A shelving standard is fabricated from a single plate with portions of the plate folded back on themselves, preferably utilizing roll forming operations. This allows bores formed in the plate before roll forming to be aligned in pairs as through holes when portions of the plate are folded over on themselves. By forming one bore of a pair larger than another, the bore pair becomes a countersunk hole. Such a shelving standard may be screwed to a stud which has a gap therein so that a line of slots in the standard is aligned with the gap. The stud also has a transverse through hole supporting a cross-member. Wall panels are provided with clips which rest on the cross-member so that wall panels may be mounted without being screwed to the stud.

This invention relates to a shelving standard, to a method of making a shelving standard and to a shelving system.
Shelving assemblies are commonly used in a retail environment. An assembly typically comprises a pair of side-by-side vertically disposed slotted shelving standards with cantilever brackets hooked into the slots and shelves resting on pairs of brackets. The assembly is secured to a wall with screws which extend through bores in the standards.
Shelving standards are currently typically formed from three metal pieces: a rectangular plate with a medial line of slots stamped therein, and two L-shaped pieces spot welded to the plate on either side of the line of slots so as to result in a xe2x80x9cΠxe2x80x9d-shaped profile. After welding, bores are drilled through the standard where the L-shaped pieces join to the plate to provide screw holes to affix the standard to a wall. Often the bores are countersunk. Such a standard is of relatively expensive manufacture.
With a shelving standard having a xe2x80x9cΠxe2x80x9d-shaped profile, it is necessary to provide a gap in the wall behind the standard to accommodate the hooks of the brackets which extend through the slots of the standard. Additionally, to ensure a secure mount to a wall, it is preferable to screw a standard into a wall stud. To meet these criteria, in setting up a wall for supporting a shelving assembly, pairs of studs are erected with a small gap between them. Next, a shelving standard is screwed into a pair of adjacent studs such that the medial line of slots overlies the gap between the pair of studs. Now wall panels may be screwed to the studs such that a side edge of a wall panel abuts a depending leg of one of the L-shaped pieces of the shelving standard. Lastly, brackets may be hooked into slots in the shelving standard and shelves erected between brackets of adjacent shelving standards. Such a shelving standard system is relatively costly.
This invention seeks to overcome drawbacks of known methods of forming shelving standards and of known shelving standard systems.
The present invention fabricates a shelving standard from a single plate with portions of the plate folded back on themselves, preferably utilizing roll forming operations. This allows bores formed in the plate before roll forming to be aligned in pairs as through holes when portions of the plate are folded over on themselves. By forming one bore of a pair larger than another, the bore pair becomes a countersunk hole. Such a shelving standard may be screwed to a stud which has a gap therein so that a line of slots in the standard is aligned with the gap. The stud also has a transverse through hole supporting a cross-member. Wall panels are provided with clips which rest on the cross-member so that wall panels may be mounted without being screwed to the stud.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of making a shelving standard comprising: forming a medial line of longitudinal slots in a metal plate; roll forming said metal plate to fold said metal plate into a configuration suitable for use as a shelving standard.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a shelving standard comprising: a web bent from a single plate so as to have a profile with a xe2x80x9cΠxe2x80x9d shape, said xe2x80x9cΠxe2x80x9d shape having a pair of legs and a pair of wings, each wing having a lower layer from which one of said legs depend and an upper layer overlying said lower layer; a plurality of slots in said web between said pair of legs; a plurality of bores in said upper layer of said each wing and a plurality of bores in said lower layer of said each wing, said bores in said upper layer aligned with said bores in said lower layer so as to form through holes in said each wing.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a shelving system, comprising: a wall stud having a wall with a gap or indentation; a shelving standard having a xe2x80x9cΠxe2x80x9d-shaped profile with a base and a pair of depending legs and a line of slots extending along said base between said legs; said base of said standard joined to said stud across said gap or indentation of said stud such that said slots are aligned with said gap or indentation.


Systems and methods for securing protected content are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises determining, at a computing device, that a first digital data includes protected content; determining that an unsecured rendering target is an output destination of the first digital data; masking, in response to determining that the unsecured rendering target is the output destination of the first digital data, the protected content of the first digital data to produce a second digital data, wherein at least a portion of the second digital data is masked protected content; overlaying unprotected content on the masked protected content to produce a third digital data, wherein at least a portion of the third digital data is the unprotected content overlaying the masked protected content; and outputting, for display at the unsecured rendering target, the third digital data.

It is commonly recognized that protected content is susceptible to unauthorized use, copying and distribution and may be copied without loss or degradation of quality. In addition, the widespread availability of computing devices such as personal computers and mobile phones has increased the ability to acquire, copy and distribute protected content. The owners of the protected content often impose restrictions on the use of the protected content. One common restriction is to prevent protected content from being distributed to an unsecured rendering target such as an unsecured display device or copied to a screenshot. These restrictions become even more complex when, for instance, the protected content of one computing device is mirrored to an unsecured rendering target such as an external display device or another computing device. Accordingly, there is a need for techniques to secure protected content. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and the foregoing technical field and background.


A method, a device, and a non-transitory storage medium are described in which a mapping table is transmitted to a user device. The mapping table includes, for each entry, an index, a frequency band, and wireless services available on the frequency band. Index information corresponding to a frequency band and wireless service available in a location associated with the user device is communicated to the user device. An icon associated with the wireless service is displayed on a display of the user device. A network device determines that the user device is using the wireless service to communicate via a wireless network and transmits, to a core network, an indication that the user device is using the wireless service on the frequency band.

In Fifth Generation (5G) networks, different services may be provided on different frequency bands. Currently, the upper layers of a user device may not be aware of frequency bands and/or services available to the user device in order to display an icon indicating available bands and services. In addition, currently the core network may not be aware of which frequency band a user device is using. Therefore, the core network may be unable to apply appropriate policies for the services being used by the user device.

System and method for 5G service icon display and quality of service enforcement


A pneumatic pressure probe for use in measuring pulsatile ocular blood flow comprises a housing consisting of an air tight bearing defining a pressure chamber, a piston having an axial bore communicating with the pressure chamber, the proximal end of the piston carrying a counter balancing weight and being received in the pressure chamber and the distal end of the piston extending outwardly of the housing and carrying a disposable sensing head. A transparent membrane is integrally attached to the sensing head and is substantially perpendicular to the piston axial bore and an interior channel through which light is emitted to the membrane from an LED mounted in the housing. The probe allows the patients visual axis to be aligned with the axial bore of the piston by focusing on the light source during measurement enabling the applanated comae and sensing membrane to be maintained substantially parallel and substantially perpendicular with the axial bore of the piston.

This invention relates to pneumatic pressure probes for use, in particular, though not exclusively, in measuring change in intra-ocular pressure and in measuring pulsatile ocular blood flow.
More specifically this invention is concerned with pneumatic pressure probes, also known as pneumotonometers. These are similar to applanation tonometers which operate on the principle of applanation, or flattening, of the cornea in order to monitor pressure changes in the eye. (In fact pneumotonometers tend to indent the cornea as well as flatten it, but the magnitude of this indentation is microscopic). As the pressure in the eye changes the pressure required to applanate the cornea changes proportionately. When used in combination with a pressure sensing device, which may, for example, be incorporated in a computerised tonograph, analogue electronic signals representing continuous intra-ocular pressure changes may be produced and processed in order to calculate a value representing the pulsatile blood flow through the eye.
It has been demonstrated that ocular blood flow is of significant importance in research into, and also potentially for diagnosing and monitoring treatment of, many ocular conditions including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and arteriosclerosis,as well as vascular abnormalities such as carotid stenosis.
European Patent number EP 0315329 describes an applanation-type pneumatic pressure probe for use in measuring fluid pressure within an organ such as an eye. This probe comprises a hollow handle defining a pressure chamber, a hollow shaft which is slidably received within the handle, and a sensor head including a contact face, mounted on a distal end of the shaft. A proximal end of the shaft is received in the pressure chamber but is not influenced by the pressure within the chamber. However, this probe design has many inherent performance problems associated with, in particular, undesirably high friction levels between the hollow handle and the piston. The piston is relatively long in comparison to the sensor head, which is itself relatively large and heavy in relation to the piston, especially where the piston and sensor head are made largely of metal. Furthermore, many problems are associated with the relatively high weights of the component parts of the probe and the relative dimensions of these parts.
Further problems with this known probe design arise from the fact that the piston is prone to damage, especially by bending, due to its relatively long length. A bent probe will not move freely in relation to the shaft, resulting in very poor measurements.
In order to obtain sufficiently accurate measurements, the contact face of the sensor head should be aligned substantially parallel to the applanated cornea, substantially perpendicular to the visual axis of the patient. However, with no means to ensure that the patient is correctly aligned with the probe and sensor head, variable results are often obtained due to poor alignment.
Furthermore, this known probe must be used in combination with a removable membrane mounted on the sensor head, in order to avoid direct contact between the patient's eye and the contact face of the sensor head (for hygiene reasons). Every time the membrane must be removed for cleaning, subsequent replacement of the membrane often results in incorrect seating of the membrane on the sensor head. Since the seating of the membrane is critical to the measurements obtained from the probe, with no means for guaranteeing that the seating of the membrane is constant, the repeatability of probe measurements cannot be ensured.


