaced fields in which the sampling rate of the video signal is consistent with the bandwidth of the image frequencies made up from the two interlaced fields. As a result an interpolated image produced from frame-based interpolation does not usually suffer from errors introduced by vertical aliasing within the interpolated images. However, if there is motion present in the part of the image being interpolated, the use of two temporally separated fields (in the frame-based interpolation) can produce an inferior image quality because the image has moved between the fields. As explained in UK patent application No. UK 9823400.8, this can cause double imaging. Therefore although framed-based interpolation provides a better vertical resolution, to avoid double images, frame-based interpolation should not be used where the image contains frequencies in the same direction as the motion.
This is because, for example, if the video signal represents the image using vertical frequencies, frame-based interpolation still provides a superior result than field-based interpolation when the motion is horizontal. Field-based interpolation does not generally produce double images, but has lower vertical resolution, and in addition limitations of the interpolation process can include 'softness' in the definition of the image and ringing can be produced which is noticeable to the human eye. Therefore in summary, in the event that there is motion present in the image, then field-based interpolation is preferred, although this can result in a reduction of the image quality as a result of artifacts introduced by vertical aliasing.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing discussion that it remains a technical problem to improve the compensating effects of interpolation to images affected inter alia by chromatic error. However this is but one example application wherein interpolation is applied to the pixels of an image in order to change the shape of the image in some way.

Image processor and method of processing images