Disclosed is a flat panel display and a drive method thereof. The flat panel display comprises a flat panel including a signal wire arrangement for transmitting image drive signals to pixels, a row signal wire arrangement for transmitting scanning signals, and a column signal wire arrangement for transmitting image signals; a master drive output unit, the master drive output unit generating output signals for driving pixels and supplying the output signals to a corresponding signal wire arrangement; and an slave drive unit, the slave drive unit supplying compensation signals to the signal wire arrangement before the output signals of the master drive output unit are charged to thereby enable the easy charging of the output signals of the master drive output unit. The drive method comprises the steps of supplying and charging compensation signals by the slave drive unit, the compensation signals being supplied to a corresponding signal wire arrangement before the output signals of the master drive output unit are charged to thereby enable the easy charging of the output signals of the master drive output unit; and supplying output signals for the driving of pixels by the master drive output unit following the supply of the compensation signals.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat panel display and a drive method thereof, and more particularly, to a flat panel display with a large screen and high resolution and a drive method thereof.
(b) Description of the Related Art
There is an ever-increasing effort of research to improve existing flat panel displays and develop new flat panel display configurations. Flat panel displays include the widely used liquid crystal display; plasma display panels, which are emissive like CRTs and so have an excellent viewing angle and color performance; and electroluminescent displays, which have a significantly better refresh rate than the CRT.
Flat panel displays typically include a flat panel on which a matrix of cells formed between two glass substrates is arranged, a PCB module for driving the flat panel, and a case for protecting and integrating these elements. In the LCD, the cells are not realized through luminous elements but instead through shutter switches. Accordingly, a back light unit must be provided to the rear of the liquid crystal panel.
The PCB modules in flat panel displays receive and process R, G, B image data and synchronization signals, then provide image data, scanning signals, and timing control signals to the flat panel. Accordingly, the PCB module acts as a drive circuit to enable the flat panel to perform the normal display of computer images, television images, etc. The PCB module is realized through a plurality of PCBs and a plurality of flexible printed cables (FPCs), which are used for the transmission of signals between the PCBs.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a prior art flat panel display, and FIG. 2 shows a PCB module of FIG. 1. As shown in the drawings, a PCB module for driving a flat panel 40 at a relatively low resolution (e.g., the SVGA standard of 600 by 800 pixels) includes a main PCB 10 for receiving R, G, B image data and synchronization signals, and processing the data and signals using a timing controller, which is a FPGA (flat pin grid array) custom IC, and for processing the image data and various control signals in a manner suitable for the structure of the flat panel 40; a row driver PCB 20 to which there is attached a row driver IC TAB (tape automated bond) 90, the row driver PCB 20 supplying scanning signals to a row signal wire according to row driver control signals received from the main PCB 10; and a column driver PCB 30 to which there is attached a column driver IC TAB (tape automated bond) 100, the column driver PCB 30 receiving image data and control signals processed in the main PCB 10, and supplying the image data to the flat panel 40. Further, an FPC 70 is provided to transmit row driver control signals 50 and 51 generated by the main PCB 10 to the row driver PCB 20, and an FPC 80 is provided to transmit column driver control signals 60 and 61 generated by the main PCB 10 to the column driver PCB 30.
However, with reference to FIG. 3, when image signals are supplied to a column signal wire 120 of the flat panel 40, a control unit operates by receiving control signals generated in a timing controller T-con of the main PCB 10 of FIG. 1. A D/A converter and a buffer amp operate according to control signals of the control unit such that image signals corresponding to gray voltages (V0–V63) are output to the column signal wire 120. Accordingly, even with a sufficient current drive capacity of the D/A converter and buffer amp, a higher processing speed screen and a high-resolution display, such as UXGA (1200 by 1600), QXGA (2048 by 1536), and QSXGA (2560 by 2048) distorts and delays the signals, because the inherent resistance and stray capacity increase in the row signal wire and column signal wire 120. Therefore, the signal effectively received by the device that controls the optical performance is distorted and only a portion of the intended signal. Such problems cannot be easily compensated in a big screen and a high resolution display and are summarized below.
(1) Problems of Large Screen Size and Drive Signal Distortion
Currently produced flat panel displays employ virtually no drive technologies that can solve signal distortion. Currently, the display is designed to minimize the resistance of metal wiring, or to minimize stray capacity load stemming from structural characteristics or thin film materials that comprise pixels. This increases the effective load, which is actually used for image display, minimizing the signal distortion.
In conventional methods, it is difficult to reduce the wiring resistance to the desired level because of the material characteristics and the process limitations of the wiring material. On the other hand, development of the new wiring materials also requires technologies for the manufacturing processes. This also requires additional research and manufacturing equipment. Further, it is not possible to reduce stray capacity past a certain amount through changes in pixel structure because of necessary structural conditions that must be satisfied, as well as design and manufacturing limitations.
Because of such restrictions, it is difficult to realize a high resolution and a big screen display (an over 20-inch, UXGA standard display in the case of LCDs, and an ultra-large screen, high resolution display in the case of PDPs). Large screens commonly used these days also experience an inferior picture quality and a defective final product (beyond acceptable levels) as a result of signal distortion. Although pixel wiring short-circuit can be repaired, such signal delays and distortions cannot be repaired.
2) Compensation of Drive Signal Distortion in Prior Art
At present, there are no drive technologies that compensate for or otherwise solve the problem of drive signal distortion in flat panel displays. A big screen display that may suffer visible degradition of image quality, may employ a dual scan drive method. The dual scan drive method drives a screen by dividing the screen into two in a scanning direction. Another dual drive method may apply the same image signals simultaneously to the signal wires on both sides of the panel.
The dual scanning method requires a signal processing circuit to convert the conventional signal into dual scan type signals, since image signals of an image signal transmission unit of a computer, television, etc., are single scan type signals. Such a circuit requires a large-capacity graphic data memory. As the resolution increases, the memory requirement also increases substantially. Further, since in dual scanning the drive signals are applied on both sides of the flat panel with a time difference, it is necessary to supply data signals and control signals to both sides of signal wires. This complicates the structure of the flat panel display, which negatively affects production. Finally, the divided screen in the dual scan drive method may be perceptible to users, thereby deteriorating overall picture quality.
The dual drive method may not need a signal processing circuit to convert single scan signals into dual scan signals like in the dual scan method, but the need of simultaneously applying drive signals to the signal wires on both sides of the flat panel complicates overall structure. Further, although there is the advantage of circumventing errors caused by a short in the signal wires since identical image signals are supplied to both sides of the panel, drive time with an increased resolution are only minimally saved, since the flat panel is basically a single scan type.

Flat panel display and drive method thereof


PDGF-D, a new member of the PDGF/VEGF family of growth factors, as well as the nucleotide sequence encoding it, methods for producing it, antibodies and other antagonists to it, transfected and transformed host cells expressing it, pharmaceutical compositions containing it, and uses thereof in medical and diagnostic applications, including methods for stimulating growth of a connective tissue or healing a wound in a mammal, which methods comprise administering to the mammal an effective amount of PDGF-D polypeptides or polynucleotides encoding the PDGF-D polypeptides.

