Disclosed herein is a multichip package comprising an optoelectronics assembly; a socket that houses the optoelectronics assembly; the socket being in electrical communication with the optoelectronics assembly; a plate having a first surface and a second surface; the first surface being opposedly disposed to the second surface; a portion of the first surface contacting a portion of the socket to provide thermal contact between the socket and the plate; a serpentine channel being disposed between the plate and the socket to provide a passage for a communication cable that is in operative communication with the optoelectronics assembly; and a heat exchanger in thermal contact with the plate; the heat exchanger being operative to cool the multichip package.

This disclosure relates to a multichip package, methods of manufacture thereof and articles comprising the same.
Multichip packages often contain chips, integrated circuits and similar components. They often include optical transceivers enabled to communicate with devices that lie outside of the multichip package. Laser diodes, used in these optical transceivers are small and compact, they are efficient at converting electrical energy into laser energy, and they are reliable. However, when a laser diode is operated at a high average power, it generates a substantial amount of heat in a small volume, thereby raising the temperature of the multichip package, which causes negative effects such as a wavelength shift and a loss of efficiency and reliability. If the temperature gets high enough, destruction of the multichip package may result. Multichip packages having semiconductor laser diodes are therefore often placed in communication with heat exchangers in a separate package from other electronic components.
For example, in order to achieve maximum efficiency, it is desirable for a multichip package that employs chips, integrated circuits and/or optoelectronics to operate at a temperature that is below 60° C. For reliable, long-lived operation, operating temperatures of less than 85° C. facilitate operation of the multichip package without a substantial loss of efficiency. Temperatures even moderately above 85° C. will substantially affect efficiency and reliability, substantially shortening the useful life of the multichip package. Furthermore, at these higher temperatures the output laser light will be shifted in wavelength. High temperatures encourage the growth and propagation of defects in semiconductor lasers, which decrease their efficiency (light output produced for a given amount of input electrical current). A larger current may be applied to compensate for the decreased efficiency, which then produces even more heat, encouraging the growth of even more defects and a greater loss of efficiency. If such multichip packages are maintained at or near their optimum temperature, then the chips and/or diodes disposed thereon will perform at maximum efficiency for a large lifetime, and emit a consistent wavelength.
It is therefore desirable to have a multichip package that can be cooled sufficiently to produce a high average power. It is also desirable for the cooling system to be designed so that fiber optic cables communicating with the laser diodes will not be damaged. In addition, it is desirable for the multichip package and the cooling system to be designed so that a high flow rate of coolant can be achieved.

Multichip package, methods of manufacture thereof and articles comprising the same


A pillow and a pillow cover are provided. The pillow includes a cover layer defining an interior volume, the cover layer having a body portion and one or more mesh portions. The pillow further includes a filler material disposed in the interior volume. The interior volume is in fluid communication with the external atmosphere via the one or more mesh portions. The pillow cover includes a cover layer defining an interior volume. The interior volume is configured to receive the filler. The cover layer includes having a body portion and one or more mesh portions. The interior volume is in fluid communication with the external atmosphere via the one or more mesh portions.

The following description relates to a pillow, and in particular, a pillow having mesh inserts
A pillow typically includes an outer layer or cover, such as a pillow shell, generally made of a fabric material. The outer layer defines in internal space configured to house a padding or filler material. The outer layer may include one or more pieces of fabric stitched around the inner padding or filler material. Further, or alternatively, the outer layer may include a zipper, slide fastener or other similar fastener along at least a portion of one or more sides to selectively provide or restrict access to the internal space.
The fabric of the outer layer may be generally homogenous such that similar properties are found across the outer layer. For example, the fabric may have generally the same stiffness, softness and/or density across the outer layer. Accordingly, a breathability of the fabric, i.e., an ability to allow air to flow between the internal space and external atmosphere may be generally constant across the outer layer.
In use, a person may lean, lie, sit or otherwise support a portion of their body on or against the pillow. Heat from the person may be transferred to the pillow via contact between the person and the outer layer. With limited or restricted breathability through the outer layer, i.e., with limited airflow through the outer layer, the heat may be retained by the pillow, both in the outer layer and the inner padding or filler. As result, a temperature of the pillow may increase to a point where it causes discomfort for the person using the pillow, particularly at a location where the person is in contact with the pillow.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a pillow that allows for increased breathability, i.e., airflow through the outer layer, to limit or prevent an increase in temperature of the pillow.


A connecting device is provided for use in orthopedic surgery, for example to connect a spinal rod and a vertebral screw or hook. The connector generally includes a receiver member for receiving an elongated member, and an grommet member for receiving a bone fixation member. The grommet member is inserted into the receiver member so that the receiver member and grommet member are rotatably connected. One or more disks may be placed between the receiver member and grommet member to assist in locking the device.

There are a variety of known devices for connecting various parts of an orthopedic implant together. Among these are included connectors featured with TSRH-3D products of Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. Such devices commonly include a part for holding an elongated member, such as a spinal rod, and a second member for holding a bone fixation element, such as a pedicle screw or hook. The two parts are connected together, preferably with the ability to rotate with respect to each other. Such devices are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,473 to Ashman and U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,263 to Simonson.


Disclosed herein are substituted phenethylamine alpha adrenergic receptor modulators of Formula I, process of preparation thereof, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and methods of use thereof.

Phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine®), (R)-3-(1-hydroxy-2-methylamino-ethyl)-phenol, is an orally and intravenously administered putative agonist of the alpha adrenergic receptor (α1-selective). Phenylephrine is available over the counter as a nasal decongestant. Phenylephrine can also effectively treat hypotension (Rose et al., Neurocritical Care 2004, 1(3), 287-299), and is used frequently in intensive care units to maintain adequate tension in patients. Phenylephrine is not inotropic or chronotropic, it elevates the blood pressure without increasing the heart rate or contractility. Phenylephrine can also treat migraines (Willems et al., Drug News & Perspectives 2002, 15(3), 140-146) and ischemic heart disease (Cohen et al., Annual Review of Medicine 1996, 47, 21-29).

The chemical structure of phenylephrine contains a number of positions that are susceptible to action by metabolic enzymes. For example, the N-methyl group can be oxidized which could then lead to a norepinephrine-like structure, if coupled with an appropriate aromatic hydroxylation. The methylene group alpha to the nitrogen is likely to oxidized, since the hydroxymandelic acid metabolite accounts for more than 50% of the recovered mass balance. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is responsible for much of the clearance.


A light-emitting device is capable of receiving a first voltage signal, a second voltage signal, and a third voltage signal in sequence. The light-emitting device includes a first light-emitting unit, a second light-emitting unit, and a switching. The first voltage signal, the second voltage signal, and the third voltage signal is configured to introduce a first current signal, a second current signal, and a third current signal, respectively. The light-emitting device is configured to emit a first light when introducing the first current signal, the second current signal, and the third current signal. The light-emitting device is configured to emit a second light when introducing the second current signal and the third current signal. The light-emitting device is configured to emit a third light when introducing the second current signal.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a light-emitting device, and in particular to a light-emitting device comprising a first light-emitting unit, a second light-emitting unit, and a first switching unit, wherein the electrical connection between the first and second light-emitting units is controlled by the first switching unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of the solid-state lighting elements have the characteristics of the low power consumption, low heat generation, long operational life, shockproof, small volume, quick response and good opto-electrical property like light emission with a stable wavelength, so the LEDs have been widely used in household appliances, indicator light of instruments, and opto-electrical products, etc.
The conventional LED is driven by direct current (DC). An AC-DC converter is required to convert DC to AC. Since the converter has a large volume and heavy weight, the cost is added and the power is lost during converting. It is difficult for LED to compete with the existing light source mainly because of the price concern.
Alternating current light-emitting diodes (ACLED) have been developed to resolve the aforesaid problems and have advantages in small volume, lightweight, and low cost. In addition, 15%-30% electrical power loss produced by converting alternating current to direct current is reduced in the conventional LED, thereby improving the total efficiency of LEDs.
However, an operating voltage of the above-described ACLED is relatively high. Therefore, ACLED is not operated at most ranges of the alternating supply voltage.


A heterojunction bipolar transistor includes a first emitter region. A second emitter region extends on the first emitter region and is connected to the first emitter region via a junction. The second emitter region has a forbidden band gap wider than a forbidden band gap of the first emitter region. At the junction, the second emitter region has a carrier energy level substantially equal to a carrier energy level of the first emitter region. An intrinsic base region extends on the second emitter region and has a forbidden band gap narrower than the forbidden band gap of the second emitter region. A collector region extends on the intrinsic base region. An extrinsic base region extends outward of the intrinsic base region and contacts the intrinsic base region and the second emitter region. The extrinsic base region separates from the first emitter region. A portion of the extrinsic base region which adjoins the second emitter region has a forbidden band gap substantially equal to the forbidden band gap of the second emitter region. A high-resistivity region extends underneath the extrinsic base region.