An ordered ceramic microstructure and a method of making the same. In one embodiment, the ceramic microstructure includes a base structure and one or more ceramic layers. The base structure includes a plurality of first truss elements defined by a plurality of first self-propagating polymer waveguides and extending along a first direction, a plurality of second truss elements defined by a plurality of second self-propagating polymer waveguides and extending along a second direction, and a plurality of third truss elements defined by a plurality of third self-propagating polymer waveguides and extending along a third direction. Here, the first, second, and third truss elements interpenetrate each other at a plurality of nodes to form a continuous material, and the base structure is self-supporting. In addition, the ceramic layers coat a surface of at least one truss element of the first truss elements, the second truss elements, or the third truss elements.

Ceramic foams can have the form of a polymer foam while being made of a sintered ceramic. They are stable at high temperatures and have attractive strength to weight ratios. However, ceramic foams are not ordered microstructures and suffer from the random interconnections in their form, thereby reducing the strength of the materials. If a material could be formed on an ordered microstructure instead of a disordered microstructure, a stronger material with possibly lower mass could be formed.
As such, there is a need for a ceramic material having an ordered microstructure.


Apparatus for detecting the envelope of an RF signal that comprises an RF transistor operating essentially at a non-linear operating point at the RF frequency range; a DC power supply for feeding the RF transistor; a dummy load for terminating the output of the RF transistor; and at lease one impedance, through which the DC power supply feeds the RF transistor, for obtaining an indication signal developed across the impedance. The indication signal represents the envelope, from the fluctuating current drawn by the RF transistor from the DC power supply during the time period when the RF signal is applied to the feeding input.

Conventional communication systems employ RF power amplifies for controlling the magnitude of transmitted signals. Such RF power amplifiers sometimes require the detection of the level of input signals to, or output signals from, said amplifiers, in order to allow the adaptation of their performance to varying signal levels. Such requirement is disclosed, for example, in WO 01/67598, which discloses an RF power amplifier that changes its operation mode whenever the level of the input signal to said power amplifier exceeds a predetermined threshold level. Therefore, prompt reliable detection of signal levels is essential for optimal operation of such amplifier.
A conventional technique for the detection of RF signals employs diode-based detector based detectors. However, such detector diodes are usually capable of handling low-power signals, in the order of mW, which are typical levels in various laboratory equipment and in communications receivers. In recent years, high performance RF power amplifiers have been developed, which are capable of handling transmission in the KW power range. Consequently, the ancillary circuitry designed for properly controlling such power amplifiers are often required to detect much higher levels of RF signals, such as to output pulses, in the order of several Watts. Therefore, whenever diode-based detectors are used to detect the envelope of an RF signal, this envelope should also be amplified (since the actual detected signal is the mean value of the envelope), resulting in a substantial delay, which is unacceptable when fast occurring changes in the amplitude of the RF signal should be detected and used for control.
The method described above has not yet provided satisfactory solutions to the problem of real-time amplitude detection of high level RF signals, amplified by an RF power amplifier.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for detecting the amplitude of high level RF signals, essentially without delay.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for detecting the amplitude of high level RF signals, and outputting corresponding high-level envelope signals.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Methods and apparatus for detecting the envelope of RF power signals


The present invention provides a novel surface-treated molybdenum compound powder and provides a prepreg, a laminate, a metal foil laminate, a printed wiring board, and the like that have a low thermal expansion coefficient in the planar direction, and excellent drillability, heat resistance, and flame retardancy. The surface-treated molybdenum compound powder of the present invention has at least part of the surface thereof coated with an inorganic oxide, and this is used as a filler.

In recent years, higher integration, higher functionality, and higher density mounting of semiconductors widely used in electronic equipment, communication instruments, personal computers, and the like have been increasingly accelerated. Therefore, the demand for higher performance of a thermal expansion coefficient, drillability, heat resistance, flame retardancy, and the like in laminates for semiconductor plastic packages has increased more than ever before.
In addition to these, a reduction in the thermal expansion coefficient of the laminate in the planar direction has been strongly required, particularly in recent years. This is because, if the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between a semiconductor device and a printed wiring board for a semiconductor plastic package is large, when a thermal shock is applied, warpage occurs in the semiconductor plastic package due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient, and poor connection occurs between the semiconductor device and the printed wiring board for a semiconductor plastic package, and between the semiconductor plastic package and the mounted printed wiring board.
Conventionally, methods of relatively highly blending an inorganic filler in a resin composition in order to decrease the thermal expansion coefficient while satisfying various properties required of a laminate have been known (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 and 2). However, a problem of these methods is that the cured product of the resin composition is hard and brittle, and therefore, when a laminate obtained using this is drilled, the drillability is worsened, for example, the hole position precision decreases, the drill bit wears quickly and thus the frequency of the replacement of the drill bit increases, and the breakage of the drill bit is likely to occur.
On the other hand, as methods for improving the drillability of a laminate, methods of blending a molybdenum compound, such as zinc molybdate or calcium molybdate, in a resin composition have been known (for example, see Patent Literature 3).

Molybdenum compound powder, prepreg, and laminate


A shock-absorbing suspension device includes a mounting rod mounted on a wheeled vehicle frame, a wheel rod mounted on a vehicle wheel axle and forward of the mounting rod, a counteracting member pivotally mounted on the mounting rod and having upper and lower linked ends disposed forward of the wheel rod, upper and lower linking bars coupling the upper and lower linked end to the wheel rod to thereby form a four-bar linkage mechanism, a cantilever arm extending forward from an upper end of the mounting rod to terminate at a bearing end, and a force transmitting member coupled with the four-bar linkage mechanism to thereby minimize the impact of shock to the mounting rod.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a shock-absorbing suspension device for a wheeled vehicle, more particularly to a shock-absorbing suspension device for coupling a frame of the wheeled vehicle with a wheel axle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional shock-absorbing suspension device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 913,961 includes upper and lower vertically swinging links which are loosely connected between a front fork and a steering head of a bicycle frame, and a spring cushioning member which is disposed between a crossbar of the front fork and the steering head so as to absorb or cushion shocks and jars transmitted to the bicycle frame due to passing of the bicycle over rough and uneven roadways.
However, since the moving stroke of the swinging links is short, a large amount of shock is still transmitted to the bicycle frame, thereby reducing the shock absorbing of the device.

Four-bar linkage suspension device for a wheeled vehicle


A power supply circuit for supplying a voltage to a counter electrode which faces a pixel electrode in an electro-optic device, an electro-optic material being disposed between the counter electrode and the pixel electrode, includes: an operational amplifier which drives the counter electrode; and an operational amplifier control circuit which controls at least one of a slew rate and an electric current drive capacity of the operational amplifier. The operational amplifier control circuit increases at least one of the slew rate and the electric current drive capacity of the operational amplifier, during a control time starting at a start timing of a write-in to the pixel electrode, and brings the slew rate and the electric current drive capacity of the operational amplifier back to the state prior to the control time after passing the control time.

