Mixer apparatus includes: a plurality of input channels, mixing buses and output channels; a monitor section that outputs, for a monitoring purpose, signals of one or more of the channels selected in response to monitoring selecting operation; and a plurality of effecters. For each of the plurality of effecters, setting is performed to insert the effecter in a designated one of the input or output channels, to allow the inserted effecter to be used in the designated channel. The mixer also permits editing of a selected one of the effecters while causing an editing screen for the selected effecter to be displayed. When any one of the effecters has been selected for editing while the mixer is set in the interlock mode, control is performed to automatically output, for the monitoring purpose, the signal of the channel having the selected effecter inserted therein.

The present invention relates to digital mixer apparatus provided with effecters, and editing methods for use in the digital mixer apparatus.
Digital mixers have been known, for example, from "CS1D Operating Manual (Basic Operation Edition) (Software Edition) Ver.1 41", published by Yamaha Corporation, which is available online from the Internet (http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/pa/japan/mixers/CS1DJ.pdf). In the known digital mixers, audio signals of a plurality of channels are input individually to a plurality of input signal processing sections (hereinafter referred to as "input channel sections"), then digital mixing is performed among signals of the individual input channel sections, and then the resultant mixed signals are output via one or more mix output signal processing sections (hereinafter referred to as "mix output channel sections").
In the digital mixing, a human operator can insert an internal or external effecter in any desired one of the input channel sections and/or mix output channel sections, to impart any one of various effects to the audio signal.
The human operator can call an editing screen for the effecter onto a display device to thereby edit parameters of the effecter. In such a case, the human operator sometimes wants to monitor each signal having passed through the effecter being edited, so as to know characteristics of the signal. Particularly, when the human operator has selected a predetermined effecter to be edited (i.e., as an object of editing), he or she wants to monitor each signal having passed through the selected effecter. For this purpose, the human operator has to first ascertain the channel having the effecter inserted therein and then set monitor means so that each signal of the channel can be monitored or cued (i.e., CUE-monitored); therefore, the operation to be performed by the human operator tends to be very complicated. Especially, where operating portions of the channel sections are constructed as "layered channel strips" due to a limited size of a control panel, a CUE-ON switch of a desired one of the channels can not be operated unless the human operator appropriately switches between the layers.

Digital mixer apparatus and editing method therefor


When a query is received by a stateful data processing service, the service determines, for each table scan (and associated operations) of a query, whether to select the table scan for execution by a stateless data processing service. The selected table scans are sent to the stateless data processing service for execution, and results are received by the stateful data processing service. The stateful data processing service may also execute other table scans of the query locally, against a local data cache. If the data is not present in the local data cache, then the stateful data processing service will copy the table data into the local data cache before executing the table scan. A query result based on the remote and/or local table scans may then be returned to the client.

As the technological capacity for organizations to create, track, and retain information continues to grow, a variety of different technologies for managing and storing large amounts of data have been developed. Database systems, for example, provide clients with many different specialized or customized configurations of hardware and software to manage stored information. However, the increasing amounts of data that organizations must store and manage often correspondingly increases both the size and complexity of data storage and management technologies, like database systems, which in turn escalate the cost of maintaining the information. New technologies more and more seek to reduce both the complexity and storage requirements of maintaining data while simultaneously improving the efficiency of data processing.
Data processing is often measured by the speed at which requests to access data are performed. Different techniques for accessing data may result in different data retrieval times, depending on the type of access query and/or the location of data to be accessed. For example, some types of data access requests require intensive computational and storage access workloads, while other types of data access requests may only involve small amounts of work to process. A particular data processing service may be able to perform certain parts of a query (e.g., a table scan) faster than another data processing service. However, a different data processing service may be able to perform other parts of the query faster, due to different techniques and/or architecture used by the different data processing service. Furthermore, the query performance that may be achieved by a given data processing service may change, depending on factors such as the amount of data cached by the service at a given time.
While embodiments are described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words "include," "including," and "includes" mean including, but not limited to.
It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact.

Selecting between hydration-based scanning and stateless scale-out scanning to improve query performance


A resistivity of an active material is reduced to drastically decrease an amount of a conductive auxiliary agent to be added, in order to provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery with high capacity. A material represented by a composition formula: LixMeOyNz, wherein 0≦x≦2, 0.1<y<2.2, 0<z<1.4, and Me is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Co, Ni, Mn, Si, Ge, and Sn is used as an active material.

The present invention relates to an active material used for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery and a manufacturing method of the active material.
Lithium ion batteries used as primary power sources for mobile communication devices and portable electronic devices are characterized by high electromotive force and high energy density.
Examples of positive electrode active materials used for such lithium ion batteries include lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), manganese spinel (LiMn2O4), mixtures thereof, etc. These active materials have a voltage of not less than 4V relative to that of lithium. On the other hand, a carbon material is usually used in a negative electrode, which is combined with a positive electrode including the above-mentioned positive electrode active material to give a 4V level lithium ion battery.
Various technologies using a titanium oxide as a negative electrode active material have also been reported.
For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 06-275263 discloses a battery in which a titanium oxide is used for a negative electrode and a spinel-type manganese oxide or LiCoO2 is used for a positive electrode, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 07-320784 discloses a non-aqueous electrolyte lithium secondary battery comprising a negative electrode in which a spinel-type lithium-titanium oxide (Li4/3Ti5/3O4) is used as an active material, a positive electrode in which Li2MnO3 or LiMnO2 is used as an active material, and an electrolyte.
Also, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-283624 discloses a lithium secondary battery in which Li2Ti3O7 is used for a negative electrode, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-302547 discloses a manufacturing method of a negative electrode in which a preferable titanium oxide is used.
Unlike graphite used for a negative electrode, the titanium oxide useful for the active material disclosed in the above patent publication documents is low in electron conductivity. Also, even LiCoO2 which comparatively has a better conductivity, the resistivity is about 1×104 Ωcm.
Therefore, materials with high conductivity such as acetylene black and graphite are generally used as a conductive auxiliary agent, when the titanium oxide such as the above is used for batteries.
On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-102705 discloses a usage of a compound including oxygen and nitrogen, and at least one of silicon, germanium, and tin. Such active material is represented by a general formula: MxNyOz, wherein, M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, and Sn, and x, y, and z are respectively 1.4<x<2.1, 1.4<y<2.1, and 0.9<z<1.6.
The object of the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-102705 is to provide an active material for a negative electrode with high capacity. In the active material of the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-102705, matrix-like quasi planes formed of chair-type six-membered rings comprising silicon and nitrogen spreads out, and in between these planes (between these layers), silicon—oxygen—silicon binds exist to crosslink, thereby creating one dimensional tunnel-like parts. The tunnel like parts become dope and de-dope site of the battery, and the negative electrode material to be obtained exerts a great capacity.
Therefore, in the negative electrode active material shown in Examples of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-102705, a crystal structure as a matrix comprising Si2N2O, Ge2N2O, or Sn2N2O that are nitrogen oxide having N is important. However, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 11-102705 have no disclosure or implication on electron conductivities of the above negative electrode active material, and in its Examples, a carbon material is simply mixed as the conductive auxiliary agent.
As described above, when an oxide such as a titanium oxide is used in an active material for a negative electrode, highly conductive materials such as acetylene black and graphite also have to be used in combination as a conductive auxiliary agent, due to low electron conductivity of the oxide. However, since these conductive auxiliary agents are not power generating elements, battery capacity per unit volume is caused to decrease significantly.
Further, a titanium oxide TiO2, for example, is an insulating material with a resistivity of about 1×1014 Ωcm. When such material with poor electron conductivity is used as an active material, simply mixing in a conductive auxiliary agent is not sufficient. Some techniques such as increasing specific surface areas of active material particles, or coating surfaces of active material particles with a graphite material are necessary for the active material to work. However, granulation by grinding will lead to a decrease in charging amount, a further decrease in capacity, and an increase in costs for the manufacturing process.

Active material, manufacturing method thereof, and non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including the active material


Methods and systems are disclosed that allow for the exchange of voice mail messages between different VMSs of different service providers and/or in different networks by the transmission of such messages through a data network using a standard protocol of the data network.

