A lightning detection and display system for aircraft is disclosed. A lightning detection system detects the bearing and distance of lightning strikes to the aircraft and the aircraft navigation system determines the aircraft position relative to earth. A computer then calculates the position of each strike relative to earth and displays the aircraft's position and lightning strike locations in their correct relative positions. While the aircraft moves, the computer periodically updates the display data to maintain an accurate depiction. The system stores a history of lightning strikes and displays such history in a time-lapse mode to represent the storm's trend in direction and magnitude.

Conventional methods for detecting thunderstorms use radio waves created by lightning. These systems include antennas that detect radio frequency (RF) emissions from lightning to determine the occurrence and position of lightning associated with thunderstorms. A computerized electronic system determines the direction and distance between the lightning strikes and the aircraft. The lightning strikes are then depicted on a display that shows the relative position of the aircraft to the lightning strikes (i.e. thunderstorm). For example, see Ryan (U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,408) for a description of a lightning display system known as "Stormscope" and Markson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,195) for a description of an improved lightning range system.
In a conventional lightning display system for an aircraft, the display shows an aircraft symbol and the location of the lightning strike with respect to the aircraft. The aircraft operator can select the range in which lightning strikes will be displayed. The lightning strike depiction remains on the display after the strike is over so that a collection of these strikes depicted in a particular area indicates that a thunderstorm is present.
Conventional systems have certain drawbacks. For example, when the aircraft turns, the depicted lightning strike appears in the same relative position it had with the aircraft when the strike occurred and not the new relative position it has with the aircraft on the new heading. A method commonly employed to compensate for this shortcoming is to connect and correlate the lightning detection system to the aircraft heading indicator so that as the aircraft turns, the lightning display is rotated an equal number of degrees in order to maintain the same angular relationship between the aircraft and the strike.
Another shortcoming of the prior art is that as the aircraft moves, the lightning strike depiction maintains the same relative positional or distance relationship with the aircraft that existed when the strike occurred and not the true positional relationship with the aircraft in its new location.

Apparatus and method for detecting and displaying lightning


The disclosure provides an array substrate, a display device, a detecting apparatus and a detecting method for detecting a defect connection of a data line. A data signal input bus of the array substrate of the present disclosure applies a data signal to each pixel unit, and a detection line is added on one side of the array substrate opposite to the data signal input bus, when the product is detected, the data signal input bus inputs the normal data signal, the detection line on the other side inputs a signal having a polarity contrary to that of the data signal. At a position of the data line existing defect connection, heat is generated and the data line is burnt at the position existing defect connection.

A display panel is manufactured through an Array process, a Cell process, and a Module process. Among these processes, the Array process generally includes manufacturing of gate lines and data lines, manufacturing of thin film transistors, manufacturing of pixel electrodes, and the like. The display panel includes a plurality of rows of gate lines and a plurality of columns of data lines, and the plurality of rows of gate lines and the plurality of columns of data lines define a plurality of pixels.

Array substrate, display apparatus, detecting apparatus and detecting method for detecting defect connection of data line

ORDOS YUANSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


A moving part of a maglev train, comprising two levitation frames that are arranged at an interval along the direction of travel, the two levitation frames being connected by means of a vertical beam; a peripheral wall of the vertical beam provided with a slot that may reduce the torsional rigidity thereof, being capable of reducing the torsional rigidity of the traditional vertical beam so as to reduce the coupling effect between the two levitation frames that are connected by means of the vertical beam, thereby greatly reducing the difficulty and energy consumption of levitation control. The levitation frames and the train body are provided therebetween with a vertical shock absorber and a horizontal absorber having suitable damping values, the levitation frames and the train body are provided therebetween with horizontal stoppers and vertical stoppers which may prevent excessive horizontal movement, rollover and overturning.

A maglev train usually includes a vehicle body and multiple running gears provided at the bottom of the vehicle body. The multiple running gears are mainly used for supporting the vehicle body, and the multiple running gears can transmit a suspension force, a guiding force, a traction force and a braking force to the vehicle body through a secondary suspension system, so as to ensure the maglev train to have the capability to smoothly travel in a horizontal curve, a torsion curve, or a vertical curve.
The above running gear generally includes two suspension frames spaced apart in a traveling direction, and the two suspension frames are connected by a longitudinal beam. Thus, when the train travels in an easement curve, a relative side-roll motion will be generated between the two suspension frames of the same running gear, which requires the longitudinal beam to have a certain torsional deformation capability.
In the conventional technology, the longitudinal beam is prepared from an aluminum profile having a rectangular cross section, and the aluminum profile has a large torsional rigidity. Due to the excessive torsional rigidity of the aluminum profile, the coupling effect between the two suspension frames is intensified, which in turn causes the train to generate additional energy consumption as the train travels in the easement curve and also increases the difficulty of suspension control.
Therefore, how to provide a running gear of a maglev train for reducing the torsional rigidity of the longitudinal beam is still a technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art.


The present invention provides methods, compositions, and kits for the treatment of disorders associated with overactivation of FGFR3, such as achondroplasia; bone or cartilage disorders; or vascular smooth muscle disorders, or for the elongation of bone. In some embodiments, the present invention provides polypeptides having a natriuretic peptide fused to an Fc domain of an immunoglobulin. Such polypeptides can be administered to subjects, e.g., subcutaneously, to treat a disorder associated with overactivation of FGFR3, a bone or cartilage disorder, or a vascular smooth muscle disorder, or to elongate bone. The invention also features nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides and the use of the nucleic acid molecules for treating disorders associated with overactivation of FGFR3, bone or cartilage disorders, or vascular smooth muscle disorders, or for elongating bone.

Natriuretic peptides modulate salt and water homeostasis in the body and in this way act as regulators of blood pressure. The peptides belonging to this family have varying amino acid sequences and are secreted through different mechanisms by various tissues in the body. These peptides include atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP). These peptides bind to three types of receptors that signal intracellularly to modulate physiological functions. ANP and BNP bind preferentially to natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPR-A) (also known as guanylyl cyclase A (GC-A)), and CNP binds preferentially to natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR-B) (also known as guanylyl cyclase B (GC-B)). All three peptides have similar affinity for natriuretic peptide receptor C(NPR-C), which has both signaling and peptide clearance functions. Clearance of natriuretic peptides also occurs through the action of membrane-bound neutral endopeptidase (NEP).
Peptide binding to NPR-A or NPR-B activates the intracellular guanylyl cyclase domain of these receptors, which produces the second messenger cGMP. cGMP activates or inhibits multiple signaling pathways inside the cell.
Bone formation and longitudinal bone growth in long bones, ribs, and vertebrae occurs via endochondral ossification in the cartilaginous growth plate, which is located at both ends of the bone. One important regulator of bone growth is CNP, which circulates in blood at a very low level, suggesting that it has very little systemic activity on bone. Studies using primary cultures of osteoblast-like cells and chondrocytes have revealed that CNP acts rather as a paracrine/autocrine factor to regulate proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and chondrocytes. CNP, through activation of NPR-B guanylyl cyclase, stimulates the production of intracellular messenger cGMP in chondrocytes and is important for bone growth and development.
In humans, CNP is initially produced from the natriuretic peptide precursor C(NPPC) gene as a single chain 126-amino acid pre-pro polypeptide. Removal of the signal peptide yields pro-CNP, and further cleavage by the endoprotease furin generates an active 53-amino acid peptide (CNP53), which is secreted and cleaved again by an unknown enzyme to produce the mature 22-amino acid peptide (CNP22). Both CNP53 and CNP22 bind similarly to NPR-B, and they both induce cGMP production in a dose-dependent and similar fashion.
Genetic deletion of CNP, its cognate receptor, or downstream intracellular effector (PKG) results in severe skeletal dysplasias caused by reduced chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. In mice lacking CNP, dwarfism and early death occur. At birth, these mice have approximately 10% reduction in bone length, but the growth retardation becomes more severe postnatally, and 70% of the mice die in the first 100 days after birth. Cartilage-specific overexpression of CNP partially rescues the achondroplasia dwarfism of the CNP-deficient mice, suggesting that CNP stimulates bone growth through direct effects on chondrocytes. Functional inactivation of the natriuretic peptide (NPR)-B receptor that binds CNP or gene encoding for cGMP protein kinase II through which cGMP effects are mediated also produces dwarfism.
Skeletal dysplasias are a group of genetic disorders characterized by impaired skeletal growth. The many different forms of skeletal dysplasia, e.g., short limb dwarfism, are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Achondroplasia is the most common form of short limb dwarfism in human beings, affecting more than 250,000 individuals worldwide. Achondroplasia is caused by mutations in the gene encoding fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3), which cause gain of FGFR3 function. These mutations affect many tissues, but most strikingly the cartilaginous growth plate in the growing skeleton, leading to a variety of manifestations and complications. The severity of the clinical phenotype is related to the capacity of the mutation to overactivate FGFR3 signaling pathways in chondrocytes.
The intracellular production of cGMP resulting from NPR-B activation is known to inhibit the MAP-kinase pathway overactivated by the FGFR3 mutation. Thus, use of CNP or a CNP analog that could activate the NPR-B signaling pathway for the treatment of skeletal dysplasia has been considered. However, a major drawback of the therapeutic use of CNP is its extremely short half-life. Furthermore, experiments in the literature, e.g., Farnum et al. (Anat. Rec. A Discov. Mol. Cell Evol. Biol. 288(1):91-103, 2006), have shown that the ability of a molecule to enter the growth plate decreases significantly with molecular weight, with poor or no detectable entry by molecules of 40 kDa or larger into the growth plate. Accordingly, it has been believed that CNP-based therapeutics for skeletal dysplasias such as achondroplasia need to have a relatively small molecular weight in order to be capable of entering the growth plate at a sufficient rate to have a therapeutic effect.
There is thus a need in the art to develop therapeutic molecules having an appreciable half-life and other favorable pharmacokinetic and therapeutic properties for the treatment of a variety of disorders, such as achondroplasia.

