The present disclosure describes ultrasound systems and methods configured to determine the elasticity of a target tissue. Systems can include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echoes responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward the tissue, which may include a region of increased stiffness. Systems can also include a beamformer configured to control the transducer to transmit a push pulse into the tissue, thereby generating a shear wave in the region of increased stiffness. The beamformer can be configured to control the transducer to emit tracking pulses adjacent to the push pulse. Systems can further include a processor configured to determine a displacement amplitude of the shear wave and based on the amplitude, generate a qualitative tissue elasticity map of the tissue. The processor can combine the qualitative map with a quantitative map of the same tissue, and based on the combination, determine a boundary of the region of increased stiffness.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the most widely used form of curative treatment for liver cancer, which is currently the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. RFA is minimally invasive, and involves heating tumors to the point of coagulation necrosis using an ablation electrode, needle, or tine inserted at the tumor site. Clear boundary delineation for tumors targeted by RFA is critical for targeting the cancerous tissue with precision. Current RFA treatment protocols often implement an ellipsoidal ablation volume prediction method; however, such methods are overly simplistic. As a result, the actual treatment volumes may deviate significantly from the predicted volumes, leading to off-target ablation of healthy tissue and/or incomplete ablation of tumor tissue.
Ultrasound imaging is commonly used for guidance during RFA procedures. Ultrasound shear wave elastography imaging (SWI), in particular, has been used to estimate the extent of ablation by measuring tissue elasticity. Ultrasound SWI can determine the localized stiffness levels of various tissues, including liver tissue, by transmitting a "push pulse" (phenomenon known as the acoustic radiation force) from a transducer into a tissue, thereby generating a shear wave that propagates laterally therethrough. Tracking pulses emitted by the transducer can then be used to measure the velocity of the shear wave as it propagates, which is often proportional to the stiffness of the tissue. For example, shear wave velocity in soft tissue is typically slower than shear wave velocity in stiff tissue, assuming an identical push pulse is used to generate the shear wave in each tissue type. Because ablated, necrotic tissue is usually much stiffer than untreated tissue, the boundaries of ablated tissue could theoretically be determined based on shear wave velocity; however, current SWI modalities and associated tissue reconstruction techniques are incapable of reliably deciphering such boundaries due to the high stiffness of thermal lesions created by RFA and the presence of a rigid ablation electrode at the treatment site. These factors reduce the amplitude of shear waves generated by SWI systems, increases the difficulty of detecting such waves amidst extraneous signals reflecting from various tissue features, thereby resulting in low signal-to-noise-ratios (SNRs) within an ablation zone. Elasticity estimates and quantitative elasticity maps of the ablation zones interrogated via SWI are thus widely inaccurate and unreliable. Improved tissue elasticity measurement and ablation monitoring techniques are needed to increase the precision of ablation therapies and tissue mapping.

Shear wave amplitude reconstruction for tissue elasticity monitoring and display


The present invention provides three-dimensional structural information from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Aquifex aeolicus which is a histone deacetylase-like protein (HDLP). HDLP shares 35.2% amino acid sequence identity with human histone deacetylase (HDAC1). The present invention further provides three-dimensional structural information of HDLP bound by inhibitor molecules. The three-dimensional structural information of the present invention is useful to design, isolate and screen deacetylase inhibitor compounds capable of inhibiting HDLP, HDAC family members and HDLP-related molecules. The invention also relates to nucleic acids encoding a mutant HDLP which facilitates the determination of the three-dimensional structure of HDLP in the presence of a zinc atom.

The present invention relates to a histone deacetylase homologue from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Aquifex aeolicus, HDLP (histone deacetylase-like protein; also known as AcuC1), which shares 35.2% sequence identity with human histone deacetylase (HDAC1), that can be co-crystallized with an inhibitory ligand, and more particularly, to the detailed crystallographic data obtained from said co-crystallization which is disclosed herein. The invention also relates to methods of using the crystal structure and x-ray crystallographic coordinates of the apo-HDLP inhibitor-bound HDLP to design, isolate and screen compounds which bind to and inhibit the active site of HDLP and HDLP-related proteins, such as those proteins belonging to the HDAC family, including HDAC1.
The reversible modification of histones by-acetylation is associated with changes in nucleosome conformation and chromatin structure, and plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression (reviewed in Davie and Chadee, 1998, J. Cell Biochem. Suppl. 30–31:203–213). The histone acetylase and deacetylase enzymes that carry out these modifications are involved in many cellular processes such as cell cycle progression and differentiation, and their deregulation is associated with several types of human cancer (reviewed in Kouzarides, 1999, Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 9:40–48; Hassig et al., 1997, Chem. Biol. 4:783–789; Fenrick and Heibert, 1998, J. Cell. Biochem. Suppl. 30–31:194–202).
Recently, several experimental-antitumor compounds, such as trichostatin A (TSA), trapoxin, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), and phenylbutyrate have been shown to act, at least in part, by inhibiting histone deacetylases. Richon et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 95:3003–3007; Yoshida et al., 1990, J. Biol. Chem. 265:17174–17179; Kijima et al., 1993, J. Biol. Chem. 268:22429–22435. Additionally, diallyl sulfide and related molecules (Lea et al., 1999, Int. J. Oncol. 2:347–352), oxamflatin (Kim et al., 1999, Oncogene 15:2461–2470), MS-27–275, a synthetic benzamide derivative (Saito et al., 1999, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 96:4592–4597), butarate derivatives (Lea and Tulsyan, 1995, Anticancer Res. 15:879–883), FR901228 (Nokajima et al., 1998, Exp. Cell Res. 241:126–133), depudecin (Kwon et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:3356–3361), and m-carboxysinnamic acid bishydroxamide (CBHA; Richon et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:3003–3007) have been shown to inhibit histone deacetylases. In vitro, these compounds can inhibit the growth of fibroblast cells by causing cell cycle arrest in the G1 and G2 phases (Richon et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:5705–5708; Kim et al., 1999, Oncogene 18:2461–2470; Yoshida et al., 1995, Bioessays 17:423–430; Yoshida & Beppu, 1988, Exp. Cell. Res. 177:122–131), and can lead to the terminal differentiation and loss of transforming potential of a variety of transformed cell lines. Richon et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:5705–5708; Kim et al., 1999, Oncogene 18:2461–2470; Yoshida et al., 1987, Cancer Res. 47:3688–3691. In vivo, phenylbutyrate is effective in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia in conjunction with retinoic acid. Warrell et al., 1998, J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 90:1621–1625. SAHA is effective in preventing the formation of mammary tumors in rats, and lung tumors in mice. Desai et al., 1999, Proc. AACR 40: abstract #2396; Cohen et al., Cancer Res., submitted.
Histone deacetylases catalyze the removal of acetyl groups from the ∈-amino groups of lysine residues clustered near the N-terminus of nucleosomal histones, and this process is associated with transcriptional repression (reviewed in Struhl, 1998, Genes Dev. 12:599–606). Deletion of the yeast histone deacetylase gene, rpd3, or its pharmacological inactivation with trichostatin A reduces the transcriptional repression in a subset of promoters, such as those of Ume6-regulated genes. Kadosh & Struhl, 1998, Mol. Cell. Biol. 18:5121–5127. This is accompanied by the increased acetylatibn of H4 histones in the repressed promoter and its vicinity, but has no effect on histones at promoter distal regions. Kadosh & Struhl, 1998, Mol. Cell. Biol. 18:5121–5127; Rundlett et al., 1998, Nature 392:831–835.
Histone deacetylases are recruited to specific promoters by associating with DNA-binding transcriptional repressors, either directly or through co-repressors that bridge the deacetylase to the transcriptional repressors. For example, the Mad and Ume6-repressors bind to the co-repressor Sin3A (Laherty et al., 1997, Cell 89.349–356; Hassig et al., 1997, Cell 89:341–347; Kadosh & Struhl, 1997, Cell 89:365–371), and the nuclear receptors bind N-CoR and the related SMRT co-repressors. Nagy et al., 1997, Cell 89:373–380; Alland et al, 1997, Nature 387:49–55; Heinzel et al, 1997, Nature 20 387:43–48.
The deregulation of histone deacetylase recruitment appears to be one of the mechanisms through which these enzymes contribute to tumorigenesis. In acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), chromosomal translocations fuse the retinoic acid receptor-α (RARα) to either PLZF or to PML. These fusion oncoproteins have aberrant transcriptional repression activity resulting, in part, through the recruitment of a co-repressor and, in turn, HDACs. Grignani et al, 1998, Nature 391:815–818; Lin et al., 1998, Nature 391:811–814. Treatment of PLZF-RARα APL cells with TSA enhances their responsiveness to retinoic acid-induced differentiation. Grignani et al, 1998, Nature 391:815–818; Lin et al., 1998, Nature 391:811–814.
The histone deacetylases comprise a large family of proteins, conserved from yeast to man, and are divided into two related classes. Class I is characterized by human HDACI, 2, 3 (Taunton et al., 1996, Science 272:408–411; Yang et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:12845–12850; Emiliani et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:2795–2800), and yeast RPD3 (Videl & Gaber, 1991, Mol. Cell. Biol. 11:6317–6327), and class II by the human HDAC4, 5, 6 (Grozinger et al., 1999, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96 :4868–4873; Fischle, et al., 1999, J. Biol. Chem. 274:11713–11720), and yeast HDA1 (Rundlett et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:14503–14508). The two classes share a −390 amino acid region of sequence similarity, comprising the deacetylase core, but are divergent outside this region. The histone deacetylase genes belong to an even larger superfamily (Leipe & Landsman, 1997, Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3693–3697) that contains the prokaryotic acetoin utilization proteins (AcuC; 28.1%, sequence identity to HDAC1), and the prokaryotic acetylpolyamine amidohydrolases (APAH; 15.0% sequence identity to HDAC1). The enzymatic activity of AcuC is not clear, but its disruption reduces the ability of B. subtilis to breakdown acetoin and utilize it as a carbon source. Grundy et al., 1993, Mol. Microbiol. 13:259–271. APAHs catalyze the deacetylation of polyamines by cleaving a non-peptide amide bond (reviewed in Leipe & Landsman, 1997, Nucleic Acids Res. 25:3693–3697).
It is useful to address the questions of how HDACs and HDAC-related proteins catalyze the deacetylation of histones and how the above-referenced compounds, particularly those compounds with antitumor activity, inhibit this activity in order to better understand the mechanism of inhibition of HDACs and to facilitate discovery of additional useful compounds which may inhibit this activity. To this end, the present invention has determined the three dimensional structure of a HDAC1-like protein from the thermophilic bacterium Aquifex aeolicus, herein after HDLP. The determination, of the nucleic acid coding sequence of HDLP was described by Deckert et al., 1998, Nature 392:353–358. The encoded 375 residue protein, whose sequence was determined from the nucleic acid encoding sequence, shares 35.2% amino acid sequence identity with HDAC1, deacetylates histones in vitro, and is inhibited by TSA, SAHA and several other HDAC inhibitors. The determination of the three-dimensional structure of HDLP is useful in the design, identification and screening of new HDAC family inhibitory compounds which are useful for the inhibition of cell growth both in vivo and in vitro.