This invention relates to a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). This invention also relates to a method of fabricating a heterojunction bipolar transistor.
Heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) are advantageous in high-speed operation. Some HBT's have a collector-up structure in which a collector is situated over a base which is situated over an emitter situated over a substrate. In general, the base-emitter parasitic capacitance of collector-up fly HBT's is smaller than that of a normal emitter-up structure, so that the collector-up HBT's are better in high-speed operation. In addition, it is generally easy to form a common emitter circuit by using a common emitter layer in an array of collector-up HBT'S. Thus, it is hopeful that collector-up HBT's can be made into a highly-integrated circuit.
As will be explained later, a prior-art collector-up HBT has some problems.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A locomotion control system of a biped walking robot having a body and two articulated legs including ankle joints and connected to the body. A mathematical model is predesigned to approximate the robot. The mathematical model is assumed to have ideal rigidity and based on the model target angles of the joints including the ankle joints are preestablished in advance. Robot joints are provided with servo motors and control values are determined on the basis of the target joint angles to drive the servo motors to follow the target joint angles. A sensor is provided to detect moment acting on the ankle joints or the legs. The detected moment is multiplied by a gain made up of the reciprocal number of the amount of rigidity of the ankle joints. And based on the product, the control value is corrected so as to compensate the deformation. As a result, the discrepancy between the model and the actual robot is compensated so that, not only the robot can walk more stably, but the freedom of possible compliance control can be increased. Moreover, the legs can have low weight and inertia so that the walking stability can be further enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a locomotion control system for a legged mobile robot, more particularly to such a system which feedback-compensates the discrepancy between the robot's rigidity assumed in a model and the actual robot's rigidity so as to increase the apparent or virtual rigidity and enable the robot to be treated in terms of an ideally rigid model.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Legged mobile robots are known to the art. See the teaching of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 62(1987)-97,006, for example.
To be able to walk stably, a legged mobile robot is required to satisfy prescribed dynamic stability conditions. These conditions can be met either by solving dynamic problems in real time as they are encountered during locomotion or by solving the problems in advance. For realizing either method, the robot has to be mathematically modeled. While the model should preferably approximate the actual robot with a high degree of accuracy, this is hard to achieve in actual practice. Since numerous factors involved are difficult to model and because of various other restrictions, such as the need to shorten processing time or reduce the labor required for creating the model, the model used is invariably only an approximate one.
It is a characteristics of the legged mobile robot that the legs have to be swung at high speed during walking, while, at the same time, the joints and links of the legs are subject to heavy loads (bending moments). Because of this, it is preferable for the robot's legs to be light in weight and low in inertia (inertial force) so as to reduce the amount of energy required for swinging the legs and also to prevent stability degradation owing to the reaction forces produced by the swinging of the legs. If, however, the mathematical model of the robot assumes high rigidity or if it does not take the robot's elastic elements into account, the actual robot rigidity also has to be high. Thus the robot has to be light in weight and low in inertia, in addition to being rigid. It is difficult to satisfy both of these requirements. A legged mobile robot includes joints and other moving parts that cannot easily be made high in rigidity. It also uses force sensors of the type which detect strain and various other elements which cannot easily be increased in rigidity. As a practical matter, therefore, it is next to impossible to achieve the required weight and inertia reduction while simultaneously increasing rigidity to the point where the elastic elements of the robot can be ignored. Because of this, any attempt to satisfy the dynamic stability requirements for walking by the use of a rigid model for a robot that includes elastic elements will be prevented from realizing the desired walking stability by the approximation errors between the actual robot and the model.

Locomotion control system for legged mobile robot


A method for coating a surface mount package is provided. The method includes applying a layer of a coating material above at least one surface of the surface mount package, applying a masking material above the layer of coating material, and removing the layer of coating material from a selected portion of the surface mount package defined by the masking material.

A grid array package is a type of surface mount package used for integrated circuits. Two generic types of grid array packages are most common: ball grid arrays in which a small solder ball is used as the joining interface; and column grid arrays in which a cylindrical column of solder is used as the joining interface. In a typical ball grid array, balls or beads of solder are affixed to one face of the package in a grid pattern. The package is placed on a printed circuit board, which has tin- or solder-coated copper pads arranged in a pattern that matches the grid pattern of the solder balls. The solder balls are used to conduct electrical signals to and from an integrated circuit mounted in the package to the printed circuit board. When the solder is heated to a liquid state, the solder from the solder balls alloy with the material on the corresponding Printed Wiring Board (PWB) pads to effect a metallurgical and electrical bond. While the solder is in the liquid state, the surface tension of the molten solder holds the package in alignment with the printed circuit board and maintains separation from its neighbors while the solder cools and solidifies.
Grid array packages have numerous and significant advantages over other surface mount packages (e.g., leaded packages) for integrated circuits. For example, ball grid arrays can have much higher pin counts (generally 100 or more pins) per given area than prior packages and allow for higher packaging densities. Furthermore, due to the very short distances between their packages and the printed circuit boards, ball grid arrays have much lower thermal resistances and inductances than leaded packages. Thus, ball grid arrays provide much higher heat dissipation and electrical performance than prior surface mounted or other types of packages for integrated circuits.
Notwithstanding the distinct advantages of grid array packages, they are still prone to some of the same environmental sensitivities as their leaded counterparts (primarily moisture, radiation and heat). In addition, grid array packages tend to be more susceptible to contamination entrapment and solder bridging due to the close spacing and confined area in which the solder attachments are formed. However, due to the performance, cost and processing advantages of grid array packages, they are now entering the realm of high reliability electronic products. For example, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has approved the use of grid arrays as surface mount packages for integrated circuits in very long space missions with high reliability requirements. In an effort to further reduce cost, manufacturers have employed the use of plastic and polymeric materials in the outer packaging materials for grid array packages. This results in packages that are more susceptible to moisture and humidity than their ceramic counterparts. For this reason, plastic packages often require special handling, processing and storage conditions. In addition, high reliability applications may also have additional requirements that plastic packages have difficulty achieving. These requirements include radiation resistance, dielectric strength, out-gassing, off-gassing, flammability and atomic oxygen resistance that limit the choice of plastic materials that can be used for ball grid arrays. In order to help meet these special mission requirements, plastic grid array packages can be externally coated with a material such as parylene, to afford additional protection against these environments, that either minimize the special handling, processing and storage needs, or impart additional capabilities to the coated parts. Unfortunately, these coatings are typically applied after the part has been placed on the board, resulting in a difficult rework process if the part fails, and special handling and storage during the board build process. For this reason, development of a part-level coating process, that provides the required protection at the part level, and still allows for preliminary test and subsequent installation of the part, will reduce cost and improve reliability. Unfortunately, grid array packages are extremely difficult to coat in a truly conformal coating fashion at the part level due to the difficulty in isolating the individual grid array pads from the coating process.
Parylene is a polymer material of uniform thickness, which is often used for conformal coating of components with sharp edges, points, flat surfaces, crevices or exposed internal surfaces, uniformly and without voids. Parylene is applied using a molecular vapor deposition process in which heated molecules of the parylene dimmer are vaporized and deposited on the cooler substrate surfaces, resulting in a completely conformal coating. Parylene has an extremely high dielectric strength, a very low permeability to moisture and gases, virtually zero out-gassing, can withstand a wide temperature range, high radiation resistance, and provides a benign nonconductive, low stress coating for sensitive electronic circuitry (among other advantages). Thus, parylene is an excellent choice for conformal coating of grid array packages. However, a drawback of the use of parylene for coating grid array packages is the difficulty in achieving a coating-free condition on the solder attachment surfaces (given their relatively small size and tight spacing).
As a result, grid array packages are commonly coated after they have been soldered in place on the PWB. This technique results in: a.) the need to apply special handling, processing and storage requirements for the grid array packages during the build process to prevent moisture uptake from the environment and cleaning processes; b.) problems in obtaining a fully coated grid array surface due to the limited access of the grid array surface in the installed configuration; and c.) a rather involved and risky rework process to remove parts that fail during subsequent test and integration operations. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a solution to this existing problem of coating grid array and similar types of packages for integrated circuits at the individual part level. As described in detail below, the present invention provides an improved method and apparatus that resolves this existing problem and other similar problems.

Method and apparatus for applying external coating to grid array packages for increased reliability and performance


A hearing device includes: a housing with a frame; a battery door attached to the housing and configured to pivot in relation to the housing about a pivot axis, the battery door having a side wall with a first wall surface at least partly defining a battery compartment with a battery axis, the first wall surface comprising contact points for supporting a battery, the contact points having equal distances to the battery axis, wherein a first vector extends from the battery axis and perpendicularly crosses the pivot axis in a first direction to the pivot axis; and a closure mechanism comprising a protruding member with a distal end, and an engagement member having a first arm with a first distal end, wherein the protruding member is configured to engage with the engagement member when the battery door is in a closed position.