Compositions comprising natriuretic peptides and methods of use thereof


A wear and scuff-resistant timing plunger for a timing assembly in a unit fuel injector for an internal combustion engine is provided. The timing plunger is formed of a high thermal expansion ceramic with a thermal expansion coefficient greater than 6.times.10.sup.-6 /.degree. C. and a hardness greater than 800 Kg/mm.sup.2, which maintains a desired diametral clearance and efficient plunger function without scuffing or sticking under the axial, tangential and pressure loads encountered in the fuel injector operating environment. Preferred high thermal expansion ceramics are zirconia, alumina-zirconia and alumina.

Fuel injector timing plungers are required to operate under extremely adverse environmental conditions in a fuel injector assembly. Heavy mechanical loads are applied to the timing plunger in both axial and tangential directions. The plunger must reciprocate within a bore in the injector body that is often distorted so the original diametral clearance is not maintained, and the timing plunger is forced against the bore wall during injector operation, resulting in scuffing. Additionally, low quality and contaminated fuels contribute to the creation of an adverse timing plunger operating environment.
The timing plunger material has been modified throughout the years in an effort to make a timing plunger that is both scuff-resistant and wear-resistant and capable of functioning as required under the adverse conditions of the fuel injector environment. However, third body debris interferes with efficient injector function. Third body debris includes particles harder than the plunger or injector body bore which are not intended to be present within the injector. These particles become embedded into the timing plunger surface and ultimately cause the plunger and body to be wedged together so that the plunger cannot reciprocate in the injector body bore and becomes friction welded. The reduction of fuel lubricity, which could be caused by water contamination of the fuel, and may be a characteristic of some alternative fuels, is also a factor contributing to the friction welding of the timing plunger and injector body together. Injector operation is, of course, prevented if this occurs.
The prior art has proposed the use of wear-resistant materials and corrosion-resistant materials to form various structures and components of internal combustion engines. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,794,894 to Gill and 4,848,286 to Bentz are directed to ceramic tipped pivot rods, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,040 to Gill et al. is directed to a ceramic ball and socket joint. U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,729 to Kulke et al. discloses forming an injector valve needle tip and/or disc from a corrosion-resistant material, such as high quality steel, ceramic, or industrial glass. However, neither this are nor any of the prior art of which the inventors are aware addresses the specific problems of fuel injector timing plunger scuffing and sticking which are encountered with available fuel injectors, particularly those used in diesel engines.
The types of fuels increasingly used in diesel engines, particularly fuels with low lubricity, alternative fuels and fuels which may be contaminated with water, require a scuff-resistant fuel injector timing plunger to maintain efficient engine operation. The prior art has failed to provide a fuel injector timing assembly including a timing plunger that is sufficiently scuff-resistant and wear-resistant, particularly when exposed to third body debris and such adverse operating conditions as low lubricity and contaminated fuels to operate efficiently. A need exists for such a fuel injector timing plunger.


A holding device for an adjustable housing, such as the housing of a radar sensor, which allows the position of the housing at a mounting location to be changed in at least one degree of freedom using least one adjusting screw. In this context, the at least one adjusting screw is held at the mounting location in a fixing dome so that it can be rotated and tilted, the respective fixing dome of plastic being capable of being snapped into a corresponding opening at the mounting location so that it is secured against rotation and pulling.

Such a radar sensor may be screwed to a vehicle on the outside with a holding device. This radar sensor may be, for example, a component of a proximity warning system or ranging system, which continuously processes information on the distance and/or the relative speed of the vehicle with respect to other vehicles and the road conditions. In this context, the radar sensor may be very accurately aligned with the longitudinal vehicle axis, as a result of which the sensor may be adjusted in horizontal and vertical directions upon installation into the vehicle, because of the sometimes considerable vehicle tolerances in the region of the mounting location.
German Patent Application 199 24 055, for example, refers to adjusting the radar sensor from above, below, or from the side upon installation, by manually turning two adjusting screws with the aid of corner gears. The difficulty is to find an installation space for the radar sensor which, on one hand, offers enough space and meets the high-frequency requirements and, on the other hand, allows simple and thus inexpensive adjustment of the radar sensor at the end of the manufacturing process.
In some adjusting devices, plastic-coated steel holders or plastic intermediate holders are used in combination with aluminum holders for the installation on the vehicle. The adjustment is then carried out in two axes using adjusting screws, the friction between the plastic domes and the screws being used as locking torques. Here, the radar sensor is fastened via so-called "ball sockets", allowing the sensor to be rotated and tilted.
Some systems described above require very complex and expensive tools, because, in each case, a punching and bending tool and a tool for coating the holding device with plastic are required. When using a plastic intermediate holder, an additional tool for a steel or aluminum holder is needed as well. Moreover, in some systems, the tools need to have a specific design for each vehicle to which the holding device is attached.

Positioning device for adjustable housing


The invention relates to novel proteins having esterase activity, to mutants thereof, to nucleic acid sequences coding therefor, to expression cassettes, vectors and recombinant microorganisms; to methods for preparing said proteins and to the use thereof for enzymic, in particular enantioselective enzymic, ester hydrolysis or transesterification of organic esters.