Telephone answering machines are used by many consumers to collect messages that are received while the consumers are unavailable. But such answering machines have limitations that pose inconveniences. For example, a conventional telephone answering machine generally will not take a message from a caller when the called party is already engaged in a call. The caller must call again even though the called party has an answering machine. Some of the limitations of telephone answering machines have been overcome by network voice mail services typically offered by telecommunications service providers. For example, generally, a network voice mail service will take a message from a caller when the called party is already engaged in a call.
While telephone answering machines and network voice mail services are used by consumers in the home and in small businesses, other telecommunication products have been developed to serve larger businesses, and other institutions such as schools, hospitals, government offices, and the like. These other telecommunication products include telecommunications systems having advanced messaging features. These advanced messaging features typically provide a user with more options than a conventional telephone answering machine or network voice mail service.
In particular, such a telecommunications system may provide a user with several options to respond to receipt of a message. The recipient may reply to the message, forward the message to one or more users of the system, and/or may include another message as an attachment to the reply or forwarded message. In some systems, a recipient may respond to receipt of a message by having the system call the originator's number so the recipient may speak directly to the originator. Some telecommunications systems accept facsimile (fax) messages and allow a recipient to direct a fax message to a printer for printing or computer for display.
As noted, these telecommunications systems with advanced messaging features are used in larger institutions where such messaging features allow the users in these larger institutions to communicate with each other in more ways than simply by leaving messages for each other. Nevertheless, such telecommunications systems with advanced messaging features have their drawbacks as well. A principal drawback of such telecommunications systems is that they are limited in scope to the institutions in which they serve. Persons outside the institution having the telecommunications system cannot take advantage of the advanced messaging features.
For example, a business having a telecommunications system with advanced messaging features has provided its employees with choices in communicating with each other. But an employee of the business who receives a message from outside the business (such as from a customer) cannot make use of the choices in responding to the message from the outside. The person on the outside who left the message for the employee is not included in the telecommunications system with the advanced messaging features that is deployed in the business.
Considering the three types of products discussed (telephone answering machines, network voice mail services, and telecommunications systems having advanced features), there are needs of users left unsatisfied by these products. For subscribers to network voice mail services, and especially for users of telephone answering machines, there is a need for an apparatus, system, or method that will provide the functionality of the telephone answering machines and the network voice mail services as well as provide the advanced messaging features of the telecommunications systems generally used in larger institutions. But it is not enough to satisfy the needs of users by providing telecommunications systems having advanced features to subscribers of network voice mail services and/or users of telephone answering machines. It is not satisfactory because the advanced messaging features of such systems are available only to persons associated with the institution having deployed the particular telecommunications system. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus, system, and/or method that provides a user with advanced messaging features and that may be used in connection with communications to other users even if the other users are not associated with a common institution. In sum, there is a need for an apparatus, system, and/or method that implements a messaging system across a region for the exchange of communications between and among users of the region.
Multiple obstacles exist to providing users with a region-wide and feature-rich messaging system. The region-wide messaging system may include multiple service providers with each service provider having one or more voice mail platforms, etc. As a result, technical, regulatory, and business constraints may prevent the exchange of messages in the region-wide messaging system between users who reside in different states or areas of the region, and/or who are served by different service providers. For instance, in the United States, some state and/or federal regulations prevent certain categories of service providers from transferring telephone calls, and possibly messages, across state boundaries and/or across LATAs ("Local Access Transport Areas"). Also, even if users are in the same state or LATA, a user may choose to subscribe to messaging service from a service provider different from another user's service provider. Unless service providers have reciprocal business agreements for accepting each others' traffic within the region-wide messaging system, message exchange between the users may not be possible or may be possible only accompanied by a large toll charge. Similar regulatory restrictions and business considerations may apply in other countries and/or in messaging systems that operate across national borders and are included in a region-wide messaging system.
Some of the obstacles posed to a region-wide messaging system by regulatory, technical, and business constraints can best be illustrated by an example. Assume two people (Oscar and Rachel) subscribe to voice mail service provided through a region-wide messaging system. Oscar lives in Louisiana. In Louisiana, BellSouth provides Oscar with local telephone service, and Oscar has chosen AT&T to provide voice mail service through the region-wide messaging system. Oscar wishes to originate or leave a message for Rachel, the message's recipient who lives in Georgia. In Georgia, BellSouth provides Rachel with local telephone service, and Rachel has chosen BellSouth to provide voice mail service. Oscar calls Rachel, who is unavailable, so Rachel's voice mail service plays a pre-recorded message and prompts Oscar for his message. Oscar leaves a message. Rachel eventually retrieves the message, but instead of actually talking with Oscar, Rachel would prefer to dash off a quick reply by using her voice mail service.
To carry out Rachel's desire to reply to Oscar's message, Rachel's voice mail service (BellSouth) must determine whether Oscar has a voice mail service, and if so, how to communicate with Oscar's voice mail service. To determine "how" to communicate, BellSouth needs to have technical information relating to Oscar's voice mail service. But obtaining this technical information may not be enough. BellSouth may need to have business and regulatory information relating to Oscar's voice mail service and relating to Rachel's reply to Oscar's message.
BellSouth needs to make sure that its transport of Rachel's reply to Oscar does not violate any regulations governing transfer of messages among various states and regions. Rachel's reply message will travel across several state and LATA boundaries to get into Oscar's voice mailbox operated by his voice mail service. Some states may prohibit transport of a message across boundaries unless the service provider has been pre-authorized to do so; other states may consider the message unregulated and charge differently than for a regulated message. In sum, there is a need for service providers participating in a region-wide messaging system to be able to account for multiple, varying regulatory restrictions in order to prevent unauthorized message transactions or at least to take some action or provide some information with respect to the unauthorized message transactions.
Finally, if BellSouth determines how to send Rachel's reply to Oscar's voice mail service, and if BellSouth determines the reply is allowed by applicable regulations, then BellSouth still must determine whether Oscar's voice mail service will accept the message from BellSouth. In order to do so, voice mail services may need to adapt their respective systems to accept messages in a different format or pursuant to a different protocol than those usually received. A voice mail service is unlikely to go to that expense and trouble absent reciprocity, as outlined in an appropriate agreement among voice mail services.
In short, before a message may be transferred between or among multiple messaging platforms located in different regions and possibly operated by different companies in a region-wide messaging system, there is a need for the transaction associated with the message to be validated. Such validation requires identification of the location(s) to which the message is being transferred, resolution of whether regulations allow the transfer, and determination of whether and how particular business agreements among the involved service providers affect the transfer.

Region-wide messaging system and methods including validation of transactions

Abstract: Methods and systems also are disclosed that validate message transactions among subscribers receiving regional messaging services over the PSTN. The subscribers are located in different geographic areas and may be provided their voice, facsimile or data messaging services by different companies. The present invention validates passing messages (data) among customers of potentially different companies located in different areas by assessing the validity of the transaction in light of a number of conditions, including applicable regulatory or business conditions.


The present invention is directed to a process for removing aluminum contamination from the surface of an etched semiconductor wafer. The process is carried out by first lapping a semiconductor wafer in a lapping slurry containing aluminum, etching the wafer, and finally immersing the wafer in an aqueous bath, the bath comprising an alkaline component and a surfactant.

The present invention generally relates to a process for cleaning semiconductor wafers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for removing aluminum contamination that may be present on the surface of single crystal semiconductor wafers after the wafers have been etched.
Semiconductor wafers used in the fabrication of integrated circuits are produced by slicing thin wafers from a single crystal silicon ingot. After slicing, the wafers undergo a lapping process to give them a substantially uniform thickness. The wafers are then etched to remove damage and produce a smooth surface. The final step in a conventional semiconductor wafer shaping process is a polishing step to produce a highly reflective and damage-free surface on at least one face of the wafer. It is upon this polished face that integrated circuit fabrication takes place.
Following the lapping step the wafers must typically be cleaned to remove such things as lapping grit (e.g., alumina), organic residues, metallic contaminants, and other types of particulate impurities. If the cleaning processes are not effective, the surfaces of the wafer will be contaminated, or "stained," with these impurities. When integrated circuits are fabricated on a wafer surface stained with these impurities, the quality and performance of these circuits may be greatly diminished. To ensure high quality and performance, the wafers are typically inspected for stains by visually examining the wafers while under either bright light or fluorescent light illumination.
The contamination that stains semiconductor wafers typically originates from one of the wafer production steps. For example, in the lapping operation, the lapping grit comprises a large amount of aluminum oxide (alumina). The hardness and particle shape of the alumina make it particularly suited for the lapping application. A consequence of using alumina, however, is that aluminum contamination (in both ionic and particulate form) may adhere to the surface of the wafer. Furthermore, because the wafer is extremely rough after the lapping operation, aluminum contamination may become trapped in crevices on the surface of the wafer. Subsequent operations, such as chemical etching or cleaning processes, may not sufficiently remove this contamination. Furthermore, the use of heat in any of these subsequent operations amplifies the aluminum contamination problem by causing the particles to more strongly adhere to the surface of the wafer. The polishing operation may lessen the aluminum contamination on the wafer by removing several microns of the wafer surface, but the unpolished backside of the wafer remains contaminated. Failure to remove this backside contamination may result in staining that, in turn, could cause diminished performance in the final product.
Numerous processes have heretofore been proposed for reducing or removing the aluminum contamination that adheres to the surfaces of a silicon wafer after the wafer has been lapped. In general, however, these processes are not preferred because they fail to both cost-effectively and efficiently remove contaminants in an amount which is sufficient to prevent a reduction in integrated circuit performance and quality.
For example, it has been disclosed that directing ultrasonic energy through a cleaning bath effectively reduces the particulate concentration on the surface of a wafer (See, e.g., Erk et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,505). Because of the expense involved with the use of ultrasonic energy, however, this type of process increases the cost of removing aluminum contamination from the wafer. Further, prolonged exposure to ultrasonic energy may result in damage to the crystal lattice of the wafer.
Another cleaning technique which has been used to remove aluminum contamination employs an oxidizing cleaning solution (e.g., SC-1, a solution comprising ammonium hydroxide, hydrogen peroxide, and water in a 1:1:5 ratio). Generally, this technique is not preferred because it makes the surface of the wafer hydrophilic (e.g. oxygen terminated). Aluminum oxide is known to react with the wafer surface when it is in this state, forming silicon-aluminum oxide. When the aluminum and silicon form this stable phase, it is extremely difficult to remove the aluminum from the surface of the wafer.
Thus, a need continues to exist for a process which inexpensively and efficiently removes aluminum contamination from the surface of an etched silicon wafer which does not require the use of ultrasonic energy.