In the developing embryo, the primary vascular network is established by in situ differentiation of mesodermal cells in a process called vasculogenesis. It is believed that all subsequent processes involving the generation of new vessels in the embryo and neovascularization in adults, are governed by the sprouting or splitting of new capillaries from the pre-existing vasculature in a process called angiogenesis (Pepper et al., 1996, Enzyme & Protein, 49:38-162; Breier et al., 1995, Dev. Dyn., 204:228-239; Risau, 1997, Nature, 386:671-674). Angiogenesis is not only involved in embryonic development and normal tissue growth, repair, and regeneration, but is also involved in the female reproductive cycle, establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and in repair of wounds and fractures. In addition to angiogenesis which takes place in the normal individual, angiogenic events are involved in a number of pathological processes, notably tumor growth and metastasis, and other conditions in which blood vessel proliferation, especially of the microvascular system, is increased, such as diabetic retinopathy, psoriasis and arthropathies. Inhibition of angiogenesis is useful in preventing or alleviating these pathological processes.
On the other hand, promotion of angiogenesis is desirable in situations where vascularization is to be established or extended, for example after tissue or organ transplantation, or to stimulate establishment of collateral circulation in tissue infarction or arterial stenosis, such as in coronary heart disease and thromboangitis obliterans.
The angiogenic process is highly complex and involves the maintenance of the endothelial cells in the cell cycle, degradation of the extracellular matrix, migration and invasion of the surrounding tissue and finally, tube formation. The molecular mechanisms underlying the complex angiogenic processes are far from being understood.
Because of the crucial role of angiogenesis in so many physiological and pathological processes, factors involved in the control of angiogenesis have been intensively investigated. A number of growth factors have been shown to be involved in the regulation of angiogenesis; these include fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). See for example Folkman et al., 1992, J. Biol. Chem., 267:10931-10934 for a review.
It has been suggested that a particular family of endothelial cell-specific growth factors, the vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs), and their corresponding receptors are primarily responsible for stimulation of endothelial cell growth and differentiation, and for certain functions of the differentiated cells. These factors are members of the PDGF family, and appear to act primarily via endothelial receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs).
Eight different proteins have been identified in the PDGF family, namely two PDGFs (A and B), VEGF and five members that are closely related to VEGF. The five members closely related to VEGF are: VEGF-B, described in International Patent Application PCT/US96/02957 (WO 96/26736) which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,939, and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,840,693 and 5,607,918 to Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and The University of Helsinki; VEGF-C or VEGF-2, described in Joukov et al., 1996, EMBO J., 15:290-298 and Lee et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93:1988-1992, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,932,540, 5,935,820 and 6,040,157; VEGF-D, described in International Patent Application No. PCT/US97/14696 (WO 98/07832), and Achen et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95:548-553; the placenta growth factor (PlGF), described in Maglione et al., 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:9267-9271; and VEGF3, described in International Patent Application Nos. PCT/US95/07283 (WO 96/39421) and PCT/US99/18054 (WO 00/09148) by Human Genome Sciences, Inc. Each VEGF family member has between 30% and 45% amino acid sequence identity with VEGF. The VEGF family members share a VEGF homology domain which contains the six cysteine residues which form the cysteine knot motif Functional characteristics of the VEGF family include varying degrees of mitogenicity for endothelial cells, induction of vascular permeability and angiogenic and lymphangiogenic properties.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a homodimeric glycoprotein that has been isolated from several sources. VEGF shows highly specific mitogenic activity for endothelial cells. VEGF has important regulatory functions in the formation of new blood vessels during embryonic vasculogenesis and in angiogenesis during adult life (Carmeliet et al., 1996, Nature, 380:435-439; Ferrara et al., 1996, Nature, 380:439-442; reviewed in Ferrara and Davis-Smyth, 1997, Endocrine Rev., 18:4-25). The significance of the role played by VEGF has been demonstrated in studies showing that inactivation of a single VEGF allele results in embryonic lethality due to failed development of the vasculature (Carmeliet et al., 1996, Nature, 380:435-439; Ferrara et al., 1996, Nature, 380:439-442). In addition VEGF has strong chemoattractant activity towards monocytes, can induce the plasminogen activator and the plasminogen activator inhibitor in endothelial cells, and can also induce microvascular permeability. Because of the latter activity, it is sometimes referred to as vascular permeability factor (VPF). The isolation and properties of VEGF have been reviewed; see Ferrara et al., 1991, J. Cellular Biochem., 47:211-218 and Connolly, J., 1991, Cellular Biochem., 47:219-223. Alterative mRNA splicing of a single VEGF gene gives rise to five isoforms of VEGF.
VEGF-B has similar angiogenic and other properties to those of VEGF, but is distributed and expressed in tissues differently from VEGF. In particular, VEGF-B is very strongly expressed in heart, and only weakly in lung, whereas the reverse is the case for VEGF. This suggests that VEGF and VEGF-B, despite the fact that they are co-expressed in many tissues, may have functional differences.
VEGF-B was isolated using a yeast co-hybrid interaction trap screening technique by screening for cellular proteins which might interact with cellular retinoid acid-binding protein type I (CRABP-I). Its isolation and characteristics are described in detail in PCT/US96/02957 and in Olofsson et al., 1996, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93:2576-2581.
VEGF-C was isolated from conditioned media of the PC-3 prostate adenocarcinoma cell line (CRL1435) by screening for ability of the medium to produce tyrosine phosphorylation of the endothelial cell-specific receptor tyrosine kinase VEGFR-3 (Flt4), using cells transfected to express VEGFR-3. VEGF-C was purified using affinity chromatography with recombinant VEGFR-3, and was cloned from a PC-3 cDNA library. Its isolation and characteristics are described in detail in Joukov et al., 1996, EMBO J., 15:290-298.
VEGF-D was isolated from a human breast cDNA library, commercially available from Clontech, by screening with an expressed sequence tag obtained from a human cDNA library designated "Soares Breast 3NbHBst" as a hybridization probe (Achen et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95:548-553). Its isolation and characteristics are described in detail in International Patent Application No. PCT/US97/14696 (WO98/07832).
The VEGF-D gene is broadly expressed in the adult human, but is certainly not ubiquitously expressed. VEGF-D is strongly expressed in heart, lung and skeletal muscle. Intermediate levels of VEGF-D are expressed in spleen, ovary, small intestine and colon, and a lower expression occurs in kidney, pancreas, thymus, prostate and testis. No VEGF-D mRNA was detected in RNA from brain, placenta, liver or peripheral blood leukocytes.
PlGF was isolated from a term placenta cDNA library. Its isolation and characteristics are described in detail in Maglione et al., 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:9267-9271. Presently its biological function is not well understood.
VEGF3 was isolated from a cDNA library derived from colon tissue. VEGF3 is stated to have about 36% identity and 66% similarity to VEGF. The method of isolation of the gene encoding VEGF3 is unclear and no characterization of the biological activity is disclosed.
Similarity between two proteins is determined by comparing the amino acid sequence and conserved amino acid substitutions of one of the proteins to the sequence of the second protein, whereas identity is determined without including the conserved amino acid substitutions.
PDGF/VEGF family members act primarily by binding to receptor tyrosine kinases. Five endothelial cell-specific receptor tyrosine kinases have been identified, namely VEGFR-1 (Flt-1), VEGFR-2 (KDR/Flk-1), VEGFR-3 (Flt4), Tie and Tek/Tie-2. All of these have the intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity which is necessary for signal transduction. The essential, specific role in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis of VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, VEGFR-3, Tie and Tek/Tie-2 has been demonstrated by targeted mutations inactivating these receptors in mouse embryos.
The only receptor tyrosine kinases known to bind VEGFs are VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3. VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 bind VEGF with high affinity, and VEGFR-1 also binds VEGF-B and PlGF. VEGF-C has been shown to be the ligand for VEGFR-3, and it also activates VEGFR-2 (Joukov et al., 1996, The EMBO Journal, 15:290-298). VEGF-D binds to both VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3. A ligand for Tek/Tie-2 has been described in International Patent Application No. PCT/US95/12935 (WO 96/11269) by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The ligand for Tie has not yet been identified.
Recently, a novel 130-135 kDa VEGF isoform specific receptor has been purified and cloned (Soker et al., 1998, Cell, 92:735-745). The VEGF receptor was found to specifically bind the VEGF165 isoform via the exon 7 encoded sequence, which shows weak affinity for heparin (Soker et al., 1998, Cell, 92:735-745). Surprisingly, the receptor was shown to be identical to human neuropilin-1 (NP-1), a receptor involved in early stage neuromorphogenesis. PlGF-2 also appears to interact with NP-1 (Migdal et al., 1998, J. Biol. Chem., 273:22272-22278).
VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 are expressed differently by endothelial cells. Both VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 are expressed in blood vessel endothelia (Oelrichs et al., 1992, Oncogene, 8:11-18; Kaipainen et al., 1993, J. Exp. Med., 178:2077-2088; Dumont et al., 1995, Dev. Dyn., 203:80-92; Fong et al., 1996, Dev. Dyn., 207:1-10) and VEGFR-3 is mostly expressed in the lymphatic endothelium of adult tissues (Kaipainen et al., 1995, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 9:3566-3570). VEGFR-3 is also expressed in the blood vasculature surrounding tumors.