Crystal structure of a deacetylase and inhibitors thereof

Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research


A controller (103a, 103b) provides dynamic capacity, for use in connection with a communication network (101). A processor of the controller (103a, 103b) that can be utilized in the communication network can be configured to facilitate determining whether a current load level is below a predetermined low usage, and responsive thereto, adjusts a bearer configuration to allow higher throughput per user. Further, the processor (103a, 103b) can be configured to facilitate determining whether the current load level exceeds a predetermined high usage, and responsive thereto, adjusting the bearer configuration to allow lower throughput per user.

In traditional communication networks, operators may be provided with an ability to make network configuration decisions to affect quality of service (QoS). Changes to the network configuration that affect QoS are static. Typically, the network configuration achieved thereby trades off capacity of the communication network for increased performance in connection with specific service types. For example, a relatively lower block error rate (BLER) can be set, configured, or targeted in the network configuration. This may result in higher throughput per user on a wireless data connection, but normally at the cost of reduced overall user capacity. Conversely, a higher configured BLER can be set or targeted by the network operator and this may increase the overall user capacity, but ordinarily at the cost of lower throughput per user.
Conventional network configuration techniques can be adequate in many situations, such as when the operator aspires to approach a particular QoS for users. A QoS in connection with particular aspects of the network may be called for in connection with, for example a commitment or guarantee to users.
A QoS guarantee does not necessarily imply that such service will be of a particularly high quality in certain other aspects. For example, TCP (transport control protocol) applications can suffer from a lower throughput when the BLER (block error rate) is high; TCP congestion procedures can be triggered due to the higher delay of UTRAN (universal terrestrial radio access network) RLC (radio link control) retransmissions on the air interface.

Method and system for control of capacity in a communication network


A circuit board includes a signal layer and a power supply layer. The signal layer includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. A number of pads are formed on the first surface for connecting to an electronic component. The power supply layer is formed on the second surface of the signal layer. The power supply layer includes an insulating substrate and at least one conductor formed on/in the insulating substrate. The conductor which is located under the pads defines a number of holes corresponding to the pads, each hole is substantially aligned with the corresponding pad, and the size of each hole is larger than the size of the corresponding pad.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to circuit boards and, particularly, to a circuit board with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure and an electronic device using the circuit board.
2. Description of Related Art
As electronic devices get smaller they become more susceptible to damage from ESD. ESD is the transfer of static electric charge between bodies having different electric potential. ESD has become a critical problem for the electronics industry.
A typical circuit board includes a signal layer and a power supply layer adjacent to the signal layer. The signal layer includes a number of pads formed on a surface of the circuit board and away from the power supply layer. The pads are configured for connecting to pins of electronic components, such as connectors, etc. However, because the distance between the pads and the power supply layer is very small, the static charges on the electronic components may discharge to the circuit board and may destroy or damage the circuit board or introduce noise during the discharge.
What is needed, therefore, is a circuit board with ESD protection which can overcome or at least alleviate the above-described problem.

Circuit board with ESD protection and electronic device using same


The invention provides compositions of novel high penetration compositions (HPC) or high penetration prodrugs (HPP) of retinoids and retinoid-related compounds, which are capable of crossing biological barriers with high penetration efficiency. The HPPs are capable of being converted to parent active drugs or drug metabolites after crossing the biological barrier and thus can render treatments for the conditions that the parent drugs or metabolites can. Additionally, the HPPs are capable of reaching areas that parent drugs may not be able to access or to render a sufficient concentration at the target areas and therefore render novel treatments. The HPPs can be administered to a subject through various administration routes, e.g., locally delivered to an action site of a condition with a high concentration or systematically administered to a biological subject and enter the general circulation with a faster rate.

Retinoids are a class of compounds that comprise a four-isoprenoid unit in their molecular structures. Examples of retinoids include retinol (vitamin A), retinal, retiferol, tretinoin (all-trans-retinoic acid, e.g. retinoic acid, Retin-A), isotretinoin, alitretinoin (9-cis-retinoic acid), etretinate, acitretin, tazarotene, bexarotene and Adapalene.
Retinoids and retinoid-related compounds have important and diverse functions in a biological system, and have been used to treat various conditions such as acne, photoaging, psoriasis, ichthyosis, hair loss and tumor. However, time and/or dosage related adverse effects have been also reported. Examples of adverse effects of retinoids and retinoid-related compounds include painful tender swellings on the long bones, anorexia, skin lesions, hair loss, hepatosplenomegaly, papilloedema, bleeding, general malaise, pseudotomor cerebri and even death.
One alternative method of drug administration is topical delivery. Topical drug delivery has several advantages. This method avoids inactivation of a drug caused by first pass metabolism in the liver and gastrointestinal tract. It also provides local delivery of appropriate concentrations of a drug to the intended site of action without systemic exposure. Fishman (Fishman; Robert, U.S. Pat. No. 7,052,715) indicated that an additional problem associated with oral medications, is that the concentration levels which must be achieved in the bloodstream must be significant in order to effectively treat distal areas of pain, inflammation, or infection. These levels are often much higher than would be necessary if the drugs were accurately delivered to the particular site of pain or injury. For most of retinoids, topical administration cannot deliver an effective therapeutic level.
Therefore, a need exists in the art for novel compositions that are capable of being delivered efficiently and effectively to the action site of a condition (e.g., a disease) to prevent, reduce or treat conditions as well as minimize adverse side effects.

High penetration prodrug compositions of retinoids and retinoid-related compounds


The present disclosure discloses a camera lens group. The camera lens group sequentially includes, from an object side to an image side along an optical axis: a first lens, a second lens, a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens, a sixth lens and a seventh lens. The first lens has a positive refractive power and a convex object-side surface. The second lens has a positive refractive power and a convex object-side surface. The third lens has a refractive power and a concave image-side surface. The fourth lens has a refractive power. The fifth lens has a refractive power. The sixth lens has a positive refractive power and a convex image-side surface. The seventh lens has a negative refractive power, and a concave object-side surface and a concave image-side surface. A total effective focal length f and an entrance pupil diameter EPD of the camera lens group satisfy: f/EPD≤1.60.

With the improvement in performance and reduction in size of the commonly used photosensitive elements such as charge-coupled device elements (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor elements (CMOS), higher requirements on high imaging quality and miniaturization of the counterpart camera lens assemblies have been brought forward.
Meanwhile, with the rapid update of portable electronic products such as mobile phones and tablet computers, market demands for product-end camera lens assemblies are becoming more diverse. At present, in addition to requiring the camera lens assembly to the characteristics such as high-pixel, high resolution and high relative brightness, higher requirements on the large-aperture and wide field-of-view of the lens assembly are put forward to meet imaging needs in various fields.


This invention provides gas injector apparatus that extends into a growth chamber in order to provide more accurate delivery of thermalized precursor gases. The improved injector can distribute heated precursor gases into a growth chamber in flows that are spatially separated from each other up until they impinge on a growth substrate and that have volumes adequate for high-volume manufacture. Importantly, the improved injector is sized and configured so that it can fit into existing commercial growth chambers without hindering the operation of mechanical and robot substrate-handling equipment used with such chambers. This invention is useful for the high-volume growth of numerous elemental and compound semiconductors, and particularly useful for the high-volume growth of Group III-V compounds and GaN.