A position control mechanism for a double/single-hung window, including retractable plungers mountable on opposite sides of a window sash and received in a track on the frame to support the window sash for movement. An elongated member is secured at opposite ends to the plungers. A tilt latch actuator is mountable to the window sash between the plungers for pivoting about an axis, and includes a shaft with an opening therein oriented substantially radially relative to the axis and receiving the elongated member when secured to the first window sash. The ends of the shaft opening are substantially equal radial distances from the axis, and the elongated member is substantially linearly oriented when secured to the plungers with the plungers received in the one track. Guide openings defined by a bushing concentric with the axis are spaced from the shaft at substantially equal distances on opposite radial sides of the axis.

1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed toward windows, and more particularly to tilt latches and sash locks for sliding or double/single-hung windows.
2. Background Art
Double/single-hung windows include two window sashes typically mounted for vertical movement along adjacent parallel tracks. Traditional double/single-hung window designs provide poor washability, because it is difficult for a person located inside the room to wash the outside of the window pane. To fully wash the outer surface of such windows (which outer surface is the one which is most often in need of cleaning), the person cleaning the window must typically go outside the dwelling. This is not only extremely inconvenient (as the person has to walk significant distances merely to wash both sides of a single window), it can also force a window washer, when trying to wash double/single-hung windows located at significant heights, to face the undesirable choice of either risking injury by climbing to that height or doing a relatively poor job of washing by merely reaching from a distance with a hose or a special long pole apparatus of some type. Such cleaning is still further complicated where there are screens or storm windows which must be removed prior to washing.
To overcome this problem, tilting latches for these types of windows have sometimes been provided. Such latches have generally been installed in opposite ends of a top horizontal rail of the upper and/or lower sash, and typically include a tongue or plunger which during normal operation extends out from the side of the sash into the sash track in the window frame to guide the sash for typical vertical movement. The tongue or plunger of each latch is retracted in some manner when washing is desired to free the top rail of the sash from the track so that the sash may be suitably pivoted inwardly about pivots guiding the bottom rail of the sash in the track and thereby allow the washer to easily reach the outside surface of the window pane of that sash.
The tongue or plunger in many of the prior art latches is commonly biased outwardly into the track by a spring structure or the like, with the tongue retracted inwardly by the washer manually pulling the tongues in toward the center of the top rail against the force of the spring (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,291). However, with such structures, the tongues can be difficult to move. Such problems can cause the person trying to retract the tongues to hurt their hands and, if the tongue is too difficult to move, they may just give up on trying to wash the window entirely and thereby lose the advantage of the latch structure completely.
Further, such tilt latches have typically had an assortment of complex structures which are difficult and time consuming (and therefore costly) to assemble.
Some attempts have also been made to control movement of the tongues by a pivoting lever or handle, occasionally functioning in combination with the sash lock (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,090,750 and 5,398,447). While this can aid in retracting the tongue, such latches have nevertheless encountered many of the above described problems (e.g., difficult, time consuming and costly to assemble, inadequately resistant to damage, and susceptible to allowing the window sash to inadvertently be inadequately secured to the track). Further, latches of this type, particularly those in which both sash locking and tilt latching are controlled, can have difficulty providing smooth, consistent and reliable operation over their long expected useful life. Still further, latches of this type can be difficult to install, as they typically require precise positioning in order to ensure that the tongues are retracted equally as required for proper operation. Also, such latches commonly also require that they be centrally positioned on the sash to ensure equal retraction, thereby making use of such latches in large window requiring multiple locks problematic. Additionally, even if properly installed initially, events occurring over the long expected life of such products (for example, slight slipping in connections or tensile distortion of components) can cause such latches to thereafter not function properly.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.


Devices that may couple two or more apparatuses, such as an organ-on-a-chip device and a microfluidic device. Devices that include an organ-on-a-chip device, a microfluidic device, and a cap that couples the organ-on-a-chip device and the microfluidic device. Systems that include the devices and a detection unit. Methods for quantitation of insulin.

Diabetes is an increasing public health problem in the USA. The estimated number of people with diabetes in the USA is about 30 million, with an estimated total cost of healthcare associated with diagnosed diabetes of about $327 billion for 2017, according to the American Diabetes Association.
The loss of glucose homeostasis in the human body can result in two types of diabetes: type I and II. In these two types of diabetes, the focus of medical and basic research is concentrated on reestablishing functionality and/or replenishing islets of Langerhans in the patient under study or therapy.
In an effort to cure diabetes, researchers are using new drug treatments, islets transplantation from a cadaveric donor or β-cell cluster from in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), or a combination thereof. The focus of these strategies is to increase insulin secretion to a level where glucose homeostasis is considered normal.
Due to the fact that insulin secretion by islet of Langerhans is a main indicator for evaluating the efficacy of a drug treatment, and a criteria for assessing the quality of islet for transplantation, researchers have used a glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) test as a method for measuring insulin secretion. In this test, islets of Langerhans are subjected to low and high glucose levels, and levels of insulin production are measured in both cases. The quantification of insulin is usually achieved by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after the collection of several samples during a GSIS test. In this test, the sampling is manual or automatic, and the analysis is not in real time. Although ELISA systems are considered very sensitive and specific, this method is usually highly time-consuming, requires skilled analysts, and/or is expensive, with an estimated cost per GSIS test of about $600 for 40 data points (reagent cost).
To avoid the necessity of sampling by manual or automatic operations during GSIS tests, some researches have used electrophoretic immunoassay methods, and a microfluidic device approach to quantify insulin from one or more islets of Langerhans. This approach has been applied during the last decade for the study of how the secretion and coupling of islets of Langerhans contribute to proper glucose clearance in the body. The electrophoretic immunoassay method is well stablished, but its use is not widespread as a standard methodology, typically due to the dimensions of the instrument and/or the absence of expertise in the application of the method by other groups.
There remains a need for methods, devices, and systems that allow for the quantitation of insulin in real time, are relatively inexpensive, or a combination thereof.

Devices, systems, and methods for quantitation of insulin

The Florida State University Research Foundation, Inc.


An image forming apparatus is disclosed, the image forming apparatus including a storing unit that stores a program in accordance with which the image forming apparatus operates, an acquiring unit that acquires an update program from an external source, and an updating unit. Before updating the program stored in the storing unit, the updating unit determines whether the update program acquired by the acquiring unit is authentic by checking the electronic signature of the update unit. If the updating unit determines that the update program acquired by the acquiring unit is authentic, the updating unit updates the program stored in the storing unit. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus can improve the reliability of the update program.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus and a method of updating a program thereof, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that can improve the reliability of updated program.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Multifunctional Peripheral (MFP) is an image forming apparatus that operates as a copier, a printer, a scanner, and a facsimile machine. MFPs are available in the market. The MFP includes hardware such as an image capture unit, a printer unit, and a communication unit, for example. Computer software corresponding to copying function, printer function, scanner function, and facsimile function is installed in the MFP. For example, when the computer software corresponding to copying function is activated, the MFP operates as a copier. When the computer software corresponding to printer function is activated, the MFP operates as a printer. When the MFP operates as a copier or a printer, the MFP prints an image on a recording medium such as paper. When the MFP operates as a scanner or a facsimile machine, the MFP transmits an image to another device via a network.
The operation of an MFP requires various programs (provided as firmware or software) such as an application and a platform. When the computer programs are updated, new programs replacing old computer programs need to be reliable. The new programs are usually provided via a memory card or a network. The new programs stored in the memory card or transmitted via the network may be altered or damaged.

