The present invention provides a golf ball comprising a core, an intermediate layer covering the core, and a cover covering the intermediate layer, wherein the intermediate layer contains a 3-dimensional shaped metal oxide having at least three needle-shaped parts. Blending the 3-dimensional shaped metal oxide into the intermediate layer enhances the rigidity of the resultant intermediate layer and the hardness thereof. Making use of this property, it is possible to improve the durability, the flight performance and the shot feeling of the golf ball.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf ball, more particularly to a technique which improves the intermediate layer of the golf ball.
2. Description of the Related Art
The resilience (flight distance), durability, shot feeling, control, abrasion resistance are required for golf balls, and the various fillers are added into portions constituting the golf ball body to improve the above requirements.
For example, Japanese patent publication No. S60-53,164A discloses a solid golf ball having a high residence and improved flight performance. The solid golf ball comprises a core and a cover covering the core. The core is made from polymer blends having the gravity of not more than 1.30 in the case of the small sized golf ball, or from polymer blends having the gravity of not more than 1.5 in the case of the large sized golf ball. In addition, the cover is formed to have the gravity of not less than 1.0, or a weight ball is placed in the center of the core. Japanese patent publication No. H10-137,365 discloses a golf ball comprising a cover. In the golf ball having the cover made from the cover material including a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer as a main component, the filamental aluminum borate whisker is formulated into the cover material. Japanese patent publication No. H10-179,799 discloses a golf ball having a core comprising a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer, wherein the filamental aluminum borate whisker is formulated into the core. Further, it is proposed that a nano composite filler such hydrotalcite and octosilicate is added into the resin composition in Japanese patent publication No.2,004-504,900.
Japanese patent publication No. 2,002-517,296 discloses a golf ball where a glass fiber, a carbon fiber, an aramide fiber, or a metal fiber are formulated into the intermediate layer, and Japanese patent publication No.2,002-536,143 discloses a golf ball reinforced by formulating metals or ceramic into the intermediate layer.


A method is described for ways to generate a Fraction of Sand (Fsand) estimate and net-to-gross (NTG) estimate of sand in a formation using a machine-learning algorithm such as a neural network based on borehole image logs. The method may use the Fsand and other information to estimate hydrocarbons in place in a subsurface formation. The method may be executed by a computer system.

Deepwater reservoirs often consist of highly laminated sand-shale sequences, where individual beds are too fine to be fully resolved by standard logs. Note that as is understood in the art, the term sand may refer to sandstone. Without appropriate characterization, thin beds could be under-estimated or neglected, which leads to pessimistic predictions on hydrocarbon pore volume and well deliverability, and reservoir quality is routinely under-predicted. Consequently, laminated reservoirs are considered a common struggle for petrophysical analysis.
To characterize the thin beds with better accuracy, one could take advantage of high-resolution borehole images, which can detect extremely small formation features (e.g., millimeter scale). In traditional thin-bed analysis, sand counting is usually done by applying a user-specified cutoff on a 1-D high-resolution curve extracted from borehole images. The workflow generally requires meticulous image QC, multiple pre-processing steps and log calibration, and the results are often highly sensitive to the cutoff selection. Moreover, due to the uncalibrated nature of borehole imaging tools, cutoffs selected in one well are not necessarily applicable to other wells, even if they share the same formation systems. This has prevented consistent standards while evaluating multiple wells in one field or asset.
The ability to define the location and quantity of hydrocarbons in the subsurface is crucial to our ability to make the most appropriate choices for purchasing materials, operating safely, and successfully completing projects. Project cost is dependent upon accurate prediction of the position of physical boundaries within the Earth. Decisions include, but are not limited to, budgetary planning, obtaining mineral and lease rights, signing well commitments, permitting rig locations, designing well paths and drilling strategy, preventing subsurface integrity issues by planning proper casing and cementation strategies, and selecting and purchasing appropriate completion and production equipment.
There exists a need for improved characterization of thin beds in the subsurface to allow improved quantification of hydrocarbons in place in subsurface reservoirs.

System and method for quantitative analysis of borehole images


An engine arrangement structure of a saddle-ride type vehicle includes an engine having a crankcase and a cylinder part overhung upwardly from the crankcase. An alternating current generator is provided at one end of the crankshaft with a power transmission system member being provided at the other end thereof. The alternating current generator and the power transmission system member are overhung ahead of and behind the engine relative to the engine cylinder part, respectively. A width by which the power transmission system member is overhung is larger than that by which the alternating current generator is overhung. The alternating current generator of the engine is arranged so as to be directed to the front side of the vehicle body and the power transmission system member is arranged so as to be directed to the rear side of the vehicle body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine arrangement structure of a saddle-ride type vehicle including two front wheels and two rear wheels.
2. Description of Background Art
There is generally known a saddle-ride type vehicle that includes two front wheels and two rear wheels with a steering system member provided in the front of a body frame. An engine is provided at the center of the body frame, and a seat is arranged behind a cylinder of the engine. See, for example, JP-A No. H10-329553. This kind of vehicle is configured in such a manner that the engine includes a crankshaft extending in the front-rear direction of a vehicle body with an alternating current generator (hereinafter, referred to as ACG) provided at one end of the crankshaft, and a power transmission system member including a torque converter and the like being provided at the other end thereof.
The power transmission system member is overhung ahead of the engine relative to the engine cylinder part, and the ACG is overhung behind the engine relative to the engine cylinder part. In this case, a width by which the power transmission system member is overhung is larger than that by which the alternating current generator is overhung in a general design.
A vehicle with this configuration is required to have a compact design since the steering system member is located ahead of the engine. Even when the engine is displaced to the rear of the vehicle body in order to secure a front space, it is difficult to displace the engine to the rear because the seat is located behind the engine cylinder in the saddle-ride type vehicle including two front wheels and two rear wheels.

Engine arrangement structure of saddle-ride type vehicle


The monitor is for monitoring the status of a first client telephone, and for sending this status information via a central server to an authorized second client telephone. The central server stores a database of registered client telephones and corresponding client telephones that the client may monitor. A user of a registered client telephone monitors in real time the telephone status of registered friends, family, or co-workers that have agreed to be monitored by the user.

Conventional telephone systems can provide a caller's status information, but do so in a costly manner that requires significant user time. For example, the office based PBX telephone system provides a caller with status information.
Determining whether the party's line is busy or available requires a caller's telephone to poll a central station and wait for a call back to receive status information.
At present, the telephone industry is in the process of switching to digital technology (i.e., Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), and Asymmetric Digital Loop (ASDL)). ISDN is an international communications standard for sending voice and data over telephone lines. ISDN technology transmits data at a rate far faster than prior telephone connection technologies. ISDN lines generally include three channels, two bearer (B) channels and one data (D) channel. Each B channel carries voice and data at a bandwidth of 64 kbps (thousands of bits per second), and the D channel handles signal control information. ISDN's two B channels enable the caller to simultaneously receive and send information. Currently, digitally enabled telephones are being produced.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for monitoring telephone status


An apparatus in which an atomizer is provided with two arrays of discharge holes adjacent and offset from each other.

Nozzles have long been used to atomize fluids, such as liquids, gases and liquid-solid slurries, to provide fine sprays. One particular application of atomizers that has received considerable attention is in fuel combustion. It is now well known that atomizers that deliver a fine spray of discrete minute droplets improve combustion efficiency.
Thus, considerable work has been done to develop atomizer nozzles that enhance fuel burning efficiency in power plant boilers. It is generally accepted that the finer the fuel spray pattern, the more complete and effective the combustion will be. However, other limitations such as nozzle vibration, tube temperatures, opacity and nitrogen oxide (NO.sub.x) emissions must be considered when designing fuel atomizers.
In about 1989 Todd Combustion, Shelton, Conn. developed an atomizer nozzle that improved the combustion efficiency and to some extent reduced NO.sub.x emission. The prior art Todd Combustion atomizer was developed for application in a now conventional furnace windbox.
The Todd atomizer is characterized as a Multi-Jet Single Fluid Atomizer. Structurally the atomizer has a cup-shaped internal whirling chamber into which fuel under pressure is delivered through an array of passages or slots that are arranged tangentially to the whirling chamber. An array of perimeter holes each of which are the same radial distance from the center of the whirling chamber provide passage of the fuel from the whirling chamber to the furnace combustion chamber.
In addition, prior art atomizers with a plurality of perimeter holes such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,297 also exist.
Although the prior art designs reduced NO.sub.x emissions over previous designs, the level of NO.sub.x emission was still not satisfactory and opacity was higher than desirable. As a result considerable research was conducted to obtain an aerator nozzle capable of reducing opacity to minimal levels.