Disruption of the VEGFR genes results in aberrant development of the vasculature leading to embryonic lethality around midgestation. Analysis of embryos carrying a completely inactivated VEGFR-1 gene suggests that this receptor is required for functional organization of the endothelium (Fong et al., 1995, Nature, 376:66-70). However, deletion of the intracellular tyrosine kinase domain of VEGFR-1 generates viable mice with a normal vasculature (Hiratsuka et al., 1998, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 95:9349-9354). The reasons underlying these differences remain to be explained but suggest that receptor signalling via the tyrosine kinase is not required for the proper function of VEGFR-1. Analysis of homozygous mice with inactivated alleles of VEGFR-2 suggests that this receptor is required for endothelial cell proliferation, hematopoesis and vasculogenesis (Shalaby et al., 1995, Nature, 376:62-66; Shalaby et al., 1997, Cell, 89:981-990). Inactivation of VEGFR-3 results in cardiovascular failure due to abnormal organization of the large vessels (Dumont et al., 1998, Science, 282:946-949).
Although VEGFR-1 is mainly expressed in endothelial cells during development, it can also be found in hematopoetic precursor cells during early stages of embryogenesis (Fong et al., 1995, Nature, 376:66-70). It is also is expressed by most, if not all, vessels in embryos (Breier et al., 1995, Dev. Dyn., 204:228-239; Fong et al., 1996, Dev. Dyn., 207:1-10). In adults, monocytes and macrophages also express this receptor (Barleon et al., 1996, Blood, 87:3336-3343).
The receptor VEGFR-3 is widely expressed on endothelial cells during early embryonic development, but as embryogenesis proceeds, it becomes restricted to venous endothelium and then to the lymphatic endothelium (Kaipainen et al., 1994, Cancer Res., 54:6571-6577; Kaipainen et al., 1995, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 92:3566-3570). VEGFR-3 continues to be expressed on lymphatic endothelial cells in adults. This receptor is essential for vascular development during embryogenesis. Targeted inactivation of both copies of the VEGFR-3 gene in mice resulted in defective blood vessel formation characterized by abnormally organized large vessels with defective lumens, leading to fluid accumulation in the pericardial cavity and cardiovascular failure at post-coital day 9.5. On the basis of these findings it has been proposed that VEGFR-3 is required for the maturation of primary vascular networks into larger blood vessels. However, the role of VEGFR-3 in the development of the lymphatic vasculature could not be studied in these mice because the embryos died before the lymphatic system emerged. Nevertheless it is assumed that VEGFR-3 plays a role in development of the lymphatic vasculature and lymphangiogenesis given its specific expression in lymphatic endothelial cells during embryogenesis and adult life. This is supported by the finding that ectopic expression of VEGF-C, a ligand for VEGFR-3, in the skin of transgenic mice, resulted in lymphatic endothelial cell proliferation and vessel enlargement in the dermis. Furthermore this suggests that VEGF-C may have a primary function in lymphatic endothelium, and a secondary function in angiogenesis and permeability regulation which is shared with VEGF (Joukov et al., 1996, EMBO J., 15:290-298).
Some inhibitors of the VEGF/VEGF-receptor system have been shown to prevent tumor growth via an anti-angiogenic mechanism; see Kim et al., 1993, Nature, 362:841-844 and Saleh et al., 1996, Cancer Res., 56:393-401.
As mentioned above, the VEGF family of growth factors are members of the PDGF family. PDGF plays an important role in the growth and/or motility of connective tissue cells, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts and glial cells (Heldin et al., "Structure of platelet-derived growth factor: Implications for functional properties", 1993, Growth Factor, 8:245-252). In adults, PDGF stimulates wound healing (Robson et al., 1992, Lancet, 339:23-25). Structurally, PDGF isoforms are disulfide-bonded dimers of homologous A- and B-polypeptide chains, arranged as homodimers (PDGF-AA and PDGF-BB) or a heterodimer (PDGF-AB).
PDGF isoforms exert their effects on target cells by binding to two structurally related receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). The alpha-receptor binds both the A- and B-chains of PDGF, whereas the beta-receptor binds only the B-chain. These two receptors are expressed by many cell lines grown in vitro, and are mainly expressed by mesenchymal cells in vivo. The PDGFs regulate cell proliferation, cell survival and chemotaxis of many cell types in vitro (reviewed in Heldin et al., 1998, Biochim Biophys Acta., 1378:F79-113). In vivo, they exert their effects in a paracrine mode since they often are expressed in epithelial (PDGF-A) or endothelial cells (PDGF-B) in close apposition to the PDGFR expressing mesenchyme. In tumor cells and in cell lines grown in vitro, coexpression of the PDGFs and the receptors generate autocrine loops which are important for cellular transformation (Betsholtz et al., 1984, Cell, 39:447-57; Keating et al., 1990, J. R. Coll Surg Edinb., 35:172-4). Overexpression of the PDGFs have been observed in several pathological conditions, including malignancies, arteriosclerosis, and fibroproliferative diseases (reviewed in Heldin et al., 1996, The Molecular and Cellular Biology of Wound Repair, New York: Plenum Press, 249-273).
The importance of the PDGFs as regulators of cell proliferation and survival are well illustrated by recent gene targeting studies in mice that have shown distinct physiological roles for the PDGFs and their receptors despite the overlapping ligand specificities of the PDGFRs. Homozygous null mutations for either of the two PDGF ligands or the receptors are lethal. Approximately 50% of the homozygous PDGF-A deficient mice have an early lethal phenotype, while the surviving animals have a complex postnatal phenotype with lung emphysema due to improper alveolar septum formation because of a lack of alveolar myofibroblasts (Boström et al., 1996, Cell, 85:863-873). The PDGF-A deficient mice also have a dermal phenotype characterized by thin dermis, misshapen hair follicles and thin hair (Karlsson et al., 1999, Development, 126:2611-2). PDGF-A is also required for normal development of oligodendrocytes and subsequent myelination of the central nervous system (Fruttiger et al., 1999, Development, 126:457-67). The phenotype of PDGFR-alpha deficient mice is more severe with early embryonic death at E10, incomplete cephalic closure, impaired neural crest development, cardiovascular defects, skeletal defects, and edemas (Soriano et al., 1997, Development, 124:2691-70). The PDGF-B and PDGFR-beta deficient mice develop similar phenotypes that are characterized by renal, hematological and cardiovascular abnormalities (Levéen et al., 1994, Genes Dev., 8:1875-1887; Soriano et al., 1994, Genes Dev., 8:1888-96; Lindahl et al., 1997, Science, 277:242-5; Lindahl, 1998, Development, 125:3313-2), where the renal and cardiovascular defects, at least in part, are due to the lack of proper recruitment of mural cells (vascular smooth muscle cells, pericytes or mesangial cells) to blood vessels (Levéen et al., 1994, Genes Dev., 8:1875-1887; Lindahl et al., 1997, Science, 277:242-5; Lindahl et al., 1998, Development, 125:3313-2).
Most recently, an additional member of the PDGF/VEGF family of growth factors was identified, PDGF-C. PDGF-C is described in International Patent Application PCT/US99/22668 (WO 00/18212), filed Sep. 30, 1999. PDGF-C has a two-domain structure not previously recognized within this family of growth factors, a N-terminal C1r/C1s/embryonic sea urchin protein Uegf/bone morphogenetic protein 1 (CUB) domain, and a C-terminal PDGF/VEGF homology domain (P/VHD). The structure of the P/VHD in PDGF-C shows a low overall sequence identity with other PDGF/VEGF homology domains, although the eight invariant cysteine residues involved in inter- and intra-molecular disulfide bond formation are present. The cysteine spacing in the central, most conserved region of this domain is different from other PDGF/VEGF domains, with an insertion of three amino acid residues. Despite the fact that the insertion occurs close to the loop 2 region which has been proposed to be involved in receptor binding, it was shown that this domain of PDGF-CC binds PDGFR-alpha with almost identical affinities as homodimers of PDGF-A or -B chains. In addition, four extra cysteine residues are present in this domain. Full length and truncated PDGF-CC were found not to bind to VEGFR-1, -2 or -3, or to PDGFR-beta.
PDGF-C requires proteolytic removal of the N-terminal CUB domain for receptor binding and activation of the receptor. This indicates that the CUB domains are likely to sterically block the receptor binding epitopes of the unprocessed dimer. The in vitro and in vivo proteolytically processed proteins are devoid of N-terminal portions corresponding to more than 14-16 kDa as determined from SDS-PAGE analysis which is consistent with a loss of the 110 amino acid long CUB domain and a part of the hinge region between the CUB and core domains that vary in length.
PDGF-C is not proteolytically processed during secretion in transfected COS cells indicating that proteolytic removal of the CUB domain occurs extracellularly, and not during secretion. This is in contrast to PDGF-A and -B (Östman et al., 1992, J. Cell. Biol., 118:509-519) which appear to be processed intracellularly by furin-like endoproteases (Nakayama et al., 1997, Biochem J., 327:625-635).
Northern blots show PDGF-C mRNA in a variety of human tissues, including heart, liver, kidney, pancreas and ovary.
In situ localization studies demonstrate expression of PDGF-C in certain epithelial structures, and PDGFR-alpha in adjacent mesenchyme, indicating the potential of paracrine signaling in the developing embryo. PDGF-C expression seems particularly abundant at sites of ongoing ductal morphogenesis, indicating a role of the factor in connective tissue remodeling at these sites. The expression pattern is distinct from that of PDGF-A or PDGF-B indicating that the three growth factors have different roles despite their similar PDGFR-alpha binding and signaling activities. This is illustrated by the mouse embryonic kidney, in which PDGF-C is expressed in early aggregates of metanephric mesenchyme undergoing epithelial conversion, whereas PDGF-A is expressed in more mature tubular structures, and PDGF-B by vascular endothelial cells. PDGFR-alpha is expressed in the mesenchyme of the kidney cortex, adjacent to the sites of PDGF-C expression, indicating that this mesenchyme may be targeted specifically by PDGF-C. Indeed, PDGFR-alpha −/− mouse embryos show an extensive loss of the cortical mesenchyme adjacent to sites of PDGF-C expression, not seen in PDGF-A −/− mice or in PDGF-A/B −/− mice, indicating that PDGF-C has an essential role in the development of kidney mesenchyme.