A focus in the hearing aid industry is to make hearing aids smaller and more discrete for the benefit of the user and thus a design which can decrease the size of the hearing aid is of importance. Further, it is of great interest from a cost perspective that designs are easy and cheap to manufacture. Generally a button battery is used in a hearing device and traditionally a battery door of a hearing aid has been fitted with a locking mechanism leading to bulky hearing devices, a complex manufacturing process and/or high failure rate of the locking mechanism.
Further, hearing device parts must be robust and resistant to wear. Further, precise fitting of moving parts is desired for improving the user experience.
Typically a closure mechanism is arranged as far from the pivot axis as possible to reduce the mechanical stress on parts of the closure mechanism.


A trailer assembly for transporting recreational vehicles generally includes a base portion having a set of wheels, a holding assembly supported by the base portion and including a first support suitable for holding a first recreational vehicle and a second support adjacent the first support and suitable for holding a second recreational vehicle. The trailer assembly further includes a movement mechanism effective to move the first support and the second support from a launch position to a stow position. The launch position is a position which facilitates launching and loading of recreational vehicles with respect to the trailer assembly and the stow position is a position which is more space-saving than the launch position and facilitates loading of the full trailer assembly into a toy hauler or other limited cargo space.

Personal watercraft continue to gain immerse popularity among water recreation enthusiasts. A personal watercraft (PWC), or sea scooter, is a recreational watercraft which supports a seated or standing rider. PWCs generally include an inboard engine which drives a pump jet that has a screw-shaped impeller which creates thrust for propulsion and steering. These watercraft are often referred by the tradenames WaveRunner, Jet Ski, or Sea-Doo, which are brand names owned by PWC manufacturers Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Bombardier, respectively.
Because of their relatively low cost and freedom and enjoyment they afford to owners, PWC are widely used for recreation. Most PWCs are designed to seat two or three people, though four-passenger models also exist. Stand-up PWCs were the first to see mass production and are still popular for single riders.
PWCs are typically transported from a home to a body of water by means of a simple utility trailer coupled to an automobile, sports utility vehicle or the like. Some utility trailers are specially designed to haul two PWCs in a side by side relationship.
An offshoot of the PWC market has been the development of high end recreational trailers and luxury motorhomes commonly know as "toy haulers". A toy hauler, also known as a sport utility trailer (SUT), "toy box", "gear box", "sport utility RV" (SURV), and "ramp trailer", is a large, sometimes motorized recreational vehicle which combines living quarters with cargo space. The cargo space is usually sufficiently ample for hauling such recreational gear as PWCs, dune buggies, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), motorcycles, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, kayaks and/or canoes.
In a typical toy hauler, a front portion thereof provides comfortable living quarters, which may be similar to the living quarters found in a conventional motorhome, and a rear portion thereof provides cargo space for containing the recreational gear. A ramp is provided at the back end of the toy hauler to facilitate loading of recreational gear into the cargo space.
Unfortunately, it is quite cumbersome to load a pair of conventional PWCs into the rear portion of a toy hauler in a side-by-side relationship. Although many older model PWCs can be somewhat narrow in width, many of the relatively later model PWCs are heavier, bulkier and generally wider than their progenitors. A typical toy hauler rear portion has a useable cargo space having a width of only about 93 inches, making it difficult to contain a pair of side-by-side PWCs mounted on a smaller trailer which commonly have a collective width of up to about 102 inches.
More convenient, easier to use systems for loading, launching, transporting and/or storing these watercraft and other recreational vehicles are needed.


When an angular acceleration α of a rotating shaft of a motor connected with a drive shaft exceeds a preset threshold value αslip, which suggests the occurrence of a skid, the torque control procedure sets a maximum torque Tmax by referring to a map, which gives a smaller maximum torque Tmax with an increase in angular acceleration α, and restricts the motor torque to the maximum torque Tmax. The maximum torque Tmax is fixed to a value corresponding to a peak value of the angular acceleration α at the time of occurrence of a skid. The torque control procedure then integrates the angular acceleration α to give a time integration thereof over an integration interval when the angular acceleration α once exceeds the preset threshold value αslip and decreases again below the preset threshold value αslip by the motor torque restriction. When the motor torque restriction practically converges the skid, the torque restricted to the maximum torque Tmax corresponding to the peak value of the angular acceleration α is restored to the new setting of the maximum torque Tmax corresponding to the time integration of the angular acceleration α.

One proposed motor control apparatus restricts torque output from a motor to a drive shaft, in response to occurrence of a skid due to wheelspin of drive wheels with the torque output from the motor (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Gazette No. 10-304514). This prior art motor control apparatus detects the occurrence of a skid when an angular acceleration (a time variation of angular velocity) of the drive wheels exceeds a preset threshold value, and lowers the torque output from the motor to reduce the skid.
The applicant of the present invention has previously proposed a technique to prevent such repetition of the occurrence and convergence of skids. This proposed technique restricts the torque output from a motor when the angular acceleration of drive wheels exceeds a preset threshold value, and relieves the torque restriction when the torque restriction lowers the angular acceleration below the preset threshold value and a predetermined cancellation condition is fulfilled (for example, when the vehicle speed is not higher than a preset level) (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Gazette No. 2001-295676).

Device and method for controlling prime mover


A load bearing truss includes generally parallel first and second chords and a plurality of V-shaped metal webs interconnecting the first and second chords. Respective portions of the first and second chords extend beyond the webs at each end of the truss. A first end connector interconnects the extension portions of the first and second chords at one end of the truss to define a first end section and a second end connector interconnects the extension portions of the first and second chords at an opposite end of the truss to define a second end section. For added reinforcement, the first end connector extends at least as far inwardly as the respective apex portions of the outermost webs which are proximate to the first end section and the second end connector extends at least as far inwardly as the respective apex portions of the outermost webs which are proximate to the second end section. The truss is lengthwise adjustable by trimming a selected one or both of the first and second end sections.

One type of conventional truss which is used for supporting building floor structures, roof decks and the like is formed with a pair of parallel wooden chords, such as 2.times.4 or 2.times.3 wood members, arranged one above the other, and interconnected by diagonally arranged webs or struts made of wood or sheet metal. The webs are fastened at their opposite ends to the respective chords by means of nailing or by overlapping them with so-called connector plates, which are flat plates with struck-out teeth extending through holes in the web ends for being embedded within the wooden chords. Such types of trusses are normally manufactured in a factory and transported to a construction site for installation as part of a building.
It is known in the art of truss design and construction to use V-shaped metal webs of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,352 and U.S. Pat. No. Re. 31,807. In this type of web, the connector plates are integrally formed with the web legs, which increases the strength of the truss and reduces handling and assembly of separate components.
It is also known in the art of truss design and construction to provide a truss with trimmable ends, whereby the length of the truss is adjustable at the job site. A truss with trimmable ends is described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,800. Typically, at least four wooden support posts are used to support the truss, one near each end and two near the center of the truss. Four metal connector plates are usually required to connect each post to the chords. Further, grooves must be cut in the two end support posts to accommodate respective flat wooden sheets, which define the respective trimmable ends of the truss. The four support posts and sixteen metal connector plates associated therewith, and their assembly, substantially increase the cost of fabricating the truss, both in terms of material and labor.
There is, therefore a need, for an improved adjustable length truss and in particular, there is a need for adjustable length truss which can be fabricated at a lower cost than prior art adjustable length trusses.