A water-activated bobber release device is used to retrieve a submerged item to which it is attached. The device has a housing, a spring, a bobber assembly having a bobber, a spool and a central hole, a bobbin assembly having a framework surrounding a center hole and a dissolvable tablet within the framework, a screw having a flared head engaging the framework and an elongated threaded section extending through the central hole and the center hole, and a fastener connected to the screw holding the spring in compression when the tablet is solidified. The device also has a line wrapped around the spool connecting the bobber assembly to the housing or the item. When submerged in water, the tablet dissolves, and the spring forces the screw's head through the bobbin assembly, thereby jettisoning the bobber assembly from the housing where it is free to float to the surface for retrieval.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for locating and retrieving a submerged item, and more particularly to reusable water-activated bobber release device for releasing the bobber when the device is exposed to water. The reusable device advantageously minimizes the number of moving parts to allow for quick, easy resetting of the device.
2. Related Art
Existing water-activated bobber release devices are used for releasing a bobber when items, such as fishing rods, rifles or other items become submerged. Traditionally, these devices hold a bobber in place by, in essence, applying a shearing force to a small section of a dissolvable tablet, such that the tablet is under a constant, compressing shear force that seeks to rip the tablet apart at the point of contact. The devices hold the bobber in place by directly opposing the force of the spring by placing the tablet in the way of the bobber's release. This method of operation, however, is prone to inadvertent bobber release, as the tablet breaks down to the constant force and moisture in the ambient atmosphere without the device having been submerged in water. In other words, these devices tend to deploy when the fisherman least wants it to do so, i.e., when the fisherman is reeling in an aggressive fish, while the rod is being transported in a vehicle or when the rod is in storage. The devices that rely on this bobber retention method fail to protect against inadvertent release in the manner used by the present invention, as the present invention instead redirects and redistributes the axial force in a radially outward direction. Additionally, in the prior art devices, the point of contact between the tablet and the opposing structure are necessarily formed of dissimilar materials, with the tablet being formed of salt and the opposing structure being formed from plastic, metal or some other non-dissolving material. Whenever there is a concentrated stress or tension between dissimilar metals, there is the likelihood of increased corrosion and strain which could cause the salt tablet to weaken prematurely. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to avoid concentrations of tension between dissimilar materials.
Other devices that use alternate retention methods, such as salt bobbins, suffer from other serious flaws. These devices utilize a multitude of moving parts positioned deep within their devices, which introduce at least two fatal flaws to those devices. One, moving parts such as internal, rotating metal line reels are subject to rusting when exposed to water. Should enough rust accumulate, the reel stops rotating and does not released any bobber line when submerged. In other words, actual exposure to water prevents the other "water-activated" devices from actually working.
The other fatal flaw is that these deeply-positioned parts, like the internal reel, prevent the fisherman from resetting the device for continued use, short of completely disassembling the device housing. These devices are neither designed nor intended to be resettable and reusable, but are instead intended to be used but a single time. In other words, these devices are different from present invention and teach away from the various aspects of the present invention described below.
Other "non-bobber" devices exist that utilize a salt bobbin to activate some feature(s). For example, some automatically-inflating rafts and jackets use a salt bobbin in their respective automatic inflators to activate when exposed to water. In these examples, a plunger with a piercing needle is held in place by a salt bobbin. When the bobbin is exposed to water, the bobbin expands and releases the plunger, which in turn punctures a compressed gas container to inflate the device. As will be apparent below, these devices are distinctly different in form and function from the present invention.
There remains the need for a reusable water-activated bobber release device which uses a bobbin, minimizes the moving parts and allows a user to quickly reset the device to its ready configuration without any need to disassemble the device housing. Further, it is advantageous to arrange the features in the device in such a manner that the bobber deployment force does not act as a concentrated axial vector that runs directly through the dissolvable tablet and instead is distributed as radial vectors that diverge outwardly from the longitudinal axis through the entire circumference of the dissolvable tablet contained within a bobbin assembly.


In a lowering operation of a boom, the amount of operation of a control lever is detected by a pressure sensor and input to a controller. Based on the input operation amount, the controller obtains a target flow rate Q0 of return oil discharged from a boom cylinder, calculates a deviation ΔQ between the target flow rate Q0 and an actual flow rate Q obtained from an actual rotation speed N of an electric motor acquired by a rotation speed sensor, calculates a signal Sm for controlling the opening area of a proportional solenoid valve in a manner allowing hydraulic fluid to flow to a control valve in just as much as ΔQ, and controls an operation pilot pressure of the control valve supplied from a sub-pump in accordance with the signal Sm so that the hydraulic fluid will flow to the control valve exactly in the amount of ΔQ.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for improving the fuel consumption of working machines such as hydraulic excavators. Various measures for meeting that demand have been proposed.
For example, there is proposed a hybrid hydraulic excavator that has an electric motor (generator) connected to a fixed displacement hydraulic motor attached to the hydraulic line (return oil hydraulic line) of the hydraulic chamber through which the return oil flows in a boom lowering operation on the bottom side of a boom cylinder (hydraulic actuators). This hybrid hydraulic excavator has the hydraulic motor driven by use of the return oil from the boom cylinder, the hydraulic motor in turn driving the electric motor. The electric energy obtained by driving the electric motor is stored into an electric storage device connected via an inverter, a chopper or the like.
As the power regeneration device for a working machine regenerating power by introducing the return oil from the boom cylinder into the fixed displacement hydraulic motor in the above-outlined manner, Patent Literature 1 describes one that branches the return oil from the boom cylinder into the power regeneration side (hydraulic motor side) and the control valve side so as to improve the operability of the hydraulic actuators.

Power regeneration device for working machine and working machine

HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.


An infant swing includes a support frame, a holding frame, a driving device, and a power supply device. The support frame includes a first connecting port, a second connecting port, and a leg assembly. Two ends of the leg assembly are connected to the first connecting port and the second connecting port. The holding frame is pivoted to the first connecting port and the second connecting port. The driving device is disposed on the first connecting port for driving the holding frame to swing relative to the support frame. The power supply device is disposed on the leg assembly and is electrically connected to the driving device. The power supply device is used for providing the driving device with power for driving the holding frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an infant swing, and more specifically, to an infant swing having a driving device and a power supply device that are disposed separately.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a conventional infant swing usually has a power supply device (e.g. assembly of a battery and a battery holder) for performing functions of music, swing, and so on. A common method for disposing a power supply device on an infant swing involves disposing the power supply device in a driving hub which is used for driving the infant swing to swing. However, since other related components (e.g. a motor) have already installed in the driving hub, the driving hub may require extra containing space for accommodating the power supply device, so that configuration of other components in the driving hub may be effected. Thus, if the power supply device is disposed in the driving hub of the infant swing, the occupied space of the driving hub on the infant swing may effect the appearance of the infant swing, so that flexibility in structural design of the infant swing will be reduced correspondingly.


A micro-electro-mechanical sensor comprises a first substrate comprising an element movable with respect to the first substrate and a second substrate comprising a first contact pad and a second contact pad. The first substrate is bonded to the second substrate such that a movement of the element changes a coupling between the first contact pad and the second contact pad.

Micro-electro-mechanical sensors typically comprise a micro-electro-mechanical element which is structured using semiconductor processes. The micro-electro-mechanical element may, for example, be a membrane (pressure sensor filament) in the event of pressure sensors or microphones. Acceleration sensors may, for example, comprise movable inertia masses as a micro-electro-mechanical element. Usually, the micro-electro-mechanical element serves as an electrode which is movable relative to a counter electrode so that a coupling strength between the two electrodes can be measured to determine the relative movement between the two electrodes. Coupling may, for example, be capacitive or inductive. The physical quantity to be sensed by the micro-electro-mechanical sensor is typically derived from the coupling measured between the two electrodes. In order to measure the coupling, the electrode of the micro-electro-mechanical element and the counter electrode, which is typically fixed and not movable, need to be contacted. This may result in a considerable construction complexity in terms of design and technology.

Micro-mechanical sensor and method for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical sensor

Infineon Technologies Dresden GmbH & Co. KG


The present disclosure generally relates to nanoparticles comprising an endo-lysosomal escape agent, a nucleic acid, and a polymer. Other aspects include methods of making and using such nanoparticles.

Systems that deliver certain drugs to a patient (e.g., targeted to a particular tissue or cell type or targeted to a specific diseased tissue but not normal tissue) or that control release of drugs have long been recognized as beneficial.
For example, therapeutics that include an active drug and that are, e.g., targeted to a particular tissue or cell type or targeted to a specific diseased tissue but not to normal tissue, may reduce the amount of the drug in tissues of the body that are not targeted. This is particularly important when treating a condition such as cancer where it is desirable that a cytotoxic dose of the drug is delivered to cancer cells without killing the surrounding non-cancerous tissue. Effective drug targeting may reduce the undesirable and sometimes life threatening side effects common in anticancer therapy. In addition, such therapeutics may allow drugs to reach certain tissues they would otherwise be unable to reach.
Therapeutics that offer controlled release and/or targeted therapy also must be able to deliver an effective amount of drug, which is a known limitation in other nanoparticle delivery systems. For example, it can be a challenge to prepare nanoparticle systems that have an appropriate amount of drug associated with each nanoparticle, while keeping the size of the nanoparticles small enough to have advantageous delivery properties.
Therapeutic delivery of nucleic acids such as therapeutic siRNA, mRNA or antisense require efficient and nontoxic delivery methods. However, there are significant challenges in such delivery, including, for example, degradation of nucleic acids by nucleases and/or lack of effective transport into the cell or nucleus. Nanoparticle formulations that include nucleic acids are often hindered by undesirable properties, e.g., burst release profiles and degradation of the nucleic acid.
Accordingly, a need exists for nanoparticle therapeutics and methods of making such nanoparticles that are capable of delivering nucleic acid molecules into cells, while also preventing degradation of the nucleic acid molecule.