Image forming apparauts that checks authenticity of an update program


A process using a multicomponent enzyme preparation to treat chips that have been crushed using a device that combines shear and compressive forces where treatment occurs mainly during decompression and reduces the specific energy consumption and/or increasing production of subsequent refining while maintaining or increasing handsheet physical properties. The enzyme preparation is to have a major endoglucanase activity, a significant mannanase activity and a slight cellobiohydrolase activity. This enzyme mixture is prepared from a genetically modified strain of Trichoderma reseii.

Wood pulps are generally produced through multistep processes. Initially, logs can be subjected to grinding in which the logs are forced against a rotating abrasive stone which separates the fibers from the log and also the wood cell matrix. In a refining process, wood chips are fed between two metal discs, with at least one disc rotating. In both cases, essentially all of the constituents of wood are retained in the pulp that is eventually produced. Such pulp contains fiber bundles, fiber fragments and whole fibers. A lack of uniformity of pulp and constituents and the presence of lignin in the pulp give it certain desirable qualities, such as yield, paper bulk and opacity as well as good printability. The pulp also has less desirable properties for some paper types, such as low strength, relatively coarse surface and a lack of durability.
Chips to be refined can be destructured and impregnated with chemicals or enzymes prior to further mechanical treatment. This can help increase pulp quality or reduce energy consumption. These methods create slightly different pulps and also vary with the species of wood species, quality of the wood, processing conditions and the amount of energy applied. Various forms exist: thermomechanical pulping (TMP), refiner pulping, stone groundwood pulping, etc.
Chip "destructuring" is usually carried out in the first stage refiner where it occurs in combination with some fiber fibrillation. The difficulty of clearly separating these two steps can lead to an unnecessary increase in energy while no significant gain in pulp properties is obtained. Several pieces of equipment have been developed to overcome these drawbacks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,617 of Toma, for example, describes one such device. Other devices incorporate compressive forces along with the destructuring shear forces. These compressive forces along with the accompanied decompression can be used to enhance the penetration of chemicals or enzymes for impregnation prior to refining.
In TMP, steam is added to the chips being refined to facilitate pulping and lower electricity consumption. Steam is also produced during refining and heat recovery systems can help recoup some of the energy cost of the process. The electric motors used to operate these refiners require very large amounts of power. The TMP process generally involves several refining stages to produce a desirable pulp. However, only a small portion of the energy used in each refining stage is actually used to separate and develop the fibers. Screening is used after or between refining stages to separate adequately refined fibers from longer, coarser fibers. These tougher fibers are sent to "rejects" refiners for further development. Depending on the quality of refining, the amount of rejects needing additional refining can and usually is significant.
Woody biomass used in these mechanical pulping processes contains cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin and extractives in varying amounts throughout the ultrastructure of its fibers. These various components act in conjunction to give these substrates mechanical strength and resistance to degradation. By selectively removing or altering certain components, it is possible to reduce the amount of energy required to separate and refine these fibers. The patent literature describes various approaches using different enzyme mixtures. For example US Patent Publication No. 2005/0000666, of Taylor et al., describes the use of mannanase and xylanase. Certain treatments have been found to significantly impact paper strength properties which have limited their applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,949, of Pere et al., describes a process using an enzyme mixture containing endo-β-glucanase (EG), a limited mannanase and cellobiohydrolase (CBH) activity which reduces the negative effects on paper strength. U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,688, of Pere et al., describes the use of isolated cellobiohydrolase to increase the amount of relative amorphousness of the cellulose within the fibers. This process is said to cause even less damage to paper properties.
International patent publication No. WO 97/40194, of Eachus et al., suggests changing the structure or the composition of the wood by adding to compressed chips fungal or bacterial cultures or products, such as enzymes obtained from them, by means of pressure. The purpose of the compression is to make cracks and fractures in the wood. When the chips are released from the compression, microbes of their products, while the chips expand, are absorbed by the structures of the wood partially by the virtue of negative pressure, partially by the capillary action. The use of lipolytic, proteolytic, linginolytic, cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic enzymes is mentioned. The patent specification describes the absorption of the enzyme preparation Clariant Cartazyme HS™ into the compressed chips after releasing the pressure. Liquid was removed after the treatment, and mechanical pulp was prepared from the chips. In that case, the amount of energy consumed was 7.5% less than in the case of chips that were treated with a buffer only. In another test, the enzyme preparations Clariant Cartazyme NS™ and Sigma porcine pancreas Lipase L-3126 were used. In that case, the amount of energy consumed was 12.5% less than when treated with a buffer only.
A more recent pre-treatment of chips using an enzyme preparation containing cellobiohydrolase and endoglucanase was suggested by Pere in United States Patent Publication No. 2007/0151683. Here again, it was said to be preferable to carry out the enzymatic treatment by compressing the chips and by bringing the compressed chips in a liquid phase into contact with the enzyme composition to absorb the enzyme composition into the chips. The process is said to be useful for reducing the specific energy consumption (SEC) of mechanical pulp and to improve the technical properties of the fibers.


A handwriting recognition system interprets handwritten text and produces a typed interpretation of that text. When the initial interpretation of the handwritten text is inaccurate, the handwriting recognition system alters the initial recognition by reinterpreting the handwritten text in view of a correction made by a user and constraints (e.g., derived by assumptions in user behavior). The handwriting recognition system intelligently reinterprets and renews its text recognition each time the user implements a correction. In effect, a single correction can trigger multiple adjustments to the text recognition. Therefore, with the use of a reinterpretation algorithm, the handwriting recognition system helps the user obtain the desired result in fewer correction steps.

Handwriting recognition systems provide a unique way for users to interact with a computing device. Rather than input text by pressing keys on a keyboard, a user may choose to submit text via handwriting on a medium that can recognize and translate the writing into text. Such handwriting recognition systems can operate in different manners. Some handwriting recognition systems operate in a more flexible manner by recognizing freeform handwriting. These systems do not force a user to write in a specific manner defined by a given set of letter formats. Not only does the ability to read freeform handwriting provide more comfort for the user, it reduces time expended by the user to learn a special handwriting format and adapt to the format each time he/she uses the program.
Accuracy of handwriting recognition systems has drastically improved. Recent systems use a variety of techniques to interpret a wide range of handwritten text and perform fairly well in producing an initial interpretation of that text. However, there will always exist ambiguity in handwritten input and systems will probably never be able to perfectly translate handwriting into the user's intended text. In current systems, when interpretations of handwriting do not match the intention of the user, the user has various options to make corrections in order to manually transform the initial interpretation into the intended text. For example, the user can typically rewrite all or part of the word, add, move, or delete certain characters, select from a list of probable word choices, or retype the word using a virtual or hardware keyboard. While these techniques can eventually achieve the desired results, the required steps are inefficient and impose a lot of work on the user—not only does the user have to decide which technique to use for any given correction, the user has to implement manual steps to correct every error in the initial typed interpretation.

Constraint-based correction of handwriting recognition errors


A method for preventing the precipitation of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers in a distillation vessel. The vessel contains water, methanol, and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers. The method includes the step of adding to the distillation vessel from 1 to about 1,000 ppm of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl and arylalkyl sulfonic acids having a carbon length of from 4 to about 30 carbons. Preferably, the surfactant is dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid.

Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymers are commercially important thermoplastic materials produced from ethylene and vinyl acetate. Transformation of EVA copolymers to other macromolecules can be readily achieved due to the potentially reactive acetoxy functionality. One of the most important transformations involves conversion of EVA copolymers to ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVAL) copolymers. This transformation can go to completion or partial completion where the final product has both acetoxy and hydroxy moieties. As expected, such products possess needed properties different from their EVA copolymer precursors.
The transformation is typically accomplished by hydrolysis (reaction with water) or alcoholysis (reaction with an alcohol which is generally low boiling, e.g. methanol or ethanol). Furthermore, the reaction rate is enhanced greatly by the addition of a catalyst. Base catalysts are more preferred over acid catalysts. Many industrial processes use aqueous solutions of methanol and an alkaline catalyst (e.g. NaOH, KOH, NaOMe, LiOE.sup.+, etc.). The extent of the transformation is dictated by the process conditions.
After removal of the desired polymer, the alcohol used in the process is purified for reuse. The purification involves distilling the alcohol from the water and other components which have boiling points higher than the alcohol. This mixture also contains residual EVAL polymer which has a low water solubility. The removal of the alcohol results in the precipitation of the polymers in the distillation vessel. This is referred to as fouling. The precipitated EVAL polymer hinders the performance of the separation vessel and eventually the manufacturing process must be stopped to remove the precipitated polymer. Shutting down the manufacturing process to remove precipitated polymer is expensive and is preferably avoided. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a method for preventing the precipitation of EVAL polymer in distillation vessels.