A process for fabricating shoes having an outer cork sole insert includes processing raw cork into sheets of predetermined thickness, adhering a thin fabric sheet to one side of the intermediate cork sheets, cutting out cork/fabric sole inserts and placing them into an injection mold, and cycling the plastic injection mold so as to form a cork insert into the plastic sole.

New, useful and aesthetically pleasing materials are constantly being sought out, discovered and applied to footwear. Although cork has been known for use on other surfaces of foot wear, it has not been previously used as a wearable sole or wearable portion of a sole. Cork has very desirable qualities for application in soles such as impact and shock absorption, skid resistance, durability, increased surface friction, and sound deadening characteristics as well as a pleasing aesthetic and unique look.
Thus there is a need for shoe soles having cork inserts on a walkable surface.
Such a product and or method of producing such product is heretofore unknown to the Inventor. In general this new product and method have the potential for creating unique foot wear with quieter, almost silent soles, which absorb unwanted and detrimental walking or running impacts to a consumer's joints or skeletal structure. Ambulatory health and safety are increased with a more an attractive, durable, quieter, skid free sole.
A shoe is generally formed of an upper, a lower attached to the upper, and an outsole attached to the lower. The outsole of the shoe is the exposed portion of the sole that contacts the ground or other supporting surface. The outsole provides many characteristics of the shoe such as the shoe's traction and stability with respect to the intended supporting surface. For example, the outsole of the shoe may be provided with some type of traction elements arranged in a pattern to provide a gripping action between the outsole and the ground or supporting surface. The outsole should also be manufactured so that it offers extended wear to permit the shoe to be worn for a lengthy period of time.
Often, the outsole of the shoe is formed of a rubber material or leather in designer shoes and the like. In men's and women's shoes, the outsole is very often substantially smooth and this can cause traction problems. For example, such outsoles are often very slippery because of their smooth texture and this increases the chances that the user may accidently slip or slide during normal use. The risk of slipping and sliding is increased significantly when the surface or supporting surface is wet or otherwise in a slippery state.
The outsole is an important component of the shoe for an additionally entirely unrelated reason which has gone unrecognized in the art of shoe sole construction. As the economies of most countries become more and more internationalized, international commercial transactions invoke national customs tariffs that generally must be paid when goods are shipped. Under the Harmonized Tariff Schedules of each country, goods are classified under various categories. For example, most footwear is classified under Chapter 64 of the United States Harmonized Tariff Schedules which covers the importation of goods into the United States. Within this chapter, the following major headings are recited for footwear: 1 6401 Waterproof Rubber or Plastic Footwear; 6402 Other Footwear with Uppers and Outersoles of Rubber or Plastic; 6403 Footwear with Uppers of Leather and Outersoles Of Rubber, Plastic, Leather, or Composition Leather; 6404 Footwear with Uppers of Textiles and Outersoles of Rubber, Plastic, Leather, or Composition Leather; and 6405 Other Footwear.
Accordingly, footwear is generally classified in a given heading based upon the material of the upper and the material of the outersole. Consequently, the outsole plays an important role in determining the rate of duty which is to be applied to the specific footwear article. Depending upon the material which is used to manufacture the upper and the sole, the rate of the duty may vary significantly. For example, the rate of duty may range from 37.5% ad valorem for many common types of footwear to 3% ad valorem for certain types of sandals and similar footwear. In determining the applicability of a particular section of one chapter of the United States Harmonized Tariff Schedules, knowledge of specific details of the material is necessary. For example, a classification may be based on the type of material that is present on 50% or more of the bottom surface of the shoe (outersole) that contacts the ground.
Over many years, manufacturers have focused their attention on improving the traction properties of shoe outsole construction, but have not recognized that a price advantage can be had by combining materials in the outer shoe sole construction.
What is needed in the art and has heretofore not been available is an outsole and method of manufacture thereof which offers slip resistance and other desirable properties in addition to providing a competitive advantage to the manufacturer based on its construction.

Cork outer soled shoes and method for fabrication


A ramp generation circuit including, a charge supply unit which generates predetermined charges every predetermined time, an integration circuit which accumulates the charges generated from the charge supply unit and converts the charges into a voltage, and, an attenuation unit which outputs, to an output terminal, a voltage obtained by attenuating a noise value of an output voltage from the integration circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ramp generation circuit and an A/D converter and is more specifically applied to, e.g., an A/D converter when a ramp wave output from a ramp generation circuit has a small slope.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is conventionally an A/D converter having an output circuit and a converter circuit. The output circuit generates an analog signal and outputs it to the converter circuit as a reference signal. The converter circuit receives the reference signal from the output circuit and outputs a desired digital signal (e.g., Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2006-81203).
However, the reference signal such as a ramp wave output from the output circuit contains all sorts of noise such as noise from peripheral circuits and noise in the output circuit itself. This degrades the S/N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio) of the reference signal. Even when the slope of the ramp wave of the reference signal changes, the magnitude of noise contained in the ramp wave does not change. For this reason, the smaller the slope of the ramp wave becomes, the more conspicuously the S/N ratio degrades.
Consequently, the output error of the converter circuit that receives the reference signal as the input signal grows. Hence, the output error of the A/D converter also becomes large.
As described above, the conventional ramp generation circuit and A/D converter tend to degrade the S/N ratio and increase the output error.