Therapeutic nanoparticles comprising a therapeutic agent and methods of making and using same


In order to protect yards, gardens and other areas from the destruction caused by deer and other animal pests, a portable, wireless animal repelling and training device is provided, consisting of a field unit and a charging unit. The field unit has a capacitor to provide a voltage across bare electrodes on the top of the device. The device is baited between the electrodes so that an animal pest smelling or licking at the device will close the circuit between the electrodes and receive an electric shock. The field unit capacitor is charged using a portable, battery-powered charging unit, or alternatively the device may have the charging circuitry and battery contained within the field unit. The devices are positioned around the plants or articles to be protected.

Prevention and control of wildlife damage to yards, gardens and landscaping is an age old problem. As the population of deer in many areas is increasing, the damage they cause is also increasing. The magnitude of the problem is indicated by the many types of devices and methods that have been used in attempts to discourage marauding deer.
The ultimate barrier against deer is a woven-wire perimeter fence eight feet tall, but this solution is expensive and unsightly and may violate some zoning ordinances or restrictive covenants.
Natural and chemical repellents are available which can be odor repellents to treat the area, or contact repellents to make the plants taste bad. Many chemicals such as denatonium benzoate and thiram have been tried, as well as mixtures of chemicals with hot sauce, eggs, and glue as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,070 (1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,661 to Messina (1993). Natural remedies have been tried such as extracts of the African Marigold as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,377 to Abraham (1996). Also touted as animal repellents are coyote urine, lion feces, fermented blood, shredded deodorant soap, garlic, feather meal, cat feces, moth balls, creosote and bags of human hair. These repellents are of questionable efficacy, they require constant reapplication, are malodorous and many chemicals are toxic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,192 to Burman (1991) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,093 to MacMillan (1995) show animal repellent devices that suddenly spray water when activated by a motion sensor or an infrared sensor. These devices require connections such as a 110 volt supply, compressed air and a high pressure water supply to operate. These devices would not be useful in sub-freezing temperatures and they would be a surprise for the gardener if they were not disarmed when she went to work in the garden.
Scarecrows, strobe lights and noise making devices such as propane exploders, fireworks, sirens and gunfire have been used to deter deer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,105 to Porter (1974) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,621 to Rosen (1992) show complicated mechanical devices intended to act as scarecrows by the sights and sounds that they produce. Both of these devices require a 110 volt power supply. Another deer scarecrow with provisions for scent and sound making means is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,571 to Gaskill (1990). Noise making devices such as these are very annoying to nearby humans, especially at night which is when the deer are most likely to be around. Noise making devices and scarecrows have proven to be ineffective because deer are intelligent and soon realize that this type of device will not harm them.
Ultrasonic animal repellents have been described. U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,085 to Weinberg (1986) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,523 to Turchioe (1997) describe devices that produces ultrasound of varying frequencies. As with scarecrows, deer soon learn that these devices are of no threat to them.
Deer are intelligent animals and they soon learn to ignore most deterrent devices. The exception to this are repellent and training devices which deliver an electric shock. Use of shock producing devices has been shown to result in immediate retreat and learned avoidance behaviors. Many shock-producing animal training devices are dependent upon placing a collar on the animal and so are of no value in dealing with wild animals. Another type of device is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,178 to Dierking (1951) with a shocking apparatus powered by the spark plug of a gasoline engine. An animal carcass such as a rabbit is electrified to train dogs to avoid this type of animal. This device produces whole body shocks and would not be practical as a deer repellent device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,009 to Boyle (1979) shows a device to provide a continuous direct current to an animal chewing on a bandage. The low voltage of this device, 9-69 volts direct current, comes directly from the batteries. While this device provides a mild irritant to a dog chewing on a bandage, it does not provide the sharp, powerful stimulus required to be effective as a wild animal deterrent. U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,810 to Heras (1984) shows a dog training device which requires the animal to bite an electrified steak in a precise way to close the circuit and deliver a continuous electric shock which consists of a pulsating direct current. U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,571 to Palmer (1986) shows a device to repel animals which involves a high resistance circuit passing through the body and feet of the target animal and which depends upon the moisture of the earth to conduct the 12 volt direct current used in this device.
Other electrically powered, baited animal extermination devices such as shown by U.S. Pat. No. 922,377 to Ames (1909), French Patent 440,270 to Calvert (1912), Swiss Patent 82,560 to Baumann (1919) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,646 to Bunkers (1992) are powered by alternating current or a current from a battery and a converter that is powerful enough to kill the intended victim. These devices would be far too dangerous to openly deploy around a yard or garden and they require a connection to an AC power source or a large battery to maintain such a high voltage and amperage.
Gardeners have found that, other than a tall perimeter fence, the most effective devices now available to protect their gardens from deer and other pests are electric fences or electric meshes. Modern fence charging devices are shown by U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,770 to Kaufman (1975), U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,583 to Standing (1983), U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,298 to Shaw (1995) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,919 to Walley (1996). Although these devices incorporate large capacitors which serve to stabilize the output of the device, or which discharge through output transformers to provide an extremely high voltage, none of these devices suggest the device of the present invention and all of these devices require a 120 volt AC power source or a large automobile type battery.
To protect yards and gardens, electric fences that are baited with an attractant such as peanut butter have been shown to be especially effective. Other types of baited electric fence devices are shown by U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,897 to Conley (1973) which combines a noxious repellent with an electric shock to repel predators of livestock, and by U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,909 to Murphy (1994) which shows a bait-holding addition to an electric fence to kill insects.
Electric fences, baited or not, have the problems of being unsightly, expensive, difficult to work around and somewhat permanent. In addition, electric fences produce dangerous whole-body shocks, the amperage and voltage are very high because of the high resistance circuit, and the shock produced is continuous pulses, all of which increase the chance of health problems for an accidental victim with this type of device.

Electric animal repelling and training device


A composite antenna comprising a first and second antenna suitable for transceiving independent signals in the cellular communication and GPS bands. The first antenna has upper and lower electrically conductive discs of substantially the same size aligned substantially in parallel, a first means for application of a first electrical signal between and at substantially geometric centers of the discs, and a plurality of electrically conductive shunts. The second (GPS) antenna is attached atop the upper electrically conductive disc and has a second means for application of a second electrical signal to the GPS antenna which traverses the electrically conductive discs whereby there is no significant degradation in performance of either the first cellular antenna or the second GPS antenna. The shunts are electrically connected to the first electrically conductive disc and the second electrically conductive disc, whereby the first and second electrically conductive discs are spaced from each other by a volume of free space or a volume occupied by a dielectric material. Also described is an antenna for cellular communications alone, with first and second electrically conductive discs spaced from each other by a volume of free space or a volume occupied by a dielectric material, without the second GPS antenna.

Antennas with omnidirectional radiation patterns are desired in radio frequency communications systems such as cellular telephones used in automobiles and the like. Typically, vehicle-mounted antennas for cellular communications consist of a short wire or "whip" antenna extending approximately 3.048 meters from the vehicle. this type of cellular antenna is undesirable for a variety of reasons including a greater risk of breakage and interference with other structures around the vehicle (e.g. dynamic mechanisms within a car wash).
Attempts have been made in the prior art to implement cellular telephone antennas utilizing a surface mounted antenna with a low profile. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,838 describes a planar antenna employing a dielectric substrate with conductive coatings on two major surfaces, one surface is connected to an outer ground shield of a coaxial cable and the other surface is connected to an inner conductor. A plurality of electrically conductive shunts are disposed along a radius of the antenna and interconnect the two major surfaces. Another shunt, not on the same radial line as the plurality of shunts, is also disposed to interconnect the two major surfaces and to match the electrical characteristics of the resulting antenna to those of the transceiver. The location and number of the shunts are experimentally varied in order to adjust the antenna's impedance to resonate within the desired frequency band.
In addition many of the wireless and cellular applications discussed above exhibit simultaneous requirements for GPS resources. Examples of such applications may be in determining transportational logistics and vehicle tracking. For instance, it is often the case that a motorist is stranded on a roadway without specific knowledge of his or her actual location or of how to direct a third party who wishes to locate the stranded motorist. By combining a cellular antenna with access to GPS resources the stranded motorist could simply depress a button linked with the cellular phone which would result in a signal being sent over the cellular band indicating the precise location of the stranded vehicle to a cellular base station as determined using the associated GPS resources. Such a system also becomes useful in military applications where the tracking of military vehicles in order to yield a set of precise, real time coordinates of each of a number of various vehicles is particularly useful when strategic positioning must be dynamic. Currently, as evidenced by the prior art, existing cellular and GPS antennas represent distinct physical structures mounted individually and in different locations on the vehicle. However, due to functional as well as aesthetic considerations, it is desirable to be able to eliminate the dual mounting of two separate units for GPS and cellular communication by having a single module for accomplishing both functions.
It is an object of the present invention to combine a low profile antenna having an omnidirectional radiation pattern for use in microwave communications systems such as cellular telephone systems with a GPS antenna in the same compact physical structure whereby the performance of both the low profile antenna and the GPS antenna and preamplifier will not be degraded by interference between the two antennas.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a low profile antenna having an omnidirectional radiation pattern for use in microwave communications systems such as cellular telephone systems.