Halide (or hydride) vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) of GaN and of other Group III-V compounds has known problems that result in an inefficient conversion of the precursor gases to GaN at the substrate. One problem relates to the temperature of precursor gases. In the case of GaN, if the entry temperature of the GaCl3 and NH3 is less than about 850° C., undesirable GaCl3:NH3 complexes may form that can limit the desired direct reaction between GaCl3 and NH3 to form GaN. A further problem arises if the precursor gases mix prematurely prior to their coming into contact in the immediate vicinity of the substrate. Premature mixing of the precursor gases can result in unwanted gas phase reaction by-products and the production of particulates within the reactor, both of which can lead to a decrease in product quality.
A further problem arises from undesired deposition on the interior walls of a growth chamber. In the case of GaN, the undesirable deposition occurs since the Ga containing precursors, e.g., GaCl or GaCl3, condense from the vapor phase at relatively low temperatures (generally less than 500° C.) and, therefore, areas of the reactor that are not maintained at a temperature above the vaporization zone can become coated. Over time, this unwanted material can build up to the extent of resulting in inefficient heating of the chamber as well as to production of quality-decreasing particulates.
Therefore, the prior art of Group III-V compound growth can benefit from apparatus that improve the thermalization and the delivery of precursor gases into a growth chamber. Such improvements will result in a more efficient utilization of precursor gases with associated cost reduction. However, such apparatus has not been available, at least because the physical space in growth chambers suitable for commercial production is very limited and the addition of further apparatus can compromise the effectiveness of mechanical substrate transfer systems or can be limited by available clearances for, e.g., inlet and exhaust lines.

Apparatus for delivering precursor gases to an epitaxial growth substrate


A method and system are disclosed for adaptive channel adjustments in a satellite communication system. The maximum bandwidth for a traffic carrier used for user communication in a satellite communication system is determined during changing conditions. The maximum bandwidth is then compared to a predetermined bandwidth allocated for the traffic carrier. New transmit parameters are selected to adjust the traffic carrier bandwidth within the allocated bandwidth in order to improve capacity. All transmitters and receivers within the system are subsequently reconfigured to transmit and receive the traffic carrier using the new transmit parameters.

Satellite communication services have become more accessible to consumers due to increased availability and reduced service costs. Satellite communication systems allow consumers to access voice and data services from virtually any global location. Such accessibility can be beneficial for consumers who are located in, or must travel to, areas that cannot be reliably serviced by normal voice and/or data communication systems. Satellite communication bandwidth, however, remains expensive relative to terrestrial wireless services. Satellite service providers, therefore, seek to utilize the most capacity available for use.
At least one factor that limits the usable capacity of the satellite is the number of filters used to remove unwanted frequency components and prevent interference with neighboring satellites. It is desirable to minimize the mass (or weight) of the satellites because the satellite must be launched into orbit. Thus, the mass of onboard components must be carefully selected. While filters can improve performance and increase the capacity of the satellite system, such filters often contribute a significant mass component to the satellite. A balance must be selected, therefore, between the satellite mass and usable capacity.
Current filters are typically constructed from aluminum in order to reduce weight. However, aluminum has a high coefficient of thermal expansion. During normal operation, temperature changes in the satellite, and filters, can fluctuate from 0° C. to 60° C. Such temperature fluctuations can adversely affect the frequency response of filters, thus resulting in variations in the usable bandwidth. Satellite vendors compensate for such fluctuations by reducing the useable bandwidth based on fluctuations in the frequency response of filters. Since the temperature variations occur regularly and over time, a significant portion of the available bandwidth goes unused. Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an approach that utilizes bandwidth allocated for variations in satellite filter frequency response resulting from temperature fluctuations.

Adaptive channel symbol rate in a satellite system


A USB charger circuit includes at least a converter, a control circuitry, a first resistor, a second resistor, an error amplifier, a sense resistor and a diode. The converter has a transistor. The control circuitry is coupled to the transistor. The control circuitry is used for producing a drive signal to the transistor. The first resistor is connected between the output node of the converter and a first node. The second resistor is connected between the first node and a second node. The error amplifier is coupled to receive a voltage divided by the first resistor and the second resistor to compare to a reference voltage. The sense resistor is connected between the second node and ground. The diode is connected between the output node of the converter and a first node.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to power supplies and more particularly, to power supplies having a regulated output.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventional charger utilizing USB port adopts linear regulator for its charging technology. Conventional linear regulator provides stable output voltage. The output voltage is lower than the unregulated input voltage. The linear regulators offer a number of advantages, one of which is good regulation with low cost. However, they also suffer from several drawbacks, the primary one of which is inefficiency. Power that is not consumed by the load is dissipated as heat. Situations that combine high heat and insufficient heat dissipation may result in a rapid and extreme rise in body temperature. It may cause serious system malfunctioning and reliability issues. Moreover, the charging current is confined by the input end of the USB port. Therefore, it takes long time to fully charge the battery.


An example seal shaft includes a cylindrical body establishing a bore that extends axially between a first end portion of the body and a second end portion of the body. Apertures are also established in the body. The apertures extend radially between an outer surface of the body and the bore. The seal shaft further includes a first group knife edge seals and a second group of knife edge seals. The first group of knife edge seals have a diameter, and a ratio of the diameter to the total cross-sectional area of the apertures is between 58.79 and 78.77.

This disclosure relates to a seal shaft incorporated into an air cycle machine that supplies air to an aircraft cabin.
Known air cycle machines include a turbine rotor driven to rotate a shaft and in turn drive a compressor rotor. The air cycle machine houses the turbine rotor in a turbine section and houses the compressor rotor in the compressor section. Typically, bearings are incorporated into a housing to support the shaft for rotation. One known type of compressor bearing is an air bearing. Seal shafts are often used in air cycle machines, particularly the air cycle machines that utilize air bearings. The seal shafts control the flow of air near rotating interfaces within the air cycle machine.
One type of shaft seal includes radially extending holes that facilitate exhausting surplus air from the air cycle machine. During operation, the compressor section, the turbine section, or both, may generate the surplus air. If the surplus air is not exhausted, the surplus air tends to move between the compressor section and the turbine section, which can make the air cycle machine less efficient. Under some conditions, surplus air still moves between the compressor section and the turbine section, even with the holes. In the past, the shaft seal did not adequately control the flow surplus air flow between the compressor section and the turbine section.

Seal shaft for controlling fluid flow within an air cycle machine


A method for ultrasonic imaging includes transmitting ultrasonic radiation toward a target and receiving the ultrasonic radiation reflected from a region of the target. A main reflected signal and an auxiliary reflected signal are defined. The reflected signals have different respective main and auxiliary beam patterns. A difference between the main reflected signal and the auxiliary reflected signal is taken, so as to generate an output signal containing a reduced level of clutter in comparison with the main reflected signal.

Ultrasonic medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern medicine, gradually becoming more and more important as new developments enter the market. One of the most common imaging applications is echocardiography, or ultrasonic imaging of the cardiac system, providing essential anatomic and functional information on-line. Ultrasonic imaging systems typically produce noisy images, making the diagnosis of these images a task for highly trained expert physicians. One of the most problematic imaging artifacts is clutter, i.e., undesired information that appears in the imaging plane, obstructing the data of interest.
A common method for enhancing the visibility of the desired ultrasonic image relative to the clutter, particularly in patients with low echogenicity (a common phenomenon among obese patients), is administering contrast agents. Such agents enhance the ultrasonic backscatter from blood and aid in its differentiation from the surrounding tissue. This method is described, for example, by Krishna et al., in a paper entitled "Subharmonic Generation from Ultrasonic Contrast Agents," Physics in Medicine and Biology, vole 44, 1999, pages 681-694, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Using harmonic imaging instead of fundamental imaging, i.e., transmitting ultrasonic signals at one frequency and receiving at twice the transmitted frequency, also reduces clutter effects. Spencer et al. describe this method in a paper entitled "Use of Harmonic Imaging without Echocardiographic Contrast to Improve Two-Dimensional Image Quality," American Journal of Cardiology, vol. 82, 1998, pages 794-799, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Furthermore, image-processing methods have been developed for detecting clutter-affected pixels in echocardiographic images by means of post-processing. Zwirn and Akselrod present such a method in a paper entitled "Stationary Clutter Rejection in Echocardiography," presented at the European Study Group on Cardiovascular Oscillations (ESGCO), Leuven, Belgium, May 2004.
An additional class of currently available methods for handling clutter is a family of Clutter Rejection (CR) algorithms, used in Color-Doppler flow imaging. These methods estimate the flow velocity inside the cardiac chambers or other blood vessels and suppress the effect of slow-moving objects; assuming that the blood flow velocity is significantly higher than the motion velocity of the surrounding tissue. These methods are described, for example, by Herment et al. in a paper entitled "Improved Estimation of Low Velocities in Color Doppler Imaging by Adapting the Mean Frequency Estimator to the Clutter Rejection Filter," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 43, 1996, pages 919-927.
In spite of the tremendous need and advantage for appropriate clutter suppression, there is no clutter suppression method that is devoid of the above limitations.