Truss with trimmable ends and metal web connectors


A T-fitting such as for use inside a containment box for connecting a primary pipeline to a gasoline dispenser has two flanges which connect to the pipeline and a main T-element sealed to each flange by a sealing element such as a gasket. The flanges thread onto each end of the primary pipeline. The main T-element has a stem which is threaded to a pipe leading to a gasoline dispenser. The flanges of the T-element are bolted to the main body of the T-element with the rubber gasket in between to seal the primary pipeline to the T-element. A method for installing a secondary containment system using the T-fitting includes the steps of fastening the stem of the T to the pipe leading to the gasoline dispenser, fastening the flanges of the T-fitting to primary pipeline segments, and fastening the flanges to the main body of the T element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe layout system for gasoline handling equipment, and more particularly, to a pipe layout system for service stations with secondary containment pipes and a system using a T-fitting for simplifying installation of primary and secondary pipelines and containment boxes, most particularly, where several dispensers have the same pipeline in common.
2. Background of the Invention
For some time now, gasoline handling equipment, such as gasoline dispensers, and the piping connecting such dispensers with underground gasoline tanks and pumps has been made with secondary containment. That is, due to environmental concerns favoring prevention of leaking gasoline from entering the ground, the pipes have a second pipe around them, and the dispensers and underground pump have a box-like structure below them. An example of such a box and secondary containment is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,285,829 and 5,341,857, both to the present inventor. Typically, for each product line, such as 87 octane, there is a separate pipeline. At the dispenser, there is an impact valve which will shut off the flow of gasoline to the dispenser in the event of a vehicle colliding with the gasoline dispenser or other disaster. The above-mentioned patents show that the impact valve may also be connected to a float mechanism for detecting leaking gasoline that is collected within the dispenser. The lifting of the float mechanism will shut off the impact valve. In addition, in such systems, it is common to provide a light, bell, or other warning signal, including the shutting off of the dispenser itself, to alert the station attendant that there is a problem with that dispenser. The float system will also detect water and will operate in the same manner as in response to gasoline.
In such systems, it is industry practice and often mandatory under the fire codes or pursuant to the fire marshal's request to have a mechanism to detect leaking gasoline in the primary pipeline, which then would get into the secondary pipeline or containment boxes. At each containment box, the secondary pipeline can either be left open, as the box itself provides secondary containment, or completely closed. However, if the line is left open, it cannot be pressure-tested. Typically, codes require that the secondary line be pressurized and hold a minimum pressure, e.g., 5 psi, for a minimum time. Therefore, the secondary containment line is either closed by means of a plug inside the containment box, or closed and connected all the way through the box. The latter structure is somewhat cumbersome.
Because of the leak detection requirement, the pipelines are inclined downward from the outermost dispenser with respect to the underground storage tank. A typical incline is one-eighth (1/8) inch per one foot of pipeline. A common distance between concrete islands center to center for each dispenser is about twenty (20) feet. The total vertical incline will be two and one-half (21/2) inches over twenty (20) feet for a 1/8 inch per foot drop. Since the pipes incline from the underground tank to the last dispenser along a pipeline, when there are several dispensers served by one product line, there can be a very significant vertical drop in the line. This necessitates the use of a different size containment box under each dispenser. Therefore, if there are three (3) dispensers, there must be three (3) different depth boxes (or one depth with three different places for penetration of the pipeline depending under which dispenser it is installed). Typically, the highest box's penetration hole is eighteen (18) inches from the concrete of the island to the middle of the primary pipeline, as a minimum required by local regulators or agencies. The next deepest holes would then be two and one-half (21/2) inches deeper, and the third deepest holes would be five (5) inches deeper. Therefore, the excavation for the deeper boxes is more cumbersome. This problem is exacerbated when service stations have more than three (3) dispensers. In fact, it is not uncommon at truck stops and the like to have about six (6) or seven (7) concrete islands. Therefore, the deepest boxes must be installed quite deep, as well as being custom-made, depending on the distance from center to center of each successive island. More importantly, a standard tank depth is about four (4) feet, but with six (6) dispensers the tank depth would have to be well deeper than four (4) feet. This would necessitate a major expense to lower the fuel tank. In a new installation, it is still expensive to excavate deeper for the tank, and certain local requirements may prohibit too deep a tank.
It should be noted that the float leak detection system of the above-mentioned patents could be used to detect a leak in the dispenser or pump pipeline, but the impact valve only shuts down the dispenser where the box is located. If the entire product line is shut down by turning off the pump in response to detection by a float mechanism in any given containment box, this will result in significant loss of customers and lost service. In fact, providing any kind of detection in a containment box which shuts down the pump for the entire line suffers from this problem.
There is also a problem that service station attendants or owners will often disconnect the float mechanism, particularly if the box has been poorly installed and water tends to get into the box setting off the float.
In such systems, it is customary to install the containment box. The box surrounds an impact valve which leads to the gasoline dispenser below which the box is installed. A primary pipeline (product line) will pass through the box carrying fuel from an underground storage tank to the gasoline dispenser above the box, and also to be carried to an additional dispenser. Accordingly a T element is needed within the box to connect an input line of the primary pipeline to the line leading to the impact valve and dispenser (gasoline dispenser input line), while allowing product to continue on to the next dispenser through a product output line.
In view of the above, there is a great need for a detection system which can shut down the primary (product) line, but only in response to leaks in the primary pipeline and not in response to water or a local leak within a containment box. In addition, there is a great need for avoiding excavating deeply and providing numerous types of boxes where, in particular, more than three dispensers are connected along one product line.
This creates a difficult situation to get access inside the box for installation or repair of a penetration fitting or a leading pipe, or components. What is needed is a way to simplify installation of the primary and secondary pipeline and fittings, and to simplify repair of same.

Installation method for pipe layout with opposing incline


A fastener is used to connect a first link to a second link in a vehicle seat assembly. The fastener has a head portion and a body portion extending outwardly from the head portion and defining an external diameter. The body portion is generally cylindrical and has a central bore with an internal diameter that is less than the external diameter. The method for connecting the first link to the second link with the fastener includes the steps of inserting the central body portion through aligned apertures in the links to form a subassembly and holding the subassembly fixed while a tooling member applies a linear load to the distal end of the body portion. The tooling member is inserted into the central bore and deforms the body portion for engagement with the first and second links to allow relative rotational movement between the links while eliminating relative linear movement therebetween.

Linkage assemblies are often used in seat assemblies to provide various functions including seat adjustment capability. Linkage assemblies typically include two or more link members, which are joined to each other by using various methods. The link members typically receive input from an adjuster control member which causes the links to rotate relative to one another to achieve a desired position. In known links, as the links rotate there has typically been free play or linear movement between the links. This free play is detrimental to the stability of the adjuster.
Various methods have been used to eliminate the free play between link members. Often bushings or bushing materials are used in the link assembly to take up the free play yet permit the links to rotate relative to one another. This is expensive and requires additional assembly time and materials.
Thus, it is desirable to eliminate the use of bushings and bushing type materials from linkage assemblies by providing a linkage assembly that uses a fastener which allows relative rotational movement between link members but eliminates free play between the members. By eliminating the use of bushings, the cost of the linkage assembly is reduced and assembly time is decreased.

Zero looseness fastener for linkage assembly


A remote tracking and communication device comprising a housing which encloses a processor, a memory, a position locator, a first transmitter, and a second transmitter. Each of the latter components are electronically coupled to the processor. Both the first and second transmitters are adapted to send and receive wireless voice and data signals in a digital format. The device further comprises a first battery, which is removably affixed to the housing and electronically coupled to each component within the housing, a speaker and a microphone electronically coupled to the first transmitter, and a button electronically coupled to the processor. When pressed, the button is adapted to activate voice communications with a call center using the first transmitter.

Many different devices are known for the remote tracking of individuals, cars, or the like and/or for remotely communicating with individuals. For example, standard cellular telephones allow two-way voice communication, but they are often incapable, or at least inefficient, at tracking the movement of the operating user. On the other hand, remote tracking devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,652,570, 5,731,757, 5,867,103, 6,072,396, and 6,100,806. Each of these mobile tracking devices enables the remote tracking of the unit (and the user operating or wearing the device), but they do not have two-way voice communication capabilities or have implementations of two-way voice communication capabilities which are at best awkward and require additional devices for implementation of full voice communication.
Moreover, the database systems which support such mobile tracking devices generally pass all location data obtained from the tracking devices directly through to the administrative user who requires analysis of the data. This places the task of sorting through the mountain of location data directly on the administrative user. Placing such a heavy burden on the administrative user, however, is generally undesirable and a waste of resources.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Remote tracking and communication device


Devices and techniques for temperature informed memory refresh are described herein. A temperature counter can be updated in response to a memory device write performed under an extreme temperature. Here, the write is performed on a memory device element in the memory device. The memory device element can be sorted above other memory device elements in the memory device based on the temperature counter. Once sorted to the top of these memory device elements, a refresh can be performed the memory device element.

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory, including volatile and non-volatile memory.
Volatile memory requires power to maintain its data, and includes random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), or synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM), among others.
Non-volatile memory can retain stored data when not powered, and includes flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), static RAM (SRAM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), resistance variable memory, such as phase-change random-access memory (PCRAM), resistive random-access memory (RRAM), magnetoresistive random-access memory (MRAM), or storage class memory, among others.
Memory cells are typically arranged in a matrix or an array. Multiple matrices or arrays can be combined into a memory device, and multiple devices can be combined to form a storage volume of a memory system, such as a solid-state drive (SSD), a Universal Flash Storage (UFS™) device, a MultiMediaCard (MMC) solid-state storage device, an embedded MMC device (eMMC™), etc.
Flash devices work by trapping a charge in a cell (e.g., in a charge trap or floating gate) that then interferes with opening a channel by a control gate. The control gate read voltage is calibrated to be between two trapped charge states. Accordingly, if the channel opens (e.g., the control gate voltage can override the trapped charge) the cell has one value (e.g., a '1' in a single level cell (SLC)) and a different value if the channel does not open (e.g., a '0' in an SLC). Thus, it is important that the trapped charge is calibrated with the read voltage.
The calibration of the trapped charge and read voltage can be affected by several circumstances. For example, the calibration of the trapped charge and the read voltage is affected by temperature. Generally, the threshold voltage of a flash transistor changes with temperatures. A memory controller can adjust the read voltage based on ambient temperature. The threshold voltage and the read voltage adjustment cannot go hand in hand because there are several million transistors in a NAND package and there can be transistor-to-transistor differences with respect to the threshold voltage movement for temperature. Thus, programming at one temperature and reading at a different temperature tends to exacerbate margins. A typical result of writing at temperatures that are hot or cold is increased read errors. These read errors tend to diminish perceived performance of the device because error correction is performed during the read, resulting in greater latencies in the read-request and data delivery cycle.
To put it another way, memory (e.g., NAND Flash) devices experience higher raw bit error rates (RBERs) when there is a large difference between the temperature at which data is written—the write temperature—and the temperature at which data is read—the read temperature. Read performance can be impacted due to these RBERs because the device compensates for the difference in write and read temperatures through error-handling. Traditionally, the error-handling addresses higher numbers of RBER events by calibrating the read voltage levels to correctly read or recover the data at the cost of increased latency in servicing a request. While all NAND devices can be affected by the error-handling events, QLC and TLC devices with performance trims can be affected to a greater degree because these devices tend to have smaller margins to tolerate temperature effects, and thus, error-handling is triggered more often. Cross-temperature—when the write and read temperatures differ—problems, when coupled with other intrinsic NAND failure mechanisms—such as data retention, read disturb, wear, or any other intrinsic failure mechanisms—can further reduce the margins and increased error-handling processing.
The cross-temperature issues described above—e.g., minimizing the error handling trigger rates and unrecoverable errors—can be addressed by detecting high cross-temperature events and refreshing blocks appropriately without impacting request performance. Maintaining a look-up table of write temperature data for blocks is a way to minimize the cross-temperature related performance impact or reliability issues. Here, knowledge of the written temperature can be used to apply read voltage adjustments pre-emptively for host reads. The need to maintain a look-up table, which can be expensive in terms of on-device memory (e.g., RAM), is a drawback of this approach. What is needed is an effective correction of extreme—either too hot or too cold—write temperatures that has minimal impact on processing or record keeping for the device.