Method for inhibiting the deposition of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer


A brush used for curling hair and a method of using same is disclosed. The brush includes a brush cartridge and a handle. The brush cartridge includes an adapter which may be removably connected to the handle. The method includes the steps of: (1) providing a brush having a handle and a brush cartridge, the brush cartridge having an adapter connected to one of its ends, the adapter permitting the brush cartridge and the handle to be removably connected to one another; (2) rolling a group of hair to be curled around the brush cartridge; (3) directing heat at the group of rolled-up hair and the brush cartridge to dry the group of rolled-up hair and to heat the brush cartridge; and, (4) detaching the handle from the brush cartridge. The present invention adapts different size brush ends to one handle for use as a set or individually to style a portion or an entire head of hair.

A variety of methods have been developed to assist in curling hair. Most of these methods require dry hair in order to most effectively set the desired curl. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, rollers 10 have been used to curl hair and, as shown in FIG. 3, curling irons 20 were later developed for the same purpose.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rollers 10 have a metallic center portion 12 and non-metallic ends 14, which are usually made of plastic. The metallic center portion 12 is heated via hot rods 16 (see FIG. 2), while the non-metallic ends 14 remain cool. In using rollers, one must normally dry the hair, otherwise, the roller will not effectively curl the hair. Next, one must separate a group of hair to be curled (not shown), lift a roller 10 by its non-metallic ends 14, and roll the roller 10 by its ends 14 in such a way that the group of hair to be curled is wrapped around the center portion 12 of the roller. After some time, the hair to be curled is unrolled from the roller 10 and the desired curl is set.
Another method of curling one's hair is to use a curling iron 20 as shown in FIG. 3. The curling iron 20 has a central shaft 22 and a pivotable arm 24, which pivots in and out of contact with the central shaft 22. The central shaft 22 is heated, typically via electric current traveling through an internal heating coil (not shown).
The general method of curling one's hair using a curling iron is described below. First, the hair to be curled must be completely dried. Next, the pivotable arm 24 is pivoted out of contact from the heated central shaft 22 and the group of hair to be curled (not shown) is placed between the central shaft 22 and the pivotable arm 24. The pivotable arm 24 is then moved back towards the central shaft 22 engaging the hair to be curled between it and the central shaft 22. The curling iron 20 is then rotated about the axis of the central shaft 22 causing the hair to be rolled about the central shaft 22. A few minutes later, the curled hair is unrolled from the central shaft 22 and is released by the pivotable arm 24 as the pivotable arm 24 is pivoted out of contact from the heated central shaft 22.
There are many disadvantages associated with using either rollers or a curling iron to curl one's hair. For example, to be most effective in either instance, one must completely dry the hair prior to curling. A towel may be used, but this process can be quite time consuming and tiresome depending upon the length and thickness of the hair. Alternatively, a hair dryer may be used. However, the heat generated by a hair dryer can damage the hair. Moreover, subsequent use of a curling iron subjects the hair to intense and damaging heat on multiple occasions. In addition, when using rollers, because each roller 10 must be handled manually, there is a relatively strong risk that users of rollers may sustain burns by contacting the hot center portion 12 of the roller 10 against their skin.
In an effort to overcome the disadvantages of rollers and curling irons, a brush 30 (shown in FIG. 4) has been developed. The brush 30 has a metallic brush head 32 and a handle 34 fixedly attached thereto. The brush head 32 is hollow and has a plurality of apertures 36 therein. Bristles 38, which are supported by a support member 40 (see FIG. 5), protrude from the apertures 36.
The brush 30 is designed to be used in conjunction with a hair dryer (not shown) and permits hair to be effectively curled as it is being dried. Specifically, the hair to be curled is engaged by the bristles 38 of the brush 30 and is rolled about the brush head 32 by rotating the brush head 32 about its axis via rotation of the handle 34. Hot air is then directed, by a hair dryer, at the brush head 32 and the hair to be curled. Because the brush head 32 is metallic, it is heated relatively quickly by the hot air and allows heat to be distributed along its body. Furthermore, the plurality of apertures 36 allow heat to pass through the hollow brush head 32 to aid in heating the portion of the brush head 32 opposite the portion directly exposed to the flow of hot air.
After the brush head 32 is heated, the hair dryer is shut off and the brush 30 must be held in place for several minutes until it cools. This cooling period allows the curl to be set. The curled hair is then unrolled from the brush head 32.
One problem with such a brush is that one's arm may become fatigued by holding the brush in place while it cools, especially after curling a number of sections of one's hair. Another obvious problem with such a brush is the down time associated with allowing the brush to cool.
In order to make effective use of one's time when the brush 30 is cooling and to avoid the fatigue associated with holding a brush in place as it cools, some individuals have used a plurality of brushes to curl different sections of their hair. Doing so has presented a number of other problems.
For example, when more than one brush 30 is being used, the individual must let go of the handle 34 of the brush 30 which is cooling in order to position a second brush. The effect is that the weight of the handle 34 causes the brush head 32 to rotate, and, hence, causes the position and/or shape of the curl to be modified or lost altogether. Another problem with using multiple brushes is that the handles 34 of such brushes may obstruct a user and prevent her from being able to curl certain sections of her hair until one or more of the brushes has been removed.
Accordingly, there is a need for a curling brush which overcomes all of the problems described above.

Hair curling brush and method of using same


In order to suppress vibration with a motor a load torque of which periodically fluctuates, an output torque of the motor is controlled to be periodically changed. In this case, in order to increase a vibration suppressing component by a direct power conversion apparatus, at least one of first control and second control is performed. In the first control, an output torque having a waveform including a fundamental frequency component of the load torque a fundamental frequency of which is a frequency in accordance with a fluctuation period of the load torque and at least one of a fourth harmonic and a sixth harmonic of a power source frequency of an AC power source is generated. In the second control, the output torque having a waveform including at least one of a second harmonic and a third harmonic of the fundamental frequency of the load torque and a second harmonic of the power source frequency of the AC power source is generated.

A power conversion apparatus that converts an alternating current (AC) to a given AC can be classified into two types: an indirect power conversion apparatus and a direct power conversion apparatus. The former includes an energy accumulating element (a large-capacity capacitor or a large-capacity inductor), whereas the latter does not. Thus, an output power of a single-phase direct power conversion apparatus has ripple at a frequency that is twice a power source frequency. As one of configurations classified as a direct power conversion apparatus, there is a configuration in which a comparatively small-capacity capacitor in a direct current (DC) link unit is provided. With the comparatively small-capacity capacitor, a DC voltage includes ripple components having a frequency that is twice the power source frequency, and an output of the power conversion apparatus also has ripple similarly.
PTL 1 discloses a torque control technique for suppressing vibration with the DC voltage in a case where a load torque has ripple periodically. In PTL 1, a ripple component of fluctuation of a load torque of a motor and a ripple component of a DC voltage of a DC link unit are superimposed on an output torque of the motor to perform a torque control operation.


A method is performed at a computing system having one or more processors and memory. The method includes receiving a first video clip having three or more image frames and computing a first hash pattern, including: (i) computing a temporal sequence of differential frames and (ii) for each differential frame: identifying a respective plurality of feature points and computing a respective hash value that represents spatial positioning of the respective feature points with respect to each other. The method includes receiving a second video clip having three or more image frames and computing a second hash pattern by applying steps (i) and (ii) to the three or more image frames. The method includes computing a distance between the first hash pattern and the second hash pattern and determining that the first and second video clips match when the computed distance is less than a threshold distance.

There are many conventional techniques for identifying a video sequence from a collection of video sequences when the video sequence has not been modified. If a given video clip (or film clip, or animation clip) has not been modified, techniques in computer vision and other fields already exist to find the matching source material for that clip within a large collection of other video clips.
However, if the given comparison clip has been modified, it becomes harder to match to the original source material. For example, if the clip has had its colors modified ("color corrected" in film parlance), or if the image has been transformed (e.g., scaled, rotated, shifted in the frame, and/or cropped), or any of a host of other image manipulation methods has been applied, existing computer vision techniques will fail. This is because those techniques are based on finding and matching "features" within one or more images within the video clip. Those features change when the image is modified, and comparisons between modified and unmodified clips fail.