The present invention relates to a power supply circuit, a display driver, an electro-optic device and an electronic apparatus.
An active-matrix liquid crystal display device has a plurality of scanning lines and data lines formed in matrix. It also has a plurality of switching elements, each of which is connected to a scanning line and a data line, and a plurality of pixel electrodes, each of which is connected to a switching element. The pixel electrodes are facing the counter electrodes through liquid crystal (in a broader sense, electro-optic material).
In a liquid crystal display device with such a structure, a voltage, supplied to the data line through the switching element activated by the selected scanning line, is applied to the pixel electrode. Then, corresponding to the voltage applied between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode, the transmittance of the pixel changes.
The liquid crystal in liquid crystal display devices needs to be driven in alternating current, so as to prevent the deterioration thereof. Therefore, a polarity inversion drive is performed in liquid crystal display devices, in which the polarity of the voltage between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode is inverted once per frame or at least once per horizontal scanning period. The polarity inversion drive is implemented by, for example, changing the voltage supplied to the counter electrode in synchronization with the polarity inversion timing.
Using operational amplifiers is an example of implementing the aforementioned polarity inversion drive by supplying a boosted voltage to the counter electrode with its charge pump operation.
JP-A-2002-366114 is an example of related art.
In the active-matrix liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal is inserted between the pixel electrodes and the counter electrodes, and the pixel electrodes and the counter electrodes are linked with capacitance component. Therefore, when the voltage supplied to the data line is applied (written in) to the pixel electrode via the switching element selected by the scanning line, the voltage level of the counter electrode changes at the time of voltage application, along with voltage fluctuation of the pixel electrode.
In this case, the operational amplifier can bring the voltage level of the counter electrode back to its original value at the write-in time of the pixel electrode, by increasing the output capacity of the operational amplifier (slew rate and electric current drive capacity). However, the output capacity enhancement of the operational amplifier results in an increase in power consumption.
In recent years, there has been a study to make the pixel finer and to attain a smaller display panel size, by forming a display panel (in a broader sense, an electro-optic device) typically a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel with a Low Temperature Poly-Silicon (hereafter LTPS) process (a type of manufacturing process). With the LTPS process, a part or all of the driving circuit of the display panel can be formed directly on the panel substrate (for instance, a glass substrate), on which the pixel including the switching element (for instance, a Thin Film Transistor, or TFT), is formed.
For instance, a display panel utilizing the mobility of electric charge in the LTPS, may be provided with a demultiplexer that connects one data signal supply line to any one of the data lines for R, G, and B components; where, a data signal (drive voltage) is supplied to the data signal supply line, and the data lines for R, G, and B components can be connected to the pixel electrode of the R, G and B components (first through third color components composing one pixel). In this case, a multiplexed signal, into which the data signals for the R, G, and B components are handled with time-division, is supplied to the demultiplexer. Thereafter, the data signals for the color components are sequentially switched and output into the data lines for the R, G, and B components by the demultiplexer, and written in to the pixel electrode provided for each color component. Such configuration allows a reduction of the number of terminals for outputting the data signal to the data line from the driving circuit. Therefore, it is possible to cope with the data line number increase, which is the result of pixels fining, without being limited by a narrow pitch between the terminals.
However, in the case of driving the display panel provided with such a demultiplexer, the write-in time to the pixel electrode becomes all the more shorter, in comparison to the case of driving a normal display panel. Accordingly, it is necessary to further shorten the time of bringing the fluctuated (as described above) voltage level of the counter electrode back to its original value. In order to shorten the time, the output capacity of the operational amplifier that drives the counter electrode needs to be enhanced all the more, resulting in a further increase in power consumption.

Power source circuit, display driver, electro-optic device and electronic apparatus


Methods and apparatus for adjusting an alignment of a movable component relative to a substrate holder. An alignment tool is placed on the substrate holder. A nozzle is coupled with the movable component. The movable component and the nozzle are positioned such that a planar surface of the movable component contact a planar surface of the alignment tool, and the nozzle has a non-contacting relationship with the alignment tool. The planar surface of the movable component is leveled to be parallel with the planar surface of the alignment tool.

The invention relates generally to semiconductor processing and, in particular, to apparatus and methods for centering and leveling components in a fluid dispensing apparatus, such as a coater.
A coater is used to apply resist layers during photolithography processing used to manufacture integrated circuits. Photolithography is a standard technique utilized during the manufacture of chips to transfer geometric shapes and patterns from a mask to one or more layers of material on a wafer. The basic photolithographic process includes exposing a sacrificial layer of a radiation-sensitive material, such as a light-sensitive photoresist layer, to a light source (e.g., a deep ultraviolet light source) projected through a patterned mask and then developing the exposed radiation-sensitive material to, for example, remove the exposed material and impart the pattern to the sacrificial layer. Among its other functions, a coater is used to dispense solutions, such as a solution containing the radiation-sensitive material, dispensed from a nozzle onto the top surface of a rotating wafer, which is held on and spun by a spin chuck.
Apparatus and methods are needed for use with existing coaters and other types of fluid dispensing apparatus to provide component centering and leveling.

Nozzle alignment tool for a fluid dispensing apparatus


A manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins is provided that can prevent deformation of a metal strip when the metal strip is conveyed by a feeding pin.

A heat exchanger, such as an air conditioner, is typically constructed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger fins, in which a plurality of through-holes is drilled to enable heat exchanger tubes to be inserted.
Such heat exchanger fins are manufactured by a manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins illustrated in FIG. 7.
The manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins is equipped with an uncoiler 12 where a thin metal plate (metal strip) 10 made of aluminum or the like has been wound into a coil. The metal strip 10 pulled out from the uncoiler 12 via pinch rollers 14 is inserted into an oil applying apparatus 16 where machining oil is applied onto the surface of the metal strip 10, and is then supplied to a mold 20 provided inside a press apparatus 18.
The mold 20 internally includes an upper mold die set 22 capable of up-down movement and a lower mold die set 24 that is static. In the metal strip 10 having passed through this mold 20, a plurality of collar-equipped through-holes 15 (also referred to simply as through-holes in the present specification in some cases), where collars of a predetermined height are formed around the drilled through-holes, are formed at predetermined intervals in a predetermined direction.
Such metal strip 10 is, after being conveyed in a predetermined direction for a predetermined distance, cut into a predetermined length by a cutter 26 and then accommodated in a stacker 28.
In a press apparatus 18, a feeding apparatus 31 that intermittently conveys the metal strip 10 in which the plurality of through-holes 15 is formed at the predetermined intervals in the predetermined direction is provided in a direction of a cutter 26.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the feeding apparatus 31 conveys the metal strip 10 in the conveying direction by causing a feeding pin 29 to enter the through-hole 15 formed in the metal strip 10 from below and moving the feeding pin 29 in the conveying direction.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the metal strip 10 has been conveyed to a predetermined position, the feeding pin 29 is lowered and removed from the inside of the through-hole 15. Then, the feeding pin 29 moves in a direction opposite to the conveying direction (return direction) so as to return to an initial position while keeping a position not in contact with the metal strip 10.

Manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins

Abstract: In a manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins, including a press apparatus having a mold that forms a metal strip by pressing a plurality of through-holes or a plurality of cutaway portions on a thin metal plate and a first feeding apparatus arranged on the downstream side of the mold for conveying the metal strip formed by the mold to the downstream side in the conveying direction, a second feeding apparatus that conveys a thin metal plate before press working by the mold into the mold in synchronization with a conveying operation of the first feeding apparatus is provided on the upstream side of the press apparatus.


A rodless power cylinder assembly comprising a cylinder having a pair of side walls, at least two bearing grooves being formed in each of the side walls, each bearing groove extending substantially parallel to a bore. Each bearing groove is operative to receive at least a portion of a bearing which engages a trolley assembly. A slot extends outwardly from the bore through the upper surface of the cylinder. Means are provided for sealing the slot during the reciprocal movement of the piston, the means including at least one external groove formed in the upper surface of the cylinder and at least one internal groove formed in the bore of the cylinder, the internal groove being disposed substantially below and in vertical alignment with the external groove. An external seal having at least one downwardly extending ridge is operative to engage the external groove and an internal seal having at least one upwardly extending ridge is operative to engage the internal groove, the internal and external seals thereby sealing the slot during the reciprocal movement of the piston.

Rodless power cylinders utilize fluid pressure to move a piston reciprocally within a longitudinal bore of a cylinder. A longitudinal slot extends along the length of the bore and from the bore through the upper portion of the cylinder. It is important that the slot in the cylinder be sealed during movement of the piston to prevent fluid leakage and to maintain the proper fluid pressures within the cylinder. The movement of the piston within the cylinder is transferred exteriorly of the cylinder by a bracket assembly which is connected at one end to the cylinder and extends through the longitudinal slot in the cylinder. The other end of the bracket is mechanically connected to a trolley assembly which slidably engages the exterior of the cylinder. The trolley assembly stabilizes the movement of the piston within the bore and provides the means for using the movement of the piston to perform work. As the fluid pressure within the bore is varied, the piston moves reciprocally within the cylinder and its motion is transferred, via the bracket, through the slot to the trolley.
Sealing of the slot and the stability of the piston during its reciprocal movement frequently create difficulties which result in inefficiencies in the rodless power cylinder. A variety of solutions have been proposed to maintain an adequate seal of the slot and the stability of the piston during movement.
The slot in the cylinder in prior art rodless cylinders is frequently sealed through an arrangement utilizing two seals. These seals lock either to each other or to the cylinder, one seal being disposed outside the bore and the other seal being disposed within the bore. One configuration where the seals lock to the cylinder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,494 to Migliori, where a pair of reinforced strips are utilized to seal the outside and the inside of the slot. The strips include ridges which sealingly engage offset grooves formed in the cylinder. The offset placement of the these grooves does not effectively utilize the minimal amount of available space in the upper portion of the cylinder.
It is also important that the trolley assembly stabilizes the piston during its reciprocal movement. While most prior art devices utilize a single linear bearing disposed between each side of the cylinder and the trolley, in many applications this is insufficient to maintain the desired degree of stability. Thus, there remains a need for a rodless power cylinder which includes means for successively sealing the slot during the reciprocal movement of the bracket while effectively utilizing the space of the upper portion of the cylinder and enhancing the stability of the piston during its movement.


Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a secondary intake throttle based on condensate formation in a charge air cooler, the secondary throttle positioned upstream of the charge air cooler. In one example, a method may include decreasing an opening of the secondary intake throttle in response to increased condensate accumulation within the charge air cooler. The method may further include adjusting a primary throttle positioned in an intake manifold based on the condensate accumulation and torque demand.