A method is provided for preparing a substrate for photolithographic patterning. The method includes providing a substrate having at least an exposed rough surface layer including a polymeric material. The rough surface layer has surface features characterized by feature step height varying between about two percent and twenty percent of the minimum photolithographic half-pitch. A layer of photoresist material is then provided over the exposed rough surface layer and patterned.

The present invention relates to photolithography.
As the size of devices is made smaller with each successive generation of microelectronics, the thickness of a photoresist layer used in patterning features of the devices is typically reduced. This is so for a variety of reasons, including the need to compensate for reduced control over the photolithographic depth of focus and reduced depth to which the photolithographic dose is absorbed at shorter wavelengths. However, a primary reason for the reduction of the photoresist thickness is avoidance of pattern collapse in the imaged photoresist layer. A well-known mechanism causing the collapse of photoresist patterns is loss of adhesion between the photoresist patterns and an underlying layer on which they are formed. The underlying layer is frequently a substrate or a layer of a substrate which consists essentially of a polymeric material. Such polymeric material layer is generally utilized as an antireflective coating (ARC).
Generally, the thickness of the photoresist layer is determined as a fixed multiple of the smallest size of a feature to be imaged in the photoresist layer. Stated another way, the photolithography process places a maximum value on the aspect ratio of photoresist patterns, the aspect ratio being the height of a patterned feature in a photoresist layer to the minimum width of the patterned feature. For photoresists sensitive to both i-line and deep ultra-violet wavelength (DUV) sources, the maximum aspect ratio was maintained at approximately 3.5 over several generations of shrinking feature sizes. For photoresists sensitive to 193 nm sources, the maximum aspect ratio has been maintained at approximately 3.0. However, for photoresists sensitive to 193 nm with higher effective numeric apertures and 157 nm sources, the avoidance of pattern collapse may require the maximum aspect ratio to decrease to an even lower value of about 2.0 to 2.5. Given that the size of features are shrunk even further for sub 130 nm node technologies, the reduced aspect ratio means that the height of the photoresist patterns is drastically reduced from what it was only a few years before.
As a result, in order to avoid pattern collapse, the photoresist thickness is reduced drastically, sometimes at the expense of other processing parameters. At such reduced photoresist thickness, one or the other of the following responses would be required, if a conventional approach were employed. One response would be to greatly increase the selectivity of the etch process to the patterned photoresist material, an achievement which is difficult to accomplish. Another way would be to utilize additional films, e.g. hardmask layers, for use with the patterned photoresist layer in sequentially transferring the pattern to underlying layers, a solution, while workable, which results in increased process complexity.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method of avoiding collapse of photoresist patterns, which does not require the height of the patterns to be constrained to the same degree as conventionally practiced.
In addition, it would be desirable to provide a method of preparing a substrate for photolithographic patterning without requiring the selectivity of etch processes to be significantly increased and without having to utilize multiple films for sequential pattern transfer.

Method to reduce photoresist pattern collapse by controlled surface microroughening

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a heart pump apparatus comprising a turbine pump for assisting the heart of a human patient. The invention is based on the realization that a turbine without a center axis would improve the capacity of the heart help pump apparatus. The present invention also relates to a turbine pump system for assisting the heart of a human patient. The present invention also relates to operation methods and methods for surgically placing a rotating body of a turbine pump and a stator of a turbine pump in a patient.

There are prior art implanted heart help pumps which include a turbine. These heart help pumps are implanted either in a blood vessel or in a heart chamber. All these pumps have a centre axis about which turbine vanes are provided. These vanes propeller blood as the centre axis rotates, thus assisting the heart with the work of pumping blood through the blood vessel system of the patient.


A method of inducing tolerance to a transplant transplanted from a donor to a subject is disclosed. The method comprises (a) restricting outflow of a fluid from a portion of the circulatory system of the subject; and (b) administering a dose of bone marrow cells derived from the donor to a body part delimiting said portion of the circulatory system, prior to, concomitantly with or following transplantation of the transplant, thereby inducing tolerance to the transplant in the subject.