Using motion-based features to match video sequences


A two-terminal circuit element measuring apparatus of the present invention is capable of distinguishing a loose connection between a DUT and the measuring apparatus from a high impedance in the DUT. The measuring apparatus is also capable of measuring the impedance of the DUT without altering the connections between the DUT and the measuring apparatus. The measuring apparatus applies both DC and AC current signals to the DUT so as to compensate any leakage current occurring within the three-wire cable connecting the DUT and the measuring apparatus. Because of the compensation, when both DC and AC current ammeters indicate substantially zero values, it is assured that a loose connection exists.

A typical use of an insulation resistance tester is to test the insulation resistance of a capacitor. In an insulation resistance test, a good sample has a high insulation resistance value. However, a problem with conventional insulation resistance measuring apparatus is that such a contact check cannot be performed on the basis of measuring the insulation resistance value. In other words, if there is a loose contact between the tester device and a sample which has insufficient insulation, the tester may indicate that the sample has sufficient insulation. This problem becomes apparent in an automatic inspection process.
When a capacitor is used as a sample, since the capacitor represents a low impedance to an AC signal, the insulation resistance of the capacitor is measured by using a DC signal, while the high-frequency impedance thereof is measured by using an AC signal. On the basis of these measurements, it can be determined whether the measurement of the insulation resistance is valid, namely whether the contact is valid.
In general, an insulation resistance tester, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a measuring device main frame 1 and an extension cable 5. The main frame 1 further comprises a shielded outer sheath 11 and a DC ammeter 12 having one input terminal connected to the shielded outer sheath 11, and a DC voltage source 13 for applying a DC high voltage between the outer sheath 11 and a ground. The extension cable 5 further comprises a first conductor 31 constituting a center conductor; a second conductor 32 for covering the first conductor, and a third conductor 33 for covering the second conductor 32. At one end of the above-described cable 5, the first conductor 31 is connected to the other input terminal of the DC ammeter 12, and the second conductor 32 is connected to the outer sheath 11. The third conductor 33 is grounded. A sample 6, shown as a parallel circuit comprising a capacitor C and a resistor R.sub.DC, is connected to the sample connecting terminals of the first and third conductors, 31 and 33, at the other end of the cable 5.
In an automatic inspection process, an impedance measurement is taken in conjunction with the above-described contact check in order to determine whether a sample demonstrates a predetermined characteristic. When there is a long distance between the sample 6 (namely, an object to be measured; the sample or object to be measured will be hereinafter referred to as a "DUT") and a measuring apparatus, the cable 5 from the measuring terminal is extended to, for instance, 1 to 2 meters for the impedance measurement. Also, in this setting, such a measurement must be taken while one of the input lines to the DUT is grounded. The following conditions are required for a successful measurement in the above described setting:
(1) An increase in capacitance should be detected when a DUT is connected to the measuring apparatus, even with an extended cable.
(2) A measurement of such a DUT should be taken with an AC grounded lead wire.
(3) The current path to measure a DC resistance is not adversely influenced by external electromagnetic fields and the like. Furthermore, conversely, this current path does not have any electromagnetic influence on an external device.
(4) An additional cable to measure impedance is not required.
Although the conventional impedance measuring apparatus, such as HP4192A: LF Tmpedance Analyzer sold by Hewlett Packard Co. in the U.S.A., can satisfy condition (1), such conventional measuring apparatus has the following problems: It is impossible to connect a DUT with one grounded lead wire in the measuring circuit with a high impedance because one of two lead wires of the DUT is driven by a measurement signal source and the other is virtually grounded through a current measuring device. Thus, the above-described condition (2) cannot be satisfied. When a ground terminal of a DUT is not grounded, an adverse influence over a measurement caused by an external electromagnetic field becomes conspicuous. This may considerable deteriorate a precision measurement so that the above-described condition (3) cannot be satisfied. In addition, while the insulation tester handles high DC voltage (1000 volts) and low DC current (less than pico amperes), the impedance meter handles AC voltage and current in a 10 Hz to 1 MHz range. These different operations make it difficult to combine the insulation tester and impedance meter.
The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-described problems. An object of the invention is to provide a two-terminal circuit element measuring apparatus for performing a contact check function for sensing a loose contact at a terminal so as to allow a high precision measurement by a single apparatus. A related object is to provide apparatus for measuring the impedance of a DUT with a high precision in connection with an automatic component feeding apparatus.

Two-terminal circuit element measuring apparatus for performing contact checks


Peptoids are provided which are polymers comprised of monomer units wherein the monomer units include least some substitute amino acids and may include conventional amino acids. The peptoids can be synthesized in large numbers so as to provide libraries of peptoids which can be screened in order to isolate peptoids of desired biological activity. Although the peptoids may include amino acids, they preferably include only substituted amino acids and are designed in a manner so as to have a particular biological activity. Certain peptoids are designed to mimic as closely as possible the activity of known proteins. Other peptoids are designed so as to have greater or lesser activity than known proteins and may be designed so as to block known receptor sites and/or elicit a desired immunogenic response and thereby act as vaccines. In that the peptoids are comprised of substitute amino acids they can be designed to have structures which natural proteins cannot conform to. A range of different amino acid substitutes are disclosed, as are their methods of synthesis and methods of using such amino acid substitutes in the synthesis of peptoids and peptoid libraries. Methods of screening the libraries in order to obtain desired peptoids of a particular biological activity are also disclosed. The peptoids are preferably linked to a pharmaceutically active drug forming a conjugate with increased binding affinity to a particular biological receptor site.