Engines may utilize a turbocharger or supercharger to compress ambient air entering the engine in order to increase power. Compression of the air may cause an increase in air temperature, thus, an intercooler or charge air cooler (CAC) may be utilized to cool the heated air thereby increasing its density and further increasing the potential power of the engine. Condensate may form in the CAC when the ambient air temperature decreases, or during humid or rainy weather conditions, where the intake air is cooled below the water dew point temperature. Further, when the charge air entering the CAC is boosted (e.g., an induction pressure and boost pressure are greater than atmospheric pressure), condensate may form if the CAC temperature falls below the dew point temperature. As a result, condensate may collect at the bottom of the CAC, or in the internal passages of the CAC. When torque is increased, such as during acceleration, increased mass air flow may strip the condensate from the CAC, drawing it into the engine and increasing the likelihood of engine misfire and combustion instability.
Other attempts to address condensate formation include restricting intake air travelling through the CAC or restricting ambient air flow to the CAC in order to increase the temperature of CAC air. One example approach is shown by Craig et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,831. Therein, the intake air temperature is controlled by an ambient air flow restriction system and an intake air flow restriction system. A controller defines the position of these restriction devices and is connected to a plurality of sensors which measure different variables such as ambient air and intake air temperatures.
However, the inventors herein have recognized potential issues with such systems. Specifically, blocking or restricting cold air from flowing through the CAC may be challenging and expensive to implement. Further, cooling airflow flowing toward the CAC may also be used to cool other engine system components. Thus, restricting cooling airflow to the CAC may also restrict cooling airflow to the other engine system components.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a method for adjusting a secondary throttle positioned downstream of a compressor and upstream of a charge air cooler responsive to condensate forming conditions at the charge air cooler. For example, adjusting the secondary throttle may include decreasing an opening of the secondary throttle in response to a condensate level in the CAC increasing above a threshold level. Decreasing the opening of the secondary throttle may decrease the pressure, and subsequently the relative humidity, at the CAC. As a result of decreasing the CAC pressure, the condensate level within the CAC may decrease, thereby reducing the likelihood of unstable combustion and/or engine misfire due to condensate ingestion.
As one example, the secondary throttle is positioned within an intake passage of an engine, upstream of the primary throttle and CAC and downstream of a compressor. The primary throttle may be adjusted based on torque demand during engine operation when the condensate level is greater than the threshold level. Further, the secondary throttle may be fully open during this time. However, when the condensate level in the CAC increases above the threshold level, an engine controller may decrease the opening of the secondary throttle if the primary throttle is not fully open (as required by torque demand). The engine controller may also increase the opening of the primary throttle in order to compensate for decreasing the opening of the secondary throttle and continue to provide the demanded torque. The secondary throttle position may be reduced for a duration until the condensate level decreases and/or until torque demand increases requiring a larger opening of the secondary throttle. In this way, adjusting the positions of the primary throttle and the secondary throttle may reduce condensate accumulating within the CAC, thereby reducing the likelihood of condensate-related engine misfire events.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Method and systems for reducing charge air cooler condensate using a secondary intake throttle


An exemplary liquid crystal display (2) includes a liquid crystal panel (20) and a drive integrated circuit (IC) (21). The liquid crystal panel includes a plurality of circuit pads (202), a first positional mark (2031), and a second positional mark (2032). The drive IC includes a plurality of metal bumps (210) respectively electrically connected to the circuit pads of the liquid crystal panel, a first sideline (2131), and a second sideline (2132) oriented at an angle relative to the first sideline. A distance from the first positional mark to a nearest one of the circuit pads is equal to a distance from the first sideline to a nearest one of the metal bumps. A distance from the second positional mark to a nearest one of the circuit pads is equal to a distance from the second sideline to a nearest one of the metal bumps.

With the ongoing development of semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit (IC) has been applied to various kinds of electronic equipment, including a liquid crystal display (LCD). There are three main conventional technologies for bonding an IC onto a liquid crystal panel of an LCD: chip on glass (COG), tape carrier package (TCP), and chip on film (COF).
Referring to FIG. 8, a typical LCD 1 includes a liquid crystal panel 10, and a plurality of drive ICs 11. The liquid crystal panel 10 has a plurality of wires 101. Ends of the wires 101 are gathered at a plurality of bonding regions 100, which are defined at two sides of a periphery of the liquid crystal panel 10. The drive ICs 11 are bonded on the bonding areas 100 of the liquid crystal panel 10, and are electrically connected to the ends of the wires 101.
Referring also to FIG. 9, the wires 101 are strip-shaped metal layers formed on the liquid crystal panel 10. Each of the wires 101 includes a circuit pad 102, which is formed at the end of the wire 101 and disposed in the corresponding bonding region 100.
Referring also to FIG. 10, each drive IC 11 includes a plurality of metal bumps 110 formed on a bottom surface thereof. The metal bumps 110 are made from gold or lead, and are electrically connected to the circuit pads 102 of the wires 101 so as to electrically connect the drive IC 11 and the wires 101. An anisotropic conductive film (ACF) 13 is used to bond the drive IC 11 onto the corresponding bonding region 100 of the liquid crystal panel 10.
With increased precision of manufacturing of the wires 101, a pitch between any two adjacent wires 101 can be reduced. However, when the drive IC 11 is bonded onto the bonding region 100 of the liquid crystal panel 10, there is a risk of bonding deviation as between the metal bumps 110 of the drive IC 11 and the circuit pads 102 of the wires 101. If bonding deviation occurs, this may cause short circuits, which in turn means that the electrical performance of the LCD 1 is likely to be impaired. Therefore when the drive ICs 11 are bonded onto the bonding regions 100, accurate positioning is necessary. Typically, precision apparatuses and accurate operation of the apparatuses are needed. Thus the cost of fabricating the LCD 1 may be unduly high.
Therefore, a new liquid crystal display that can overcome the above-described problems is desired.

Liquid crystal display with positional marks for bonding drive IC


A sleeping bag includes a top cover and bottom sheet. The bottom sheet can be secured to a sleeping pad and includes a sheet portion and lateral flaps connected to the sheet portion along opposite lateral edges of the sleeping pad when the bottom sheet is secured thereto. The top cover and lateral flaps enable attachment, detachment, and reattachment of the lateral flaps along their lateral edges to a top cover outer surface along corresponding attachment paths displaced medially from top cover lateral edges, enabling a top cover headward portion to assume wrapped and expanded configurations, and enabling conversion between those configurations. When wrapped, headward portions of the top cover outer surface, that are lateral of the attachment paths, are positioned against the sheet portion; when expanded, the lateral flaps and lateral portions of the top cover extend upward or laterally away from the sleeping pad lateral edges.

A variety of conventional sleeping bags exist, including rectangular sleeping bags, semi-rectangular sleeping bags, and mummy-type sleeping bags. Larger bags are more comfortable and allow more freedom of movement, but smaller bags are more thermally efficient due to a smaller interior volume that must be heated by the user's body heat. A user is therefore forced to compromise, or to acquire multiple different bags suitable for different temperature conditions; a given conventional sleeping bag cannot be readily adapted to even a moderate range of temperature conditions. Even if a larger bag is suitable for the temperature conditions, a sleeping bag is still more restrictive and less comfortable than traditional bedding, and does not readily accommodate a full range of different sleeping positions.
A sleeping bag is typically used in conjunction with a sleeping pad. Movement of the user while sleeping can result in the user in the sleeping bag rolling or sliding off of the sleeping pad. The sleeping pad typically provides at least some degree of thermal insulation under the sleeper, which is well, because the compressible insulation of the sleeping bag loses its thermally insulating properties when compressed by the weight of the user. The weight of the sleeping bag insulation that ends up beneath the user is effectively dead weight.


An adjustable spoiler includes a front portion and a rear portion having leading and trailing edges, respectively, in parallel alignment. An extension actuator is operably connected to the front and rear portions for selectively extending or retracting a distance between said portions. A stretchable fabric covers the front and rear portions and extends therebetween. The adjustable spoiler includes a processor and a user interface for energizing the extension actuator to adjust the front and rear portion configuration. A moisture sensor may be connected to the processor for adjusting the spoiler upon sensing moisture on a roadway. A brake sensor may also be connected to the processor for actuating adjustment upon activation of a vehicle brake. The adjustable spoiler may include a tilt sensor for adjusting the vertical configuration of a leading or trailing edge of the front or rear portion.

This invention relates to automobile spoilers and, more particularly, to an automobile spoiler that allows a driver to adjust spoiler configurations to optimize characteristics based on environmental driving conditions. The spoiler may be preset for automatic adjustments based on road conditions or allow a driver to manually adjust spoiler positions.
Various devices and systems have been proposed in the art for adjusting the aerodynamics of a vehicle spoiler so as to optimize its performance in various road conditions. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices and systems do not selectively provide for both automatic spoiler adjustments based on current road conditions or manual adjustments by the driver. Further, the existing devices do not provide both extension and tilt actuation of a spoiler.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an automobile spoiler that may be manually adjusted by a driver through an electronic user interface. Further, it would be desirable to have a spoiler that may be adjusted automatically based on current road conditions or activation of the vehicle brake. Still further, it would be desirable to have an adjustable spoiler having both extension and tilt adjustment actuators.