Clutter suppression in ultrasonic imaging systems


A system for providing dunnage to packages as the packages are formed is disclosed. The system includes a dunnage forming machine having a work station for inflating and sealing plastic pouches to form dunnage units. An accumulator is positioned below the station for receiving and collecting such units as they are formed. The accumulator includes an outlet opening laterally offset from the station. A pair of counter rotating brushes having axes journaled in spaced relationship are mounted at the outlet. Each of the brushes includes circumferentially spaced bristle sets defining unit receiving spaces between adjacent sets. A motor drive is operably connected to the brushes for causing counter rotation. A unit volume sensor is provided for emitting a machine start signal when the volume of units in the accumulator reaches a predetermined low volume. A process for providing dunnage in packages being formed is also disclosed.

Many merchants, particularly those who sell wares through catalog and internet services, must package and ship individual orders. Standard size cartons are used. Since the individual orders vary in volume and weight and seldom completely fill a standard carton, it is necessary to provide dunnage to fill packages to protect the contents of packages during shipment.
Currently foamed plastic elements known as peanuts are widely used. Peanuts enjoy popularity because of their relatively small size and light weight. The small sizes provide ready filling of a wide range of sizes of spaces in packages being formed.
While peanuts are popular, they have distinct disadvantages. A major disadvantage, is that a substantial volume of storage space is required to maintain an inventory. A further major disadvantage is, in a large use environment a very substantial capital investment is required for delivering the peanuts to packaging stations.
A troublesome disadvantage is peanuts produce substantial quantities of dust. Further, because of their very light weight, the peanuts, when dispensed into packages, do not all find their way into packages being formed. Rather they create litter around each packaging station. Moreover, when a package is opened and the contents are removed, a customer opening such a package is invariably confronted with a clean-up job because peanuts are seemingly everywhere around the site where the package was opened.
U.S. Pat. Nos. RE36,501 and RE36,759 to Hoover et al. disclose and claim methods of making dunnage from a chain of interconnected bags (the Hoover Patents). Application Ser. No. 09/315,413 filed May 20, 1999 by Bernard Lerner, PCT application No. PCT/US00/13784 filed May 18, 2000 as a continuation-in-part thereof (The PCT Application), and a concurrently filed continuation-in-part of both (09/735,345) (The Continuation Application) each disclose improved methods and apparatus for producing dunnage units by inflating and sealing interconnected pouches. The Continuation Application is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
The Hoover Patents and the referenced applications each disclose dunnage units which have tacky external surfaces that stick together. While such tacky dunnage units are highly advantageous for shipment of heavy products, for many packages such tackiness is not required. Moreover, such tackiness tends to be counterproductive to the supply of dunnage units at the rates of speed required by businesses which market products via catalogs and the internet, in that packaging must be accomplished with dispatch. Further, because the tacky units adhere to one another, rapid filling of voids in a package being created may be inhibited. In addition, there are many applications where tackiness is not required or desirable so that the provision of tackiness simply adds to the cost of the units.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System for dispensing inflated plastic dunnage


There is provided a fast acting subminiature cylindrical fuse having a cylindrical cover substantially locked onto a cylindrical base. The locking mechanism for the cover comprises a plurality of grooves and a plurality of corresponding projections on the internal surface of the cover and the external surface of the fuse base. The lock projections have a relatively straight diverging upper surface and a rounded bottom locking surface. The fuse base has a spacing ridge on the bottom thereof that spaces the fuse bottom surface above a circuit board surface. The fuse also has a plurality of pressure relieving passageways extending from inside the fuse to the outside of the fuse.

Subminiature fuses are generally vacuum sealed, are air tight, or have no separate pressure relieving passageways, as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,899,123, 4,417,226, 4,349,805; 3,227,841 and 3,110,787. Also, the prior art generally requires a refractory fuse housing U.S. Pat. No. 3,227,841; a metal liner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,123 or an arc quenching filler U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,787.
The prior art subminiature fuses are generally prone to being damaged easily if there is a high pressure build up in the fuse caused by the fuse blowing.
If the cover of the fuse fractures, or releases from the fuse, it could cause damages to surrounding parts on the circuit board. Some of the prior art attempts to provide the fuse with a plurality of locking devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,293 shows using three annular ribs on the base. The annular ribs are rounded.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a subminiature fuse that will substantially alleviate some of the above problems encountered by the prior art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a subminiature fuse having a plurality of vent passageways extending from inside the fuse to the outside of the fuse.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a subminiature fuse having a plurality of locking projections on the fuse base wherein said locking projections have an upper frustro-conical surface and a lower locking rounded surface that cooperates with corresponding grooves in the fuse cover, and a plurality of pressure relieving passageways extending from the upper surface of said fuse base to the outside of said fuse.
Other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the specification is read in conjunction with the attached drawings.


Structures for a photodetector and methods of fabricating a structure for a photodetector. A photodetector includes a photodetector pad coupled to a waveguide core and a light-absorbing layer coupled to the photodetector pad. The light-absorbing layer has a body, a first taper that projects laterally from the body toward the waveguide core, and a second taper that projects laterally from the body toward the waveguide core. The photodetector pad includes a tapered section that is laterally positioned between the first taper and the second taper of the light-absorbing layer.

The present invention relates to photonics chips and, more specifically, to structures for a photodetector and methods of forming a structure for a photodetector.
Photonics chips are used in many applications and systems including, but not limited to, data communication systems and data computation systems. A photonics chip integrates optical components, such as waveguides, optical switches, directional couplers, and bends, and electronic components, such as field-effect transistors, into a unified platform. Among other factors, layout area, cost, and operational overhead may be reduced by the integration of both types of components on the same chip.
Photonics chips may include photodetectors that convert modulated pulses of light into an electrical signal. Photodetectors may suffer from significant back reflection producing optical return loss. Photodetectors may also exhibit significant responsivity degradation over time.
Improved structures for a photodetector and methods of fabricating a structure for a photodetector are needed.

Photodetectors including a coupling region with multiple tapers


An actuator system includes a shaft hub having a shaft and one or more rotation arms coupled to the shaft, one or more shape memory alloy springs coupled to the one or more rotation arms, and as a voltage source configured to apply a voltage to the one or more shape memory alloy springs. The voltage causes the one or more shape memory alloy springs to change in size or shape, thereby applying a force to the one or more rotation arms and causing the shaft hub to rotate. The actuator system also includes a processing circuit configured to receive an indication of a desired incremental rotation for the shaft hub and apply a voltage corresponding to the desired incremental rotation to the one or more shape memory alloy springs, causing the shaft and the shaft hub to rotate about a central axis.

The present disclosure relates generally to actuators which may operate in conjunction with other components or systems. The present disclosure relates more particularly to actuation by applying voltages to shape memory alloy components.
Actuation systems often include multiple geared members as well as one or more motors. Both geared members and motors can take up large amounts of space and can also be subject to wear, leading to short lifespans of the components. Actuators that are both space-efficient and offer better longevity than traditional geared mechanisms are desirable.
Traditional geared mechanisms comprising geared members and one or more motors are often expensive. Additionally, short lifespans of components exacerbate costs associated with traditional geared mechanisms as frequent repair and replacement can be required. As such, actuators that are more cost-efficient and offer longer lifespans for both systems and component parts are desirable.

Torque box actuator with shape memory alloy


A system and process provide online service providers with a platform to list services. The platform provides standardized templates for various business segments and business services associated within each segment. The electronic templates allow providers to conveniently enable/disable service offerings and input price, service tiers, and optional upgrades by toggling settings. The listing data is then received by the host and available to be listed through an online marketplace which may be presented to mobile application users. A search query by a consumer returns service listings that can be compared one to one by price a service offered.

The embodiments herein relate generally to systems and processes for creating standardized shared service offerings with customized unique prices.
The field of providing the purchase of online services is often limited by the technology on the back end that limits the ease of use and flexibility of creating and managing purchasable services. Typically a service is displayed on a website or mobile app with a static description of the service and a static price associated with the service. The back end part of the process is limited in this manner because each business' service offerings are managed on a one-to-one basis with price and the host server is merely coordinating payment for the selected service added to an electronic shopping cart. A service provider must typically build a website of mobile app and define services and pricing for each service. Updating service offerings and pricing typically requires the service provider to contract with a web/app developer to open the site code and revise the code for updated data. There is usually a delay (often days) in updating the information because of the time needed to update code and the backlog in the developer's schedule.
As a result of individual businesses building separate sites for services, competitors will offer similar services but in many if not most cases not the same service. Typically, there is a difference in details of the service provided between competitors. Thus, there will be a price difference between the similar services from competitors making it difficult for the end consumer to compare services and prices.
As can be seen, there is a need for a system and process that provides the consumer flexibility in selecting and comparing between competing sources of a service during online shopping. To this end, a system and process that enables service providers easily, efficiently, and cost effectively offer "shared" services while at the same time incorporating unique prices for such shared services is needed.