One may now prepare polypeptides of short and medium length by systematic, even automated, techniques. A large number of small polypeptide hormones, exhibiting potent biological activity, may be synthesized directly using automated peptide synthesizers, solid state resin techniques, and the like. Hormones and growth factors such as epidermal growth factor, growth hormone, growth hormone releasing factor, somatostatin, vasopressin, enkephalins, endorphins, bradykinnins, and the like are all small enough to be easily accessible using current technology. Additionally, defined antigenic epitopes may be synthesized as short or medium-length polypeptides for use in vaccines. However, small polypeptides in general enjoy only a short half-life once administered, and are rapidly degraded by endogenous proteases. The therapeutic potential of such polypeptides would be dramatically increased by extension of the in vivo half-life.
In addition to increasing the half-life of peptides, other characteristics of peptides might be changed in ways which would provide useful pharmaceutically active compounds, e.g., improving binding affinity. Some of the general means contemplated for the modification of peptides are outlined in Chemistry and Biochemistry of Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins--A survey of Recent Developments, Weinstein, B., ed., Marcel Dekker, Inc., publ., New York (1983), which is incorporated herein by reference to disclose methods of modifying amino acids and peptides. The Weinstein publication provides the following schematic overview of how peptides might be modified. ##STR1##
The substitution of D-amino acids for the normal L stereoisomer has been carried out in an attempt to increase half-life. The theory of this approach is that the proteolytic enzymes responsible for cleavage may be stereospecific, so that substituting a D-amino acid may render the peptide unacceptable as a cleavage substrate. However, the substitution may also destroy the peptide's activity, by rendering it unacceptable as a ligand for its normal receptor. R. M. Freidinger et al., Pept Chem 1987 539-48, prepared cholecystokinin cyclic peptide analogs using D-Trp. N. Sakura et al., Pent Chem 1987 557-60, prepared a series of neurokinin B analogs, using D-Ala, D-Trp, and D-Phe. J. Rivier et al., Pept Chem 1987 597-600, prepared a series of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) peptide analogs, in which an amino acid was replaced by its D analog, and reported activities for the analogs ranging from 0.05 to 50% of the native CRF activity. Although D-isomer amino acids may be commercially available, they require either stereo-specific synthesis or a stereoresolution step for preparation. Also, since D-isomer amino acids are constrained to the opposite orientation, their use may not result in structures resembling the native peptide conformation.
Another approach to the problem has been to modify the peptide bonds that are susceptible to cleavage, for example, by replacing the amide with a saturated amine. See, for example, Skiles et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,542. J. S. Kaltenbronn et al., "Proceedings of the 11th American Peptide Symposium" (ESCOM Science Publishers, The Netherlands, 1990) pp. 969-70, disclosed peptides in which all of the peptide bonds were replaced with saturated amine bonds.
Others have prepared derivatized polypeptides, typically by acetylation or alkylation. J. T. Suh et al., Eur J Med Chem--Chim Ther (1985) 20: 563-70, disclosed Lys-Gly dipeptide derivatives for inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme, in which the Gly amide nitrogen was substituted with 2,3-dihydro-1H-indene. Sempuku et al., JP 58/150,562 (Chem Abs (1984) 100: 68019b), disclosed N-substituted glycine derivatives useful for inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme. J. D. Young et al., "Proceedings of the 11th American Peptide Symposium" (ESCOM Science Publishers, The Netherlands, 1990) pp. 155-56, disclosed a synthesis of bradykinin, in which proline at position 7 was replaced by N-benzylglycine.
There are a number of problems with respect to using peptides as pharmaceutically active compounds. For example, the larger the peptide, the more difficult it becomes to produce commercial quantities of the peptide in sufficient purity for use as a pharmaceutically active compound. However, more importantly, with respect to the present invention, larger peptides are not particularly stable metabolically and are difficult to deliver, especially when the delivery is in convenient forms such as oral delivery systems. Further, once delivered, large peptide molecules are easily broken down by endogenous enzymes. Thus, the pharmaceutical industry still prefers to employ organic chemicals (i.e., smaller molecules which are not so difficult to synthesize and purify) rather than peptides. The number of possible organic molecules capable of interaction with any given receptor is less limited than the number of peptides meeting the same criteria. Further, organic molecules are frequently less susceptible to metabolism than are peptides, and may often be administered orally. However, it is difficult to rationally design an organic molecule for optimal activity and/or binding to a particular site.
One approach to the discovery of new pharmaceutically active organic drugs (i.e., compounds with the 3-D structure needed for binding) relies primarily on X-ray crystallography of purified receptors once the binding site is identified, organic molecules are designed to fit the available steric space and charge distribution. However, it is often difficult to obtain purified receptors, and still more difficult to crystallize the receptor so that X-ray crystallography may be applied. It is also nontrivial to devise an appropriate ligand, even after the binding site has been properly identified. Overall, it is extremely difficult to design useful pharmaceutically active compounds due to a number of factors such as the difficulty in identifying receptors, purifying and identifying the structures of compounds which bind to those receptors and thereafter synthesizing those compounds.
Another approach to the discovery of new pharmaceutically active drugs has been to synthesize a multiplicity of short peptides, followed by an assay for binding (or other) activity. R. A. Houghten, Proc Nat Acad Sci USA (1985) 82: 5131-35, described a method for synthesizing a number of peptides by the Merrifield method. In the general Merrifield method, the C-terminal amino acid of the desired peptide is attached to a solid support, and the peptide chain is formed by sequentially adding amino acid residues, thus extending the chain to the N-terminus. The additions are performed sequentially by deprotecting the N-terminus, adding the next amino acid in protected form, deprotecting the new N-terminus, adding the next protected amino acid, etc. In Houghten's modification, C-terminal amino acids bound to supports were placed in individual polyethylene bags, and mixed and matched through the addition cycles, so that twenty bags (each containing a different C-terminal residue bound to a support) can be simultaneously deprotected and treated with the same protected amino acid. In this manner, one can obtain a set of peptides having different sequences simultaneously. The peptides are then recovered and tested for activity individually.
A modification of Houghten's approach was described by H. M. Geysen et al., Proc Nat Acad Sci USA (1984) 81: 3998-4002 (see also WO86/06487 and WO86/00991), in which the C-terminal amino acids are supported on pins. This enabled Geysen to assay biological activity (in the form of antibody binding) without removing the peptides from the support.
Earlier methods make it possible to more quickly synthesize larger numbers of peptides than was possible previously. However, the peptide syntheses are carried out in isolated reaction conditions to produce individual peptides under each of the reaction conditions. Accordingly, these approaches do not produce mixtures of peptides containing large numbers of different peptides or peptide libraries which can be screened for the desired active peptide.
Rutter et al., PCT WO89/10931, described a method by which one can generate a large number of a peptides systematically in approximately equimolar amounts, and assay the resulting library of peptides for biological activity. Rutter also disclosed using amino acids having altered side chains, such as phenylglycine, hydroxyproline, and .alpha.-aminobutyric acid. The active peptides are selected from the remainder of the library by a variety of methods, the most straightforward of which is binding to a ligand or receptor. For example, if the target peptide is to be ligand for a receptor, the library of peptides may be applied to a quantity of receptor bound to a solid support. The peptides which bind with highest affinity can then be separated from peptides with lower affinity by standard techniques. This method allows one to probe a binding site with a very large number of peptides.
Another method of producing large numbers of peptides is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,366 which application is incorporated herein to disclose methods of making large numbers of peptides. This application describes a method of preparing a mixture of peptides having a known composition and containing a peptide of a desired amino acid sequence. The method involves three essential steps. First, a given amount of a mixture of amino acyl or peptide derivatized resin is divided into a number of pools with each pool containing an equal molar amount of the resin mixture. Second, a different single amino acid is coupled to the resin mixture in each of the pools and the coupling reaction is driven to completion. The peptide mixtures in each of the pools are then mixed together to obtain a complex peptide mixture containing each peptide in retrievable and analyzable amounts. The steps can be repeated to lengthen the peptide chains and methods can be employed to retrieve the desired peptide from the mixture and carry out analyses such as the determination of the amino acid sequence. The ability to obtain mixtures with equal molar amounts of each peptide therein is dependent on the ability to accurately weigh and divide each reaction product into equal amounts and the ability to drive each reaction to completion.
Each of the above-described methods offers a method of producing one or more peptides which may have a desired biological activity. Although some of the methods may mention the use of modified amino acids, all the end products result in conventional peptide bonds. This limits applicability because only peptides are produced and if modifications are needed, substantial downstream processing is required to obtain the desired final product. Further, the peptides are subject to conventional metabolic degradation.
The present inventors postulated that there are potential nonpeptide molecules with improved protease resistance and possibly with higher affinity than the natural peptide ligand. Such nonpeptides were further postulated as less susceptible to rapid cleavage and clearance. Additionally, the present inventors postulated that such nonpeptides could be bound to pharmaceutically active organic compounds and provide conjugates which use the nonpeptide portion as biochemical targeting agents for the organic molecule bound to it.

Modified peptide and peptide libraries with protease resistance, derivatives thereof and methods of producing and screening such


It is an object to provide an organic compound that has a bipolar property and also a light emitting property, and further has heat resistance.

Organic compounds include more varied materials in comparison with inorganic compounds, and have a possibility that a material that has various functions can be synthesized by an appropriate molecular design. Also, they have features that a molded article such as a film is flexible, and excellent workability is provided by polymerization. Based on these advantages, photonics and electronics using functional organic materials have been attracting attention recently.
For example, examples of an electronic device using an organic compound as a functional organic material include a solar cell, a light-emitting element, and an organic transistor, which are devices utilizing an electric property (carrier transporting property) and an optical property (light absorption or light emission) of the organic compound material, and, among them, the light-emitting element has been showing remarkable progresses.
As a most basic device structure of the light-emitting element, a structure is known, in which a thin film about 100 nm in total, formed by laminating a hole transporting layer comprising a hole transporting organic compound and an electron transporting light-emitting layer comprising an electron transporting organic compound, is interposed between electrodes. By applying a voltage to this element, light emission can be obtained from the electron transporting organic compound that also has a light-emitting property. The structure like this is generally called a single hetero (SH) structure.
It can be said that the light emitting-element in C. W. Tang et al., Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 51, No. 12, 913–915(1987) is based on a functional separation, namely, transportation of holes being conducted by the hole transporting layer, and transportation of electrons and light emission being conducted by the electron transporting layer
Thereafter, for the purposes of further improvement in change in emission spectrum and in decrease in luminous efficiency due to an interaction (for example, formation of exciplex) generated at an interface of laminated layers, the concept of this functional separation has been developed into a concept of a double hetero (DH) structure in which a light-emitting layer is interposed between a hole transporting layer and an electron transporting layer.
In the light-emitting element as described in Chihava Adachi et al., Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 27, No. 2, L269–L271(1988), in order to further suppress an interaction generated at the interface, it is preferable to use a bipolar material that has both an electron transporting property and a hole transporting property to form the light-emitting layer.
However, many of organic compounds are monopolar materials, which have either a hole transporting property or an electron transporting property. For example, the material shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open 2003-40873 is only applied as an electron injecting layer.
It is therefore desired to newly develop an organic compound that has a bipolar property.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an organic compound that has a bipolar property and also a light emitting property, and further has heat resistance. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an organic semiconductor device using the organic compound, particularly a light-emitting element that is capable of reducing device defects such as a dielectric breakdown or improving a light emitting property by using the organic compound material.