In a fiber there is provided a fiber matrix material having a fiber length; and an array of isolated in-fiber filaments that extend the fiber length. The in-fiber filaments are disposed at a radius in a cross section of the fiber that is a location of a continuous filament material layer in a drawing preform of the fiber. As a result, there is provided a fiber matrix material having a fiber length; and a plurality of isolated fiber elements that are disposed in the fiber matrix, extending the fiber length, where the plurality is of a number greater than a number of isolated domains in a drawing preform of the fiber.

This invention relates generally to filaments, and more particularly relates to the design and fabrication of submicron scale filaments formed of microfabrication materials such as metallic and semiconducting materials.
Interest in the production of metal and semiconductor filaments, and filaments of microfabrication materials in general, of submicron dimensions, is rapidly growing as applications in, e.g., mesoscopic physics and nanoscale systems, proliferate. Metal and semiconductor filaments provide an ability to integrate electrical interconnects and functional elements into electronic, optoelectronic, and electromechanical devices and systems in the submicron and nano-scale regimes. A wide range of MEMS and nano-scale systems cannot be fully realized without integration of such filament elements in the systems.
Historically it has been quite challenging to synthesize metal and semiconductor filaments with a high degree of control over filament morphology and dimensions. Solution-phase, vapor-phase, and vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) filament growth techniques, among others, have all been proposed. In particular, VLS filament growth has emerged as an important method for the fabrication of high-quality semiconductor filaments. But semiconductor filaments produced by processes such as conventional VLS growth are inherently limited to micrometer-length scales, are characterized by extreme mechanical fragility, and lack global orientation.
One application for metal and semiconductor filaments, namely, integration in optical fibers, cannot generally be realized by conventional VLS or other such growth techniques. Several attempts have been made to embed submicron filaments into optical fibers with methods such as high-pressure chemical vapor deposition, pumping-and-filling techniques, and multiple-step, draw-cut-stack methods. But the orders-of-magnitude disparity between typical fiber dimensions and filament dimensions has posed severe challenges to the successful implementation of these techniques.


A semiconductor sensor includes a substrate and an absorber. The substrate includes at least one reflective component. The absorber is spaced apart from the at least one reflective component by a distance. The absorber defines a plurality of openings each having a maximum width that is less than or equal to the distance.

A bolometer is a type of thermal sensor that senses a change in temperature of an object based on a change in electromagnetic radiation emitted by the object. Typically, bolometers are configured to detect radiation in the infrared range, which has a wavelength of approximately three to twelve micrometers (3-12 μm).
Most bolometers include an absorber for detecting/receiving the radiation emitted by the object. Of the various materials available for forming the absorber, metals are not typically considered suitable. This is because in general metals are very good at shielding/reflecting infrared radiations. It was discovered, however, that at ultra-thin layers, for example approximately ten nanometers (˜10 nm), metals act as good absorbers for infrared radiation. Upon absorbing radiation, the ultra-thin layer of metal heats-up and exhibits a change in electrical resistance, which is monitored by external circuitry to sense a change in temperature of an object.
When using an absorber formed from an imperforate ultra-thin layer of metal, the bolometer exhibits a relatively narrow bandwidth and a moderate capacity for absorbing incident radiation. The bandwidth of the bolometer refers to the range of wavelengths that are detectable by the absorber. The capacity for absorption of the bolometer refers to the percentage of incident radiation that is absorbed by the absorber. Ideally, a bolometer absorbs 100% of the incident radiation across a wide bandwidth. Known bolometers, however, do not achieve these ideal specifications.
Accordingly, a need exists to further improve the structure of bolometers to increase the bandwidth and the capacity for absorbing incident radiation, thereby resulting in a more efficient bolometer.

Device and method for increasing infrared absorption in MEMS bolometers


This document describes compositions and methods for inducing an immune response (e.g., a cellular response such as a cell-mediated cytolytic immune response) to a human papillomavirus (HPV) antigen, which can be displayed by HPV or exhibited by infected cells (e.g., cells from cervical and other tumors). The HPV protein can be joined to a stress protein by chemical conjugation or noncovalently using linking moieties, or by fusion (e.g., a recombinant fusion protein). Also described are expression vectors containing sequences encoding HPV antigens and stress proteins, which can be introduced into cells of a subject or cells ex vivo. Also described are compositions that include a stress protein linked to an HPV antigen and another pharmacologically acceptable component and stress protein—HPV antigen fusions and conjugates. These compositions can be used to induce or enhance an immune response against HPV and cells that exhibit HPV antigens, including HPV-associated tumors.

Infection with human papillomaviruses (HPV) is common, and the viruses can be transmitted sexually. It is estimated that between 20 and 80% of sexually active adults are infected. While a majority of infections are asymptomatic, infection can lead to development of genital warts and cancer of the anogenital tract. Genital warts have a prevalence of 1-5% among adults. About one percent of women worldwide are afflicted with cervical cancer, which is the most common cause of death in women under the age of 50. Cervical cancer is strongly associated with HPV. Frazer, Genitourin Med 72:398-403 (1996).
Presently, no effective therapeutic compositions or prophylactic compositions, i.e., vaccines, against HPV are available, and there is, therefore, a need for development of effective compositions. The prospects for a conventional killed or live attenuated vaccine appear to be poor. According to Frazer, HPV has not yet been propagated in cell culture, and the tumor-promoting effects of HPV infection as well as the complete species specificity of HPV represent additional difficulties that cannot be readily overcome (Frazer, Genitourin Med 72:398-403 (1996)). It has been proposed that the observation that major capsid protein, when expressed in eukaryotic cells, forms virus-like particles that are immunogenic without adjuvant may provide a basis for the development of a vaccine (Christensen et al., J Gen Virol 75:2271-6 (1994); see also PCT/EP95/03974 and PCT/US95/12914).
HPV belongs to the A genus of the papovaviridae family which also includes SV40 and polyomavirus. More than 68 different types of HPV have been characterized that are structurally highly related but are less than 50% identical at the DNA sequence level. All known types are epitheliotropic viruses that infect specific types of epithelium and frequently produce epithelial proliferations. Several types were identified in common warts. Twenty-three types are known to infect the female and male anogenital tracts. Anogenital diseases caused by these types of HPV range from Condylomata acuminata to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. HPV DNA can be identified in over 80% of women with biopsy-confirmed squamous intraepithelial lesions or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. A few particular types, including HPV 16, 18, and 31, are associated strongly with high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and invasive cancer of the cervix, vulva, penis and anus (Lorincz et al., Obstet Gynecol 79:328-37 (1992)). According to Frazer, cervical cancer is 90-95% associated with HPV. Frazer, Genitourin Med 72:398-403 (1996). HPV is not only associated with cancer of the anogenital system, but is also present in pharyngeal, laryngeal and bladder carcinomas (Brachman et al., Cancer Res 52:4832-6 (1992); Rotola et al., Int J Cancer 52:359-65 (1992)). A recent study reported that HPV DNA was also present in 30% of lung carcinomas tested. Types identified included HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33 (Soini et al., Thorax 51:887-893 (1996)). Hence, HPV types most often associated with cancer are 6, 11, 16, 18, 31 and 33, of which HPV 16 and 18, which are detected in more than 90% of cervical carcinomas (van Driel et al., Ann Med 28:471-477 (1996)), have been investigated most thoroughly.
Papillomaviruses are DNA viruses having a double-stranded, circular DNA genome of 7800 to 7900 base pairs, a nonenveloped virion and an icosahedral capsid made of 72 capsomers. The genome contains three major regions, one coding for late genes, one coding for early genes and a non-coding region (Park et al., Cancer 76-1902-1913 (1995)). The non-coding region is also referred to as upstream regulatory region. This region is about 400 base pairs long and contains an array of binding sites for the various transcription factors controlling expression of early and late genes. The late gene region has two separate open reading frames encoding viral capsid proteins L1 and L2. Protein L1 is the major capsid protein that is highly conserved among different HPV species. The early gene region includes six open reading frames, designated E1, E2, E4, E5, E6 and E7. Proteins E6 and E7 are oncoproteins critical for viral replication as well as for host cell immortalization and transformation. Proteins E1, E2 and E4 also play an important role in virus replication. In addition, E4 functions in the maturation of the virus. The role of E5 is less well known.
Cells from malignant tumors share two important growth characteristics. They are immortalized, i.e., they do not senesce, and they are capable of anchorage-independent growth. Introduction of HPV 16 or HPV 18 DNA into immortalized rodent cells results in their transformation, i.e., they acquire the ability to grow in the absence of substratum attachment and the capacity to form tumors when injected into mice (Crook et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:8820-24 (1988)). A different result is obtained when HPV DNAs are introduced into early passage, non-immortalized cells: the cells become immortalized but are not transformed (Woodworth et al., Cancer Res. 48:4620-28 (1988)). Thus, one pathway by which tumors develop involves a change that results in immortalization of cells followed by expression of HPV genes that results in their transformation. The HPV genes involved in transformation of cells in vitro are those encoding E6 and/or E7 (Bedell et al., J Virol 61:3635-40 (1987)). Mechanisms by which the E6 and E7 proteins may cause cellular transformation have been proposed (Park et al., Cancer 76:1902-1913 (1995), and references cited therein).
E6 is a small (approximately 15,000 MW) polypeptide containing Zn-binding domains. A clue to its transforming function was provided by the observation that the protein binds p53. The p53 protein is a well known tumor suppressor protein that negatively regulates cell cycle progression and, consequently, cell growth and division. Binding of E6 to p53 results in the ubiquination and eventual degradation of the latter protein, which process involves another cellular protein termed "E6-associated protein". Consequently, cells expressing E6 will have a reduced basal level of p53. p53 levels are elevated in response to DNA damage. Such increased levels result in the enhanced expression of p21, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases, which protein mediates cell cycle arrest. This mechanism provides cells with a time window within which they can repair damaged DNA prior to its replication, which would result in the establishment of the damage/mutation. E6-mediated enhanced turnover of p53 may prevent the mechanism from operating. Recently, it was also found that E6 not only affects cell cycle regulation by virtue of accelerating degradation of p53, but also, more directly, by blocking p53 from interacting with DNA (Thomas et al., Oncogene 10:261-8 (1995)).
The E7 protein is a small (approximately 10,000 Mw), Zn-binding phosphoprotein capable of binding the retinoblastoma gene product Rb. Rb is a tumor suppressor binding to and inactivating transcription factor E2F. The latter factor controls transcription of a number of growth-related genes including those encoding thymidine kinase, c-myc, dihydrofolate reductase and DNA polymerase alpha. Rb-E2F complex formation prevents the expression of the latter genes in G0 and G1 phases, restricting their expression to the S phase where the Rb-E2F complexes are programmed to dissociate, liberating active transcription factor E2F. Formation of Rb-E7 complexes prevents formation of Rb-E2F complexes with the result of shortening pre-S phases, i.e., accelerating progression through the cell cycle. Correlative evidence for the importance of these mechanisms is provided by the observations that E6 proteins from highly oncogenic HPV types (e.g., HPV 16 & 18) have higher affinities for p53 than corresponding proteins from non-oncogenic types, and that E7 proteins from highly oncogenic types have higher affinities for Rb than corresponding proteins from non-oncogenic types.
In a majority of cervical cancers and precursor lesions, HPV DNA is integrated in the host cell genome (Cullen et al., J. Virol. 65:606-12 (1991)). It appears that in most cases, integration involves breakage of the HPV genomic DNA in the E1/E2 region, leaving the E6/E7 region intact. A consequence of the breakage in the E1/E2 region is an interruption of the open reading frame encoding two different E2 proteins, the smaller of which proteins functions as a transcriptional repressor of early gene expression. This leads to an upregulation of E6 and E7 expression.