Esterases and lipases are hydrolases which can be employed in industrial processes for synthesizing optically active organic compounds and which are characterized by high substrate specificity. Through a mechanism similar to that of serine proteases, they can transfer acyl groups onto nucleophiles such as, for example, carbonyl groups or hydrolytically cleave ester bonds. Esterases, lipases and serine proteases share the catalytic triad, a sequence motif consisting of the amino acids Ser, His and Asp, where the carbonyl carbon atom is subject to nucleophilic attack by the active Ser, which, with participation of the other two amino acids, leads to a charge distribution. Esterases and lipases may also transfer acyl groups onto other nucleophiles, such as thioether thio groups or activated amines.
Lipases hydrolyze long-chain glycerol esters and are characterized by surface activation, i.e. the active site becomes accessible only in the presence of the lipid substrate. Lipases are stable in nonaqueous organic solvents and are employed in numerous industrial processes for kinetic racemate resolution, i.e. one enantiomer is converted substantially faster than the other. Said enantiomer can be subsequently obtained from the reaction solution owing to different physical and chemical properties.
Nakamura (Nakamura, K. et al., Tetrahedron; Asymmetry 9, (1999), 4429-4439) describes the racemate resolution of 1-alkyn-3-ol by transesterification in hydrophobic solvents with the aid of commercially available lipases (Amano AK, AH and PS; Amano Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.). In this reaction, enantioselectivity increases with the chain length of the acyl donor and sterically large residues (chloroacetate, vinyl benzoate) have an adverse effect on the reaction. Yang (Yang, H. et al., J. Org. Chem. 64, (1999), 1709-1712) describes the enantioselective preparation of optically active acids by transesterification with vinyl esters using lipase B from Candida antarctica as catalyst. In this case, ethyl esters lead to a distinctly lower reaction rate and selectivity. A lipase isolated from Burkholderia plantarii (Pseudomonas plantarii or glumae) DSM 6535 is employed for enantioselective acylation of racemic amities with the aid of ethyl methoxyacetate (Balkenhohl, F. et al., J. prakt. Chem. 339, (1997), 381-384).
Esterases enantioselectively catalyze the formation and breaking of ester bonds (forward and reverse reaction). Preference is given to using vinyl esters in the transesterification for obtaining optically active alcohols, since the alcohol function of the ester is no longer available after the conversion due to tautomerization to the aldehyde or ketone and thus the reverse reaction can be avoided. In contrast to lipases, esterases are not surface-activated and also convert organic compounds of relatively short chain length. Esterases of different substrate specificity have been isolated from various organisms.
Thus the esterase from Pseudocardia thermophila FERM-BP-6275 is used for hydrolyzing optically active chromanacetic esters (EP-A-0 892 044).
An esterase from Bacillus acidocaldarius hydrolyzes with low enantioselectivity esters from a narrow range of substrates (Manco, G. et al., Biochem. J. 332, (1998), 203-212).
Acylase 1 from Aspergillus is used for obtaining secondary alcohols by transesterification with vinyl esters in organic nonpolar solvents, it being preferred to convert secondary alcohols having short side chains (Faraldos, J. et al., Synlett 4, (1997), 367-370). From Pseudomonas fluorescens DSM 50 106 a membrane-bound lactone-specific esterase has been cloned (Khalameyzer, V. et al., Appl. and Environ. Microbial. 65(2), (1999), 477-482), and from the E. coli Q mutant an acetylesterase has been cloned (Peist, R. et al., J. Bacteriol. 179, (1997), 7679-7686). However, enantioselectivity and substrate specificity of these two esterases have not been studied in more detail. Rhodococcus sp. NCBM 11216 expresses 4 esterases, RR1 to RR4, which have different specificity. For the ester synthesis from naphthol and an acid, RR1 and RR2 prefer acids with short carbon chains, while RR3 and RR4 specifically convert acids having relatively long carbon chains and sterically relatively large residues (Gudelj, M. et al., J. Mol. Cat. B, Enzymatic 5, (1998), 261-266).
However, until recently esterases which possess a broad substrate range, have high enantioselectivity and can be employed in industrial processes have not been available for preparing small organic molecules such as optically active alcohols, acids or esters with short carbon chains.
WO-A-02/18560, for the first time, has described useful proteins having esterase activity, referred to as esterases therein, which are capable of enantioselective hydrolysis of a wide range of optically active esters. More specifically, it has described a protein comprising 510 amino acids (SEQ ID NO: 2) and the coding sequence thereof (SEQ ID NO: 1).
It is the object of the present invention to provide further optionally activity-optimized esterases which have at least one of the abovementioned properties.

Mutants of a pseudomonas glumae butynol esterase


The invention teaches correlation analysis of the stochastic relationship between video images for use in motion estimation. On the basis of the method of analysis of correlation values as temporal series, a method was created for the analysis of the dynamics of the objects in the scenes, the isolation of quasi-static fragments of the images and the use of the obtained information for the construction of optimal procedures for making decisions in the control of motion estimation and the isolation of different types of motion of the objects. The dynamics of motion of objects or blocks in a video scene can be predicted, and the results of the predicting permit the isolation in motion of each element of the scene—the following components: camera motion, object motion, object distortion thereby allowing the possibility of isolating groups of blocks for which a given coding strategy has maximum effectiveness.

Video films are an effective means for describing information about a variety of subject realms and a variety of objects within those subject realms. Information about the subject realm is accumulated in databases. At the present time a great multitude of types of databases have been developed that are oriented to the applications of special methods of analysis and information processing. The result of the application of such methods is new information and knowledge about the governing laws of interaction of objects between each other and with the environment and the dynamic of change of their characteristics. The interaction of objects of the subject realm and the dynamic of change of their characteristics permits one to describe the laws of change of the subject realm, which, as a rule, a priori are not known to the observer of the subject realm.
Any video film (video sequence of images) may be looked at as a specifically organized data bank about the subject realm, possessing a specific structure, methods of access and means of analysis and processing of data.
For the most part in such banks of data the analysis and processing of information has a visual character, but at the same time the viewer receives new information and knowledge. The examined class of data is most often generated by means of video mapping of the real subject realm, and thereafter is transferred by channels of connection to multiple consumers, in the capacity of which any person may serve. Regardless of the orientation of video films to the viewer's perspective, there exists a complex problem of analysis and processing of such data during their transfer by connection channels with a series of additional limitations.
The insufficient carrying capacity of the connection channels is responsible for the impossibility of creating a system of compressing video to a high degree with the subsequent decompression after the transmission of the compressed video to the viewer. All known methods of compression consist of two components: the first is connected to the compression of static images, and the second to the compression of a dynamic sequence of video frames. In the first case the structural properties of the image are taken into consideration, while in the second the dependence between successive frames of a video film, determined by inter-frame interaction, is taken into consideration. When video scenes are compressed using techniques based on the theory of wavelet-transformation with the reference-point approach during the compression of static images, the obtained degree of compression is generally insufficient to attain the required degree of compression of a video sequence.
The images of the video sequence in the majority of cases have a stochastic nature. Each image may be represented in the form of two components, one of which has a stochastic, and the other a determinate, character. The correlation dependence between frames, as a rule, is quite significant. If the inter-frame interaction and the presentation of the video as a sequence of scenes that make up a specific subject are calculated correctly, then it succeeds even more on the basis of the calculation of the inter-frame interaction than on the order to increase the degree of compression of the video sequence. The quality of compression of the video to a significant degree depends on the completeness of information about the inter-frame interaction. In a sequence of frames the inter-frame interaction becomes clear not only in the time transfer of information between any successive frames, belonging to one scenario, but also to the transfer of information between any pair of frames from one subject. It should be noted that the time transfer of information does not bear a unique character in the entire realm of each image.
The inter-frame interaction is implemented by means of the transfer of a part of the static component and a part of the dynamic component. In the transition from one image to another a part of the information is lost as a result of the dynamic changes of the objects (distortion, change in position). The remaining part of the image remains unchanged and is transferred from one image to the other in the process of the successive change of frames.
The transferred part of the information is described by complex governing laws. The study and description of such governing laws presents a complex problem. It is possible to isolate the following approaches to its solution:    1. The statistical and correlation analysis of the structure and dynamic of the video sequence;    2. The combinatorial-statistical analysis of the block mechanism for the transfer of information;    3. The analysis of time series of displacement and brightness of groups of pixels, blocks, objects.
The necessity of use of these methods is conditioned by the fact that the results of the analysis may, in a series of events, substantially increase the quality of compression of a video sequence of images, and improve the control of bit rate.

Video sequences correlation and static analysis and scene changing forecasting in motion estimation


An apparatus for controlling operation of auxiliary equipment of a vehicle by receiving an output of a surroundings detection sensor for detecting the surrounding of the vehicle and an output of the vehicle information sensor, for detecting operation of the vehicle, wherein the distance to and the direction of an overtaking vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, or a preceding vehicle and the light intensities of the right and the left headlamps are controlled independently. A plurality of processes required for controlling the vehicle auxiliary equipment are performed by the time division processing.