Composite antenna for cellular and gps communications


A multi-receiver wireless communication device includes a transmitter, a transmit oscillator communicatively coupled to the transmitter, a receive oscillator communicatively coupled to a first receiver and second receiver, and a switching assembly having a first state in which the receive oscillator is coupled to the first and second receivers and a second state in which the receive oscillator is de-coupled from the second receiver and the transmit oscillator is coupled to the second receiver. The first receiver and the second receiver of the wireless communication device are able to operate independent of one another when the switching assembly is in the second state.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to wireless cellular communication devices capable of multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) communication and/or receive diversity and, more particularly, to utilizing the transmit local oscillator (LO) to drive a receiver when the transmitter in not in use.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wireless communication device (WCD), such as a cellular telephone, for instance, is required to utilize multiple radio access technologies and multiple frequency bands when performing measurement and synchronization on communication cells. This occurs in the transition from switch-on to camp-on when locating the best cell on the best network and is maintained in Idle mode and in Dedicated mode. Although the WCD must cycle through the multiple radio access technologies and multiple bands, the operator (and end-user) desires a fast reaction time as the radio conditions change.
In a mobility context where the user and/or environment are moving, abrupt shadowing effects are common, e.g., when a device moves around a corner or cars move around a device. This often leads to repeated interruptions in communication. However, users demand mobile voice communication hardware and techniques that will provide seamless handovers when one link breaks. To ensure a seamless handover, the WCD must cycle through the multiple radio access technologies and multiple bands to perform measurements and synchronize on different communication cells. This is a lime and resource limited process. Unfortunately, some radio access technologies such as WLAN or WAN, do not intrinsically support mobility and soft handoffs. Due to these technology limitations, prior art equipment can degrade the user experience.
The reaction time and performance of cell measurement and synchronization can be improved with the operation of two receivers simultaneously to perform concurrent multiple band searches, measurements, and synchronization. Several wireless standards, such as the 802.11n standard defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), now require two or more receiver channels on the modem either for receive diversity, interference cancellation, or two-port Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO). However, these receivers can not always be operated independently due to performance gains associated with receive diversity, interference cancellation, or two-port MIMO operation. A method is needed to identify opportunities when both receivers can be operated independently. In addition, the receivers typically share a single Local Oscillator (LO) and the receiver channels are, therefore, tuned to the same Radio Frequency (RF) center frequencies and channel bandwidths. The addition of a second receive LO to the WCD for the purpose of measuring other frequencies is not desirable from a complexity and cost standpoint.
Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems associated with the prior art as discussed above.

Method and system for utilizing transmit local oscillator for improved cell search and multi-link communication in multi-mode device


A laparoscopic tissue sealant spray apparatus and system having a laparoscopic tissue sealant spray assembly combined with a trocar assembly, the tissue sealant spray assembly having an elongate delivery tube. A spray outlet at a distal end of the elongate delivery tube may be rounded or angled. A ring member provided at the distal end of the elongate delivery tube directs a spray cone toward a portion of a target tissue site, and the spray cone may be repositioned to a different portion of the target tissue site by rotation of the elongate delivery tube. The trocar assembly includes a vent opening that connects to a venting valve member that provides a vent path which passively opens upon operation of the tissue sealant spray assembly, avoiding excessive pressure build-up within a body cavity.

1. Filed of the Disclosure
This disclosure is generally directed to systems for applying a sealant to a work surface and, more particularly, to an apparatus and system for applying tissue sealant to biological tissue employing structure that facilitates controlled spray application of tissue sealant and passive control of gas pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various apparatus and systems have been disclosed for application of tissue sealants. One such disclosure is U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,174, entitled "Hand Triggered Tissue Sealant Spray Apparatus and System," the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. An effective tissue sealant is a two-component tissue sealant made up of fibrinogen and thrombin. Because these two components react quickly with one another to cause clotting, it is desirable to isolate the two components from one another for as long as possible, until they are sprayed onto a target tissue site, such as a bodily organ.
A trocar device, which is known for use in laparoscopic surgical procedures, may be employed with an elongate delivery tube to deliver the two components, e.g., fibrinogen and thrombin, from a double-barrel syringe to a target tissue site. In order to spray the components of the tissue sealant onto a target tissue site, gas is introduced, such as through a Y-shaped spray adapter, as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,174.
While such tissue sealing systems have been described and used, these systems limit the ability of the surgeon to direct the spray. With existing laparoscopically-introduced tissue spray systems, the surgeon can apply tissue sealant to a particular portion of a target tissue site, but then needs to withdraw the delivery tube at least partially into, or completely from, the trocar, reposition the delivery tube, then apply more tissue sealant to another portion of the target tissue site. This interrupted application of tissue sealant undesirably increases procedure time.
Another disadvantage of existing gas driven tissue delivery systems is the need for the surgeon or other medical professionals to carefully monitor the gas pressure introduced via the trocar to a bodily cavity. To perform most endoscopic, and in particular, laparoscopic procedures, the abdomen or other bodily cavity is filled with CO2 gas, controlled by a special controller device where the pressure range is preset and maintained by monitoring, automatically delivering more CO2 gas as needed. With certain newer controller devices, the release of gas from the bodily cavity may also be controlled. With such gas driven tissue delivery systems, an unacceptable increase of intracavity pressure may be realized if no venting is performed. In order not to overdistend the abdomen or other bodily cavity, and to avoid excessive pressure increase, the amount of gas employed for spraying should be limited. Moreover, the pressure on the surface of the target tissue to be sprayed should not exceed the pressure in small blood vessels, so as to avoid a gas embolism in the vasculature.
Venting can be accomplished by the surgeon by opening of a manually-operated valve at the trocar. Alternately, certain newer laparoscopic gas controller devices can actively control the supply of gas introduced into, or released from, the bodily cavity. However, these solutions require nearly-constant monitoring of intracavity pressure and pressure of gas, such as CO2 or helium, used in the spray device or otherwise introduced into the bodily cavity.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a laparoscopic tissue sealant spray delivery system and apparatus that speeds up procedure time and reduces the need for monitoring of the pressure of gas introduced into the bodily cavity, thereby permitting the surgeon or other medical professionals to pay more attention to other matters relating to the procedure.


Method for controlling fouling in high efficiency cooling tower fill using low molecular weight 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropyl sulfonic acid/acrylic acid-type polymers.

This invention relates to a method for controlling fouling in high efficiency cooling tower fill, particularly in evaporative film media such as Munters fill, comprising adding to cooling water prone to cause fouling which contacts said fill an effective amount of a low molecular weight, water-soluble 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropyl sulfonic acid/acrylic acid-type polymer.
Such polymers are commercially available from Calgon Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., as TRC-233.RTM. and TRC-271.RTM..
The use of such polymers is well known in the water treatment art. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,196 discloses the use of copolymers of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropyl sulfonic acid and acrylic acid as scale inhibitors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,793 discloses the use of admixtures containing carboxylic acid/sulfonic acid polymers and phosphonates as scale and corrosion inhibitors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,448 discloses the use of polymers comprising an unsaturated carboxylic acid, an unsaturated sulfonic acid and an unsaturated polyalkylene oxide as scale inhibitors.
Japanese No. 57-084794 discloses the use of copolymers of acrylic acid and allyl polyethylene glycol as scale inhibitors.
European patent application 84301450.7 discloses carboxylic acid/sulfonic acid copolymers in combination with organic phosphonates as scale inhibitors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,059 discloses the use of carboxylic functional polyampholytes to reduce silica deposits in aqueous systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,987 discloses acrylic acid/2-acrylamido-2-methyl propyl sulfonic acid-type polymer compositions and the use thereof as scale and corrosion inhibitors in water treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,816 discloses the use of 2-acrylamido methylpropyl sulfonic acid polymers to fluidize and disperse alluvial deposits in aqueous systems, including cooling towers. This reference does not, however, disclose the efficacy of the instant low molecular weight polymers to control fouling, including biofouling, in high performance evaporative film fills.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,815 discloses the use of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropyl sulfonic acid polymers as boiler water dispersives and conditioners.
While various uses of the instant polymers are widely known in the art, the instant inventors do not believe that the use of low molecular weight, water soluble acrylic acid/acrylamido-2-methylpropyl sulfonic acid-type polymers to control fouling, including biofouling, in high performance cooling tower fill is known or suggested in the art.
In high efficiency hyperbolic natural draft towers, fouling is particularly troublesome. As used herein, the term "fouling" refers to the buildup on or in cooling tower fill media of one or more biofouling agents, alone or in combination with insoluble materials selected from the group consisting of alluvial solids, clays, muds, silts, insoluble metallic scales and metallic salts or oxides. Biological growth, including but not limited to that caused by algae and bacteria, comprises biofouling solids. Such fouling/biofouling adversely impacts the performance of the fill used in cooling towers by plugging the fill, impeding flow through the fill and/or disrupting film formation, thereby diminishing heat transfer.
Evaporative film-forming fills are commonly used in today's cooling towers. These fills comprise flat or formed sheets which are generally made of a plastic material such as polypropylene or PVC. Water films form on these plastic sheets, which facilitates heat transfer between the water film and air passing through the cooling tower. As used herein, "high efficiency cooling tower fill" refers to evaporative film media used in high efficiency cooling towers. This type of fill (for example, Munter's fill) is especially susceptible to fouling in general and biofouling in particular.