Medium for creating standardized shared service offerings with template for custom unique prices


An industrial textile including a polymeric substrate and a resin system grafted onto the polymeric substrate by way of a primer. The resin system includes a water-borne thermoplastic, a polyhydroxyether resin and/or an analogue of a polyhydroxyether resin, and at least one co-resin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to industrial fabrics and has particular relevance to fabrics on which non-woven materials may be formed by hydroentanglement and other formation techniques for the "Nonwovens" market sector and to papermakers' fabrics, such as forming fabrics, dryer fabrics and fabrics for use in the production of paper products using through-air drying (TAD) installations.
2. Description of the Related Art
TAD fabrics are conventionally used in the manufacture of paper towels, facial tissue, bathroom tissue, table napkins and the like.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,017,417 and 6,331,230; and Publication WO 01/44568 describe the manufacture of tissue and the like using through-air drying. Typically, in such processes, a slurry of cellulosic fibers is fed onto a forming fabric or between two forming fabrics, where the paper web is formed and partially dewatered before the web is transferred, often via a transfer fabric, to a TAD fabric for further water removal by way of one or multiple TAD units. The web is then fed by way of the TAD fabric to a presser roll where a nip is formed between the TAD fabric and a Yankee cylinder. Here the paper web transfers to the Yankee cylinder where further drying and creping takes place. In one variation of this process, the Yankee cylinder is removed, thus eliminating the pressing nip. In this case, the web is transferred from the TAD fabric to a further fabric.
It is conventional to spray a chemical release agent, e.g. silicone oil onto the TAD fabrics in order to provide good sheet release, whether it be to aid the transfer of the sheet on to another fabric or on to the Yankee cylinder, after exiting the presser roll nip. There are a number of potential problems associated with using a chemical release agent in the TAD process, two of these being that they are messy to utilize and very expensive.
TAD fabrics are flat-woven fabrics, which are spliced together. Adhesive is applied to the terminal ends in the joint area to provide supplementary strength and to keep these terminal ends in-plane. It has been found that when no adhesive is present, the chemical release agent tends to facilitate the process of allowing the terminal ends to relax under operating temperatures, which causes them to come out of plane of the fabric. Once out of plane, damage to, or rupture of, the sheet will inevitably occur and the seam will slowly fatigue until premature failure occurs. The use of adhesive in the joint area helps keep the terminal ends in place but adversely affects the porosity of the fabric at the joint, which can in turn have an unfavorable impact on the product quality and machine performance.
What is needed in the art is a seam that has the property of terminal end restraint without utilizing an adhesive.
Furthermore, chemical release agents have been found to accumulate on the fabric causing waste fiber to build-up and block the surface. This also affects the rate of drying and thus paper quality.
Probably the most critical problem, with the use of the chemical release agent, is the fact that it remains in the recycled white water system. Most modern paper machines tend to have closed water systems, and so the water that is removed from the cellulosic stock during the papermaking process and the reclaimed fabric shower water is collected, recycled and then reused as shower water and also to dilute the new cellulsoic stock. In the interim period, the water is stored in holding tanks and here the minute beads of chemical release agent coalesce into larger globules. It is extremely difficult to separate the chemical release agent from the water and the globules end up coating these tanks, which finally make their way back into the system. When the globules find their way into the cellulosic stock, there are potentially a number of problems, all of which result in a reduction of paper quality and machine operating efficiency.
The paper stock is a complex, charged system, with additives, such as cationic retention aids, added in order to ensure that all of the individual components of the stock bond together. When oil gets into this system it interferes with these charges and suppresses the effectiveness of the additives. This in turn leads to higher operating costs since additional amounts of additives are needed to achieve the desired sheet properties.
Another problem is that globules in the stock act as a debonder and reduce the sheet strength. Machine refining must be increased to compensate for the loss in sheet strength, which makes the sheet harder to dewater and/or dry and, in some cases, results in a loss of machine speed and/or output.
During manufacture the sheet side of conventional TAD fabrics is sanded, so as to increase the surface contact area of the fabric from between 6–12% to between 20–30%. This is required in order to ensure good transfer of the paper web, for example, from the TAD fabric to the Yankee cylinder and it also ensures good final sheet strength. The sanding process usually encourages the onset of micro-fibrillation of the yarn components on the paper-facing side, a problem that is accentuated through the use of high pressure showers. These fibrils eventually cause a reduction in the fabric's permeability which in turn leads to a poor drying profile and subsequently to a lower machine output.
TAD fabrics are conventionally made from polyester yarns, designed to improve their dry heat, hydrolysis and abrasion resistant properties. The operating environment on a TAD machine accelerates polymer degradation due to these phenomena, which ultimately causes fabric failure to occur. Fabric cleanliness is also an issue with conventional dryer and TAD fabrics in that dirt or so-called "stickies" tend to adhere to the fabric surface, which can cause holes in the sheet. Conventional TAD fabrics may also suffer from a lack of rigidity leading to cross-machine direction undulations in the fabric, particularly post the TAD cylinders. Occasionally, the undulations can be so severe as to cause irreversible localized folding of the fabric, necessitating its removal from the machine.
What is needed in the art is a fabric that reduces or eliminates the foregoing related problems.

Papermaking belts and industrial textiles with enhanced surface properties


An optical lens system is disclosed. The optical lens system includes a first lens that has negative refractive power, a second lens that has positive refractive power, a third lens that has positive refractive power, a fourth lens that has refractive power, a fifth lens that has positive refractive power, a sixth lens that has negative refractive power, an aperture located between the second lens and the third lens, and conditional expressions of “−1.4<tan θ/f<−1.1” and “4.0<TTL/BFL<6.0” are satisfied when θ is an angle of view of the optical lens system in a diagonal direction, f is a focal length of the optical lens system, TTL is a distance on an optical axis from the object-side surface of the first lens to the sensor, and BFL is a distance on the optical axis from the sensor-side surface of the sixth lens to the sensor.

An imaging camera module includes an optical lens system including at least one lens and an image sensor that receives light passing through the optical lens system and converts the received light into an electric signal. Solid-state image sensing devices such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor (CMOS image sensor) have commonly been used as image sensors.
Recently, camera modules have been widely employed in electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet computers, lab-top computers, and the like. Such electronic devices have advanced to become smaller and thinner in order to improve user convenience and aesthetic sense. The conventional camera devices also tend to grow smaller and thinner. In line with this, a camera module mounted on such an electronic device is also required to be small and thin.
Recent camera modules require a lens having a wide angle of view to capture a larger amount of information by one shot. However, it is difficult to design a lens which may have a wide angle of view, may be used in combination with a high-resolution image sensor, and may have excellent optical performance such as aberration and distortion.
Therefore, a high-performance optical lens system which is smaller, has a wide angle of view, and is used in combination with a high-resolution image sensor is required to be developed.


The present invention discloses a phosphor slurry composition for color Braun tubes comprising deionized water, phosphor powder, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium dichromate, ethyl silicate and zinc sulfate. A color Braun tube manufactured using a phosphor slurry composition of the present invention shows an excellent mirror reflection effect and high luminescent brightness.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a phosphor slurry composition for color Braun tubes, more particularly, to a phosphor slurry composition comprising an aqueous ethyl silicate solution and an aqueous zinc sulfate solution in addition to the ingredients of the conventional phosphor slurry composition and usable to manufacture color Braun tubes exhibiting significantly increased luminescent brightness.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In general, the inner face of a color Braun tube is provided with a fluorescent screen which contains red phosphor, blue phosphor and green phosphor uniformly deposited thereon. As a method to form such a fluorescent screen, the slurry method is widely used. In this method, a procedure of coating a phosphor slurry composition containing a photoresist material on the inner face of a color Braun tube to form a photoresist film, and carrying out the developing process by exposure to light through a shadowmask is sequentially carried out as to green phosphor, blue phosphor and red phosphor, thereby a fluorescent screen is formed.
As an example of the phosphor slurry composition used in the slurry method, a phosphor slurry consisting of phosphor powder, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium dichromate and deionized water is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. Sho 59-19156.
The fluorescent screens produced by using the conventional phosphor slurry compositions have a low packing density of phosphor layer and poor evenness so that the mirror reflection effect of the aluminum vacuum evaporation film will be insufficient, leading to a decrease of luminescent brightness of the fluorescent screens.
Besides the slurry method, the phosphor powder coating method is another method to produce a phosphor coating. This method is disclosed by way of example in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 57-20651.
According to this method, when phosphors are coated over the surface of the panel in the shape of fine dots or stripes as in the case of color Braun tubes, parts of the phosphor dots or stripes with the second and/or third color peel off or fail to be deposited to a sufficient thickness, leading to a problem that the obtained fluorescent screen has low grade quality. To solve this problem, in Japanese patent laid-open No. Sho. 62-110230 is disclosed a method which further comprises a step to heat the photosensitive adhesive film prior to the step to deposit each phosphor powders.
However, this method has a defect that a large quantity of heat energy is consumed and the processes get more complicated.