Immune responses against HPV antigens elicited by compositions comprising an HPV antigen and a stress protein or an expression vector capable of expression of these proteins


A process for the continuous drying of water-surrounded granulate transported by a screen-type belt conveyor. In a first conveying region in the form of a chute, water is withdrawn under gravity from the plastic granulate at a temperature of > than 100° C., wherein, in a following second region on a belt conveyor, any remaining water is substantially removed by air extraction through the belt conveyor, the air extraction taking place at an air speed of > than 20 m per second and with a dwell time in the second region of < than 2 seconds, there being a following third region, as an evaporation zone, with a dwell time of more than two seconds.

1.Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for the continuous drying of water-surrounded granulate transported by a screen-type belt conveyor.
2.Description of Background Art
Such a process is disclosed in German patent specification 40 36 112, said process using thermal radiation. A further device for the same purpose is known from German patent specification 39 27 769, which describes that the separation of granulate and water is effected in that the granulate is caused to pass via a vibrating screen, the purpose of which is to ensure that the plastic granulate can be brought to a desired residual moisture content without subsequent drying after separation by the vibrating screen. In this process, the separation of granulate and water through sucking-out by means of a blower in order to produce an air stream is possible, if at all, only with a low air speed, because, at higher air speeds, the granulate is pressed against the vibrating screen with such force that, even with the vibrating screen in an inclined position, the gravity-induced displacement of the granulate along the vibrating screen is no longer possible.

Process for the continuous drying of water-surrounded granulate


A fixing device includes a housing detachably attached to a body of an image forming apparatus, a fixing unit mounted on the housing to heat and fix an unfixed toner image onto a recording medium, a locking mechanism to lock and unlock the housing in the body of the image forming apparatus by switching its own position from a locking position to an unlocking position, vice-versa, and an operating member integrally connected to the locking mechanism to operate the locking mechanism. First and second handling members are provided on lower and upper sides of the housing, respectively, to be handled when the housing is either attached to or detached from the body of the image forming apparatus. The operating member approaches the second handling member when the locking mechanism changes its position to detach the housing from the body of the image forming apparatus.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a fixing device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the same to fix an unfixed toner image onto a recording medium.
2. Related Art
In general, a fixing device used in an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer, etc., is detachably attachable to a body of the image forming apparatus to facilitate replacement and repair.
For example, such a detachably attachable conventional fixing device includes a body, a fixing unit accommodated in the body while including a fixing roller and a pressure roller therein, and a handle provided in an upper section in the body. In an image forming apparatus with such a detachably attachable fixing device, by opening a body cover attached to the image forming apparatus and vertically lifting the handle, the fixing device is removable from the body of the image forming apparatus. Conversely, the fixing device is attachable to the body of the image forming apparatus by holding the handle.
Another known fixing device includes a fixing unit and a handle at a lateral end of the fixing unit (i.e., a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction of a recording medium) and is detachably attached to the body of the image forming apparatus. In such a fixing device, when the handle is pivoted and set in a conveying direction of the recording medium, the fixing device is locked in the body of the image forming apparatus. Conversely, when the handle is pivoted and set in the above-described widthwise direction, the fixing device is unlocked from the body of the image forming apparatus. Thus, when an operator vertically lifts the handle in such an unlocked state, the fixing device is removable from the body of the image forming apparatus. By contrast, the fixing device can be housed in the body of the image forming apparatus and is locked therein when an operator swings the handle to set the handle in a direction in which the recording medium is conveyed.
Yet another conventionally known fixing device includes a housing accommodating a heating roller, a fixing roller, a pressure roller, and a fixing belt. The fixing device further includes a locking mechanism to lock and unlock the housing in a body of the image forming apparatus and a switching lever to switch a locking condition to an unlocking condition vice-versa. The fixing device also includes an operating section to swing the switching lever and a holding section at a bottom of the housing. The fixing device can be detachably attached to a body of the image forming apparatus. Thus, the fixing device is removable from the body of the image forming apparatus by manipulating the switching lever and bringing the locking mechanism in an unlocking state, while horizontally drawing the housing by holding the operation and holding sections. Conversely, the fixing device is set to the body of the image forming apparatus by horizontally pressing the housing toward the body of the image forming apparatus while holding the operation and holding sections and manipulating the switching lever bringing the locking mechanism in the locking state.
Further, yet another known fixing device includes a fixing frame that accommodates a heating roller and a pressure roller therein, a ceiling plate covering the fixing frame, a fixing cover, a locking mechanism, a handle, and a releasing lever to unblock the locking mechanism. In the conventional fixing device, the handle and the releasing lever collectively function as an operating section to remove the fixing device from the body of the image forming apparatus. Specifically, the fixing device is removable from the body of the image forming apparatus by holding and withdrawing the handle and the releasing lever while cancelling the locking state of the locking mechanism. Conversely, by inserting the fixing device into the body of the image forming apparatus while holding the handle and the releasing lever, the fixing device can be set while bringing the locking mechanism in the locking state.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus with same, and method of smoothly detaching and attaching fixing device from and to image forming apparatus


Methods and compositions useful for neuronal protection in retinal cells in vitro and the protection of mammalian cells from reactive oxygen species in vivo are provided. Ultrafine nano-size cerium oxide particles, less than 10 nanometers in diameter, have been provided to decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) in retina tissue that generates large amounts of ROS. These reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in light-induced retina degeneration and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Cerium oxide nanoparticles have been used to promote the lifespan of retinal neurons and protect the neurons from apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide in vitro and in vivo. The neuronal protection in retinal cells is achieved by decreasing generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Thus, cerium oxide particles are used to promote the longevity of retinal neurons in vitro and mammalian cells in vivo.