Method for controlling fouling in cooling tower fill


In the discharge recovery device for use in an ink jet recording apparatus utilizing plural different inks, there are provided caps for covering the recording heads, in a number corresponding to the number of inks, but suction pumps are provided in a fewer number and made selectively connectable to the caps, in order to simplify the recovery device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a recovery mechanism for maintaining and recovering satisfactory ink discharge state.
2. Related Background Art
The ink jet recording apparatus achieves printing on paper by discharging liquid ink from a head. As shown in FIG. 25, a carriage 101, supporting a printing head 105 and an ink tank or an ink supply tube, moves in a print-scanning direction to effect printing on the paper.
The conventional ink jet recording apparatus is usually equipped with a cap for tightly covering the nozzle-bearing face of the printing head when the printing operation is not effected, in order to prevent drying of the printing head and leakage of printing ink from the head. Also an ink-sucking pump is usually provided in communication with the cap, for recovering from printing defect resulting from the nozzle clogging with dusts or from air entrusion into the nozzle.
Recently there is becoming popular the apparatus utilizing plural printing heads and inks of plural colors for enabling color printing. There are at least required three colors of cyan, magenta and yellow for full color printing, and the main trend is in the printers utilizing inks of four colors, including black in addition to the above-mentioned three colors. As a result there are provided plural caps for respective printing heads, and the color printer is equipped with four caps.
FIG. 25 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein provided are a carriage 101; a main body 102 including a paper transporting unit; a recovery mechanism 103 for the recovery operation for the printing head; and printing heads 105. The carriage 101 is rendered movable along a guide shaft 111, and is driven by a carriage motor 115 through a belt 114. When the main body receives printing data, the carriage 101 effects scanning motion along the guide shaft 111, in order to effect printing on a sheet of paper, to be transported by an unrepresented paper transporting unit. In the vicinity of the carriage there is provided an encoder film 113 for detecting the absolute position of the carriage, and an encoder mounted on the carriage detects the absolute position of the carriage. The home position of the carriage is thus determined.
FIG. 26 is a perspective view of an example of the conventional recovery mechanism, wherein shown are a cap 131; a cap holder 132 supporting the cap; a pump 135; and a lever 136 for activating the pump. FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view seen in a direction indicated by arrows A' in FIG. 26, wherein illustrated are a cam gear 137 for actuating the lever; and a motor 139 for actuating the cam gear 137. When the printing operation is terminated, the carriage 101 stops in facing relationship to the recovery mechanism, at the home position of the above-mentioned encoder film 113. In this state the recovery motor 139 is activated in the forward direction to rotate the cam gear 137 through a worm gear, whereby the cap holder 132 ascends along a cam groove formed on the lateral face of the cam gear and the cap 131, movably supported by the cap holder, is brought into tight contact with the head 105. Such capping operation prevents the drying of the printing head, thereby maintaining the performance thereof when the printing operation is not in progress. Also reverse rotation of the recovery motor 139 rotates the cam gear 137 to actuate a piston 151 of the pump 135 through the lever 136, thereby generating a negative pressure in the pump. Said negative pressure is transmitted to the interior of the cap, through a suction tube 134 connecting the pump 135 with the cap, thereby sucking ink from the nozzles of the printing head maintained in contact with the cap and thus recovering the printing performance of the printing head.
As explained in the foregoing, the conventional ink jet recording apparatus is equipped with a discharge recovery device for eliminating causes of defective ink discharge, such as the nozzle blocking by ink drying, dusts and bubbles in the ink. Such recovery device principally performs following two functions.
The first function is the ink suction removal, by covering the nozzle-bearing face, containing the nozzles, with the cap made of an elastic material such as rubber and sucking the air inside the cap with the pump or the like, thereby forcedly discharging the ink from the nozzles and thus eliminating the above-mentioned causes.
The second function is the removal of unnecessary ink deposited on the above-mentioned nozzle-bearing face, thus rendering the direction of discharge of ink droplets unstable and deteriorating the print quality. This function is achieved by a wiper blade composed of an elastic member and capable of wiping said nozzle-bearing face or an absorbent member, composed for example of a porous material, and brought into contact with said nozzle-bearing face when required, thereby absorbing and removing said unnecessary ink.
However, when the above-mentioned ink suction removal is executed on the recording head, there results a phenomenon of reverse flow of the ink, remaining in the cap, into the nozzles of the recording head by the ink flow within the cap. For this reason, if there is provided only one discharge recovery device in a recording apparatus capable of discharging plural inks (for example a color ink jet recording apparatus), there may result a drawback of defective print quality because of mixing of different inks.
Such inconvenience may be avoided by sucking a large amount of ink or discharging ink after such sucking, in order to completely eliminate such reverse flowing ink within the step of ink suction removal, but such method leads to an elevated running cost because the ink amount discharged other than the recording purpose increases. Also the used ink tank, for storing thus discharged ink within the recording apparatus, has to be made larger, so that the entire recording apparatus inevitably becomes larger.
Also if the discharge recovery devices are provided respectively corresponding to the inks of different kinds, there results an increased cost due to the increase in number of the component parts, in addition to the increase in dimension of the entire recording apparatus.
In the conventional apparatus, as explained above, four caps are respectively provided with pumps, and, at the ink sucking operation, such four pumps are either simultaneously or independently activated. The former method is associated with drawbacks of wasted ink consumption because the ink suction is executed even on the recording head not requiring such ink suction and of necessity for a larger motor because of the large load, while the latter method is associated with a drawback of requiring a complex driving mechanism for independent activation of the pumps.
As explained in the foregoing, in an ink jet recording apparatus capable of recording with plural inks, the discharge recovery device free from color mixing is contradictory to the compactization of the entire recording apparatus, so that it has been impossible to compactize the ink jet recording apparatus, for example capable of color printing, into a size suitable for use in a notebook-sized personal computer.
Also in the recording apparatus equipped with plural recording heads, the discharge recovery device may be compactized, as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,492,969, 4,506,277 and 4,510,510, by providing plural caps respectively corresponding to the inks of different kinds and connecting all these caps to a single pump. However, if the level of ink adhesion, resulting for example from ink drying, is different among the plural recording heads, the ink is not sucked from the recording heads with severe ink adhesion but only from those with little ink adhesion, so that the recovery of ink discharge cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
Besides, even if the above-mentioned drawback can be avoided for example by applying a sufficiently large instantaneous suction pressure to the caps, this method effects the recovery of ink discharge also on the recording heads which do not require such recovery, thereby causing unnecessary large ink consumption and thus elevating the running cost.

Ink jet recording apparatus with simplified suction recovery device


A performance evaluation system for a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system receives simulation parameters from an input device, and simulates a MIMO antenna system accordingly. A method, also provided, further evaluates performance of the simulated MIMO antenna system when a series of radio frequency (RF) signals are transmitted through the MIMO antenna system, and displays a performance analysis result of the MIMO antenna system on a display device for evaluation of the performance of the simulated MIMO antenna system.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the technical field of multi-antenna systems in wireless communication technology, and more particularly to a system and method for evaluating performance of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system.
2. Description of Related Art
With the demand for multimedia services of high quality using wireless communication technology, a next-generation wireless transmission technique has been required to deliver massive data at a higher rate with a lower error incidence. To respond to this, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna system has been suggested. The MIMO antenna system carries out the MIMO operation by arranging a plurality of antenna elements in a specific structure.
One challenge for practical implementation of the MIMO antenna system is the need for a receiver antenna that offers a suitable balance between complexity and performance. The maximum likelihood signal detecting method can be used to achieve the best performance in the MIMO antenna system, but increased complexity makes system performance evaluation impractical.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method for evaluating performance of a MIMO antenna system, so as to overcome the limitations described.