The present invention relates to a control apparatus for controlling auxiliary equipment of a vehicle such as headlamps, side lamps, and wipers and in particular, to a control device for controlling the vehicle auxiliary equipment according to an output from a sensor detecting the condition around the vehicle.
JP-A-2001-519744 (PCT) and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,994 discloses a system for calculating the headlamp setting light intensity as a function of the distance to a preceding vehicle or to an oncoming vehicle and the horizontal position and performs automatic dimming of the right and left headlamps simultaneously.
Moreover, JP-A-11-112968 discloses a system for connecting an image processing device and a plurality of vehicle electronic devices via an in-vehicle LAN. According to this system, in response to an event request from the vehicle electronic device, an image processing result is sent back from the image processing device so as to operate the vehicle electronic device.
Moreover, JP-A-2002-526317 (PCT) and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,171 discloses a system for reducing the illumination range of the continuously changing lamp of a controller vehicle when a vehicle ahead of the headlamps of the controlled vehicle is in the glare area and otherwise, setting the lamp to the full illumination range.
In the example disclosed in JP-A-2001-519744 (PCT), (U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,994) when a vehicle overtakes a controlled vehicle, in the controlled vehicle, the light intensity of the headlamp opposite to the headlamp of the overtaken side and the headlamp of the overtaken side is reduced to the same light intensity. Accordingly, brightness of the illumination of the overtaken side and the opposite side of the controlled vehicle becomes insufficient.
In the example of JP-A-11-112968, when an event request is made from a vehicle electronic device, the vehicle electronic device is connected to the image processing device by one-to-one connection. Accordingly, when identifying an obstacle of high priority, a walker, and a white line on the road, image acquisition and processing are repeated and it is impossible to effectively operate the image processing device.
In the example of JP-A-2002-526317 (PCT) (U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,171), for example, when an oncoming vehicle suddenly appears ahead, the headlamps of the controlled vehicle are gradually reduced in light intensity and the oncoming vehicle comes into a glare area to dazzle the driver.

Apparatus for controlling auxiliary equipment of vehicle


Disclosed herein is a system for controlling power supply voltage to an on-chip power distribution network. The system incorporates a programmable on-chip sensing network that can be selectively connected to the power distribution network at multiple locations. When the sensing network is selectively connected to the power distribution network at an optimal sensing point, a local voltage feedback signal from that optimal sensing point is generated and used to adjust the power supply voltage and, thus, to manage voltage distribution across the power distribution network. Additionally, the system incorporates a policy for managing the voltage distribution across the power distribution network, a means for profiling voltage drops across the power distribution network and a means for selecting the optimal sensing point based on the policy and the profile. Another embodiment of the system can further control power supply voltages to multiple power distribution networks on the same chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to power distribution networks and, more particularly, to a system and method for continuously adjusting supply voltage to a power distribution network in order to manage voltage distribution across the power distribution network based on policy considerations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Power distribution in advanced technologies is becoming increasingly challenged by higher power densities and higher wire impedances, which can result in power supply voltage drops across a power distribution network. This, coupled with lower operating voltages, is making such power supply voltage (IR) drops a serious design consideration with respect to both power dissipation and performance. It would be advantageous to provide a system and method that can optimize power supply voltage compensation of supply voltage drops based on policy considerations. It would further be advantageous to provide a system and a method that can simultaneously maintain desired relationships between multiple power distribution networks on the same chip based on additional policy considerations.

International Business Machines Corporation


A tool bit suited to use in a machining apparatus for lathing of photoreceptor blanks includes a cutting portion which defines a plurality of projections. During lathing, the projections extend into the blank successively greater distances. When the blank is rotated, each projection cuts a successively radially inward portion of the workpiece. The resulting swarf is thinner and generally easier to handle than for a tool with a single cutting edge, thereby enabling vacuum suction of the swarf.

The exemplary embodiment relates to a tool bit and to a machining apparatus comprising the tool bit. It finds particular application in the machining of extruded raw tubes for forming photoreceptor drums and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the tool finds application in a variety of machining operations.
Photoreceptor drums for imaging devices, such as printers and copiers are typically formed by an extrusion process in which a tube is extruded from aluminum or similar metal. The extruded tube generally has imperfect dimensions and is machined to meet the high tolerance requirements of precision devices. Machining generally involves lathing the outside surface of the drum to ensure roundness, avoid conicity and form a mirror finish. Other machining steps may include removal of material from the inside surface of the ends of the drum to facilitate precise positioning of end caps, cuffing of the ends of the drums to achieve the desired drum length, and so forth.
To produce a smooth finish suitable for use in an imaging device, the tube is typically subjected to a two-stage lathing operation. In the first stage, referred to as the precut, a relatively thick layer is removed from the surface of the tube with artificial diamond tooling. The tube is rotated while the tool bit is moved parallel with the axis of rotation. This generates a helical shaving, often referred to as swarf, which may be approximately 0.2 mm in thickness and up to about 400 m in length, depending on the diameter and length of the tube. The swarf from the precut is difficult to handle because of its weight, helical shape, and sharp edges. Conventional automated vacuum systems are generally unsuited to handling the weight of the swarf from the precut stage so the swarf is often collected in a bin at the back of the lathe and handled manually. This is a labor intensive operation and has to be performed carefully to avoid injuries from the rough cut swarf. In a second stage, referred to as the finish cut, a thin layer, about 0.02 mm in thickness, is removed from the machined tool using natural diamond tooling.


Example information transmission methods and devices are disclosed. One example method is applied to a network device and includes determining CRC bits of to-be-sent information bits, concatenating the CRC bits and the to-be-sent information bits to obtain a first information sequence, and interleaving bits in the first information sequence in an interleaving manner or scrambling the bits in the first information sequence in a scrambling manner, to obtain a second information sequence, to ensure that bits at locations of the CRC bits after a cyclic shift cannot check bits at locations of the to-be-sent information bits after the cyclic shift. A cyclic shift is performed on the second information sequence to obtain a third information sequence, where a quantity of cyclically shifted bits is used to carry information about some bits of a system frame number, and the third information sequence is sent.

For a physical layer broadcast channel (Physical Broadcast Channel, PBCH) that is a physical layer broadcast channel of long term evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE). A network device may send information bits to a terminal through the PBCH, for example, downlink system bandwidth, a physical hybrid automatic repeat request indicator channel (PhysicalHybrid ARQ Indicator Channel, PHICH) configuration, a system frame number (System Frame Number, SFN), and reserved bits. In addition, to enable the terminal to check whether the received information bits are correct, the network device further needs to send, to the terminal, cyclic redundancy check (Cyclic Redundancy Check, CRC) used to check the information bits. To ensure that the terminal can receive the information bits and the CRC bits, the network device repeatedly sends the information bits and the CRC bits four times through the PBCH in a 40 ms period, and same encoded bits are carried each time.
However, because the system frame number in the information bits includes only eight most significant bits of the system frame number, two least significant bits need to be carried in another manner. Currently, a manner of carrying the two least significant bits of the system frame number is as follows: Information repeatedly sent four times is scrambled by using different scrambling sequences, and the two least significant bits of the system frame number may be carried by using the scrambling sequences. However, in the foregoing manner, because the information bits and the CRC bits sent each time are scrambled by using different scrambling sequences, each time the terminal receives the information bits and the CRC bits, the terminal needs to separately try four types of scrambling sequences to determine a scrambling sequence used for the received information bits and CRC bits. As a result, each time the terminal receives the information bits and the CRC bits, the terminal needs to make a plurality of attempts on scrambling sequences to decode the information bits and the CRC bits. Consequently, a delay of obtaining the information bits by the terminal is increased.

CRC bits for information transmission method and device


A method for preparing a trimer of .alpha.-methyl styrene or derivatives thereof, wherein .alpha.-methyl styrene or derivatives thereof is added to an organic solvent comprising Lewis acid is provided. According to the method, the trimer of .alpha.-methyl styrene or derivatives thereof can be obtained in high yield.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing trimer of .alpha.-methyl styrene or derivatives thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been known many methods for preparing an oligomer of .alpha.-methyl styrene or derivatives thereof, including a method using silver fuluoroborate (Japanese Patent Unexamined Application, hereinafter referred to as "J.P.KOKAI" No. Sho 50-157343), a method using an alkyl aluminum, a method using a salt of ultra strong acid (Japanese Patent Publication for Opposition Purpose, hereinafter referred to as "J.P.KOKOKU" No. Sho 57-10851), a method for treating .alpha.-methyl styrene in the presence of sulfonic acid type cation exchange resin under a given temperature (J.P.KOKOKU Hei 4-15771), a method for reacting .alpha.-methyl styrene with heteropoly acid in solid-liquid phase heterogeneous system in the absence of a solvent (J.P.KOKAI Hei 8-12601), a method using an oxygen-containing compound such as water, dihydric alcohol or ether as a reaction adjusting agent in the presence of a solid acid catalyst such as activated clay (J.P.KOKOKU Hei 8-23029).
Polymer Journal, vol. 13, No. 10, p. 947-953 (1981) discloses a method for preparing dimer and trimer of .alpha.-methyl styrene by cation polymerization of .alpha.-methyl styrene in the presence of binary metal oxide such as Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 --TiO.sub.2.