Ramp generation circuit and A/D converter


An image sensor, includes a semiconductor substrate; a photosensor having, a first photosensing region including a first stack of one or more layers of transparent materials overlying the substrate, the first photosensing region having a spectral response having peaks and valleys, and a second photosensing region including a second stack of one or more layers of transparent materials overlying the substrate, the second photosensing region having a spectral response having peaks and valleys; and wherein at least one peak or valley of the spectral response of the first region is matched to at least one valley or peak respectively of the spectral response of the second region such that the average spectral response of the photosensor is smoother than the individual spectral response of either the first or second photosensing regions.

The invention relates generally to the field of image sensors, and more particularly to electrode structures used in MOS devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,542 issued Aug. 25, 1998 to Anagnostopoulos et al. shows an image sensor having photosensors with first and second regions. Each region includes a stack of transparent layers, including a gate dielectric layer, transparent electrode layers, isolation layers and passivation layers over a semiconductor substrate. The spectral response of the photosensors is strongly affected by the layer materials and their relative thicknesses. As a result, the spectral response of the image sensor to incident light varies with wavelength, producing a spectral response curve with peaks and valleys. This problem can be particularly acute when the stack of transparent layers are identical for both regions.
There is a need therefore for an image sensor having improved spectral response uniformity.
The need is met according to the present invention by providing an image sensor, that includes a semiconductor substrate; a photosensor having, a first photosensing region including a first stack of one or more layers of transparent materials overlying the substrate, the first photosensing region having a spectral response having peaks and valleys, and a second photosensing region including a second stack of one or more layers of transparent materials overlying the substrate, the second photosensing region having a spectral response having peaks and valleys; and wherein at least one peak or valley of the spectral response of the first region is matched to at least one valley or peak respectively of the spectral response of the second region such that the average spectral response of the photosensor is smoother than the individual spectral response of either the first or second photosensing regions.
Advantages:
The image sensor has the advantage that the spectral response uniformity is improved. As a result, when color filters are added to the image sensor to produce a color image sensor, the uniformity of the color response of the sensor is greatly improved.

Image sensor having improved spectral response uniformity


An apparatus for treating fine ore in which fine ore is dried by aid of a hot drying gas flowing around the ore particles. After having flown around the ore particles, the drying gas is purified while releasing entrained dust ore particles. The dust ore particles are collected and admixed to the dried fine ore. In order to avoid process disturbances in the further processing of fine ore due to excessive portions of dust ore particles present without the fine ore, drying is effected in the whirl-bed method under simultaneous wind-screening of the fine ore. The drying gas is passed through the fine ore under formation of a whirl bed and the speed of the drying gas is fixed at a rate at which entraining of dust ore particles having dimensions below a predetermined dimension is effected. The dust ore particles entrained in the drying gas are separated, collected and admixed to the dried fine ore in dosed amounts. The apparatus includes a fine ore whirl-bed drying means including a drying-gas feeding means. A drying-gas purification means receives the hot drying gas from the whirl-bed drying means. A separating means separates from the hot drying gas dust ore particles entrained by the drying gas. A first collecting vessel receives the dust ore particles separated from the hot drying gas. A mixing means mixes the dried fine ore and the dust ore particles separated from the drying gas to a predetermined quantitative ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for treating fine ore, wherein the fine ore is dried by aid of a hot drying gas flowing around the ore particles of the fine ore, the drying gas, after having flown around the ore particles, is purified while releasing entrained dust ore particles and the dust ore particles are collected and admixed to the dried fine ore, as well as an arrangement for carrying out the process.
2. Description of the Related Art
A process of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,251. There, drying of the fine ore is effected in a rotating drum type drier.
The further processing of fine ore, such as the direct reduction of fine ore, involves difficulties if dust ore particles are contained in the fine ore in excessive amounts, in particular, dust ore particles having dimensions smaller than 150 .mu.m. An excessive portion of such dust ore particles in the fine ore is likely to give rise to serious process disturbances in further processing caused, for instance, by obstructed ducts, cyclones or by the formation of deposits in reactor vessels. Such disturbances also may arise if the portion of dust ore particles is acceptable as a whole, yet the distribution of the dust ore particles within the fine ore strongly varies. Consequently, maximum contents of dust ore particles may occur, lying considerably above the dust ore particle portion to be coped with without any disturbances; such maximum content portions may amount up to 50%.
From EP-A-0 149865 it is known to subject sulfidic ores to whirl bed drying. With this known process, the total amount of solids is supplied to gas purification together with the exit gas from whirl bed drying through a duct, the solids separated in purification being admixed to the previously separated solids without considering their grain dimensions. Thus, no wind-screening is provided there.
From CH-B-318.904 it is known to finely pulverize ore oxides and to subject the incurring powdery stock to wind-screening by using reducing gas for wind-screening. The coarser iron powder retained in wind-screening is returned to the pulverization procedure such that uniformly fine powder ore particles exclusively will be available to the reduction of the ore.
DE-A-1 458 755 relates to a process for controlling the grain size distribution and the fine grain concentration in whirl-layer reaction zones. There, a fine grain concentration ranging between 5 and 60% by weight is adjusted in the whirl layer by withdrawing fine grains of a predetermined grain size range from the whirl layer and returning them back into the whirl layer in circulation in given amounts. What is important there is to counteract the enrichment of the amount of fine grains contained in the whirl-layer reaction zone due to the formation of new fine grains caused by abrasion in that zone. Hence, that process does not deal with the treatment of fine ore, but with a process taking place during its reduction.