System and method for evaluating performance of a MIMO antenna system


A method which is particularly advantageous for improving a Self-Aligned Pattern (SAP) etching process. In such a process, facets formed on a spacer layer can cause undesirable lateral etching in an underlying layer beneath the spacer layer when the underlying layer is to be etched. This detracts from the desired vertical form of the etch. The etching of the underlying layer is performed in at least two steps, with a passivation layer or protective layer formed between the etch steps, so that sidewalls of the underlying layer that was partially etched during the initial etching are protected. After the protective layer is formed, the etching of the remaining portions of the underlying layer can resume.

Techniques herein relate to semiconductor device fabrication. Self-Aligned Patterning (SAP) is a known technique for decreasing feature sizes on semiconductor substrates. Due to the semi conformal nature of spacer materials, however, SAP techniques can lead to undesirable bowing of underlying layers. Techniques herein address such bowing by providing a technique to protect underlying layers while maintaining critical dimensions.
In a typical SAP method, a spacer layer is formed upon mandrels, the top portion of the spacer layer is removed, and then the mandrel is removed, thereby leaving spaced portions of the spacer layer upon an underlying layer. The underlying layer is then etched between the portions of the spacer layer. However, the spacer layer can often have facets, for example, curved or inclined portions. When the underlying layer is subsequently etched, ions deflect from such facets and can impinge upon sidewalls of the underlying layer. As a result, the sidewalls are etched, and the desired vertical profile for etching of the underlying layer is not achieved.

Mitigation of asymmetrical profile in self aligned patterning etch


An enzymatically active medical article is provided, which comprises a medical article and an enzyme disposed at or near a surface of the medical article such that the medical article is provided with an enzymatically active surface. The enzyme is selected, for example, from the group consisting of protease enzymes, glycosidase enzymes, enzymes that degrade cholesterol esters, enzymes that convert hydrocortisone to cortisone, enzymes that degrade oxalate, and enzymes that generate NO from arginine.

At present, numerous therapeutic techniques involve the systemic delivery of one or more therapeutic agents or the systemic removal of an undesirable chemical entity. Systemic delivery and removal techniques, however, are not well suited to all therapies.
For instance, systemic delivery requires exposing sites other than the site of interest to a therapeutic agent. Indeed, large quantities of therapeutic agent within the entire system are often required to obtain the desired effect at a desired site. As a result, the therapeutic agent concentration at the site of interest is often limited by the detrimental effects of the agent at sites remote from the site of interest.
Systemic delivery techniques are also commonly undesirable in that the therapeutic agent is degraded and eliminated by an organ system(s) remote from the site of interest.
Systemic removal techniques are also frequently undesirable, because a chemical entity that is undesirable at one specific site may be useful, or even essential, at another site.
The above problems can be avoided by techniques in which a therapeutic agent is locally provided at a site of interest or an undesirable chemical entity is locally removed from a site of interest.
In response to this recognition, techniques and articles for the localized delivery of therapeutic agents to bodily tissue, and for the localized removal of undesirable chemical entities from bodily tissue, have been developed.

Medical articles having enzymatic surfaces for localized therapy


A scan driving circuit of a display apparatus is electrically connected to the display panel through a plurality of scan lines and includes a plurality of stages of driving unit. The driving unit comprises a shift control device outputting a control signal according to a starting signal and a driving device. The driving device outputs an output signal to the corresponding scan line according to the control signal, a first trigger signal and a second trigger signal. The output signal is used as the starting signal of the next stage of driving unit, and the rising transition time of the second trigger signal and the falling transition time of the first trigger signal have an overlap.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a display apparatus and, in particular, to a flat display apparatus having a scan driving circuit.
2. Related Art
With the advantages such as low power consumption, less heat generation, lightness and less radiation, flat display apparatuses have been applied to various electronic products and gradually take the place of cathode ray tube (CRT) display apparatuses. Among the technologies of flat display apparatuses (e.g. LCD apparatus), the GOP (gate driver on panel) technology is used to form the components of the scan driver directly on the glass panel by a TFT (thin-film transistor) process, saving the cost of the scan driver IC. Currently, the GOP technology is mostly applied to the dual-sided driving display apparatus, which have two GOP circuits (i.e. scan driving circuits) on the left and right sides of the display area respectively lest the driving signals of the scan driving circuit of the single-sided large-scale display apparatus should diminish due to the higher resistance caused by the longer signal transmission distance.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional scan driving circuit 1 of a display apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the scan driving circuit 1 includes a clock generator CK, a first stage of driving unit 11, a second stage of driving unit 12, . . . , and an mth stage of driving unit 1m. The clock generator CK can alternately generate two clock signals CK1 and CK2. The clock signal CK1 leads the clock signal CK2 by a certain phase. The clock signals CK1 and CK2 are both inputted to the first stage of driving unit 11, second stage of driving unit 12, . . . , and mth stage of driving unit 1m. Besides, the first stage of driving unit 11 further receives an initial signal IN (such as a vertical synchronization signal, STV), and outputs an output signal OUT1. The output signal OUT1 can drive a row of pixel units and also can be used as the initial signal of the second stage of driving unit 12. In other words, the output signals of every stage of driving unit are used to be both of the driving signal of a row of pixel units and the initial signal of the next stage of driving unit. Thereby, an output signal OUTk (1≦k≦m) can be sequentially outputted by the first stage of driving unit 11, second stage of driving unit 12, . . . , and mth stage of driving unit 1m, used as the scan signal of the display apparatus. The scan signal is inputted to the gate of the driving transistor (such as a TFT) of the pixel to turn on or turn off the driving transistor, and thereby the display apparatus can display images in cooperation with the input of the data signal.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic waveform diagrams of the clock signals CK1 and CK2 in FIG. 1 and the output signal of kth stage of driving unit 1k (1≦k≦m). To achieve the sufficient driving force, the last driving component (such as TFT) is usually configured with a considerably large size, and accordingly the accompanying parasitic capacitance (Cgd) is also considerably large. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, when the clock CK2 has a level transition (i.e. from a lower level to a higher lever or reversely), a rising or falling ripple (can be regarded as a noise) will be generated on the gate of the TFT due to the signal coupling effect. Moreover, a falling or rising ripple will be also generated on the gate of the TFT due to the signal coupling effect when the clock signal CK1 has a level transition. Besides, when the clock signal CK2 is changed from a lower level to a higher level, a current leakage path will formed in the last driving component (e.g. TFT), resulting in a larger ripple. Accordingly, for the conventional art, the falling ripple caused by the level transition of the clock signal CK1 decouples the rising ripple caused by the level transition of the clock signal CK2 during a data input period, and thereby the noise of the output signal OUTk at the timing t1, t2, t3, . . . in FIG. 2A is eliminated.
However, as shown in FIG. 2B, for a conventional display apparatus, the clock signal CK2 will not be counteracted by the clock signal CK1 of the previous phase during the beginning of the initial data input period Td or a blanking time Tb of every image because the clock signal CK1 doesn't appear thereat. Therefore, the output signal OUTk will have a high-level ripple voltage Vp, due to the signal coupling and current leakage effects caused by the level transition of the clock signal CK2, at the timing Tp1, Tp2, . . . as shown in FIG. 2B (i.e. the timing of the first appearing clock signal CK2 after the data input period begins and the timing within the blanking time Tb) after a frame time T of every image begins. Moreover, all the driving units 1k (1≦k≦m) electrically connected to the clock signal CK2 will also be influenced likewise.
Accordingly, when the output signal OUTk with the high-level ripple voltage is inputted to the gate of the driving transistor, the levels of the gate and source of the driving transistor will be really close to each other, meaning the voltage difference (i.e. Vgs) becomes less. If the voltage difference between the gate and the source is greater than the threshold voltage (i.e. Vgs>Vth), the driving transistor will be turned on. Thus, the pixel voltage will be subjected to a current leakage, and accordingly the display apparatus will display erroneously (e.g. with bright or dark lines).
Therefore, it is an important subject to provide a display apparatus that can avoid the current leakage of the pixel voltage due to the signal coupling and current leakage effects and thus avoid erroneous display.


The method according to the invention is intended to be applied in a situation where the power level of the signals transmitted by that mobile network to which the terminal is connected sink below predetermined threshold levels. Then the terminal is arranged to measure the power levels of signals transmitted by the base stations of at least one second system. The method according to the invention comprises advantageously steps in which the cellular radio system at first transmits to the terminal at least one threshold value. Then the terminal measures the strength of the signal transmitted by at least one base station and compares the measured signal strength with said threshold value. If the signal strength of the received signal is lower than said threshold value the transmission mode is changed to a mode where the measurement of the signals of a second system can be performed. A terminal according to the invention comprises advantageously means with which the steps of the method presented above can be performed.