Method for preparing trimer of .alpha.-methyl styrene or derivatives thereof


A portable rescue tool that is powered by an electric motor. The electric motor has a drive output shaft that transfers rotational power to an angle rotary gearbox. The angle rotary gearbox has an output shaft that is oriented about 90 degrees from the rotational axis of the motor output shaft and is geared so as to increase the torque and reduce the speed of the rotational power. The angle rotary gearbox provides a reduced speed, high torque output at an output shaft that is delivered by a single chain drive to a main rotary actuator where two actuator arms are controlled to move away from each other and toward each other in the operation of the rescue tool. The portable rescue tool is designed to be of a low weight and enhanced cooling properties as present rescue tools.

Rescue tools know as "Jaws of Life" type devices are specialized tools used by various rescue personnel such as police, firemen and paramedics generally for the purpose of extricating accident victims from vehicles whose exits have been rendered inoperative. These tools require spreading and closing forces for opening or ripping apart inoperable doors or for cutting through relatively thick metal layers. Pushing or pulling forces of 7,000 to 15,000 pounds at the tips are considered to be normal for the proper operation of such tools.
A rescue tool of the present type is shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,544,862 and 5,520,064 of Hickerson. In those patents, there can be seen a rescue tool that is battery powered and which is capable of high torque spreading and cutting motion of its jaws. While very useful and an improvement in its time, the rescue tool of those patents can be improved upon by reducing its weight to make the device easier to handle and by increasing its efficiency as to heat dissipation so as to lengthen the life of the motor.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a portable rescue tool that can carry out the functions of the rescue tools described in the aforementioned U.S. Patents but which has increased efficiency, lower weight, is less expensive to manufacture and has improved heat dissipation.


A method and apparatus (20) for introducing molecules and macromolecules into a membrane vesicle, a cell or a tissue by (a) applying a train of low unipolar or alternating voltage pulses to molecules/macromolecules and cells, (b) increase the concentration of the molecules/macromolecules at the surface of the cells, leading to an increased interaction of the molecules/macromolecules with the membrane of the cell while also causing electrophoretic movement of charged proteins and lipids in the cell membrane, and (c) causing the destabilization of the cell membrane whereby the molecules/macromolecules penetrate into the cytosol via an endocytic process and via diffusion through structural defects in the membrane lipid bilayer.. The apparatus (20) includes a support plate (36) having apertures (38) for allowing electrodes (22) to pass therethrough. Support tubes (34) located within the apertures (38) slideably surround the electrodes (22). An electric current supplying mechanism (32) connected to the electrodes (22) supplies sufficient electrical current to a cell for facilitating the introduction of molecules or macromolecules into the cell.

In order to introduce molecules into cells, the permeability barrier of the cell membrane must be overcome. Present day research has created two categories of approach for loading cells with otherwise membrane impermeable molecules.
In a first method, low molecular weight molecules are incorporated into cells based either on the employment of lipophilic molecules which are modified into hydrophilic molecules following their penetration into the cytosol by intracellular enzymes, such esterases which act on, in example, the pH indicator 2', 7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl) -5(6)-carboxyfluorescein, acetoxy methyl ester or by adenosine tri-phosphate induced formation of small pores in the membrane.
The second method relates to the incorporation of high molecular weight molecules and is based on several approaches. One approach is the use of chemicals such as detergents, polyethyleneglycol, and lipofectin. Additional approaches include liposome-cell fusion, electroporation, and cell bombardment by coated molecules.
A problem with these methods is that they are either destructive of cells or the methods are inefficient and are of restricted commercial use.
An application requiring the introduction of molecules into cells is the field of gene therapy. In this application, macromolecules, generally DNA, must be introduced into the cell. The cells must be transfected with the DNA leading to transformed viable cells.
While significant progress has been made in manipulating cellular genes, the application to gene therapy has been limited and the field of gene therapy is still not commercially developed. One major limiting factor to apply gene therapy effectively is the need to achieve a very high number of transformed cells. In most cases following transfection, transformation does not occur and neither further selection nor multiplication of cells can be achieved. Thus, the efficiency of transfection resulting in transformation is the rate limiting step for applications of gene therapy.
One successful approach in gene therapy has been to use a gene spliced into a retrovirus as a vector to introduce the gene into the target cell. However, the disadvantage of this strategy is that it involves the multiplication of target cells in vitro. Other limitations of this approach are the limited size of the gene that can be carried by the vector and be implanted and the procedures needed to express only the target gene without the additional expression of the viral genes. This procedure is limited to DNA and does not accommodate other molecular species that could, for example, lead to the intracellular employment of exogenous enzymes, such as restriction enzymes, for gene manipulations.
Fusing liposomes is another approach. The liposomes are loaded with the appropriate genes and are fused with the target cells.
An alternative procedure for the introduction of genes into cells is based on exposing the cells to exogenous DNA in high electric fields, the procedure being known as electroporation. Electroporation can be generally defined as formation of hydrophilic pores through an electrical process where larger pores allow higher permeability. Electroporation utilizes short, high voltage electrical pulses to produce a transient high permeability state (reversible electrical breakdown, REB) which occurs at the beginning of the high permeability state. REB is a decrease in the electrical resistance of a tissue which is caused by brief exposure to an abnormally high transtissue potential.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,034 to Weaver discloses the use of a high voltage, short duration electrical pulse on the tissue surface to produce electroporation of molecules into cells of the tissue.
However, these existing methods suffer from at least one of the following problems:
(1) There is a low efficiency of loading or transfection of high molecular weight molecules (i.e., macromolecules). PA1 (2) The demonstrated loading of macromolecules appears limited to DNA. There is a lack of loading of high molecular weight proteins, enzymes of the molecular weight of 250 kD and higher, as disclosed in the literature. PA1 (3) Many of the extensively used methods involve steps for transfection that have a high rate of cell killings.
The present invention provides an alternative method to the above, which not only enables the incorporation into cells of macromolecules without destruction of the cells, but also provides an efficient introduction of the molecules. The method can be accomplished in vivo or in vitro.
Several prior art electrodes have been used for incorporating molecules into adherent cells (cells growing attached to a surface). One such electrode was based on causing cells to adhere to a first electrode surface and then applying a second electrode on top of the cells adhered to the first. A second prior art electrode was based upon the application of several sets of parallel electrodes which were positioned perpendicular to the surface to which the cells were adhered. The second electrode configuration required electrode-cell contact which created the problem that because the cells were of such small size, in order to insure that the cells were in contact with the two electrodes, the electrodes had to be built to precise tolerances which were difficult to obtain.
The present invention provides an alternative electrode to the above, which not only enables the electrode to be applied to any cell topology, by also is much easier to construct.

Apparatus and method for efficient incorporation of molecules into cells

RAMOT University Authority for Applied Research and Industrial Development


A port control system including a group of port control assemblies at least one of which delaying passage of a plug and at least one of which preventing passage of a plug, each assembly of the group configured to shift a sleeve to open one or more ports responsive to contact with a same sized plug upon fluid pressure differential across the plug; and at least one second group of port control assemblies at least one of which delaying passage of a plug and at least one of which preventing passage of a plug, each assembly of the group configured to shift a sleeve to open one or more ports responsive to contact with a same sized plug upon fluid pressure differential across the plug. A method is included.

In the downhole drilling and completion industry control of the opening of ports in certain sequences or individually can be important to a particular operation. One such operation is fracturing. It is sometimes desirable to "frac" an earth formation for the purpose of increasing the availability of production fluids to the borehole or to increase access of fluids from the borehole to the formation.
Many systems exist for "fracing" most of which use pressure that is significantly higher than that of the downhole pressure where the fracing operation is to take place and direct that pressure through one or more ports. Unfortunately, the process is time consuming and requires a relatively large number of tools be used. Both of these conditions are undesirable because of direct cast and delays, which translate to cost via a lack of revenue. For these reasons, the art is always receptive alternatives that improve efficiency.