Quinoxaline derivatives, and light emitting element using thereof

Abstract: A quinoxaline derivative represented by a general formula (1) is provided. In the formula, A represents any one of an alkylene chain, silicon (Si), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S). R1 to R8, which may be identical or different, individually represent any one of a lower alkyl group, an aryl group, and a heterocyclic group. R9 to R24, which may be identical or different, individually represent any one of a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an acyl group, a nitro group, a cyano group, an amino group, a dialkylamino group, a diarylamino group, a vinyl group, an aryl group which may have a substituent, and a heterocyclic group

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A prosthetic device for use as a temporary substitute for a leg that is injured below the knee includes a shelf for supporting the lower leg in a nonweight-bearing position and for supporting the knee in a weight-bearing position. A foldable strut extends below the shelf for supporting a person's weight while standing or walking, and it can be folded to a position adjacent the shelf and lower leg when the person is sitting. A pivotal hinge for connecting the strut to the shelf is skewed in relation to the shelf to position the strut inside the person's lower leg and foot when folded, so it can be used to bear weight as the person rises from a sitting position to a standing position. A stabilizing frame extends upwardly form the shelf for anchoring the prosthetic device to the person's thigh and hip region. Another pivotal hinge connects the stabilizing frame to the shelf. The pivotal hinges are automatically self-latching at positions where the strut and the stabilizing frame are approximately perpendicular to the shelf. These self-latching hinges in combination with the strut that folds to a position alongside the person's foot accommodates hands-free operation while the person is rising from a sitting to a standing position. A weight-bearing handle or hand rest extends upwardly from the stabilizer frame for the person to apply additional stabilizing forces or weight shifting forces with his or her hand.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to prosthetic devices and more specifically to a prosthetic device for use as a temporary substitute for a person's lower leg.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a person suffers a severe traumatic injury to an ankle, foot, or lower leg, he or she usually cannot use the leg for an extended period of time while the injury heals. To be ambulatory during the healing process, some temporary substitute structural device has to be used to support the person's weight that is normally supported by the leg. The conventional and familiar crutch is still the most common such device, and, in many ways, it is still very practical where the injured person just needs to move from one place to another. However, such ordinary crutches occupy the person's hands and arms for manipulating the crutches and for providing needed stability. Therefore, in situations where the person desires to use his or her hands for other purposes while standing or moving around, such as to carry objects or to perform occupational tasks that require the use of hands while standing or walking, conventional crutches are more of a hindrance than a help. Conventional crutches are also usually used in such a manner that they are a complete substitute for the entire leg, even if only the lower leg, ankle, or foot is injured. Therefore, none of a person's weight is borne by any part of the leg, and the natural result is atrophy of the muscles and tissues in the leg.
There have been several prosthetic devices developed that help support the injured person's body weight to improve mobility and comfort over the use of conventional crutches. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,370, issued to W. Chamblee, discloses a padded knee support attached to a conventional crutch. Similarly, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,375, issued to L. Tykwinski, extended the support for the lower leg and substituted a cane for the crutch. However, neither one of those devices provided a replacement for a crutch or cane that would be stable and secure enough to free both the person's hands for doing other things and also versatile enough to be convenient and comfortable to use for extended period in a wide range of common day-to-day activities, from standing and walking to driving or riding in vehicles to sitting and resting.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,948, issued to E. Jacobs, is even more cumbersome in that it provides a heavy and somewhat complex crank and drive wheel as a substitute for a person's dangling lower leg, which further aggravates the atrophy problem. Both the U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,894, issued to M. Martinez, and U.S. Pat. No. 875,482, issued to W. Wyatt, disclose artificial limbs for amputees, but they really do not accommodate the needs of a temporary prosthetic device where the lower leg is injured and needs time to heal, but is not amputated.
Consequently, despite the above-described developments, there still remains a need for an improved temporary prosthetic device that is more secure, more stable, more versatile, and more comfortable, while it supports a person's injured lower leg in a nonweight-bearing position and while acting as a replacement for bearing the weight of a person's body while standing, walking, and performing routine tasks in situations where the person needs to have his or her hands relatively free to use for other activities.

Lower leg shelf with foldable weight-bearing strut and stabilizer frame


A tire comprises a center land region 25 provided with center sipes 7 having open ends 7E13 connected with a first center main groove 13 and a first middle land region 23 provided with middle sipes 8 having open ends 8E13 and 8E14 connected with the first center main groove 13 and/or a first shoulder main groove 14. The center sipes 7 include hook-shaped center sipes 55 crossing the center land region 25, and the middle sipes 8 include hook-shaped middle sipes 45 crossing the first middle land region 23.

In a pneumatic tire, a large number of sipes are formed in a tread portion, and the on-ice performance is ensured by frictional force in digging a road surface (edge effect) caused by edges thereof (see Japanese unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-168356, for example).
To increase this on-ice performance, the number and length of the sipes has been increased. However, an increase in the number and length of the sipes causes a decrease in block rigidity, therefore, the dry steering stability and the like are decreased. Thus, there is a trade-off between the on-ice performance and the dry steering stability, and further improvement is required to have both of them at a high level.


A propulsion system for use in a hybrid vehicle, wherein a first propulsion system provides a driving force to a first pair of wheels and a second propulsion system provides a driving force to a second pair of wheels. A system controller actuates the propulsion systems determines the necessary commands to be provided to the first and second propulsion systems so as to provide the vehicle with the most efficient driving and/or stopping force.

The present invention is related to a method and apparatus for maintaining a state of charge (SOC) for electric batteries in a parallel hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
Passenger comfort and fuel efficiency have set forth increasing demands on automotive vehicle designs. It is a primary goal of most vehicle designs to provide a more efficient vehicle without having to sacrifice passenger comfort and satisfaction.
Moreover, and as alternative vehicle propulsion systems are implemented, passenger comfort and fuel efficiency are sometimes in opposition to each other. This is particularly true in hybrid vehicle designs.
A Hybrid Vehicle is a vehicle that has two sources of propulsion. A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a vehicle wherein one of the sources of propulsion is electric and the other source of propulsion may be derived from fuel cells or an internal combustion engine (ICE) that burns diesel, gasoline or any other source of fuel.
Generally, a hybrid vehicle utilizes either one or two drive trains wherein the internal combustion engine (ICE) provides torque to one of the drive trains and an electrical driving force is applied to either of both of the drive trains.
In addition and in order to provide a secondary source of power, hybrid vehicles also utilize a concept known as regenerative braking. Generally, regenerative braking is the conversion of the vehicle""s kinetic energy into a source of electrical power. The vehicle""s kinetic energy is converted from the spinning wheels, in response to a user request to slow or stop the vehicle. A generator is manipulated, and accordingly, produces electrical energy as it applies a stopping force to the vehicle""s axle and/or drive train in response to a stopping request. Therefore, and in accordance with regenerative braking, the kinetic energy is converted to electric energy, as the vehicle begins to slow down.
In order to operate the internal combustion engine (ICE) of a hybrid vehicle a fuel source must be consumed. This causes the engine to generate emissions that are harmful to the environment and the reduction of such emissions is a primary goal of any hybrid vehicle design. On the other hand, an electric drive system produces little or no emissions, however, the operation of such a system draws energy from a battery or plurality of batteries which ultimately must be recharged.
Accordingly, and in order to operate in a most efficient manner, either one or both of the energy sources of a hybrid vehicle should be operated in accordance with the most efficient usage of energy.
Additionally, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) encounters many operational states which affect the performance and or efficiency of the vehicle""s operation.
Moreover, and as driving conditions vary, these operational states also vary.
For example, and during typical driving and/or operating conditions, the vehicle""s battery system will lose a state-of-charge (SOC) in any one of the following instances: providing tractive energy to the vehicles drive train for either vehicle launch or maintaining speed in a pure electric vehicle (EV) mode; supplying energy to the vehicles climate control system, this is even more apparent when the ICE is not running; providing a synchronizing or active damping energy to a motor/generator system for synchronizing the drive train coupled to the vehicle""s ICE; and providing operational energy for the vehicle""s electrical accessories.
Of the aforementioned states only the first two (providing tractive energy and supplying energy to the climate control system) are controllable for state of charge (SOC) management.
On the other hand, the vehicle""s batteries or battery system gains a state of charge (SOC) from the following sources: regenerative mechanical energy generated while the vehicle is braking or coasting down, this is known as xe2x80x9cregenerative brakingxe2x80x9d; and electrical energy generated by a generator coupled to the vehicle""s engine, that applies mechanical energy.
Of the aforementioned regenerative states only the charge generated by the engine is fully controllable, whereas the charge generated through regenerative braking can only be controlled by reducing the energy flowing into the batteries.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hybrid vehicle having a parallel propulsion system wherein the state of charge (SOC) is maintained at or near its nominal value by using the controllable quantities, during discharging and/or charging.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention a controller system configures the propulsion system of a hybrid vehicle to provide the most energy efficient means for meeting requested demands.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention a system configures the propulsion system of a hybrid vehicle to provide the lowest amount of emissions while at the same time meeting the requested driver demands.

Apparatus and method for maintaining state of charge in vehicle operations