A system and method is disclosed for preparing video conference images. An endpoint has a wide screen display. The disclosed system creates an image with an aspect ratio of about 16:9 for the endpoint. The image is altered or modified to change the aspect ratio to about 4:3. In one example, two portions can be added to the image to increase the overall height of the image. The wide screen display is set to a zoom mode and is capable of substantially displaying the image without the added portions. Alternatively, the image is stretched along its height by a factor of 4/3. The wide screen display is set to the wide mode and is capable of substantially displaying the image without the stretched height. The disclosed system and method can receive signals that the endpoint has a wide screen display and can also inform a user at the endpoint to set the wide screen display to the wide or zoom modes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of video communication and more particularly to a method and system of preparing images for wide screen displays in video communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a new type of video display, known as a Wide Screen display, has been introduced into the market. As is known, the aspect ratio of a video display or screen is the ratio of the width of the picture to the height of the picture. Common video screens have an aspect ratio of about 4:3. In contrast, a wide screen display has an aspect ratio of about 16:9, which is about the same aspect ratio of cinema screens. For most current TV sets, the aspect ratio is about 4:3. For a high definition TV (HDTV), the ratio is about 16:9. An exemplary resolution of a wide screen display may be about 1024×576 pixels (width×height), while the resolution of a common video display is about 640×480 pixels. Common resolution for video communication is Common Intermediate Format (CIF), which is about 352×288 pixels. To match the aspect ratio of a video display of about 4:3, the aspect ratio of a pixel for CIF is about 12:11. The 12:11 aspect ratio for each pixel creates an image with an entire aspect ratio of (352*12) to (288*11), which is about (4224:3168) or (4:3).
Common video communication equipment, which includes but is not limited to a Video Communication Control Unit (VCCU) or endpoints, normally uses video images with resolutions such as Quarter of Common Intermediate Format (QCIF), CIF, or 4CIF (four times Common Intermediate Format) with an aspect ratio of 4:3. An exemplary VCCU may be a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), a Multimedia Gateway, etc. Typically, a VCCU serves as a switchboard and/or conference builder for the network. In operation, the VCCU receives and transmits coded video streams to and from various user terminals or codecs. A Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) is conference controlling equipment typically located in a node of a network or in a terminal. The MCU receives several channels from access ports, processes audio and visual signals according to certain criteria, and distributes the processed signals to a set of connected channels. An example of an MCU includes the MGC-100, which is available from Polycom Inc., the assignee of the present disclosure. The MCU is a video communication controller that can be used in other types of video communication. It should be noted that the terms "MCU" and "VCCU" may be used interchangeably in the present disclosure.
An endpoint or a terminal is an entity on the network and is capable of providing real-time, two-way audio, visual, and/or data communication with other terminals or with the MCU. Currently, if an endpoint is associated with a wide screen display instead of a common 4:3 screen display, the endpoint as well as the other endpoints and the VCCU that are involved in the same video conference are not aware of the aspect ratio of 16:9 for the wide screen display. Therefore, the video image that the wide screen display receives from its associated endpoint has a common aspect ratio of 4:3. Typically, a wide screen display has three main types of settings, and a user may set the wide screen display using the control panel on the wide screen display to one of these settings. Currently, an image with an aspect ratio of 4:3 may be displayed on a wide screen display using one of the settings described below in conjunction with FIGS. 1A–1C.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a wide screen display 110 set to a normal setting shows a video image 112. In the normal setting, the video image 112 is displayed as is on the wide screen display 110. In other words, the video image 112 has the aspect ratio of 4:3, while the wide screen display has the aspect ratio of 16:9. Therefore, portions of the wide screen display 110 are not used, as illustrated by the black sections 114 in FIG. 1A.
Referring to FIG. 1B, a wide screen display 110 set to a zoom setting has a video image 120. In the zoom setting, the video image 120 is symmetrically enlarged by the internal electronics of the wide screen display 110. Therefore, portion of the image, in the top and/or the bottom, is cropped. Unfortunately, the cropped area can be an important part of the image, such as the face of a participant.
Referring to FIG. 1C, a wide screen display 110 set to a wide setting has a video image 130. In the wide setting, the electronics of the wide screen display 110 enlarges the regular image by asymmetrical factors so that the enlarged image substantially fits the wide screen display 110. To convert the regular aspect ratio of 4:3 to the wide screen aspect ratio of 16:9, the width of the regular image is increased by a factor of four, and the height is increased by a factor of three. The result is a distorted image 130, as shown in FIG. 1B. For example, a circle becomes elliptical, and a person becomes stretched wider. It is understood that wide screen displays may use other terminology for the 'normal', 'zoom' and 'wide' settings. In addition, other wide screen displays may have additional settings, which can be a combination of one or more of the above settings.
Current techniques for connecting a wide screen display to a video communication, as described above in conjunction with FIGS. 1A–1C, are insufficient. Therefore, a need exists in the art for a system and method for connecting a wide screen display to a videoconference. The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.

Method and system for preparing video communication image for wide screen display


A cutting block alignment mechanism is provided including a mounting assembly adapted to releasably couple to a cutting block of a cutting drum. Next provided is a bracket for releasaby engaging a cutting tool of the cutting block. The bracket is adapted to be selectively lowered and moved laterally with respect to the mounting assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pavement grinders and more particularly pertains to a new ALIGNMENT JIG for aligning cutting blocks on the drums and wheels of pavement grinders, groovers, and trenching machines as they are welded in place for providing optimal efficiency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pavement grinders is known in the prior art. More specifically, pavement grinders heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art pavement grinders include U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,744; U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,442; U.S. Pat. Des. 344,529; U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,611; U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,417; and U.S. Pat. Des. 342,747.
In these respects, the ALIGNMENT JIG according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of aligning cutting blocks on the drums and wheels of pavement grinders, groovers, and trenching machines as they are welded in place for providing optimal efficiency.


A method for reducing hexavalent chromium in cement comprising the addition, to said cement, of antimony(III) compounds as reducing agents.

The raw material for cement clinker manufacturing can contain chromium. Due to the highly oxidizing and alkaline conditions of the kiln, during clinker production it is partially converted to toxic hexavalent chromium. As a result, the Portland clinkers and cements obtained by clinker grinding contain soluble chromates (usually in the range of 1-100 ppm or mg/kg, while the total chromium can reach the 500 ppm) that are released when cement comes into contact with water and are reported to cause skin irritation (allergic contact dermatitis). This is the reason why the European Community has recently introduced the obligation (Directive 2003/53/EC) to maintain the level of soluble chromates below 2 ppm (mg/kg) [see for example http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2003/I—178/I—17820030717en00240027.pdf].
Several reducing agents have been disclosed: see for example WO 2006061127, EP 1559694, EP 1533287, WO 2005090258, US 2005072339, WO 2005076858, EP 1505045, EP 960865, EP 697380, DE 10014468, FR 2858612, AU 647118, JP 2002274907, JP 11092193, CN 1299788.
The elimination of soluble hexavalent chromium is currently mainly obtained with the use of Iron(II) sulphate or Tin(II) sulphate or chloride (either in powder or in form of liquid additive) added during cement grinding or storage. Cr(VI) is electrochemically reduced to Cr(III) that is less toxic and anyway tends to precipitate in the alkaline conditions commonly found during the hydration of cement.
The use of Iron(II) salts is however not efficient, due to the fact that they are readily oxidized to Iron(III) after contact with air and moisture, particularly at high temperature (above 60° C.). The required amount of Iron(II) needed for the reduction of hexavalent chromium is then usually several times higher than stoichiometric, and after a prolonged contact with air (e.g. during storage) the reducing effect is lost. For the same reason, the use of Iron(II) compounds in water solution is not useful. Iron(III) produced from oxidation of Iron(II) is also reported to cause spots on the surface of cement and Iron(II) sulphate at high dosages can cause an extended setting time in cementitious systems.
The use of stannous salts allows to obtain better performances: the dosages are close to stoichiometric and the reducing effect is higher and longer-lasting in comparison to Iron(II). The oxidation products of Tin(II) do not cause spots on concrete surface. The reducing properties of Tin(II) in alkaline conditions are based on the formation of stannous hydroxide Sn(OH)2 that has a red-ox potential E=−0.96 volt at pH=13 [Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, CRC Press, 83rd edition, 2002-2003]. As soon as the cement is mixed with water, the pH rises and Tin(II) becomes a strong reducing agent that immediately eliminates soluble chromates.
If the formation of stannous hydroxide occurs when the hexavalent chromium is not yet available for reduction (e.g. during grinding or storage of cement or in general before mixing cement with water), Tin(II) is oxidized by air due to his low red-ox potential. Even in absence of air, stannous hydroxide tends to dismutate to Tin(0) and Tin(IV), being deactivated [A. Aràneo, Chimica analitica qualitativa, CEA, 3rd edition]. Stannous salts have acid properties and in presence of traces of water they can react with the very alkaline lime giving stannous hydroxide, according to the following reactions:SnSO4+CaO+H2O═Sn(OH)2+CaSO4  1SnCl2+CaO+H2O═Sn(OH)2+CaCl2  2
This is the reason why the stannous salts are not profitable when they are used in grinding of clinker with high amount of free lime: stannous hydroxide can be formed and quickly oxidized to Tin(IV) and the amount of Tin(II) must be increased in order to obtain the elimination of soluble chromates [see for details: "Stannous sulphate: research study" in World Cement, February 2007 issue].
The tendency to react with CaO in presence of water should be higher for stannous sulphate, thanks to the formation of the poor soluble calcium sulphate that shifts the reaction 1. This is probably the reason why stannous sulphate is less effective in solution (that means presence of water) than stannous chloride, as reported in 2005/0166801 A1 and in the example of the present patent. In the case of a clinker with a high content of free lime the results obtained either with stannous chloride or sulphate are not completely satisfactory (see Table). In particular the Tin(II) sulphate solution is less efficient than Tin(II) chloride solution.
In JP2003292351, EP1439154A1 and JP2004051424 a cement admixture capable of eliminating hexavalent chromium is disclosed. Said cement admixture basically comprises a slowly cooled blast furnace slag and the elimination of hexavalent chromium is obtained by electrochemical reduction (the reducing agent is a sulphur compound in non-sulfuric or non-sulphate form) or by suppressing the elution of soluble chromates (using conventionally known hazardous heavy metals immobilizing agents such as bentonites, zeolites or antimonates). Even though said admixtures is effective for use in concrete, the requirement of a high content of slowly cooled slag and the high dosages proposed (most preferably from 10 to 40 parts, in 100 parts of cement composition) lead to the disadvantage that it cannot be used for hexavalent chromium reduction in common cements. As a matter of fact, according to well known international standards (see for example the European Standard UNI EN 197-1: "Composition, specifications and conformity criteria for common cements") common cements cannot contain such type of slowly cooled slag in the amount proposed in the cited patents. In particular, the characteristics of such slowly cooled blast furnace slag do not comply with the requirement for blast furnace slag commonly used in cements, as described in the EN 197-1.
In view of the disadvantages of the known reducing or immobilizing agents, there exists a need for a novel hexavalent chromium reducer, which can be used in cement grinding especially (but not limited to) in the case of clinker with a high content of free lime.