System, assembly and method for port control


For automating the operation of an electrophoresis apparatus and improving the throughput, the present electrophoresis apparatus has two platens capable of controlling temperature of electrophoresis plates placed thereon, a loading medium charging unit for sending a loading medium under pressure, a loading medium charging nozzle mechanism having a pair of nozzles connected to the loading medium charging unit, a pipetter mechanism for dispensing samples to sample dispensing openings of the electrophoresis plates placed on the platens, a stacker mechanism for storing sample plates, a loading buffer solution supplying mechanism, a loading buffer solution dispensing mechanism connected to the loading buffer solution supplying mechanism, a power unit for allowing electrophoresis separation for each electrophoresis plate placed on the platens, and a detector for optically detecting components migrating through each electrophoresis flow channel of the electrophoresis plates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrophoresis apparatus which analyzes a trace amount of protein, nucleic acid, drug and the like at high speed and with high resolution in biochemical, molecular biological or clinical fields, for example, in DNA sequencing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for analyzing a trace amount protein or nucleic acid, an electrophoresis apparatus is used. One typical electrophoresis apparatus is a capillary electrophoresis apparatus. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus; however, has a drawback of complicated handling. In order to speed up the analysis and downsize the apparatus, while overcoming the above drawback of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, an electrophoresis member having a flow channel built in a substrate is proposed.
In an early electrophoresis apparatus, an electrophoresis member having only one electrophoresis flow channel is used, and afterward, an electrophoresis plate having a plurality of electrophoresis flow channels for improving the throughput is proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-251680).
In such an electrophoresis plate, two glass substrates are joined and a plurality of very fine electrophoresis flow channels are formed in the joining face.
However, there are a lot of problems to be solved for automating a series of operations for electrophoresis separation such as charging of a loading medium into the electrophoresis flow channels, dispensing of a loading buffer solution to both end parts of the electrophoresis flow channels, dispensing of a sample to one end of each of the electrophoresis flow channels, and application of voltage for electrophoresis separation in the electrophoresis flow channels, using such an electrophoresis plate as described above, and a practically useful electrophoresis apparatus realizing high throughput has not been realized.


A switchable bandpass filter includes a coupled line segment (comb) including a plurality of coupled transmission lines of substantially equal lengths that are each connected or otherwise coupled to the common RF ground at their first end, a plurality of adjustable capacitors each coupled proximate a second end of respective ones of the transmission lines, and a plurality of shunt switches coupled to points along a length of each of the transmission lines. Shunt switches may be implemented by various device technologies including MEMS and FET switches and PIN diodes. The adjustable capacitors may be implemented as an array or tree of switched capacitors using suitable switching components (e.g., as previously enumerated) or by other suitable electrically controllable devices such as varactors or varactor arrays. A differential switchable filter may be formed by the symmetric repetition of individual bandpass filter modules.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to radio systems and, more particularly, to filters with a wide frequency tuning range.
2. Description of Art
Bandpass filters are widely used in electronic communication systems. In conventional radio transceivers with a single standard and fixed band of operation, bandpass filters are designed for a predetermined center frequency and bandwidth. Fixed RF filters are usually realized using lumped element L-C resonators, transmission-line and waveguide resonators, ceramic resonators, surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators, and most recently, film bulk acoustic resonators (FBAR).
In multi-standard single-platform radio applications, such as software-defined radio (SDR) transceivers, however, the frequency range of interest spans nearly two decades. A typical SDR transceiver may cover from approximately 30 and 3000 MHz. This wide frequency range is typically divided into a number of narrower bands. Radio frequency (RF) bandpass filters in the existing SDR transceivers are realized in the form of switchable filter banks. An N-band switchable filter bank is composed of two single-pole-N-throw (SPNT) selector switches and an array of N-fixed-frequency bandpass filters. At a given mode of operation, depending on the frequency of interest, the SPNT switches route the RF signal through only one of the filters, and bypass the rest. As the number of bands is generally large for wideband SDR, the filter bank approach drastically increases the size, weight, and manufacturing cost of the SDR RF front-end. Also, as the filters for different bands are generally implemented using different technologies, integrating a large number of these filters in a single module can be very challenging.
In an alternative scenario, RF filtering can be achieved in a more compact fashion, by using programmable MEMS switched-band filters. Requirements for such filters are often low insertion loss, high linearity, maximum power handling, and minimum complexity. Competing technologies for tunable filter designs are based on using solid-state varactors, p-i-n diode switches, MEMS varactors, and ferroelectric varactors. Varactor-based designs typically suffer from insufficient tuning range and are mostly power inefficient. Switch-based designs using solid state devices typically offer poor performance in terms of insertion loss and linearity.
MEMS-based tunable and switched-band filters reported in the existing literature typically have tuning ranges of less than one octave and narrow bandwidth. MEMS tunable filters have been described by Entasari et al., in "A 12-18-GHz Three-Pole RF MEMS Tunable Filter", IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Volume 53, Issue 8, August 2005 Page(s): 2566-2571, by Pillans et al., in "6-15 GHz RF MEMS tunable filters", 2005 IEEE MTT-S International, 12-17 Jun. 2005 Page(s): 919-922, by Entasari et al. in "A differential 4-bit 6.5-10-GHz RF MEMS tunable filter", IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Volume 53, Issue 3, Part 2, March 2005 Page(s): 1103-1110, by Abbaspour-Tamijani et al. in "Miniature and tunable filters using MEMS capacitors", IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Volume 51, Issue 7, July 2003 Page(s): 1878-1885, by Lee et al., in "Millimeter-wave MEMS tunable low pass filter with reconfigurable series inductors and capacitive shunt switches", IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters [see also IEEE Microwave and Guided Wave Letters], Volume 15, Issue 10, October 2005 Page(s): 691-693, by Fourn et al., in "MEMS switchable interdigital coplanar filter", IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Volume 51, Issue 1, Part 2, January 2003 Page(s): 320-324, and by Carey-Smith et al. in "Wide tuning-range planar filters using lumped-distributed coupled resonators", IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Volume 53, Issue 2, February 2005 Page(s): 777-785, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
MEMS tunable filters with broader tunable ranges have also been described by Allison et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,784,766, incorporated herein by reference.

Compact switchable filter for software-defined radio

Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of Arizona State University


A multi-level film fill industrial size water cooling tower is disclosed having upper and lower film fill packs arranged one above the other, and wherein a self-balancing hot water distribution system is provided for directing flows of hot water from the main supply line to respective distributors which are proportional to flow of hot water in the main supply line. Laterally extending distribution pipes connected to the main supply line in overlying relationship to the film fill packs have restrictor nozzles thereon all located in a common horizontal plane, so that the flow of hot water from all of the nozzles remains proportional to the flow in the main supply line. Each of the restrictor nozzles is vented to the surrounding atmosphere to prevent creation of significant negative pressure on the hot water flowing from each nozzle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to industrial size, multi-level water cooling towers of the type having upper and lower film fill packs arranged one above the other, and wherein a self-balancing hot water distribution system is provided for delivering water from a main supply line to hot water distributors overlying the upper and lower fill packs respectively for directing hot water across the top of each of the packs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,636, assigned to the assignee hereof, illustrates and describes a multi-level film fill industrial cross flow cooling tower having a series of film fill packs arranged in vertically spaced and horizontally offset relationship. The hot water distribution system of the tower in the '636 patent includes a hot water distribution basin overlying the uppermost fill pack for delivering hot water over the top of that pack, and piping leading from the main supply line to a hot water distribution basin directly over the next lower fill pack.
In instances where more than three vertically spaced fill packs are employed, each fill pack below the uppermost fill has piping means for delivering hot water from the main supply line into a distribution basin directly over respective lower fill packs.
Although this system embodied advantageous features over then existing cooling tower art, and particularly as replacement structure for splash type fill structure, the hot water distribution system did not provide for differences in the flow of hot water through the main supply line. Although not detailed in the '636 patent, those skilled in the art understand that appropriate valve means could be provided for selectively controlling the flow of hot water into the distributors overlying respective fill packs, to compensate for variations in the flow of hot water through the main supply line.
However, manually operating such valves in a manner to obtain an even flow of hot water to each of the distributors overlying the multi-level film fill packs is a time consuming and sometimes difficult task, particularly when it is recognized that industrial size towers of the type shown and described in the '636 patent generally have at least two or three cells and may have as many as twelve or more cells. Thus, these towers are tens of feet high and may be hundreds of feet long. Personnel would therefore be required to adjust and readjust the valves until a required flow into each distributor was obtained. This would mean walking up and down the length of the tower a number of times, or provision of a large crew using radio communications. Even then, difficulties would be encountered in obtaining a balanced water flow into the various distributors overlying respective film fill packs, with valve changes being required each time there was a variation in the flow of hot water through the main supply line.