Mobile communication systems are in constant development. Even at the present there are several different mobile communication systems in use, which operate overlapping each other in the same area. At present one of the most frequently used networks is the GSM (Global System for Mobile telecommunications) network, which still will be used a long time, due to its high degree of utilisation and prevalence. New network topologies will rise in parallel with this network, and typically the utilization of these new topologies require new terminals. In future it must be possible to use the terminals in a number of networks. Then a change over from the use of a first network to the use of a second network must be effected without problems.
Particularly at present there is a general opinion that at least some of the future mobile communication networks will be based on the so called wideband CDMA technique (WCDMA; Wideband Code Division Multiple Access). The WCDMA technique is at present applied for instance in the UMTS system (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System). Thus it is important that the terminals in for instance the WCDMA system can change over to use for instance a GSM connection when required. The change over from using one network to another is usually called a inter system handover.
A terminal may be forced to change over from one network to another for instance when the terminal gets outside the coverage area of that first network to which it is connected. Then, if the coverage area of a second network is sufficient at the terminal's new geographical location, it is advantageous to change over to use said second network system. In such a case the change over from using one network to using a second network can advantageously be made with the same actions as in a handover between base stations in the same network.
The answer to the question when one shall change over to use the second network is not unambiguous. According to a first idea a terminal blindly changes over to use the second network arrangement when the reception from that network, to which the terminal originally was linked, is disconnected. According to another idea it is possible to make measurements between the networks, in the same way as in present network solutions which use the TDMA system (Time Division Multiple Access). According to this arrangement the connection quality is measured, and if it is inadequate, then terminal changes over to use the second network.
The problem in the above presented first solution is that if the terminal blindly decides to change over to use the second network, then it is not completely sure that the reception from the second network is at all better than that of the currently used network. If the reception from the new network is weaker, or if there is no reception at all, the terminal loses for a moment the connection to both possible networks. Thus a blind change of network can be considered as a very unreliable alternative. The arrangement of the second prior art solution is in other respects acceptable, but it is not suited to be used in all network systems, such as in the WCDMA system (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access). This is due to the fact that a measurement made in the TDMA system at handover will interfere with the operation of the WCDMA system and reduce the capacity of said system.
It should be particularly noted that the above presented solutions are intended to be applied in a situation where the first and second networks have similar systems, i.e. that both are for instance GSM networks. They may be for instance maintained by different operators having a mutual contract about roaming between each other's networks. Thus it is not possible to directly apply said solutions in a case where the concerned networks differ from each other regarding the technique.
Patent application WO9731503 discloses a cellular telephone system offering both CDMA and GSM services. In this system specific CDMA pilot beacons, which generate identifiable CDMA pilot signals, are located near or at GSM base stations. The edge of the CDMA service region is thus indicated by these pilot beacons. A subscriber unit detects the CDMA pilot signals and informs a base station controller of the CDMA system about them. The base station controller identifies the CDMA pilot signals as signals relating to the CDMA pilot beacons and initiates a CDMA to GSM handover.

Method for initiating in a terminal of a cellular network the measurement of power levels of signals and a terminal


A method and apparatus to control acceleration of a vehicle equipped with an electrically variable transmission and including a regenerative braking system, each are operably connected to a vehicle driveline. The method and apparatus include determining which one of a preselected shift selector position for the transmission is commanded, and determining operator demand for acceleration, using inputs from throttle pedal and brake pedal. Vehicle acceleration is measured, and magnitude of commanded torque transferred from the electrically variable transmission and the regenerative braking system to the vehicle driveline is controlled based upon the commanded preselected shift selector position, the operator demand for acceleration, and the measured vehicle acceleration.

A vehicle operator typically controls acceleration of a vehicle by preselecting transmission shift characteristics, such as by selecting available gear ranges, e.g., FORWARD (F), 3-2-1, and actuating accelerator and brake pedals. Vehicle acceleration is also significantly dependent upon factors including vehicle mass, vehicle load, gradient of the road surface, and others. The rate of acceleration of the vehicle during acceleration and deceleration events is affected by vehicle load, particularly in mass transit, overroad commercial and heavy duty agricultural and construction applications wherein vehicle load may vary over a wide range. For example, a lightly loaded vehicle will exhibit substantially more acceleration than will a fully loaded vehicle for a given throttle pedal depression. Similarly, a lightly loaded vehicle will exhibit substantially more deceleration than will a fully loaded vehicle for a given brake pedal effort. Variations in acceleration and deceleration may affect passenger comfort in mass transit applications. Variations in acceleration and deceleration may affect load stability and shifting in commercial and heavy duty agricultural and construction applications. Variations in acceleration and deceleration may affect vehicle stability in all such applications. This presents operator challenges in that he must constantly be aware of the vehicle loading and road grade factors in an attempt to modulate throttle pedal and brake effort to achieve acceptable acceleration and deceleration.
Furthermore, whereas internal combustion engines provide peak torque relatively high in their operating speed ranges, electric motors provide peak torque in the low end of their speed range. Hybrid powertrains employing electric motors are well known for their low speed torque capabilities. This translates into significant available vehicle launch torque as well as significant available regenerative braking torque. When viewed in light of the undesirability of vehicle thrust variation, the significant low speed torque capabilities of hybrid powertrains presents additional challenges to achieving passenger comfort, load stability and vehicle stability.
What is needed is a method and apparatus to limit acceleration and deceleration of a vehicle to optimize passenger comfort, to minimize effect upon a vehicle load, and improve vehicle stability regardless of variations in acceleration and deceleration affecting factors such as vehicle load and road gradient.


A graphical user interface is disclosed which achieves an easy search for a desired item upon scrolling. Plural first icons representing first items of a high hierarchy are arrayed along a direction of a display screen, and plural second icons representing second items of a low hierarchy which belong to a selected one of the first items are arrayed along an intersecting direction with the selected first item positioned at the intersecting position. The selected noticed icon from among the plural second icons is displayed emphatically at a fixed position on the display screen, and explanation information of the noticed item icon is displayed in the proximity of the display position of the noticed icon. In response to a scrolling instruction, scrolling is executed while explanation information of the second icons other than the noticed item icon is displayed.

This invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a reception apparatus which can receive various types of broadcasts such as, for example, terrestrial analog broadcasts, terrestrial digital broadcasts, BS (Broadcasting Satellite) broadcasts and CS (Communication Satellite) broadcasts and a display controlling method for an electronic apparatus of the type mentioned.
Media used to provide image and music contents have been diversified, and also contents provided have been diversified and increased in quantity. For example, if only broadcasting media are taken, terrestrial analog broadcasting, terrestrial digital broadcasting, BS broadcasting, CS broadcasting media and so forth are available. Further, in the digital broadcasting media, the number of available program channels is as great as, for example, 150 channels. Furthermore, not only television programs but also radio programs and data broadcasting programs are provided by some channels.
Conventionally, also a multimedia reproduction apparatus which can reproduce contents of such various media as described above has been proposed and is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11-73418 (hereinafter referred to as Patent document 1) (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,990,884 and 6,370,550 and European Patent Application No. 875,837 A2).

Electronic apparatus, display controlling method for electronic apparatus and graphical user interface


A counter-current catalyst regenerator with at least two stages of counter-current contact is proposed. Each stage may comprise a permeable barrier that allows upward passage of oxygen-containing gas and downward passage of coked catalyst into each stage, but inhibits upward movement of catalyst to mitigate back mixing and approximate true counter-current contact and efficient combustion of coke from catalyst.