The present invention relates to methods of inducing immunological tolerance. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of transplantation of allogeneic donor bone marrow cells (BMCs) to a restricted hematopoietic space of a sublethally conditioned host recipient to induce donor specific immunological tolerance in the host.
Transplantation of allogeneic donor cells, tissues or organs is central to the therapy of a large number of highly debilitating and/or lethal diseases, including many diseases for which such transplantation is the sole or highly preferred therapeutic option. For example, in the United States more than 19,000 transplants, half of the world total, are performed each year to treat many diseases collectively involving various tissues, including all major organs. The list of successfully transplanted cells, tissues and organs includes: kidney, heart, lung, liver, corneas, pancreas, pancreatic islets of Langerhans, intestines, brain tissue, liver, spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, bone marrow, skin, and bones. Combinations of tissue have also been transplanted, for example, bone marrow-solid organ transplants, heart-lung transplants, pancreas-kidney transplants, and pancreas-kidney-intestinal transplants.
Among the diseases which can be treated by bone marrow transplantation (BMT), are more than 20 otherwise fatal diseases that include the six or seven genetically different forms of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), various forms of congenital or genetically determined hematopoietic abnormalities, combinations of these two, certain anemias, osteopetrosis, a variety of high risk leukemias and several forms of severe life-threatening aplastic anemia. These diseases include severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) autosomal recessive with and without B cells [no adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency]; SCID X-linked recessive without B cells; SCID autosomal recessive with ADA deficiency; Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome; Blackfan-Diamond syndrome; Fanconi anemia; severe neutrophil dysfunction; chronic granulomatous disease of childhood; severe (Kostman-type) agranulocytosis; immunodeficiency and neutropenia of cartilage-hair hypoplasia; infantile and late onset osteopetrosis; aplastic anemia-toxic chemical, idiopathic, immunological, and genetic (non-Fanconi); acute myeloid leukemia; chronic myeloid leukemia; Burkitt lymphoma, and recurrent acute lymphatic leukemia. Other diseases that have been treated recently with BMT include metabolic storage diseases such as Gaucher's disease, hemoglobinophaties such as thalassemia, and even some solid tumors such as neuroblastoma.
Autoimmune diseases have also come to be regarded as stem cell disorders in recent years and treatment of various autoimmune diseases by BMT is a focus of attention today (Ikehara S., 1998. Int J Mol Med. 1:5–16).
Transplantation of allogeneic cells, tissues and organs has the potential to treat the large numbers of patients who do not receive such therapy since, for example, in the United States more than 200,000 people suffer from kidney failure at any one time, and more 60,000 people die of liver failure yearly.
Due to the chronic shortage of compatible donors, each year more than 56,000 critically ill people in the United States are on waiting lists to receive an organ transplant that could prevent further death or disability.
However, transplantation of allogeneic cells, tissues or organs involves significant drawbacks for which no adequate solutions exist. Such drawbacks, including graft rejection, complications from immunosuppressive therapy and graft-versus-host disease, frequently occur, and are frequently highly debilitating or lethal.
All individuals express unique combinations of cell surface molecules, termed major histocompatibility antigens, which function to enable the immune system to distinguish self from non-self, and to thereby trigger immunological elimination of foreign tissues. Thus, transplantation therapies are burdened by the need to select transplant donors whose major histocompatibility antigens are as genetically close to those of the recipient as possible and by the mandatory requirement for life-long administration of potent immunosuppressive agents, such as cyclosporin, to combat graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease in transplant recipients.
Graft rejection may occur through a number of different mechanisms, with the time course of rejection being characteristic of the particular mechanism. Early rejection (hyperacute rejection) occurring within minutes or hours of transplantation, involves complement activation by components that are present at time of the transplant operation. Activation may occur via the classical pathway by preformed antibodies that are reactive with the "foreign" or non-self markers of the graft or via the alternative pathway in response to tissue damage in the graft as a result of, for example, ischemic damage to the organ during storage before transplantation. Acute rejection occurs days to weeks after transplantation, and is caused by sensitization of the host to the foreign tissue that makes up the graft. Once the host's immune system has identified the transplanted tissue as foreign, all the resources of the immune system are marshalled against the graft, including both specific (e.g., B-cell, and T-cell dependent) responses and non-specific (phagocytic, complement-dependent, etc.) responses. In cases where the graft recipient is immunosuppressed, chronic graft rejection, a T cell mediated process, will eventually occur within a number of years. In chronic graft rejection, the graft may survive long enough for tissue to undergo changes which ultimately affect survival of the graft. Such changes include hyperplasia, tissue hypertrophy, and endothelial cell damage leading to narrowing of the vascular lumen, potentially impairing the oxygen supply to the graft tissue. Rejected transplants must be surgically removed, and if the transplant is a life-sustaining organ such as a lung, liver, or heart, a patient may die before a replacement organ is found.
Although the standard use of immunosuppressive agents such as cyclosporin has greatly increased the short-term success rate, notably of transplants of solid organs such as kidney, and renders allogeneic transplantation practicable, such drugs display pronounced side-effects, such as dramatically increasing the risks of cardiovascular disease, potentially lethal opportunistic infections and malignancies. Furthermore, as described hereinabove chronic rejection sooner or later remains inevitable under current transplantation/immunosuppression regimens. Moreover, immunosuppressive drugs have not had a significant effect on long-term transplant survival. More than half of transplanted kidneys, the organ most often transplanted, are rejected within ten years, and the patient must receive another kidney transplant or start dialysis treatments, which are uncomfortable, expensive, and time-consuming.
Similarly to solid organ transplants, widespread clinical application of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) as a means of tolerance induction is restricted by the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with toxicity of conditioning, graft-versus-host disease and failure of engraftment (Armitage J O., 1994. New Engl J Med. 330:827).
Thus, because of the toxicity and incomplete response rate to conventional treatment of donor tissue rejection, alternative approaches are needed to induce immunological tolerance to allografts. Tolerance is the acquired lack of specific responsiveness to an antigen to which an immune response would normally occur. Typically, to induce tolerance, there must be an exposure to a tolerizing antigen, which results in the death or functional inactivation of certain lymphocytes. Complete tolerance is characterized by the lack of a detectable immune response to a repeat antigenic challenge, and partial tolerance is typified by a quantitative or qualitative reduction of an immune response.
One potentially promising strategy which has been employed to induce allogeneic donor specific immunological tolerance in a host without, or with reduced, life-long immunosuppressive drug regimens involves transplantation of donor bone marrow cells (BMCs) in the host. Establishment of donor specific hemopoietic chimerism in the host following such transplantation has been shown to correlate with tolerance of the host to subsequent donor derived grafts, including organ grafts (Ildstad S T. and Sachs D H., 1984. Nature 307:168; Ildstad S T. et al., 1985. J Exp Med. 162:231; Sharabi Y. and Sachs D., 1989. J Exp Med. 169:493; Markus P M. et al., 1993. Cell Transplant. 2:345). transplanted BMCs
However, such an approach of inducing donor specific immunological tolerance in a host presents significant drawbacks. The lethal conditioning regimens, such as myoablative total body irradiation, required to ensure stable engraftment of allogeneic donor BMCs in the host are unacceptably dangerous, being often lethal or highly toxic; the efficiency of establishment of donor specific hemopoietic chimerism is highly inefficient; and such transplantation of allogeneic BMCs is associated with unacceptably high rates of graft-versus-host disease.
Various prior art approaches have been attempted for induction of donor specific immunological tolerance in a host via allogeneic donor BMC transplantation.
One approach has used high levels of whole body irradiation (1.5–3 Gy) to condition murine hosts prior to syngeneic donor BMC transplantation in attempt to facilitate donor specific hemopoietic chimerism. However, only about 50% of animals conditioned with 1.5 Gy WBI showed evidence for BMC engraftment (Tomita Y. et al., 1994. Blood 83:939).
Another approach has utilized whole body irradiation of at least 0.5–0.6 Gy to condition murine hosts prior to MHC-mismatched allogeneic donor BMC transplantation for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type skin grafts. However, the level of donor chimerism achieved in these studies was less than 50% (Colson Y L. et al., 1995. J Immunol. 155:4179).
Yet another approach has utilized lethal whole body irradiation, to condition rat hosts prior to allogeneic donor BMC transplantation for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type cardiac grafts. In this approach, however, only thirty-seven percent of animals displayed stable hemopoietic chimerism (Markus P M. et al., 1993. Cell Transplant. 2:345).
Still another approach has employed supralethal conditioning of rat hosts prior to allogeneic+ syngeneic donor T cell depleted BMC transplantation for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type skin or cardiac grafts (Colson Y. et al., 1995. Transplantation 60:971).
Yet still another approach has used 0.3 Gy whole body irradiation and administration of anti-lymphocyte globulin and cyclophosphamide to condition murine hosts prior to allogeneic donor BMC transplantation for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type skin grafts (Colson Y. et al., 1996. J Immunol. 157:2820).
A further approach has utilized 3 Gy whole body irradiation and administration of anti-T cell monoclonal antibodies to condition murine hosts prior to allogeneic donor BMC transplantation for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type skin grafts (Tomita Y. et al., 1996. Transplantation 61:469).
Yet a further approach has employed administration of CTLA4-Ig to condition murine hosts prior to allogeneic donor BMC transplantation for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type skin or cardiac grafts (Pearson T C. et al., 1996. Transplantation 61:997). Such inhibition of costimulatory pathways, however did not induce optimal long-term tolerance to the secondary organ grafts, and the immune suppression was not donor specific.
Still a further approach has employed anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 mAbs, 300-rad whole body irradiation, and 700-rad thymic irradiation to condition murine hosts prior to allogeneic donor BMC transplantation for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type skin grafts (Sharabi Y. and Sachs D., 1989. J Exp Med. 169:493).
Yet still a further approach has utilized 5.5 Gy whole body irradiation to condition murine hosts prior to transplantation of allogeneic donor BMCs via portal vein injection for treatment of autoimmune disease (Kushida T. et al., 2000. Blood 95:1862).
An additional approach has employed 5.5 Gy whole body irradiation to condition murine hosts prior to transplantation of allogeneic donor BMCs via intra-bone marrow (IB) injection for treatment of autoimmune disease (Kushida T. et al., 2001. Blood 97:3292).
Yet an additional approach has used intra-osseous injection of allogeneic bone marrow in patients receiving marrow transplants from HLA-identical or one antigen-mismatched related donors (Hagglund H. et al., 1998. Bone Marrow Transplantation 21:331). In these trials, however, haematopoietic recovery was not improved relative to intravenous bone marrow administration.
Still an additional approach has utilized 6.5 Gy whole body irradiation to condition murine hosts prior to transplantation of a megadose of allogeneic donor BMCs for induction of donor specific hemopoietic chimerism (Bachar-Lustig B et al., 1995. Nat Med 1:1268).
Yet still an additional approach has employed transplantation of a megadose of allogeneic donor stem cells via intravenous injection for induction of donor specific hemopoietic chimerism in mice (Gandy K L and Weissman I L. 1998. Transplantation 65:295).
Another approach has used 0.5 Gy whole body irradiation, tacrolimus and anti lymphocyte serum to condition murine hosts prior to transplantation of a megadose of allogeneic donor BMCs for induction of tolerance to subsequent donor type cardiac grafts (Sykes M. et al., 1997. Nat Med. 3:783).
Yet another approach has used transplantation of megadoses of c-Kit+Thy−1.1(lo)Lin−/loSca−1+allogeneic donor BMCs for induction of donor specific hemopoietic chimerism in mice (Uchida N. et al., 1998. J Clin Invest. 101:961).
Yet another approach has utilized transplantation of megadoses of allogeneic donor Scal+Lin− BMCs in attempts to induce tolerance to subsequent donor type skin grafts (Reisner Y. and Martelli M F., 2000. Exp Hematol. 28:119).
However, all of the aforementioned approaches suffer from significant disadvantages. All prior art approaches have either employed BMC megadoses in mice which cannot be practically achieved in humans; have not shown efficient engraftment of transplanted cells, tissues or organs; have not shown satisfactory long-term survival of BMC and/or secondary organ grafts; have employed harmful whole body irradiation; have employed lethal or supralethal conditioning regimens; have employed toxic drugs for conditioning; have employed inefficient intravenous injection for delivery of BMCs; have not addressed issues of donor specific hemopoietic chimerism and/or tolerance to secondary donor organ grafts; have not demonstrated the capacity to induce immunological tolerance to different donor type secondary organ grafts; have not demonstrated the capacity to induce tolerance to a solid graft administered simultaneously with a tolerogenic dose of BMCs; and/or have resulted in unacceptable rates of graft-versus-host disease.
Thus, all prior art approaches have failed to provide an adequate solution for safely, effectively, and flexibly inducing allogeneic donor specific immunological tolerance via administration of donor-derived BMCs.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, a method of inducing immunological tolerance devoid of the above limitation.