Self-balancing hot water distribution system for multi-level cooling tower


A guide rail for an elevator system may include at least one rail element that is fastened by at least one fastening means to at least one shaft wall of the elevator system. The at least one rail element may be mounted in a movable manner in relation to at least one shaft wall. The at least one rail element can be moved in relation to the at least one shaft wall such that a space behind the at least one rail element and the shaft wall is accessible for inspection purposes. In some cases, the fastening means includes a hinge by which the rail element can swivel relative to the shaft wall.

Guide rails are used in elevator systems for guiding elevator cars along an elevator shaft.
In the case of long shaft lengths, guide rails are typically assembled from individual rail elements during installation.
In the case of elevator systems with linear motors, a large portion of the electrical and electronic equipment of an elevator system is housed in the space between elevator rail and shaft wall.
This compact design, however, has the drawback that the guide rail has to be dismounted from the shaft wall during maintenance work, repairs, or the need to replace the electrical and electronic equipment. Due to the modular design of a guide rail assembled from individual rail elements, in such a case it is often necessary to dismount only individual rail elements and not the entire guide rail. However, the rail elements have to be readjusted during every removal and reinstallation. This causes a substantial labor expense.
It is therefore desirable to be able to perform maintenance and repair work on the elevator electrical and electronic equipment without having to completely dismount the guide rail or individual rail elements of the guide rail and reinstall them again on the shaft wall.
From JP 1106-48672 A rail elements are known which can be rotated about their mounting, by which they are secured to a shaft wall, in order to thus switch between a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in the elevator shaft and to thereby change the direction of travel of an elevator car from the vertical to the horizontal direction and vice versa at the upper and lower end of the elevator shaft.

TK Elevator Innovation and Operations GmbH


In one embodiment, a method of producing an optoelectronic nanostructure includes preparing a substrate; providing a quantum well layer on the substrate; etching a volume of the substrate to produce a photonic crystal. The quantum dots are produced at multiple intersections of the quantum well layer within the photonic crystal. Multiple quantum well layers may also be provided so as to form multiple vertically aligned quantum dots. In another embodiment, an optoelectronic nanostructure includes a photonic crystal having a plurality of voids and interconnecting veins; a plurality of quantum dots arranged between the plurality of voids, wherein an electrical connection is provided to one or more of the plurality of quantum dots through an associated interconnecting vein.

This application is related to processes suitable for producing nanostructures in the form of quantum dots ("QD-s") in silicon (Si). This disclosure is more particularly related to a new process for fabricating nanostructures in the form of QD-s in epitaxially grown silicon.
Quantum dots form when very thin semiconductor films buckle due to the stress of having lattice structures slightly different in size from those of the material upon which the films are grown.
The small size of QD-s results in new quantum phenomena that yield desirable effects. Material properties change dramatically because quantum effects arise from the confinement of electrons and holes in the material. The small size changes other material properties such as the electrical and nonlinear optical properties of a material, making them very different from those of the material's bulk form. Hence, these very small, semiconducting quantum dots provide gateways to an large array of possible applications and new technologies.
Light emission in bulk silicon presents a challenge because Si is an indirect bandgap material, therefore radiative transition requires phonon assistance, and therefore the transition has low probability so that non-radiative processes dominate. A phonon is a quantized mode of vibration occurring in a rigid crystal lattice, such as the atomic lattice of a solid.
Having quantum dots allows overcoming these difficulties by broadening the electron and hole wave functions in momentum space, thereby increasing their overlap in the Brillouin zone, thus allowing direct radiative recombination, and increasing radiative process probability. The Brillouin zone is a property of a crystal whose geometrical shape can be considered to contain the valence electrons of the crystal. Its planes define the location of the band gap in momentum space (k-space).
Difficulties with QD-s previously realized include the fact that QD-s were embedded in an SiO2 matrix, which provides poor conductivity for electrical pumping. Reducing QD separation to improve conductivity (e.g., by tunneling) compromises the dot isolation required for electron/hole quantum confinement, and therefore compromises optical performance. Similar problems with charge transport are encountered in the case of micro-porous Si. In addition, a very thin layer of SiO2 with embedded QD-s is required to maintain low threshold voltage for luminescence, however, having a thin layer means few dots and thus low brightness. Careful passivation of QD surfaces is required to improve stability, but this impairs electron transport (for pumping). Lowering the resistance of the matrix material to improve conductivity appears to lead to the current bypassing QD-s, resulting in compromised pumping efficiency. Further, variation in QD size contributes to line broadening, and further processing is required to place QD-s in an optical cavity as would be required for producing a laser.
What is needed is a process for producing quantum dots which overcomes the above-mentioned problems, and which may be implemented using conventional semiconductor processing techniques.

Fabrication of quantum dots embedded in three-dimensional photonic crystal lattice


A method for measuring an evolution rate of a gas from a sample includes equilibrating a sample with an alkaline solution and a pH indicator and permitting the alkaline solution to absorb formed carbon dioxide in an enclosed headspace. From the pH indicator at equilibrium is determined a time increment at which an increment of the alkaline solution is consumed by the CO2. Carbon dioxide evolution rate is calculated from the time increment, the volume increment, and the alkaline solution concentration. A device for performing this measurement includes a sample vial and a reaction chamber having an opening adapted for mating with a sample vial opening and an opening for receiving the solution. The reaction chamber is dimensioned for equilibrating the sample with the alkaline solution and for determining the time increment required for an increment of the alkaline solution to be consumed by CO2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and method for determining gas evolution rates in solids and liquids, and, more particularly, to such a device and method for determining carbon dioxide evolution rates in a sample.
2. Description of Related Art
Respiration is a common indicator of biological activity. Respirometry, the measurement of respiration rates, has been applied to a broad spectrum of applied and environmental microbiology, such as toxicity, with treatability, process control, and prediction of biological oxygen demand (BOD5) in wastewater treatment, assessment of metal toxicity, living soil microbial biomass, and food quality.
Respiration rates can be measured either by rates of oxygen consumption or CO2 evolution. Rapid oxygen consumption rate can be measured by using an oxygen probe or a quantitative electrolytic cell. Most oxygen respirometers, however, are applicable only to liquid samples. Oxygen respirometers with an electrolytic cell can be used to determine respiration of solid or semisolid samples, but their sensitivity is compromised.
Sensitive and rapid CO2 respirometers based on infrared (ir) detectors have been developed in the past three decades and can handle solid samples with high speed and sensitivity. Instrumental respirometers are technically complicated and expensive if accuracy and sensitivity are needed. Noninstrumental CO2 respirometers operated by an alkaline trap and acid-base titration have been in existence for many years. They are simple but relatively slow, with a measurement time in days, and less sensitive, with a detection limit in mL CO2/day. Sensitive and rapid determination of respiration rates is highly desirable in monitoring microbial activity in food and environmental samples. A desired sensitivity, for example, would comprise one in the microliter CO2 per hour level, and a rapidity of determination within about an hour.