Cerium is a silvery metallic element, belonging to the lanthanide group. Cerium Oxide (CeO2) is used in precision polishing and lapping applications. Ultra fine nano-size cerium oxide, less than 10 nanometers, is more efficient for coating purposes. Recently, it was reported by B. Rzigalinski et al. that nanoparticles prolong the life of cortical neurons in culture 4 fold over the cells without treatment; decreased the intracellular Ca2+ concentration and prevented UV damage of cortical neurons. See B. Rzigalinski et al., "Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Extend Cell Longevity and Act as Free Radical Scavengers" at website http://www.med.miami.edu/mnbws/Rzigalinski112.html. Based on its chemical characteristics, this effect is partially due to a decrease of reactive oxygen species (ROS).
Retina tissue generates a large amount of ROS which are involved in light-induced retina degeneration and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The present invention tests the hypothesis that nanoparticles can promote the lifespan of retinal neurons in culture and protect them from apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in vitro by decreasing the intracellular concentration of reactive oxygen species.
In 2004, T. H. Margrain et al. discuss the state of research in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration in Progress in Retinal and Eve Research, 2004, 23: 523-531, "Do Blue Light Filters Confer Protection Against Age-Related Macular Degeneration?" The problem of apoptosis in the body is discussed in an article by P. Moongkarndi et al. in "Antiproliferation, Antioxidation and Induction of Apoptosis by Garcinia Mangostana (Mangosteen) on SKBR3 Human Breast Cancer Cell Line", Jl. of Ethnopharmacology, 2004, 90: 161-166.
Often persons suffering from light-induced retina degeneration and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are without satisfactory remedies to prevent the eventual outcome of blindness. There are some proteins available for neuronal protection of retinal cells, however, they are big molecules and over time their effect may fade away.
It is desirable to find reliable solutions to prolong the lifespan of retinal neurons so that blindness is avoided for persons with retina degeneration and AMD.
In addition to diseases of the eye, many human diseases are due to the death of cells in specific tissues or organs. The majority of those diseases are due to accumulation of metabolic insults from reactive oxygen species originating within or outside of the cells. These diseases include all forms of blindness whether hereditary, light-induced, or physical damage such as occurs in retinal detachment. In addition, damage due to ageing, stroke, cardiac infarction, burns, etc, which proceed through reactive oxygen species, can be addressed with the nanoceria particles of the present invention.
The present invention promotes a longer lifespan for retinal neurons. The greatest benefit of the nanoceria is its ability to get inside the cells and provide protection from reactive oxygen species (ROS); other body systems and tissues can also be protected from damage due to ROS.

Inhibition of reactive oxygen species and protection of mammalian cells

University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


Filter rules on a firewall between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network are validated from a user interface. A user interface is presented in which a test packet can be defined. The user interface includes controls for defining values for attributes of the test packet, wherein the attributes of the test packet are selected from a set of attributes of normal packets normally sent between the secure and nonsecure computer networks. A defined test packet is validated against a set of filter rules in the firewall or matched against the filter rules to determine those filter rules with matching attributes to the defined packet. When validating, responsive to the failure of the test packet in the validating step, the filter rule in the set of filter rules which denied the test packet is displayed.

This application is related to copending, commonly assigned application entitled "Web-Based Administration of IP Tunneling on Internet Firewalls" by T. Shrader, Ser. No. 08/773,542, filed Dec. 23, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,666, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
This application relates generally to security systems in a distributed computer network. More particularly, it relates to a web-based interface for administering IP filtering on a firewall computer such as that would be found between the non-secure Internet and a secure company Intranet.
The burdens on Internet administrators have been rapidly growing both in volume and in complexity. Chief among them is the need for corporate administrators to administer Internet firewalls which connect a company's or organization's secure Intranet to the outside unsecure Internet. Generally in the prior art, the interface for firewall is a command line or SMIT interface which allows the administrator to manage Internet firewall characteristics and operations. These types of interfaces require a the memorization of many commands. Further, administrators are required to piece together output from different actions to administrate the filter rules which govern the firewall. This is an obvious inconvenience as administrators must remember or write down information from a plurality of screens. In short, the interface is anything but user friendly.
The present invention described below provides a user friendly interface for the administration of IP filtering on an Internet firewall.

Filter rule validation and administration for firewalls

International Business Machines Corporation


A radiation-emitting semiconductor chip having an absorbent brightness setting layer between a connection region and a current injection region and/or, as seen from the connection region, outside the current injection region on a front-side radiation coupling-out area of the semiconductor layer sequence. The brightness setting layer absorbs in a targeted manner part of the radiation generated in the semiconductor layer sequence. In another embodiment, a partly insulating brightness setting layer is arranged between the connection region and the active layer. Here, the brightness setting layer includes at least one electrically insulating current blocking region and at least one electrically conductive current passage region via which the connection region is electrically conductively connected to the semiconductor layer sequence such that, during operation of the semiconductor chip, part of the electromagnetic radiation generated in the chip is generated below the connection region and is absorbed by the connection region.

The semiconductor layers of semiconductor chips, for example the radiation-generating layer structures of radiation-emitting and of radiation-receiving semiconductor chips, can be defined by a multiplicity of different epitaxy methods, such as metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), liquid phase epitaxy (LPE), etc. As an alternative or in a supplementary manner, such layer structures may at least partly be defined by indiffusion of dopants.
Both epitaxy processes and doping processes are subject to certain manufacturing fluctuations. In the case of light-emitting semiconductor chips, manufacturing fluctuations often lead to fluctuations in the brightness of semiconductor chips that are nominally of identical type, during operation. Both the wafers that are produced in different epitaxy process runs and the various wafers that are produced simultaneously in one process run are subject to manufacturing fluctuations, the fluctuations within the wafers produced in one process run being smaller.

Radiation-emitting semiconductor chip and method for producing such a semiconductor chip


A surface metal plate 2 made of aluminium or aluminium alloy is overlayed upon a backing metal plate 1 and integrally bonded by cold rolling bonding of a rolling machine 30. After that, the thus obtained composite metal plate 3 is annealed, so that the bonding strength between a surface metal layer 1a having a thickness of 2 to 8 mm and a backing metal layer 2a is enhanced.

A linear motor is a motor which effects linear movement instead of rotational movement by linearly extending a structure of a rotary-type motor. In the case of the linear motor car, a magnetic field is induced by supplying alternating current to a primary coil mounted on a car side, and a force is generated due to an interaction between this magnetic field and a magnetic field induced on a secondary coil (reaction plate) mounted on a track side. This force is utilized as a motive force. A driving force for the motor car is thus obtained.
The reaction plate used as a secondary coil plate is required to have a property of low electric resistance. In view of the cost and the strength, a composite metal plate, which is obtained by overlaying a surface metal plate made of copper or aluminium upon a backing metal plate made of steel, is used.
Since the surface metal layer of the composite metal plate in which a high current flows through has a sufficient thickness of 2 to 8 mm, a mechanical bonding method such as calking, hot rolling bonding (hot bonding) and explosive bonding are conventionally used as a method for fixing the surface metal plate to the backing metal plate.
However, the mechanical bonding method such as calking requires an apparatus having a complicated structure thereby raising the manufacturing cost. Also, hot bonding or explosive bonding requires a large scale of manufacturing system thereby raising the manufacturing cost.
In this way, the cost of the secondary coil plate for linear motor car manufactured by conventional technique inevitably becomes high.

Secondary coil plate for linear motor and producing method of the same


Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for developing a reservoir. In one implementation, a static model of the reservoir is received. The static model has one or more clusters of rock types. A reservoir graph is generated from the static model. The reservoir graph represents each of the one or more clusters as a vertex. A graph connectivity of the reservoir graph is defined through a nodal connectivity of neighboring vertices. Pressure values are propagated across three-dimensional space of the reservoir graph using the connectivity. A dynamic model of the reservoir is generated using the pressure values and fluid saturation values.

A reservoir is subsurface pool of a natural resource, such as oil and/or gas, contained within rock formations, which have varying levels of porosity and permeability. The porosity is dictated by the pore volume of the rock, while the permeability relates to the ability of the rock to allow the natural resource to flow through for collection. Reservoirs are identified using hydrocarbon exploration techniques, such as seismic data acquisition, and involve drilling exploratory wells with well log measurements along the well trajectories. Well logs are a concise, indirect, and detailed plot of formation parameters versus depth that are captured using logging tools ran along the well trajectory. Using the well logs, petrophycisits may identify lithologies, differentiate between porous and nonporous rock, and identify payzones in the subsurface rock formations where the natural resource exists in exploitable quantities.
However, while characteristics of the petrophysical phenomena, including porosity and permeability, along the well trajectory may be known, uncertainty of the petrophysics of the subformation increases as distance from the well increases. Accordingly, reservoir modeling is utilized to estimate the volumetric properties of the rock for use in decision making regarding field development, future production prediction, well placement, and other reservoir development activities. Conventionally, a suite of professionals are involved in gathering the data, generating the model, simulating it through time and employing the model in decision making. Each of these professionals is typically utilizing a discrete tool that outputs results dictated by underlying assumptions by the professional and handing off the results to another professional to be used in the next step. As such, the end to end process is conventionally plagued with human error and bias in the results generated by each tool with no retention of the disparate professional opinions that were presented during the discrete processes but rejected. In addition to human error and bias influencing the results, conventional systems and methods have inconsistent workflows and inefficient handoffs and fail to integrate the discrete tools with disparate programming languages and to retain alternative opinions, assumptions, and underlying data. Overall, conventional systems and methods fail to meaningfully reduce uncertainty and risk in reservoir exploration, evaluation, development, and production. It is with these observations in mind, among others, that various aspects of the present disclosure were conceived and developed.