Method of inducing immune tolerance via blood/lymph flow-restricted bone marrow transplantation


The present invention provides a process for the removal of cholesterol from egg yolk, wherein. 1. a diluted egg yolk mixture is produced by the addition of an aqueous solution of ammonium carbonate or of sodium chloride, PA1 2. the diluted egg yolk mixture is mixed with a solid adsorbent or complexing agent until the cholesterol is adsorbed or complexed and thereafter PA1 3. the solid adsorbent loaded with cholesterol or the cholesterol complex is separated from the egg yolk mixture and PA1 4. subsequently ammonium carbonate or sodium chloride and possibly water is removed.

Cholesterol and cholesterol esters, both of which are designated in the following as cholesterol, are lipophilic substances which occur in numerous important foodstuffs of animal origin, for example egg yolk, meat, animal fats and the like.
As is known, increased cholesterol levels in the blood serum of humans represent an increased risk factor for arteriosclerosis and for coronary heart disease.
By means of a reduction of the cholesterol intake, it is, in most pathological cases, possible again to achieve the normal cholesterol levels in blood serum. For this reason, an important endeavour of the foodstuff industry is to carry out a marked reduction of the cholesterol in fat-rich foodstuffs of animal origin.
An important problem is thereby the substantial maintenance of the sensory and nutritional-physiological properties of the foodstuffs.
According to the prior art, admittedly a number of processes are known for the isolation of cholesterol but, because of the chemical change of important components of the starting material, for example of proteins, triglycerides and the like, these methods are not suitable for the reduction of the cholesterol content of foodstuffs.
A relatively gentle process which has only become known recently uses carbon dioxide high pressure extraction for the removal of cholesterol (cf. V. Krukonis, Supercritical Fluid processing, International Symposium on Supercritical Fluids, Nice, 1988).
This process is admittedly characterised by the physiological harmlessness of the extraction agent, carbon dioxide, but working at a high pressure is technically somewhat laborious. Furthermore, according to this process, cholesterol cannot be removed selectively under gentle conditions because triglycerides are also extracted at the same time. An improvement of the selectivity by increasing the temperature is admittedly possible in principle but this has a negative effect on the loading of the carbon dioxide with cholesterol and on the quality of the product obtained.
Another known process for the removal of cholesterol derivatives is the complexing of these substances with .beta.-cyclodextrin. Thus, for example, according to published European Patent Specification No. 0,326,469, egg yolk powder, after homogenization thereof with water, is stirred for 5 hours at 40.degree. C. with .beta.-cyclodextrin and the complex obtained is separated by centrifuging. In this way, however, the cholesterol contents can only be reduced to at most 74% of the initial values.
According to the process described in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 439,556, filed Nov. 21, 1989, exclusively, the egg yolk plasma, which has been obtained from egg yolk with the help of an emulsion-breaking agent (water) after centrifuging off the LDL granula fraction, is mixed with .beta.-cyclodextrin. Subsequently, after separating the .beta.-cyclodextrin, the egg yolk plasma treated in this manner is again combined with the LDL granula fraction. However, in some cases, the separation of the egg yolk plasma from the LDL granula fraction and from the .beta.-cyclodextrin-cholesterol complex gives rise to difficulties.

Process for the removal of cholesterol from egg yolk


A method for determining a value for a missing target pixel in an interlaced video field during a de-interlacing process includes providing at least one lookup table that correlates motion data to at least one of a plurality of de-interlacing methods, generating motion data related to the missing target pixel, utilizing the related motion data to perform a lookup on the at least one lookup table, and selecting the at least one de-interlacing method correlated to the motion data to generate the value for the missing target pixel. A de-interlacing system includes a motion detection unit that generates motion data related to a missing target pixel in a subject interlaced video field based on per-pixel motion measurements calculated from neighboring pixels in the subject field, at least one preceding field and at least one subsequent field, a video processing unit selects and utilizes at least one de-interlacing method to determine a value for the missing target pixel based on the related motion data, and at least one lookup table accessible to the video processing unit that correlates motion data to at least one of the plurality of de-interlacing methods.

The present invention relates to digital image processing and more particularly to a method and apparatus for converting interlaced video fields into progressively scanned frames.
World wide video standards such as NTSC, PAL, and SECAM use interlaced video formats to maximize the vertical refresh rates while minimizing the required transmission bandwidth. In an interlaced video format, a picture frame is divided into fields, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, which depicts a picture frame 11 divided into three (3) exemplary video fields 10a, 10b, 10c. In each video field, e.g., 10a, a plurality of pixels 14 are arranged in scan lines 12a. The pixels 14 in one half of scan lines 12a of a picture frame are displayed on the screen during the first vertical scan period (i.e., the odd field 10a), while the pixels 14 in the other half of scan lines 12b, positioned halfway between those displayed during the first period, are displayed during the second vertical scan period (i.e., the even field 10b). While using an interlaced format provides the benefits mentioned above, it also can produce undesirable visual artifacts, such as line flicker and line crawling.
The visual artifacts can be minimized and the appearance of an interlaced image can be improved by converting it to a non-interlaced (progressive) format and displaying it as such. In fact, many newer display technologies, such as for example Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) and Plasma Display Panels (PDP), are designed to display progressively scanned video images, i.e., non-interlaced.
A conventional progressive video signal display system, e.g., a television (TV) or a projector, is illustrated in FIG. 1C. As is shown the display system 20 includes a signal receiving unit 22 that is coupled to a tuner box 24, and a video decoder 28. Signals, such as television signals, are captured by the signal receiving unit 22 and transmitted to the tuner box 24. The tuner box 24 includes a converter 25 and a demodulation unit 26 that transforms the incoming signal into an analog signal. The analog signal 27 is received by the video decoder 28, which outputs an interlaced video signal 29. As stated above, if the interlaced video signal 29 is displayed, undesirable visual artifacts, such as line flicker and line crawling, exist. Accordingly, a de-interlacer 30 is used to convert, i.e., de-interlace, the interlaced video signal 29 to generate a progressive video output signal 32. The progressive video output signal 32 is then displayed via an LCD or PDP 34.
Numerous methods have been proposed for de-interlacing an interlaced video signal to generate a progressive video signal. For instance, some methods perform a simple spatial-temporal de-interlacing technique, such as line repetition and field insertion. These methods, however, do not necessarily take into consideration motion between or within fields. For instance, it is well known that while line repetition is adequate for image regions having motion, line repetition is not suitable for stationary (still) image regions. By the same token, field insertion is a satisfactory de-interlacing method for stationary image regions, but inadequate for moving image regions. Therefore, utilizing one method presents a tradeoff between vertical spatial resolution and motion artifacts
To address this issue, some de-interlacing methods are motion adaptive, i.e., they take into consideration the motion from field to field and/or from pixel to pixel in a field. Motion adaptive de-interlacing methods can dynamically switch or fade between different de-interlacing methods, such as between line repetition and field insertion. Per-field motion adaptive de-interlacing methods select a de-interlacing technique on a field-by-field basis. Thus, per-field de-interlacing methods do not maintain the overall quality throughout an image when there are both stationary and moving regions on it. Whereas, per-pixel de-interlacing methods select a de-interlacing technique on a pixel-by-pixel basis, thus providing a much better overall quality throughout an image.
Yet more de-interlacing methods are based on identifying the type of the source material from which the interlaced video signal was generated. For example, motion picture film or computer graphics signals are inherently progressive, i.e., non-interlaced. When the signals are transmitted for broadcasting, the signals are converted into interlaced video signals according to standards such as NTSC and PAL. Well known techniques such as 3:2 pull-down or 2:2 pull-down are used to break the original progressive frames into interlaced video fields while maintaining the correct frame rate. De-interlacing such signals originating from such non-interlaced (progressive) sources can be achieved with high quality if the original progressive frame sequences can be identified and reconstructed correctly. Thus, by recognizing that a video sequence originates from a progressive source, the original progressive frames can be reconstructed exactly from the appropriate video fields.
Unfortunately, video transmission formats do not include explicit information about the type of source material being carried, such as whether the material was derived from a progressive source. Thus, in order for a video processing device to exploit the progressive nature of film or CG sources, it is first necessary to determine whether the material originates from a progressive source. If it is determined that the material originates from such a source, it is furthermore necessary to determine precisely which video fields originate from which source frames.
Typically, the source of the interlaced video signal can be determined by examining the motion between successive fields of an input video sequence. It is well known that a 3:2 pull-down conversion produces a characteristic motion pattern or cadence. Accordingly, when such a pattern or cadence is detected, the de-interlacer can enter a "film mode". Nevertheless, if there are improperly edited video sequences ("bad edits") that disrupt the 3:2 pull-down cadence, the de-interlacer will terminate the "film mode," and implement other de-interlacing techniques until it detects the characteristic pattern or cadence. During the "non film mode" period, non-optimal de-interlacing methods are generally used that result in degraded video quality, e.g., feathering and loss of vertical resolution, for the progressive video output. Moreover, if the interlaced input video signal is derived from a conversion process other than a 3:2 pull down or if the source signal is more complex than a pure progressive frame, e.g., a film/video overlap, cross-fade, or split screen, the cadence based detection method cannot reliably detect the 3:2 pull-down cadence and the quality of the resultant progressive video output will suffer.
Accordingly there exists a need for an improved process and apparatus for converting an interlaced video signal into a progressively scanned video signal. The method and apparatus should be able to minimize visual artifacts resulting from motion and should be relatively easy to implement.