Microrespirometer and associated methods


A new method of fabricating a new vertical bipolar transistor in a protection circuit is disclosed. In the disclosed system, a layer of gate electrode material is formed over a selected surface of a silicon wafer. The gate electrode material is patterned to form gates between an emitter stripe and a base contact within the bipolar transistor. In an example embodiment, the gate as well as the emitter stripe are coupled with an input source such that excess voltage is limited and excess current sunk during ESD events on the input source. A conductive channel under the gate is formed in the presence of an ESD event on the input source. The channel conductance may further be enhanced by introduction of an appropriate dopant material. Sidewall spacers may be formed adjacent to the base/emitter isolation regions. Where the bipolar transistor is a PNP transistor, a light dosage of an n-type dopant may be implanted into the base contact prior to forming the sidewall spacers. In another aspect of the invention, where the bipolar transistor is for example a PNP transistor, a light dosage of a p-type dopant is implanted into the emitter stripe prior to forming the sidewall spacers. Further where the bipolar transistor is for example a PNP transistor, a heavy dosage of a p-type dopant is implanted into the emitter subsequent to sidewall spacer formation, and a heavy dosage of an n-type dopant is implanted into the base contact subsequent to said sidewall spacer formation.

A known problem in integrated circuit design is the need to provide protection from short high current electrical spikes caused by Electro-Static Discharge during handling. For example, such protection is needed in all Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) products. This protection may be provided by introduction of what is referred to as an Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) protection circuit on the input or output lines of a circuit to be protected. Example input or output lines include data, address or power lines leading into the circuit.
Specifically, for a given integrated circuit there is a critical voltage (V.sub.crit) level. If an input to the circuit exceeds the critical voltage level, physical breakdown of the circuit may occur. Such high voltage levels may be encountered for example during handling when no power is applied to the device. In these circumstances, the voltage on the input line must be limited so as not to exceed the critical voltage, and the associated current must be dissipated.
A further requirement in Electro-Static Discharge protection circuits, is that the protection circuit not adversely affect normal operations of the circuit to be protected. Accordingly, the protection circuit must for example not draw excessive current when no voltage spike is present, and not introduce any excessive capacitance or leakage.
In existing systems, diodes have been placed on input or output (I/O) lines of circuits to protect the circuits from voltage spikes. Such diodes have for example been placed between the input source and what is referred to as a "clamp" circuit. The clamp circuit is designed such that if it is connected to the input source directly, the voltage from the input source is limited to below the critical level for the circuit to be protected, and any current associated with excessive voltage is dissipated. In this type of protection circuit, a bipolar transistor may be used as the diode device. Where a bipolar transistor is used, the voltage operational characteristics of the device become more effective as the base and emitter resistance within the bipolar transistor is reduced. Specifically, the transistor will drop a lower voltage at the same current when this resistance is lower, thus lowering the voltage further below V.sub.crit and accordingly providing better protection of the circuit to be protected.
In existing systems for integrated circuit fabrication, protection circuits are formed using a vertical bipolar PNP transistor having base and emitter contacts arranged in alternating stripes on the surface of the device separated by field isolation regions provided by the underlying CMOS fabrication process. For example, shallow trench (STI) or LOCOS field isolation regions are commonly used for this purpose in existing systems. In a typical existing system each emitter stripe is arranged adjacent to two base contacts.
The bipolar transistors resulting from such existing fabrication systems exhibit several disadvantages. The base resistance relevant to performance of a bipolar transistor in general is known to be the sum of the intrinsic base resistance and the extrinsic base resistance. The extrinsic base resistance is the resistance of the base region between approximately the edge of the emitter region and the edge of the base contact. The extrinsic base resistance is accordingly a function of both the distance between the emitter and the base contact, and the resistivity (or doping level) of that region in the base.
In PNP bipolar transistors of protection circuits fabricated using existing systems, the distance between the emitter and the edge of the base contact is determined by the width of the standard field isolation region for the integrated circuit. The doping for the extrinsic base region is the standard N-well doping and other standard CMOS implants of the fabrication process.
The intrinsic base resistance of the bipolar transistor is the resistance of the base beneath the emitter stripe. The intrinsic base resistance is determined primarily by the ratio of area to perimeter in the surface geometry of the emitter stripe. Bipolar transistors in protection circuits fabricated using existing systems have emitter stripe widths that are determined by the spacing between field isolation regions. Such spacing results in an undesirably large ratio of surface area to perimeter in the emitter stripe. Further, the doping of the region beneath the emitter stripe is the standard N-well doping of the fabrication process, for example the N-well doping in a standard p-substrate CMOS fabrication process. Such existing systems fail to provide a base resistance sufficiently low for many applications without using a prohibitively large surface area for the emitter stripes.
For the reasons stated above there is required a new ESD protection circuit and fabrication process. The new protection circuit should include a bipolar transistor having a lower base resistance than is provided by existing fabrication systems. The new fabrication system should provide a new bipolar transistor in a protection circuit having lower extrinsic and intrinsic base resistance while using conventional fabrication process steps. Further, the new bipolar transistor in the protection circuit should advantageously use less geographic area than in existing protection circuits to accomplish the same functionality.

Method for fabricating a high performance vertical bipolar NPN or PNP transistor having low base resistance in a standard CMOS process


A disc brake which is particularly designed for arcuate travel of less than 360 degrees has pie shaped segments, i.e. segments which are not complete circles which are interleaved. Some segments are rotatable about an axis and others are stationary and have friction brake material carried on them at a position remote from the axis of rotation.

This invention relates to electromagnetically actuated mechanical brakes, and more particularly, to such brakes arranged in interleaved stacks.
In the prior art, electromagnetically actuated mechanical brakes having multiple discs are known. These may be operated as follows: normally the discs are forced together by a spring. When current is applied, an armature is attracted toward a magnetic body, thereby compressing the spring and releasing the discs; thus allowing them to be rotated. When current is discontinued to the coil, the spring pushes the armature into engagement with the discs, forcing them together to stop the movement of the load. Thus the device holds the load with the power off.
The discs are complete circles and are generally acted upon by a centrally disposed spring and armature. This configuration is both bulky and heavy. For example, a 360 degree brake to produce 90 foot pounds of torque would have a diameter of approximately 7 inches and weigh approximately 30 pounds.
It is desirable to make such breaks lighter and more compact; so that they can fit into small mechanical devices.


A method for allocating elevators in an elevator system, the elevator system including a group control system responsive to hall calls received from call input devices, and elevator-specific elevator controllers configured to control elevators based on commands issued by the group control system, wherein the method including generating a number of route alternatives based on calls active; calculating, by the elevator controllers, elevator-specific cost terms associated with the route alternatives; transmitting, by the elevator controllers, the cost terms to the group control system; and allocating, by the group control system, the hall calls to the elevators according to the route alternative giving the lowest allocation cost.

High-rise buildings are usually provided with numerous elevators, escalators and other corresponding transport facilities for carrying passengers between different floors. When passengers input elevator calls at floor landings, the elevator group control system allocates elevators (elevator cars) to the passengers on the basis of desired optimization criteria. In an ordinary elevator system, call input is effected using up/down buttons located in elevator lobbies, by means of which the passenger calls an elevator and at the same time indicates the intended traveling direction. Upon arrival of the elevator car at the call input floor, the passenger enters the car and indicates his/her destination floor by means of destination floor buttons provided in the elevator car. However, the above-described call input method is impractical and often inefficient, which is why call input in elevator systems is increasingly implemented using so-called destination call systems, in which each passenger indicates the intended destination floor already at the departure floor, e.g. in the entrance hall, before entering an elevator car. Destination calls are input via a specific destination call terminal using either buttons or an electrically readable identifier. In destination call systems, an allocation decision is generally made immediately upon registration of the call. In traditional elevator systems, in which a call is input using up/down buttons, the allocation decision can be delayed up to a moment when there still remains enough time for the allocated elevator to stop at the call input floor.
The calls input by passengers are thus generally registered in the group control system of the elevator bank, which allocates to the passenger an elevator that best meets the given optimization criteria. Based on the allocation result, the group control system sends the required commands to the elevator controller of the allocated elevator for picking up the passenger from the departure floor and transporting the passenger to the destination floor chosen by the passenger. If the passengers are using an elevator bank consisting of a large number of elevators, e.g. more than eight elevators, the allocation calculation will be a highly calculation-intensive optimization task. Therefore, in the case of prior-art elevator banks in which the allocation task is solved in the group control system of the elevator bank, an optimal allocation result can not necessarily be reached due to lack of time and/or the calculation takes an immoderately long time. There is thus a need for a solution in which the calculation load can be reduced by decentralizing the calculation of optimal elevator routes within the elevator system.

Elevator system configured to decentralize allocation of hall calls