A clothes washing machine includes a spin-dry tub and an oscillatory agitator disposed at the bottom of the tub. The agitator includes a centrally located vertical hole in which an axial fan is mounted. A drive mechanism oscillates the axial fan relative to the agitator about a vertical axis to generate an upward water jet that disperses the laundry in a manner preventing entwinement and entanglement thereof. The driving mechanism comprises a roller mounted on an underside of the agitator. The roller engages the bottom of the tub and is oscillated by frictional contact therewith during oscillation of the agitator. Oscillation of the roller is transmitted to the axial fan by a flexible shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clothes washing machine which agitates the laundry by forward and reverse rotations of a pulsator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional clothes washing machine includes a washing tub 20 fixedly disposed in a body 10 of the washing machine, a motor 30 arranged under the washing tub 20, and power transmission means 50 installed under a middle portion of the washing tub 20 which receives a drive power of the motor 30 through a belt 40 and then transmits it to a spin-drying tub 60 or a pulsator (agitator) 70.
The spin-drying tub 60 for spin-drying the laundry by way of centrifugal force generated by the motor 30 is mounted at the end of the power transmission means 50 within the washing tub 20. The pulsator 70 is rotatably disposed at an inner bottom of the spin-drying tub 60, and the pulsator 70 repeats forward and reverse rotations (i.e., oscillates) according to the power of the power transmission means 50. That oscillation disturbs a water current in the spin-drying tub 60, and simultaneously agitates the laundry thereby carrying out the washing.
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of vanes 73 radially protrude from an upper surface of the pulsator 70 at regular intervals with a central shaft 72 formed at a center of the pulsator 70 so as to disturb the water current and at the same time agitate the laundry during washing and rinsing steps.
In addition, water supply means 80 for supplying the washing water into the spin-drying tub 60 is disposed at a rear of the body 10 of the washing machine.
The washing tub 20 is provided at a bottom area thereof with drainage means 90 for draining out the washing water within the spin-drying tub 60.
As shown in FIG. 1, the water supply means 80 is provided at a bottom area thereof with detergent dissolution means 100 for dissolving detergent therein by supplied water and for supplying the dissolved detergent solution into the washing tub 20 and the spin-drying tub 60.
However, there is a problem in the conventional washing machine thus constructed, in that the plurality of vanes 73 produce a water current shown in FIG. 3 which causes the laundry to be entwined and entwisted when the pulsator 70 oscillates during the washing and rinsing steps.
The entwinement and entwistment of the laundry cause reduction of washing and rising efficiencies in the washing machine.

Apparatus for generating an upward water jet in a clothes washer


Based on a desired center frequency and a frequency resolution for a signal to be measured which are entered via an operator section, a micro-CPU calculates the frequency dividing number, a preset value and a center value for the signal to be measured. The frequency dividing number is set in a frequency divider, which frequency divides the signal to be measured and provides the frequency-divided output to a continuous period-to-voltage converter. The continuous period-to-voltage converter counts clock pulses occurring in each frequency-divided period, measures the difference between fractions of time from both the beginning and the end of the frequency-divided period to the generation of the next clock pulses, respectively, and outputs, as a voltage corresponding to the frequency-divided period, the sum of a voltage corresponding to a predetermined number of consecutive low-order bits of a binary value, obtained by adding the preset value to the pulse count value, and the fractional time difference. A subtractor is supplied with a voltage corresponding to the frequency-divided period and a voltage corresponding to the center value and outputs the voltage difference as a frequency-divided period deviation, and the micro-CPU calculates a frequency deviation of the measured signal from the center frequency on the basis of the frequency-divided period deviation.

The present invention relates to a frequency deviation measuring apparatus and, more particularly, to a frequency deviation measuring apparatus whereby the deviation between a preset frequency (hereinafter referred to as a center frequency) and a measured frequency is displayed with a preset resolution.
For evaluating the revolution performance of a motor which drives a rotary member used in a video tape recorder (VTR), a compact disk player (CD), a digital audio tape recorder (DAT), or similar electronic equipment, there has been proposed an effective method according to which an output obtained by superimposing an external disturbance on the output of an oscillator which drives the motor is used to drive the motor and a variation in the frequency generator output proportional to the rotating speed of the motor is measured by means of, for example, a delta F (.DELTA.F) measuring apparatus.
Yet the delta F measuring apparatus is not commercially available and its measured data lacks objectivity unless its rating is defined.


Disclosed are a base station and a mobile terminal for location detection, and a location detecting method. The base station in which a plurality of antennas having RF modules are installed transmits a signal including location information of each of the antennas to the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal carries out location detection by selectively using location information received from a GPS receiver or location information received from a DSRC transceiver. The base station and mobile terminal for location detection can perform location detection with high accuracy using the existing DSRC service. Thus, the base station and mobile terminal can carry out location detection having an error of approximately 10 m in downtown areas or buildings.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a base station and a mobile terminal for location detection, and a location detecting method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a base station and a mobile terminal for location detection, and a location detecting method using a GPS technique and dedicated short range communication (DSRC).
(b) Description of the Related Art
Methods for detecting locations of mobile terminals include a technique that decides a location of a base station having a cell ID as a location of a mobile terminal, an AOA (Arrival Of Angle) method by which a base station determines a location of a mobile terminal through a direction angle of a signal transmitted from the mobile terminal, and a TDOA (Time Difference Of Arrival) method that detects a location of a mobile terminal using a time difference of arrival of a signal between the mobile terminal and a base station. The location detecting methods further include a technique that detects a location of a mobile terminal through a combination of the AOA and TDOA methods, RF fingerprinting that compares an RF characteristic value of a signal received from a mobile terminal with a value stored in a database to detect a location of the mobile terminal, a technique using a global positioning system (GPS), and a network-assisted GPS method.
In the method using a GPS, a mobile terminal receives signal information of the GPS such that a location of the mobile terminal is detected.
This method is easy to use and can detect a relatively accurate location of the mobile terminal outdoors. However, it consumes a large amount of electric power, requires a long time to first fix (TTFF), and has many restrictions on location detection indoors and in downtown areas due to interference of multiple paths and an insufficient number of visible satellites.
With the network-assisted GPS method, which is one method for is solving the problems of the GPS method, a mobile terminal can be provided with assistant data required for obtaining a list of satellites and satellite signals from a base station to reduce the time to first fix and additionally receive a correction signal.
The method using a cell ID can easily detect a location of a mobile terminal without modifying the existing equipment. However, this method has a problem in that accuracy of a location detecting result varies with a cell diameter. For example, a macro-call has an error of approximately 20 Km in diameter, a micro-cell has an error of 0.5 to 1 Km in diameter, and a pico-cell has an error of about 50 m in diameter.
With the AOA method, a base station measures a direction angle of a signal transmitted from a mobile terminal using an array antenna to detect a location of- the mobile terminal. However, this technique has a large location error because it is difficult to secure LOS (Line Of Sight) due to a multi-path in downtown areas. Furthermore, since the AOA method requires an array antenna, the mobile terminal has difficulty in using the method.
The TDOA method calculates a distance between a mobile terminal and a base station using a one-way signal arrival time between the mobile terminal and base station. With this method, a final location of the mobile terminal is detected from intersecting points of circles having three base stations at their centers. However, this technique has poor location accuracy.
The RF fingerprinting is an auxiliary location detecting method used to detect a location of a mobile terminal in downtown areas or inside buildings where the method using a GPS is difficult to use. This technique should continuously update a database according to a geographical environment and a channel state. In addition, its location detection performance is deteriorated due to a plurality of mobile terminals.
As described above, conventional location detecting methods are divided into techniques using a GPS and techniques not using GPS.
The techniques using a GPS have geographical restrictions that require LOS to be secured, need a long time to first fix, and consume a large amount of electric power, although they can detect a location of a mobile terminal relatively easily.
To solve the aforementioned problems, the network assisted GPS method allows a mobile terminal to receive information required for GPS location detection from the nearest base station. Thus, this method can reduce time and power consumption required for location detection. A network based location detecting method is used in areas where GPS location detection is impossible, such as downtown areas or indoor areas. However, the network assisted GPS method has a problem in that a location detection error is increased depending on a cell area when a location of a mobile terminal is detected using a network.
Among the techniques not using GPS, the AOA method can be used only in a base station because it requires an array antenna. Furthermore, a location detection error is increased due to a multi-path effect in downtown areas. As a distance between a mobile terminal and the base station is increased, the location detection error is also increased.
The TDOA method generates an error caused by locations of base stations, an error due to a multi-path in downtown areas, an error caused by a near-far problem due to a high reception signal from a near base station, and so on.
Methods other than the above-described techniques also have restrictions on location detection with high accuracy.

Base station and mobile terminal for location detection, and location detecting method

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


Embodiments of the invention distribute profiling responsibilities for a clustered application to various instances of the application that generally run on different computer hosts. In an embodiment, the profiling responsibility is measured in terms of metrics wherein each profiling agent of an instance collects metrics about that instance. The metrics are prioritized and assigned to instances such that the highest priority metrics are assigned if possible. Each metric is associated with an expected performance overhead, and the assignment of metrics to an instance is done such that the performance overhead on that instance and/or host does not exceed a threshold. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Computer software applications are increasingly designed to run in clusters, i.e., to run as multiple replicated instances on possibly multiple computer systems, which, for illustration purposes, may be referred to as "hosts." Advantages of clustered applications include scalability, robustness, and economy. Scalability refers to the fact that the application can easily expand its computing capacity, and robustness refers to difficulty for the entire application to fail. For example, if one instance of the application crashes, or even if an entire host containing several instances crashes, the other instances and hosts can continue to function. Clustered applications are economical because they are frequently deployed on many inexpensive computers, yet can provide as much computing power as one large, much more expensive computer.
However, the presence of many application instances on many hosts makes monitoring and management of these applications significantly more difficult. Monitoring the health of the applications in a live production environment and managing their behavior can become expensive and inefficient. Further, current monitoring and management solutions generally do not provide in-depth profiling information about applications. Even when they do, detailed profiling is computationally expensive, and can degrade application and/or system performance. Therefore, in-depth profiling information is usually not collected in deployment environments. To keep performance acceptable, deployment-time monitoring is used to provide coarse, general information about application behavior. However, information provided to the user is usually of limited use because such information normally does not provide enough detail to indicate the root cause of an application problem.