Dynamic engine for a cognitive reservoir system


A method of etching a semiconductor wafer including injecting a source gas mixture into a process chamber including injecting the source gas mixture into a multiple hollow cathode cavities in a top electrode of the process chamber and generating a plasma in each one of the hollow cathode cavities. Generating the plasma in the hollow cathode cavities includes applying a first biasing signal to the hollow cathode cavities. The generated plasma or activated species is output from corresponding outlets of each of the hollow cathode cavities into a wafer processing region in the process chamber. The wafer processing region is located between the outlets of the hollow cathode cavities and a surface to be etched. An etchant gas mixture is injected into the wafer processing region. A plasma can also be supported and/or generated in the wafer processing region. The etchant gas mixture is injected through multiple injection ports in the top electrode such that the etchant gas mixture mixes with the plasma output from the outlets of the hollow cathode cavities. The etchant gas mixture is substantially prevented from flowing into the outlets of the hollow cathode cavities by the plasma flowing from the outlets of hollow cathode cavities. Mixing the etchant gas mixture and the output from the hollow cathode cavities generates a desired chemical species in the wafer processing region and the surface to be etched can be etched. A system for generating an etching species is also describer herein.

The present invention relates generally to plasma etch systems and methods, and more particularly, to systems and methods for plasma etch having independent control of ion generation and dissociation of process gas.
A simplified description of a typical plasma etching process is plasma chamber with a process gas therein. The process is excited by an RF or microwave signal electrically coupled into the process gas. Exciting the process gas causes ions and radicals to form within the process gas. The ions and radicals are then directed toward a surface to be etched. The ions and radicals can be directed toward the surface to be etched using gas flows and electrical biasing of various surfaces within the plasma chamber. The ions and radicals react with the material in the surface to be etched.
Increasing a density of an etching plasma is one method to increase how fast the etch surface is etched (e.g., etch rate, usually expressed in Angstroms per minute). Increasing the density of an etching plasma increases the concentration of the ions and thus increases the reactivity between the process gas, ions and the etch surface. However, increasing plasma density can also cause excess dissociation of the process gas mixture into constituent elements or molecules, beyond the level of dissociation which is optimal.
For example, increased plasma density typically causes atomic fluorine radicals to dissociate from a fluorocarbon process gas mixture. The dissociated fluorine may accelerate the undesirable etch of the etch mask, of the feature sidewall, or of the etch stop layer underlying the layer to be etched. Additionally, the excessive dissociation of fluorocarbon source gas may lead to non-optimal composition of fluorocarbon radical species in the plasma, with effects similar to excessive fluorine.
There are other issues of uniformity and control that are also reduced or less than desirable that can occur when the process gas is dissociated too much. In view of the foregoing, there is a need for systems and methods for plasma etch having independent control of ion generation and dissociation of process gas.

System, method and apparatus for plasma etch having independent control of ion generation and dissociation of process gas


A magnet assembly for holding magnets on and around a fuel line to improve combustion of fuel in an engine supplied by the fuel line, comprises a rubber-like one-piece magnet casing having two integral halves hinged together at one end and spring-biased toward each other. A pair of facing axial semi-cylindrical grooves are formed in the two casing halves, which in use embrace the periphery of the fuel line. A flexible strip-like diaphragm of the same resilient rubber-like material extends across each groove, to provide a spring-tensioned grip on the fuel line when the halves of the casing are urged toward each other. To provide this action, a tie encircles the exterior of the casing and is pulled tight to clamp the two halves of the casing on the fuel line.

For a number of years, a variety of products have been introduced onto the market which have taken advantage of the effects of magnetic fields on fluids and specifically on fluids flowing through pipes and other conduits. The introduction of a magnetic field adjacent to flowing fluids has been shown to provide numerous advantages including the removal of build-up within pipes, and the more efficient and cleaner burning of gasoline and other fuels.
A number of U.S. Patents have issued which are directed to this technology. U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,498 to Peter A. Kulish, issued Aug. 12, 1986, describes a method and apparatus for the treatment of liquids by the concentration of magnetic fields in liquids passing through a conduit. In the device disclosed in this patent, appropriately oriented magnets are placed within a casing having a central aperture which is split into at least two portions, thereby enabling the portions to be placed around the conduit and fastened by means of small tabs, ears, or snap joints. The small tabs, ears and snap joints hold the portions in position about the conduit; the interior of the casing immediately surrounding the conduit is provided with several different removable rings, such that by removing an appropriate number of the rings a close fit to the conduit exterior can be approximated.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 289,674 of the same Peter Kulish, and issued May 5, 1987, discloses a specific arrangement of the casing which is constructed in two parts, each having broad extending lateral ears and each arranged to cover 180.degree. of exterior of the conduit with the ears then coming into alignment and being secured together by some appropriate fastener to hold the entire casing in place.
U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 253,841 and 263,306 also illustrate multi-part magnetic holders.
The foregoing designs for magnet casings have several disadvantages in actual practice. Initially, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,498, many prior art designs require the manufacture and provision of a plurality of interior rings and the removal of various of them by the operator, in order to approximate a close fit to the interior conduit. Such devices therefore are often difficult to correctly place and position and may require a fair degree of trial and error. Multiple piece devices also can frequently corrode and break apart.
Other embodiments shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,498, as well as the apparatus shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 289,674, are difficult for one person to install, because they involve the assembly of the separated parts of the casing about the conduit, and the holding of them with one hand while with the other hand one attempts to secure the necessary fasteners. Such components may be particularly difficult to assemble in an automobile or truck, where fuel lines may be difficult to reach.
It would be desirable to provide a magnet casing which can be applied for gasoline or diesel engines which facilitates easy attachment, and which facilitates attachment with a single hand. It would be further desirable to provide a magnet casing which can more readily accommodate a wide variety of conduit diameters.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a magnet holding assembly appropriate for installation on the exterior of the conduit, which is both easy to install and yet ensures a tight fit to the conduit.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a magnet holding assembly which can easily accommodate a variety of conduit parameters.
It is also an object to provide such a casing which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.


In a circuit board, a control pattern portion in which control circuit patterns are formed and a drive pattern portion in which drive circuit patterns are formed are formed in different regions. A recessed portion is formed in a base, and the drive pattern portion is fixed to the base such that insulation between a drive circuit and the base is maintained and the control pattern portion is arranged above the recessed portion. In this way, a space in which a circuit element is able to be mounted is formed between the control pattern portion and the recessed portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a control unit for an electric motor, and a vehicle steering system including the same.
2. Discussion of Background
Conventionally, a control unit for an electric motor used in, for example, a vehicle steering system includes a circuit board having a control circuit that outputs control signals and a drive circuit that turns on/off switching elements such as FETs based on the control signals to control a supply of drive currents to the electric motor. In recent years, in order to obtain a more compact and higher-density circuit, a circuit board having a multilayer structure has been employed. In the multilayer structure, multiple circuit conductive layers having circuit patterns are laminated with non-conductive layers interposed therebetween.
As such a control unit for an electric motor, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-83063 (JP 2011-83063 A) describes a control unit in which a control circuit and a drive circuit are formed on a single circuit board. On this circuit board, a control pattern portion in which control circuit patterns that constitute wirings of the control circuit is formed and a drive pattern portion in which drive circuit patterns that constitute wirings of the drive circuit is formed are arranged in different regions. In terms of size reduction, this control unit has an advantage over a control unit having a configuration in which a control circuit and a drive circuit are formed on different circuit boards and the circuit boards are connected by, for example, a bus bar as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-277726 (JP 2009-277726 A).
Because large drive currents that are supplied to an electric motor flow in a drive circuit, an amount of heat generation tends to be large, which may cause overheating of the drive circuit. Therefore, in the control unit described in JP 2011-83063 A, the circuit board is fixed to a base via a heat transfer sheet and heat generated in the drive circuit is released by causing the base to function as a heat sink. In this way, overheating of the drive circuit is prevented.
Recently, there has been a demand for a more compact control unit. However, in the configuration described in JP 2011-83063 A, the entirety of a side face (rear face) of the circuit board, the side face being on the housing side, is in contact with a housing via the heat transfer sheet. Therefore, circuit elements are provided only on one side of the circuit board. Accordingly, from a viewpoint of securing a mounting area for the circuit element, there is a limit on size reduction of the circuit board, and size reduction of the control unit has been extremely difficult.

Control unit for electric motor and vehicle steering system including the same