Additives and methods for reducing hexavalent chromium in cement


An ECU (101) causes lock pin-release hydraulic pressure to be applied to an advance-side lock pin-release oil passage (5a) to disengage an advance-side lock pin (6) from an advance-side engagement groove (9), thereby making a rotor (1) rotatable in an advance direction, and forming a clearance communicating with a retard-side lock pin-release oil passage (5c), between the advance-side engagement groove (9) and the advance-side lock pin (6). Next, the ECU (101) causes hydraulic pressure to be applied to advancing hydraulic chambers (16) to rotate the rotor (1), and causes the lock pin-release hydraulic pressure to be applied through the clearance and through the retard-side lock pin-release oil passage (5c) to a retard-side engagement groove (10) to disengage a retard-side lock pin (7).

A valve timing adjustment device for controlling opening and closing timings of an intake or exhaust valve has conventionally been devised. Such valve timing adjustment device includes a first rotary body, a second rotary body that is relatively rotatable with respect to the first rotary body at a predetermined angle, and a lock mechanism for locking the second rotary body in an intermediate position upon engine start-up.
For example, a process needs to be followed as follows. A control device for a valve timing adjustment device according to Patent Literature 1 applies hydraulic pressure to an advancing hydraulic chamber to apply rotational force to the second rotary body in the advance direction, thereby keeping an advance-side lock pin pressed against the circumferential surface of an advance-side engagement hole. In such condition, the control device applies lock pin-release hydraulic pressure to the advance-side engagement hole and to a retard-side engagement hole, and thereby first allows a retard-side lock pin to disengage from a retard-side engagement groove. Then, the control device causes hydraulic pressure to be applied to a retarding hydraulic chamber to apply rotational force to the second rotary body in the retard direction, and thereby allows the advance-side lock pin to be released and disengaged from the circumferential surface of the advance-side engagement hole.

Control device and control method for valve timing adjustment device


An educational doll, useful to teach toilet training to young children, dispenses measured portions of superhydrophobic sand into water, perhaps contained in a transparent commode, scaled to the size of the doll. The superhydrophobic sand collects on the bottom of the commode as a cohesive mass, simulating a bowel movement. The sand can be dyed brown to enhance the visual image imparted to the child. The commode can be equipped with a trap door to simulate flushing of the toilet. When the water is drained away, the sand will be dry because of its superhydrophobic property, thus, easy to handle and reuse.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of educational aids in the toilet training of young children.
2. Background Art
Toilet training of young children is of continuing concern to parents and the object of a body of educational technology aimed at aiding this learning process. This technology includes a body of children's literature and audio visual materials graphically illustrating the natural bodily functions of urination and defecation. Patented technology includes an assortment of animal and human dolls that are equipped to emit water and soft solids into potties to illustrate to the child the appropriateness of elimination into a toilet.
A doll that wets automatically when it is positioned to be set on a toilet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,441, issued Nov. 8, 1983. A toilet training kit disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,808, issued Feb. 14, 1994 includes a wetting doll and a miniature toilet equipped to accommodate sheets of material that dissolves when the doll emits water into the toilet. The doll disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,962, issued Jan. 28, 1992 is equipped to illustrate the entire digestive process, from ingestion of solids and liquids to ejection of these materials into a potty. U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,200, issued Apr. 7, 1984 discloses an animal figure equipped to emit liquid from an anterior port and a soft material such as a clay or craft dough from a posterior port when the front or rear of the figure is squeezed.
All of the above prior art devices attempt in one way or another to approach the real experience of the child contemplating use of the toilet. However, none of them include the visual impression of seeing a stool dropping into water, as is a very real part of the toilet training experience. One reason this may be true in the difficulty of handling and drying the simulated stool for reuse in the doll.


A tape drive for a data tape mini-cartridge. Cartridges of interest have an internal capstan for an internal drive belt driven by a drive roller in the tape drive. The tape drive has a drive roller directly on a rotating exterior surface of the motor. In one example embodiment, the motor has an external rotor. In an example embodiment, no part of the motor diameter extends below or above the data cartridge. No intermediate rollers or belts are required. The motor stator is preferably mounted onto a metal support plate for heat conduction from the stator into the support plate. The motor preferably has space between the rotor and the support plate for air to flow into the stator for convection cooling. In addition, the motor rotor preferably includes cooling fins and air flow holes for additional convection cooling. A spring is mounted between the motor support plate and a chassis to provide a force holding the drive roller against the cartridge capstan.

In 1972, a belt driven tape cartridge design (U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,255, issued to Robert A. Von Behren) was introduced for use in the computer industry for digital tape recording. Cartridges commonly in use in 1972 were approximately 100 mm by 150 mm and the magnetic tape was 6.35 mm (0.250 inches) wide. Cartridges of that size and corresponding drive mechanisms are still commercially available. In 1976, smaller data cartridges were developed, as described by Alan J. Richards, Mini Data Cartridge: A Convincing Alternative for Low-Cost, Removeable Storage, Hewlett-Packard Journal, May, 1976. The mini-cartridge size is 63.5 mm by 82.5 mm. Versions of the mini-cartridge are commercially available from a variety of vendors with tape widths varying from 3.81 mm (0.150 inches) to 8.00 mm (0.315 inches). There are several commercially available variations that provide a larger volume to accommodate a longer tape. In general, the cartridges are longer and may have a portion that is wider, but the edgewall that provides access to the magnetic tape remains a standard size. The present patent document is concerned with mini-cartridges, and not larger cartridges as disclosed by Von Behren.
All the variations of mini-cartridges described above have two openings in one edgewall. The first opening provides access to the tape by a magnetic head. The magnetic head travels across the width of the tape, transverse to the direction of tape movement, accessing one track at a time for reading or writing. The second opening provides access to a driven roller (capstan) inside the cartridge by an external drive roller (sometimes referred to as a drive puck) in the drive mechanism. The external drive roller is rotated by an electric motor in the drive mechanism. In full height drives, the external drive roller is typically driven directly by a shaft connected to the rotor of a motor. With sufficient drive height, the motor can be positioned so that part of the motor is beneath or above the magnetic head, but outside the range of travel of the magnetic head. However, there is an ongoing market demand for decreasing the size of tape drives, and in particular a market demand for decreasing the height of tape drives. As drive height decreases, there may be a mechanical interference between the drive motor and the magnetic head. The interference problem is made even worse with cartridges having a tape width of 8.00 mm (0.315 inches), increasing the distance the magnetic head has to travel. Therefore, in newer low-profile (shorter height) drives, the drive motor is typically displaced relative to the drive roller and connected to the drive roller by a belt or by an intermediate roller. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,664 issued to Mark W. Perona on May 11, 1993. Belts and intermediate rollers add cost and may slip or cause other speed problems. A direct drive is desirable as the lowest cost and most reliable way of connecting the drive motor to the drive roller. A low-profile drive mechanism is needed that has both a directly driven drive roller and room for full movement of the magnetic head.