Method and apparatus for per-pixel motion adaptive de-interlacing of interlaced video fields


A step wave power converter includes a plurality of transformers each configured to receive a Direct Current (DC) voltage from one or more independently generated power sources. Each transformer comprising a primary winding and a secondary winding. A plurality of bridge circuits control different DC voltage inputs from one of the multiple independently generated power sources into the primary windings. One or more processors are configured to use a Phase-Shifted Carrier Pulse Width Modulation (PSCPWM) scheme to operate the bridge circuits in order to produce steps for a step wave Alternating Current (AC) output from the secondary windings.

The general class of multilevel inverters comprises of, among others, a type known as Cascaded Multilevel Inverters. Cascaded inverters have been used in the industry for high power applications. Among the techniques for controlling these cascade converters include a carrier-based Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) scheme known as phase-shifted carrier PWM (PSCPWM).

Scheme for operation of step wave power converter


A collapsible trailer container for automobiles, comprising a rectangular enclosure having a base member and four vertical panels pivotally connected to the base member such that the panels can be pivotally moved to made them rest in a stacked configuration above the base member. The container also comprises two tubes, each connected to each side edge of each of the four vertical panels, and a pin inserted through the tubes when aligned, for locking the panels in a vertical position to form the enclosure with open top.

The present invention relates in general to automobile trailers, and more particularly to a collapsible trailer container for automobiles.
Several trailers and carriers for automobiles have been developed in the art. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,090 to Grovom discloses a trailer having a fixed framework and a telescoping framework engaging the fixed framework for shortening or lengthening of the trailer, a flexible floor foldable for use in either mode, a hitch assembly which permits ninety degree upwardly pivot of the trailer when in the shortened mode for non-ground support portability on the towing vehicle, and a support bar engaging the towing vehicle for holding the trailer in the supported, portable position. A substantially V-shaped housing on the trailer provides a storage container with low center of gravity and also provides axle housing for the trailer wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,937 to Sadler discloses a vehicle cargo carrier, and specifically a movable frame assembly, for storing and transporting luggage, gear, equipment and the like on the exterior of a vehicle. The carrier is attached to a common trailer hitch and is particularly well suited for use with a mini-van or sport utility vehicle which has a rear opening door or hatch. The carrier is movable, permitting outward extension, while still being connected to the vehicle, to provide easy access to and unobstructed opening of the vehicle rear door or hatch, and to provide unobstructed access to the vehicle's existing interior cargo area. The frame assembly comprises a connection member interfacing with the hitch and a frame member which interfaces with the connection member. A storage box or container member is connected to the frame member. However, the above two inventions are used for supporting a container or storage box unlike the collapsible trailer container of the present invention.
U.S. Pub. No. 20060220346 to Fulton discloses a trailer which can be attached to the rear of a personal mobility vehicle. When not in use, the trailer folds and stores in a carrier attached to the lower framework of the personal mobility vehicle. When needed, the trailer is lifted out of the carrier, the collapsible container is unfolded and the trailer is ready for use. The trailer is attached to the personal mobility vehicle at all times whether in use or not in use by a coupler. The tongue of the trailer is supported by the chassis of the trailer and is adjustable so as to retract or extend as needed. The chassis is attached to the container and also supports the tires and wheels. Although this invention comprises a collapsible container, the structure of the container and the folding means employed in the present invention are different.
Typical trailer containers or boxes are inconvenient to carry and store when not in use due to their size. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible trailer container for automobiles that can be folded down to a flat configuration when not in use.
A further object is to provide a collapsible trailer container for automobiles that is easy to install. These and other objects of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the appended Summary, Description, and Claims.


A method of transferring digital image data over a communication link transforms and orders the data so that, as data is received by a receiving station, a low detail version of the image is immediately generated with later transmissions of data providing progressively greater detail in this image. User instructions are accepted, limiting the ultimate resolution of the image or suspending enhancement of the image except in certain user defined regions. When a low detail image is requested followed by a request for a high detailed version of the same image, the originally transmitted data of the low resolution image is not discarded or retransmitted but used with later data to improve the originally transmitted image. Only a single copy of the transformed image need be retained by the transmitting device in order to satisfy requests for different amounts of image detail.

The present invention relates to techniques for transmitting digitized images, and in particular to a technique for providing more rapid transmission of critical image information.
In the 1960s, the Department of Defense developed a distributed network of telephone lines linking computer systems known as the Internet. The Internet was first used primarily for transmitting text information, but in 1991, British scientist, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, which allowed images to be readily transmitted over the Internet along with or instead of text. The World Wide Web has greatly increased the amount of image information transmitted over the Internet. This increased image traffic is taxing the capacity of the Internet and the patience of its users who often must wait a considerable period of time for image transmission to be completed. The transformed image also requires less data for a complete loss-less transmission.
The transmission of images on the Internet or any similar capacity communications network is time-consuming as a result of the large amount of data represented by an image. For example, a color image displayed on a typical computer screen may have the equivalent of one hundred pages of text information. Even with present day high speed telephone lines and modems, transmission of an image may take many seconds. When a network connection is shared among many users, or if the users have slower hardware, transmission of pictures can take many minutes. In situations where multiple images need to be reviewed by a user, even modest transmission times can be unacceptable.
In order to reduce the amount of image data that must be transmitted, it is known to compress image data. Compression techniques include loss-less compression schemes in which the compressed image may be decompressed without loss of information, and lossy compression systems, where the compressed data is irreversibly degraded.
A loss-less compression system, for example, might recognize a pattern of consecutive pixels in the image and transmit a short code designating that pattern rather than transmitting the more lengthy values of the pixels themselves. A decompressing program at the receiving terminal, receiving the short code, inserts the designated pattern into the received stream of pixel data. The decompressed data can be identical to the data before compression.
A lossy compression system, as an example, may reduce the number of shades of gray of each pixel in the image, from 256 to eight. At the receiving site, the image is reconstructed in a degraded eight gray level form. Generally, lossy compression systems provide far greater compression than loss-less compression systems. In certain applications, however, lossy compression systems may be inappropriate. For example, in the transmission of diagnostic medical images, degradation of the image in a lossy compression transmission may obscure significant clinical information.
One method of addressing the problem of slow image transmission of high quality images, especially where multiple images must be reviewed by a user, is to first transmit an extremely compressed version of the image, typically a "postage stamp image" having much smaller size and less detail. A number of postage stamp images may be transmitted rapidly, viewed by the user, and one or more selected for its complete image to be transmitted in its entirety over a longer period of time. This two-step approach eliminates the need to transmit each of the images in their entirety, but entails additional overhead of transmitting the postage stamp images, data which will ultimately be discarded.
Different users of image data may have differing requirements for image quality. These different requirements may result from their different uses of the data, different limiting resolutions of the user's computer equipment, or different limiting bandwidths of the user's connections to the network. Ideally, each such user could be provided a different image having a different degree of data compression. Unfortunately, storing many different copies of the image with different degrees of compression may be impractical as a result of the large amount of memory required.

Image transfer protocol in progressively increasing resolution


Techniques for performing power control during discontinuous transmission (DTX) operation are described. A UE transmits on the uplink during a transmission burst and receives TPC commands generated by a Node B based on the uplink transmission. The UE may receive two TPC commands at the end of the transmission burst that are not applied during the transmission burst. The UE saves and applies these two TPC commands in the next transmission burst. In one design, the UE applies each saved TPC command in one slot of the next transmission burst. In another design, the UE combines the two saved TPC commands and applies the combined value in the first two slots of the next transmission burst. In yet another design, the UE selects one of the saved TPC commands and applies the selected TPC command in the first two slots of the next transmission burst.

I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for performing power control in a wireless communication system.
II. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems.
In a wireless communication system, multiple user equipments (UEs) may transmit on the uplink to a Node B. To improve system capacity, the transmit power of each UE may be controlled such that the desired performance can be achieved for the UE while reducing the amount of interference to other UEs. For uplink power control, the Node B may periodically estimate the received signal quality of a UE at the Node B and may send transmit power control (TPC) commands to direct the UE to adjust its transmit power either up or down to achieve the desired received signal quality. The UE may adjust its transmit power in accordance with the TPC commands. However, the UE may operate in a discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode and may transmit in bursts instead of continuously. It is desirable to effectively perform power control during DTX operation.

Method and apparatus for power control during DTX operation