Monitoring clustered software applications

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A patterning method for a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. A substrate is provided and a stack structure is laid thereon. The stack layer includes at least a target layer and a pad layer sequentially formed on the substrate. Follow by a lithography process, wherein photoresists are laid on the stack layer to form a plurality of photoresist elements. Thus, a plurality of pattern is formed on the target layer, and a portion of target layer's surface is exposed. Lastly, ion implanting is provided and defines a doped area as hard mask for the etching process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a patterning method for a semiconductor substrate, and more specifically to a patterning method via ion implanting.
2. Description of Related Art
For semiconductor manufacture, the sizes of electronic elements are gradually getting smaller in the course of producing and developing integrated circuits (IC). Historically, the size of a wafer reduces by 30% every two to three years, and today, some mass production of the electronic elements have reached sizes of less than 100 nm. As the electronic component density increases, the efficiency also increases (higher processing speed and lower consumed power). Thus, it is necessary to develop and improve the resolution of processing technology in order to produce smaller electronic components and to manufacture such components with higher efficiency.
Lithography is one of the important prior arts of semiconductor manufacturing technologies; wherein by optical improvements, the resolution of pattern transfer is increased and the critical dimension of the line thickness is reduced. However, limitation exists for improving lithography by only optical improvement. For example, look at optical lithography that is generally used by the industry in the past, due to the characteristics of optical physics, it cannot reduce the line thickness nor increase the resolution of pattern transfer as the line thickness reaches below 65 nm to 45 nm. The present invention aims to remedy the limitation.

Patterning method for a semiconductor substrate


Problem. Provided is a negative electrode material for a sodium secondary battery and its manufacturing method, and a negative electrode for a sodium secondary battery, and a sodium secondary battery, wherein the negative electrode material can have excellent cycle characteristics while maintaining high discharge capacity. Solution. A negative electrode material for a sodium secondary battery according to the present invention includes sulfide or sulfide composite body containing sulfur and antimony, and as necessary further includes the following component(s) of (i): (i) at least one or more element(s) selected from a group consisting of Sn, As, Bi, Ge, Ga, Pb, and C, wherein when a component(s) of (i) is included, the ratio of each of the above described components is sulfur: 10 to 70 mol %, antimony: 10 to 70 mol %, and (i): 3 to 60 mol %.

Lithium secondary batteries such as lithium ion batteries and lithium polymer batteries not only have high voltage and high capacity but also are light in weight compared to nickel cadmium batteries and nickel hydrogen batteries. In recent years, therefore, they are more widely used as main power sources for mobile communication equipment, portable electronic devices, electric bicycles, electric two-wheel vehicles, electric automobiles, etc. For example, generally, in current lithium ion batteries, as a positive electrode, lithium-containing transition metal compound oxide such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2) and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) is used, and as a negative electrode, graphite, hard carbon or the like which is capable of absorbing and releasing lithium is used. In addition, as an electrolyte used in a lithium ion battery, a solution, in which an electrolytic salt is dissolved in a mixed organic solvent, is mainly used, wherein cyclic carbonate such as propylene carbonate (PC) and ethylene carbonate (EC), and chain carbonate such as dimethyl carbonate (DMC), diethyl carbonate (DEC) and methylethyl carbonate (MEC) are mixed in the mixed organic solvent, and wherein lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), lithium hexafluoroarsenate (LiAsF6), lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), lithium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiN(CF3SO2)2), lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiCF3SO3) or the like is used as the electrolytic salt.
As a major problem of current lithium ion batteries, there is given an uneven regional distribution of lithium resource. In view of this actual situation, the research of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery using sodium ion instead of lithium ion has been undertaken in recent years. Sodium is an element which is abundant in seawater and is the sixth most abundant element on earth, and therefore it is cheap and easy to obtain. That is, from the view point of the recent movement of not using rare earth elements, sodium is a very attractive element. In addition, as a power collector of negative electrode, a copper foil is used in a lithium ion battery; on the other hand, an aluminum foil which is cheap can be used in a sodium ion battery, which is an advantage over the lithium ion battery. Further, sodium is an alkali metal element to which lithium also belongs to, and thus it has similar characteristics to those of lithium. Accordingly, theory of sodium ion battery itself has been studied long before.
However, a sodium ion battery has a major problem. For example, a lithium ion battery causes intercalation phenomenon for charge and discharge, wherein lithium ion moves between graphite of a negative electrode active substance and lithium-containing transition metal compound oxide such as LiCoO2 of a positive electrode active substance, and moves between molecules of each material. Since graphite has a layered molecule structure, the structure of the graphite is rarely destroyed even if lithium ion moves in and out between layers. In addition, a lithium ion battery theoretically can absorb a capacity of 327 mAh/g of lithium ion. However, sodium ion has a large radius, and thus cannot enter between layers of molecules of graphite. Accordingly, a sodium ion battery does not show any capacity.
Patent Document 1 discloses an invention of a secondary battery using an alkali metal as negative electrode material. Specifically, it describes using a lithium metal as alkali metal. For example, if sodium metal (Na) as alkali metal is used as a negative electrode material, a high capacity can be theoretically achieved. However, when sodium metal (Na) is used as a negative electrode material, dendrites are precipitated on the negative electrode during charge, and after repeated charge and discharge they reach the positive electrode side, thus causing a phenomenon of internal short circuit. Furthermore, since precipitated dendrites have a high lability due to their large specific surface area, and interfacial membranes including solvent degradation products without electron conductivity are formed on the surface, the charge and discharge efficiency is lowered due to the high internal resistance of the battery. For these reasons, a sodium ion battery using sodium metal has disadvantages of low reliability and short cycle life.
From this background, a negative electrode material including other material than sodium metal and causing no internal short circuit has been desired in a sodium ion secondary battery. Patent Document 2 describes an invention relating to a sodium ion secondary battery using fibrous carbon material having a diameter of 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm as a negative electrode. When the fibrous carbon material described in Patent Document 2 is used as a negative electrode, the cycle life thereof is good. However, there exists a problem of low energy density.
Patent Document 3 concerning electrolyte describes that propylene carbonate or a mixed solvent of propylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate is preferably used as a solvent for electrolyte used for a hard carbon negative electrode in a sodium ion secondary battery. Non Patent Document 1 shows that a hard carbon electrode utilizing EC:DMC-based electrolyte commonly used in lithium ion batteries could not obtain good cycle characteristics in a sodium cell, and reports that better cycle characteristics are obtained from PC-based electrolyte than EC:DMC-based and PC:DMC-based electrolytes. In other words, Patent Document 3 and Non Patent Document 1 show that the cycle characteristics of negative electrode are largely dependent on electrolyte. Patent Document 4 discloses an example in which sodium ion is contained in nonaqueous electrolyte in a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which includes a simple substance of Sn or Ge as a negative electrode.
However. Patent Document 3 and Non Patent Document 1 only studied a case of electrolyte used for a hard carbon negative electrode, and did not study a case of electrolyte used for an alloy-based negative electrode.
The negative electrode including a simple substance of Sn or Ge described in Patent Document 4 causes large volume expansion/contraction due to absorption/release of sodium at the time of charging/discharging. As a result, there is a problem that the electrode itself may fall apart, and thus the cycle life thereof is poor. In addition, Patent Document 4 did not study an electrolyte.

Negative electrode material for sodium secondary battery and method for producing same, negative electrode for sodium secondary batter, and sodium secondary battery

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


An apparatus and a method for managing data stored in a personal video recorder (PVR) allows multiple users to utilize the PVR and to individually set protection levels for programs (e.g. movies, music) stored on the PVR. The protection levels permit a user to specify whether or not a recorded program is playable by others, may be overwritten by others, or even will be visible on a menu listing the programs stored on the PVR. A user may also select a period of time, within which the recorded program will be write protected. Each user will have a unique user ID, which may include a password. Further, the user ID will allow the system to associate certain preset limitations to the specific user. For example, a user may only be able to view programming recorded on the PVR having a restriction rating below a preset threshold (e.g. PG-13).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a personal video recorder (PVR). More particularly, the present invention concerns an apparatus and a method for managing data stored in a PVR.
2. Description of the Background Art
PVRs are growing in popularity. A PVR may be integrated into a television, but more typically, the PVR is provided in a dedicated set top box, such as a cable signal decoder box or a satellite signal decoder box. The PVR allows a person to record programming. Usually, the programming is recorded in a digital format on a hard drive within the PVR. However, it is envisioned that a PVR could also record in formats other than digital (e.g. an analog format) and/or could employ other memory devices than a hard drive (e.g. a rewriteable optical drive or a RAM).
In a well-know manner, the PVR can be used to pause a currently broadcast program to record a desired program while simultaneously viewing another program, and can be set to record a future program. Also, a PVR can be used to stored video conferences for business purposes, and to store music (e.g. to record a compilation of music or songs from a connected compact disc player).
The PVRs of the background art have memories which can store approximately eighty hours of standard definition video programming. Of course, PVR technology is improving and one of the improvements involves an increased memory size, so that more programs can be stored on the PVR and/or high definition programs can be stored (e.g. HDTV).
The PVRs of the background art have a menu or listing which lists the titles of the programs stored in the memory. The menus may also list some additional information which was received along with the broadcast signal at the time of recording (e.g. genre information, recording time, original air date and time).
With potentially eighty or more hours of programming stored on a PVR, and with potentially several users (e.g. family members, roommates) utilizing a PVR, there is a need for an improved organization menu to access the programming data and/or to associate control over the stored programs with certain users. Further, there is a need for an organization menu which will allow viewing restrictions to be imposed on younger viewers. Further, there is a need for an organization menu which will allow better user settable controls concerning such parameters as an overwriting ability of the PVR relative to certain stored programs.
For example, the PVRs of the background art allow stored programs to be overwritten at the discretion of the present user. This can lead to problems. Sometimes the present user will overwrite a stored program of another user, without the permission of the other user. For instances, a child might overwrite a news broadcast stored by a parent, before the parent had the chance to view the stored news broadcast.
An example of another drawback occurs when an adult user stores programming with adult content on the PVR (e.g. an R rated movie). The PVR menus of the background art make no provision to limit the viewing of such programs by younger users of the PVR. Further, the PVR menus of the background art make no provision to hide the titles of such programs in the menu or listing of programs stored on the PVR.