Low-profile tape drive with an external-rotor motor directly driving a cartridge capstan


A patient helper apparatus for use with a patient support is disclosed. The patient helper apparatus includes a first L-shaped support tube coupled to the patient support, a shaft coupled to the first L-shaped support tube and extending over the patient support, and an egress handle coupled to the first L-shaped support tube. The egress handle moves between a stowed position and an assist position. In the stowed position, the egress handle is situated inside a footprint of the patient support. In the assist position, the egress handle extends outside the footprint of the patient support.

The present disclosure is related to the arrangement and operation of a patient helper at a patient support. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to the a patient helper apparatus with a patient assist handle.
Patient helpers known in the art provide a shaft supported over a patient support such as a hospital bed. Some patient helpers are used in conjunction with triangular grab bars or traction devices that hang down from the patient helper shaft. Patient helpers are known to be removable from the patient support for storage when not in use.
In the prior art, patient helpers included shafts cantilevered over a patient support with triangular grab bars hanging from the shaft so that a patient could pull themselves up while on the patient support. Such patient helpers and grip handles did not provide support for a patient outside the footprint of the patient support. Additionally, such patient helper shafts could easily deflect when a force was applied to the cantilevered shaft


A drilling device for surveying front rock-mass intactness of a tunnel face for a tunnel constructed by a TBM and a method using the same are provided. The drilling device includes a drilling assembly, a drill-attitude control assembly, a data monitoring assembly and a TBM-platform fixing seat. The drilling assembly is connected to a TBM hydraulic system to obtain power, to drill the rock mass by an alloy bit through rotation and translation thereof. The drill-attitude control assembly controls an angle, a direction and a position of a drill rod and maintains drilling accuracy and stability. The data monitoring assembly acquires and stores a drilling dynamic-response signal by a high-accuracy sensor and a data recorder, to analyze an intactness characteristic of the rock mass. The TBM-platform fixing seat mounts the drilling device on the TBM.

At present, the TBM technology is widely used in the domestic field of tunnels and underground engineering, especially in the construction of deep and long tunnels. However, the TBM is more sensitive to the intactness of the rock mass. On the one hand, in rock mass with good intactness, the TBM is prone to the incapable excavation and the slow speed, so the hob strength and stiffness of the TBM is necessary to be selected reasonably according to the intactness characteristics of the rock mass; and on the other hand, in rock mass with poor intactness, if front geological conditions are unclear, the TBM is prone to occur problems such as machine jamming and engineering instability. Therefore, the survey of the front rock-mass intactness of the tunnel face for the tunnel constructed by the TBM is a very difficult point in construction.
The TBM is a huge mechanical electromagnet. In a test of the rock-mass intactness, geophysical methods used today are greatly disturbed, which leads to a great reduction in test accuracy and seriously affects an engineering application effect. However, in the rock mass with the poor intactness, a traditional drilling method often fails to make the test to be normally performed due to the hole collapse and the shrinkage. A large number of on-site drilling experiences indicate that there is a good correlation between monitoring data during the rock-mass drilling and the rock-mass quality; the drilling monitoring data reflect optimal aggregation during drilling the same intact rock mass; and the drilling data have optimal regularity during drilling different intact rock mass. In view of this, it is possible to analyze the rock-mass intactness characteristics by the drilling data, thereby greatly solving an engineering problem that the front rock-mass characteristics of the tunnel face for the tunnel constructed by the TBM are difficult to survey.
At present, a technology that a drilling device for surveying rock-mass intactness is mounted on a TBM platform has not been developed and applied. It is of great value to analyze the rock-mass quality by using the monitoring data during drilling, resulting in good economic and social benefits. Thus, it is urgent to develop a device for surveying front rock-mass intactness of a tunnel face for a tunnel and a method operating the same, which are applied to geological-prediction engineering of open-type and shield-type tunnel boring machines (TBMs), that is, a drilling device for surveying front rock-mass intactness of a tunnel face for a tunnel and a method using the same.

Drilling device for surveying front rock-mass intactness of tunnel face for tunnel constructed by TBM and method using the same

CHINA INSTITUTE OF WATER RESOURCES AND HYDROPOWER RESEARCH


Methods and apparatus are provided for discovering computing devices in a local area. A method includes receiving, by a first device, a request to provide discovery information, generating, by the first device, the discovery information, wherein the discovery information includes a communication address of the first device, and providing, by the first device, the discovery information using a short-range protocol that can be received only within a defined distance of the first device. The method can further include receiving, by a second device, the discovery information, wherein the second device is located within the defined distance of the first device, extracting, by the second device, the communication address of the first device from the discovery information, and initiating, by the second device, communication with the first device using the communication address and a communication protocol associated with the address.

Numerous useful features of portable computing devices rely on the ability of the devices to communicate information to and receive information from other computing devices. Wireless networking, in particular, provides portable computing devices with the ability to access information available on the Internet, send and receive messages to other users, send and receive a user's documents and information to and from other computing devices, and so on. Computing devices often use communication techniques such as cellular data, WiFi™, and the like to communicate with other devices. These communication techniques ordinarily require that an address, Uniform Resource Locator (URL), or other identifying information be known about the other device with which communication is to be established. These addresses are readily obtainable in some cases, e.g., for devices that have Domain Name Service (DNS) names, such as a web server accessible via the URL. However, there are many devices that do not have their own URLs or have URLs, but the URLs are not known to users who wish to access the devices. Even if a list of the available devices is available, there may be a large number of devices, and selecting the best one from a long list can be difficult. In other cases, devices do not have URLs, and are discovered using a protocol such as Bluetooth®.
For example, an Apple TV® device, available from Apple® Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., provides an interface from a computing device to a television. Mobile devices, such as smart phones, can use the Apple TV to display images on the television. However, establishing a connection between a mobile device and a wireless television devices (e.g., Apple TV or like), or wireless printer (e.g., using AirPrint® or the like) may require that the device user be registered in a certain way, which may not be the case in some environments such as classrooms. In another example, there are many devices, e.g., 20,000 or more, in an area such as an auditorium, arena, or the like. Identifying the device of a particular person can be difficult, because an attempt to connect to another device is likely to involve selecting the other device from a large list of devices.


A fluid-cooled manifold is configured to cool exhaust from an engine. The fluid-cooled manifold includes a plurality of exhaust runners. Each of the exhaust runners includes a runner body having an inlet end and an outlet end, an exhaust conduit extending through the runner body, and a coolant passage extending through the runner body. The fluid-cooled manifold also includes an exhaust collection manifold including a plurality of inlets. Each inlet of the exhaust collection manifold is coupled to the exhaust outlet opening of a respective one of the exhaust runners. The fluid-cooled manifold also includes a coolant feed pipe and a coolant exit pipe. The coolant feed pipe includes a plurality of outlets coupled to the coolant inlets of the exhaust runners. Likewise, the coolant exit pipe includes a plurality of inlets coupled to the coolant outlets of the exhaust runners.

As an internal combustion engine is operated, the exhaust typically leaves the engine at an elevated temperature. Rather than simply emit the exhaust into the atmosphere and allow the energy to go to waste, there are various ways in which the energy in the exhaust can be captured and utilized. For example, a turbocharger can be driven by the exhaust in order to pressurize intake air into the engine. With the pressurized intake air, additional fuel can also be added to the engine in order to produce more power.
As the power output of the engine increases, the exhaust temperature will typically also increase. While increases in the temperature of the exhaust represent additional energy that might be recaptured, higher temperatures may approach or exceed the operating limits of the materials of the exhaust components or of the turbocharger. Thus, the turbocharger cannot be operated where the exhaust temperature exceeds an operating threshold, which puts a limit on the overall power output of the engine.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the description provided in this section is not prior art to the claims and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Fluid-cooled manifolds and engine systems