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is a hydrocarbon conversion process accomplished by contacting hydrocarbons in a fluidized reaction zone with a catalyst composed of finely divided particulate material. The reaction in catalytic cracking, as opposed to hydrocracking, is carried out in the absence of substantial added hydrogen or the consumption of hydrogen. As the cracking reaction proceeds substantial amounts of highly carbonaceous material referred to as coke are deposited on the catalyst. A high temperature regeneration operation within a regeneration zone combusts coke from the catalyst. Coke-containing catalyst, referred to herein as coked catalyst, is continually removed from a reactor and replaced by essentially coke-free catalyst from a regenerator.
A common objective of FCC units is maximizing product yield from the reactor while minimizing operating and equipment costs. Optimization of feedstock conversion ordinarily requires essentially complete removal of coke from the catalyst referred to as complete or full burn regeneration. Complete regeneration produces a catalyst having less than 0.1 and preferably less than 0.05 wt % coke. In order to obtain complete regeneration, the catalyst has to be in contact with oxygen for sufficient residence time to permit thorough combustion of coke. Partial regeneration occurs when complete regeneration does not occur. Partial regeneration occurs when regeneration produces a catalyst having at least 0.1 and commonly at least 0.05 and typically at least 0.03 wt % coke.
In the regenerator, the coke is burned from the catalyst with oxygen-containing gas, usually air. Flue gas formed by burning coke in the regenerator is treated for removal of particulates and conversion of carbon monoxide, after which the flue gas may be normally discharged into the atmosphere. Conventional regenerators typically include a vessel having a coked catalyst inlet, a regenerated catalyst outlet and a combustion gas distributor for supplying air or other oxygen-containing gas to the catalyst that resides in the vessel. Cyclone separators remove catalyst entrained in the flue gas before the flue gas exits the regenerator vessel in a flue gas exit. A regenerator typically includes a dilute phase and a dense phase bed of fluidized catalyst disposed in respective upper and lower regions of the vessel.
The main goal of the regenerator is to burn the coke off the catalyst, so high coke burn efficiency is preferred because it will reduce the equipment size, operational cost and emission levels. Fast combustion rate can reduce the catalyst residence time in the regenerator. The conditions of high temperature and the presence of steam in the regenerator can deactivate the catalyst, so short residence time is preferred. However, the combustion rate must be controlled because an excessive combustion rate can generate localized hot spots from too much rapid combustion which can damage the catalyst structure and the regenerator equipment from excessive heat.
After burn is a phenomenon that occurs when hot flue gas that has been separated from regenerated catalyst contains carbon monoxide that combusts to carbon dioxide in a dilute phase of catalyst containing oxygen. Insufficient catalyst is present in the dilute phase to serve as a heat sink to absorb the heat of combustion thus subjecting surrounding equipment to excessively high temperatures that can exceed metallurgical limits and perhaps creating an atmosphere conducive to the generation of nitrous oxides that are undesirable for the environment. Incomplete combustion to carbon dioxide can result from insufficient oxygen in the combustion gas, poor fluidization or aeration of the coked catalyst in the regenerator vessel or poor distribution of coked catalyst in the regenerator vessel.
Because FCC units that process heavy residue feed generate more heat than is needed to promote the cracking reaction it is desirable to control the regeneration temperature and heat release to the reactor. The two most common ways to control regeneration temperature are to control the ratio of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and to use catalyst coolers to generate steam and cool the catalyst. It is most economical to run at the highest carbon monoxide concentration possible in the flue gas because the heat of combustion of CO to CO2 can be recovered in a CO boiler in which super-heated steam is generated instead of saturated steam which is generated by removing the same amount of heat using a catalyst cooler. However, operating at a low CO2-to-CO ratio carries the risk of after burn.
As bubbling beds are designed larger it becomes increasingly difficult to mix the catalyst laterally evenly. Consequently, the region near the catalyst inlet tends to have a higher carbon concentration, from top to bottom than the region opposite the catalyst inlet. Flue gas produced in the carbon rich zone tends to be richer in carbon monoxide than in the zone on the opposite side of the regenerator and, in extreme cases there may even be oxygen break-through which can cause after burn.
There are several types of catalyst regenerators in use today. A conventional bubbling bed regenerator typically has just one chamber in which air is bubbled through a dense catalyst bed. Coked catalyst is added, and regenerated catalyst is withdrawn from the same dense catalyst bed. Relatively little catalyst is entrained in the combustion gas exiting the dense bed. When a single bubbling bed is used to regenerate the catalyst at maximum carbon monoxide generation the catalyst is not completely regenerated. In order to maximize the regenerated catalyst activity at a given make up catalyst rate, the carbon on catalyst must be reduced to a minimum.
Most modern residue cracking units use a two-stage bubbling bed regenerator to finish the catalyst clean up and reduce the carbon on catalyst to a minimum. Two-stage bubbling beds have two chambers. Coked catalyst is added to a dense bed in an upper, first chamber and is partially regenerated with air in flue gas from a second stage. The partially regenerated catalyst is transported to a dense bed in a lower, second chamber and completely regenerated with air. The completely regenerated catalyst is withdrawn from the second chamber. The second stage is generally operated in complete combustion where all carbon monoxide is converted to carbon dioxide and an excess of oxygen is present in the flue gas.
In a one or two-stage fluidized bubbling bed regenerator, catalyst lifted upwardly by air distributed into the regenerator falls non-uniformly in a phenomenon called back mixing. In bubbling beds, the catalyst phase is back mixed from top to bottom while the gas phase is nearly plug flow with a high oxygen concentration at the bottom and low oxygen concentration at the top. Back mixing causes the residence time to increase and the combustion rate to be non-uniform which can generate hot spots, increase catalyst deactivation and reduce combustion efficiency. Back mixing also lowers the catalyst bed density thereby increasing the equipment size.
Therefore, there is a need for improved processes and apparatuses for efficiently regenerating catalyst while preventing after burn and back mixing. There is a need for a process and an apparatus to better control coke and oxygen concentration and temperature profiles in a regenerator which promotes more efficient combustion of coke from catalyst.

Process for combustion coke from coked catalyst


The present invention provides an analyte detection system for detecting target analytes in a sample. In particular, the invention provides a detection system in a rotor or disc format that utilizes a centrifugal force to move the sample through the detection system. Methods of using the rotor detection system to detect analytes in samples, particularly biological samples, and kits comprising the rotor detection system are also disclosed.

One of the most common types of assays used as a rapid point of care test to detect a particular analyte in a biological sample is a lateral flow strip-based assay. Such assays typically contain a binding partner for the analyte of interest coupled to a detectable label (i.e. labeled conjugates) and a porous membrane on which a capture protein (e.g. antibody or antigen) capable of binding the analyte of interest is immobilized. Labeled conjugates that are commonly used in these types of assays are antibodies or antigens coupled to gold nanoparticles or colored latex particles. An analyte present in the sample will bind to the labeled conjugate to form a complex. The complex continues to migrate through the porous membrane to the region where the capture protein is immobilized at which point the complex of analyte and labeled conjugate will bind to the capture protein. The presence of the analyte is then determined by detecting the labeled conjugate in the capture region of the porous membrane (e.g. by a color change of the capture line).
Although lateral flow strip-based assays have proven useful for rapid detection of sonic analytes in the clinical setting, such assays suffer from several disadvantages. For example, lateral flow strip-based assays require a series of overlapping porous materials to achieve efficient sample flow through the device. Construction of such devices can be cumbersome and somewhat costly depending on the porous materials that are employed. Also, lateral-strip based assays are inherently limited by their sensitivity due to the occurrence of a single binding event and are often limited to a qualitative analysis. In addition, detection of multiple analytes in a single sample simultaneously is often difficult to achieve with conventional lateral flow strip-based assays.
Thus, there is a need in the art to develop novel devices and methods for the detection of multiple analytes in a sample, particularly a biological sample, which can provide quantitative results as well as qualitative results.


An exemplary sealing structure of a liquid crystal panel (2) is provided. The liquid crystal panel includes a pair of substrates (21, 22) and a liquid crystal layer (23) between the substrates. The scaling structure includes: a multi-layer structure (25) having a first layer (222) formed above one of the substrates and a second layer (223) formed above the first layer; an opening structure (226) having a first opening (226a) in the first layer and a second opening (226b) in the second layer and formed at the multi-layer structure. The first opening and the second opening are aligned with each other, the first opening is larger than the second opening, and a sealant (23) is sandwiched between the substrates, including in the opening structure. The adherence of the two substrates is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new sealing structure of a liquid crystal panel and a method for manufacturing the sealing structure.
2. General Background
A conventional liquid crystal panel of a liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer between the substrates. A sealant is used to attach the substrates together and seal the liquid crystal layer between the substrates. The liquid crystal layer is located in a main display region between the substrates, and the sealant is located at a peripheral region between the substrates. The sealant acts to not only isolate the liquid crystal layer from the external environment, but also to firmly adhere the substrates together. A peripheral sealing track is defined at either or both of the substrates. Apertures are arranged within the sealing track in order to increase contact surfaces between the substrate and the sealant. Thereby, the strength of adhesion of the substrates is enhanced.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic, exploded, isometric view of a conventional liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel 1 includes a first substrate 1, a second substrate 12, a sealant 13, and a liquid crystal (LC) layer 14. The second substrate 12 is located opposite to the first substrate 11. The sealant 13 is applied between the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12. The LC layer 14 is filled in an intermediate region cooperatively defined between the first substrate 11, the second substrate 12, and the sealant 13.
Further referring to FIG. 5, this is a cross-sectional view of part of the liquid crystal panel 1 once the liquid crystal panel 1 is assembled, such part corresponding to line V-V of FIG. 4. The first substrate 11 is a color filter substrate, which includes a first base plate 111, and a transparent electrode 114 formed on an inner surface of the first base plate 111. The first base plate 111 can be a glass substrate, and the transparent electrode 114 may be formed of indium tin oxide (ITO). The second substrate 112 is an array substrate, which typically includes a gate insulating layer 122 and a passivation layer 124 formed on an inner surface of a second base plate 121 in that order.
The first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12 are adhered to each other by the sealant 13. Thus the quality of adherence of the liquid crystal panel 1 is dependent on the quality of adherence of the sealant 13 with each of the transparent electrode 114 and the passivation layer 124 directly. A peripheral opening structure 126 is defined through both the gate insulating layer 122 and the passivation layer 124. The opening structure 126 provides a contact area between the sealant 13 and the base plate 121 directly, and increases an overall contact area of the sealant 13. However, even this configuration may still be insufficient to provide satisfactory adherence of the liquid crystal panel 1. Hence, there is a need for an improved sealing structure for manufacturing liquid crystal panels.

Sealing structure of liquid crystal panel having an inverted T shape and method for manufacturing same