A catalyst comprising a transition metal zeolite and a supported noble metal is disclosed. The mean mass diameter of the catalyst is greater than 0.5 mm. The catalyst is formed from transition metal zeolite particles and the supported noble metal particles each having a mean mass diameter of less than 0.1 mm. An epoxidation process by reacting an olefin, hydrogen, and oxygen in the presence of the catalyst is disclosed.

Direct epoxidation of higher olefins (containing 3 or more carbon atoms) such as propylene with oxygen and hydrogen has been the focus of recent efforts. For example, the reaction may be performed in the presence of a catalyst comprising gold and a titanium-containing support (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,623,090, 6,362,349, and 6,646,142), or a catalyst containing palladium and a titanium zeolite (see, e.g., JP 4-352771).
Mixed catalyst systems for olefin epoxidation with hydrogen and oxygen have also been disclosed. For example, Example 13 of JP 4-352771 describes the use of a mixture of titanosilicate and Pd-on-carbon for propylene epoxidation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,388 describes a catalyst comprising a noble metal and a titanium or vanadium zeolite, but additionally teaches that the Pd can be incorporated into a support before mixing with the zeolite. The catalyst supports disclosed include silica, alumina, and activated carbon. U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,259 discloses the epoxidation of an olefin with hydrogen and oxygen in a solvent containing a buffer in the presence of a catalyst mixture containing a titanium zeolite and a noble metal catalyst. It is postulated that hydrogen peroxide, which is formed by reacting hydrogen and oxygen over the noble metal catalyst, reacts with the olefin in the presence of the titanium zeolite to form epoxide.
The direct epoxidation may be performed in a slurry or a fixed bed (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,259). In a slurry process, catalyst particles of <100 μm are typically used; the separation of liquid product stream from catalyst particles by, e.g., filtration, is often troublesome. It is desirable, particularly in a fixed-bed process, to use catalysts of larger particle size, e.g., >0.5 mm, for the ease of separation and acceptable pressure drop across the bed.
Mixed catalyst systems have been used for other reactions. EP 0 211 985 discloses a process using a mixture of an olefin disproportionation catalyst and a double bond isomerization catalyst. Examples II and III of EP 0 211 985 illustrate that mixtures of the two catalysts with particles of 0.42 mm to 0.84 mm in diameter (20 to 40 mesh) give good activities.


An image-capturing apparatus is disclosed, including a lens driver module and a sensor module; wherein the lens driver module includes a lens housing chamber and a female engagement base, the lens housing chamber being for housing a lens, and the female engagement base being located inside the lens driver module; the sensor module includes a sensor and a male engagement base; the female engagement base being disposed on the male engagement base; and an optical calibration facility being used to adjust the lens driver module; when an optical axis of the lens driver module is parallel to a sensor optical axis of the sensor module, a glue is applied to fasten the lens driver module and the sensor module so that the female engagement base and the male engagement base do not move with respect to each other.

A common practice of assembling a camera is to assemble the lens driver module and the sensor module first, and then dispose the lens module in the lens carrier of the lens driver module. Alternatively, the lens module is first installed in the lens carrier of the lens driver module and then the lens driver module is assembled to the sensor module. In either practice, the approach is to compensate for the tolerance of the components so that the optical axis of the lens module and the optical axis of the sensor module can be as parallel as possible.
When the precision of the manufactured component is too poor to be adjusted, the component must be discarded. For example, when the error between the plane of the lens driver module and the plane of the sensor module is too large, the optical axis of the lens module and the optical axis of the sensor module cannot be maintained within a tilt angle tolerance. A similar situation occurs when the error exists between the lens carrier and the lens module. Therefore, it is desirable to develop an apparatus able to compensate the manufacture tolerance of the components and provide higher manufacture and assembly margin to achieve optimal imaging effect.


A dietary supplement and method of supplementation comprises a vegetable component consisting essentially of juices extracted from two parts by weight fresh, unpeeled carrots; one part by weight fresh, unpeeled beet root; one part by weight of fresh, unpeeled cucumber; and a selected quantity of aloe vera juice. A cleansing component includes at least one of the following: about 2 fluid ounces (59.1 ml) of lemon juice; about 1.5-2 fluid ounces (44.3 to 59.1 ml) of lime juice; about 1 fluid ounce (29.6 ml) of aloe vera juice; and about 4-6 fluid ounces (118.3 to 177.4 ml) of cranberry juice. The vegetable component is ingested orally twice daily and the cleansing component is ingested orally once daily.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in some parts of the world which is perhaps due mainly to the fact that there is no official medical cure for the disease. While there are a number of cancer treatments such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and various forms of surgical procedures; many of these treatments can prove quite painful and rigorous on the person undergoing treatment.
Arthritis, of all varieties, is a painful and debilitating disease that, like cancer, has no known cure. Although it is typically not deadly like cancer, progression of the disease can cause significant pain and disability for sufferers. Also, treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, namely biologics and immunotherapy, share the rigors of similar treatments for cancer, and NSAID medications for pain and inflammation can have serious gastric side effects.
Due to the deadly nature of the disease of cancer and the pain inflicted by both cancer and arthritis, and the mixed results of some of the standard methods of treatment, it has been necessary to devise a supportive treatment that is simple, effective and would increase the chances of recovery of cancer and arthritis patients and contributes to the general health of those not afflicted. In more recent times, it has been discovered that a good number of life threatening diseases are directly linked to poor nutritional practices and that many fruits and vegetables have nutrients that are beneficial and may even prevent and/or stop the spread of cancer and arthritis.
Yet the random consumption or use of fruits and vegetables, in and of itself, does not treat or cure any disease. Not all fruits and vegetables are equal in their ability to treat cancer or arthritis, and as such the selective use of such fruits, vegetables and other natural products as used in the invention is necessary to effectively support health, particularly of those suffering from cancer or arthritis.
Given the excessive stress that a cancer patient goes through, the aforementioned methods of cancer treatment, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, do not always provide the necessary nutrition and full therapy to help the body completely heal. As such the present invention is devised to supplement the existing methods and complete the treatment.
Similarly, the arthritis patient can benefit from nutritional support, both to reduce the inflammation characteristic of the disease and to minimize or alleviate the side effects and symptoms of certain treatments or therapies.
General use of such nutrients and other therapy can be insufficient and as such a specific formulation and regime, as embodied in the present invention, have been devised to effectively combat the symptoms of these deadly and painful diseases.
Prior art consists of raw food treatments for cancer such as the Brandt Grape treatment which involves the use of grape and grape juice, and books have been written on how raw or uncooked foods interact with diseases such as cancer. While many cancer diets are essentially a modification of a raw food diet, each cancer treatment diet or formula has its own unique attributes. Thus while the present invention contains some of the key ingredients found in some vegetable diets or therapies such as carrots or beets, it also has its own specific formulation and preparation techniques to maximize its effectiveness and which distinguishes it from any prior art.
Further some of the existing raw juice therapies rely on the use of one to two quarts of carrot juice daily. Such a high quantity of carrot juice would be highly laxative and result in constant discomfort to the patient. As a result of experiencing such discomfort, the patient may quickly abandon the therapy once his or her condition improves, which would only counteract the effects of the therapy. As the present invention does not have such a discomforting effect, the likelihood of a patient abandoning same is significantly reduced. Further, if the patient is a diabetic, the large quantities of simple sugars found in the quarts of carrot juice may pose a significant risk to the patient. The present invention does not pose such a risk.
The present invention's specific use of aloe vera in combination with the other stated ingredients in its vegetable therapy also distinguishes it from prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,996 addresses a dietary supplement which is formulated for medical patients undergoing a chemotherapy treatment regimen. The present invention is distinguished from the said US patent as this invention does not solely involve providing a dietary supplement for cancer patients undergoing a chemotherapy treatment regime. Unlike the cited US patent, the invention is comprised solely of natural ingredients versus some of the chemically based-ingredients of the US patent.