The invention relates to a method for provision of a drive signal for a switch which controls the current drawn by an inductive energy storage element in a power factor correction circuit, in which a control signal which controls the power consumption is available. One drive cycle of the switch comprises:                detection of a predetermined storage state of the inductive energy storage element;        when the predetermined storage state of the storage element is detected, production of a switching-on level for the drive signal for a regular switched-on duration which is dependent on the control signal or for a maximum switched-on duration which is dependent on an input voltage, when the regular switched-on duration is greater than the maximum switched-on duration; and        production of a switching-off level for the drive signal for a switched-off duration until the next detection of the predetermined storage state.

The present invention relates to a method for driving a switch, which controls the current drawn by an inductive energy storage element, in a switched-mode converter which is in the form of a step-up converter, in particular in a switched-mode converter which is used as a power factor correction circuit (Power Factor Controller, PFC), and to a drive circuit for a switch such as this in a switched-mode converter.
A switched-mode converter that is used in a PFC circuit is described, by way of example, in DE 100 40 411 A1. A drive circuit for a switch to control the power consumption in a PFC circuit is the integrated module of the TDA4863 type from Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, which is described in "Boost Controller TDA 4683, Power Factor Controller IC for High Power and Low THD", Data Sheet, V 1.0, Infineon Technologies AG, May 2003. The use of the integrated module in a power factor correction circuit is described in "TDA—Technical Description AN-PFC-TDA 4863-1", Application Note, V1.2, Infineon Technologies AG, October 2003.
The basic design of a switched-mode converter such as this will be explained in the following text, with reference to FIG. 1, in order to assist understanding of the problem on which the invention is based.
The object of a switched-mode converter that is used as a PFC is to provide a DC voltage Vn for a load from an AC voltage Vn, in particular a power supply AC voltage, in which case the mean current drawn by the PFC should be at least approximately proportional to the profile of the input voltage Un in order to receive mainly real power.
The switched-mode converter that is illustrated in FIG. 1 has connecting terminals K1, K2 for application of an input voltage Vn, for example a sinusoidal power supply voltage, and a rectified GL which is connected downstream from the input terminals and produces a rectified voltage Vin from the input voltage Vn and the terminals K3, K4. These terminals K3, K4 are also referred to in the following text as input terminals of the switched mode converter. A converter stage with a step-up converter topography is arranged between these input terminals K3, K4 and output terminals KS, K6. In parallel with the input terminals K3, K4, this converter stage has a series circuit comprising an inductive energy storage element L1, for example a storage conductor, and a switch T which, for example, is in the form of a power transistor. A second rectify arrangement, which in the example comprises a diode D and a capacitor C, is connected in parallel with the switch T, and, when the switch T is open, in series with the inductive energy storage element L1. The capacitor C is connected between the output terminals KS, K6, at which an output voltage Vout is available.
In this switched-mode converter, which is in the form of a step-up converter, the inductive energy storage element Ll receives energy when the switch T is closed, and emits this energy to the output capacitor C and to the output terminals KS, K6 when the switch is subsequently opened.
A control signal, which is dependent on the output voltage Vout and is provided by a regulator 10, is available in the switched-mode converter. The regulator 10 forms the difference between this output signal Sout (which is produced by a voltage divider R3, R4 from the output voltage Vout) and a reference value Vref, and produces the control signal S10 as a function of this difference. In the simplest case, the regulator comprises an operational amplifier 11, which is also referred to as an error amplifier and is connected externally to an impedance Z in order to adjust the control response.
In order to produce a drive signal S20 for the switch T, the control signal S10 is multiplied by an input signal Sin, which is dependent on the rectified input voltage Vin and is produced by means of a voltage divider R1, R2, C1 from the input voltage Vin, in order to produce a comparison signal S21 which is supplied to a drive signal production circuit 20.
This signal production circuit 20 produces a pulse-width-modulated drive signal S20 in order to drive the switch T and is designed to always produce a switching-on level for the drive signal S20, in order to switch on the switch T, as soon as the storage inductor is free of energy after the switch has been switched off, that is to say when the drive signal S20 is at a switching-off level. An auxiliary winding is used to determine the storage states in which the storage inductor is free of energy, and is inductively coupled to the inductor L1 and supplies a magnetization signal S22 to the signal production circuit 20, with this magnetization signal S22 indicating the magnetization state of the storage inductor L1.
In order to adjust the switched-on duration, the signal production circuit 20 compares the comparison signal S21 (which depends on the input voltage Vin and the control signal S10) with a current measurement signal S23 which is dependent on the current through the switch T. The current through the switch T, and thus the current measurement signal S23 rise, when the switch T is closed, in proportion to the input voltage Vin. A switching-off level for the drive signal S20 is produced by the signal production circuit 20 once the current measurement signal S23 has risen to the value of the comparison signal.
FIG. 2a illustrates the waveform of the current measurement signal S23 for two successive drive cycles.
The profile of the input current Iin is also shown, by dashed lines, with this input current Iin corresponding to the current through the switch T during the period in which the drive signal S20 is switched on and falling to zero during the period in which it is switched off, which is equivalent to demagnetization of the inductor L1. For the illustration in FIG. 3, the value of the measurement signal S23 corresponds to the input Iin, whose peak value is limited by the comparison signal S21.
FIG. 2b shows the profile of the drive signal S20, which is formed as a function of the magnetization state of the inductor and as a function of a comparison between the current measurement signal S23 and a comparison signal. Ton in this case denotes the switched-on duration, during which the drive signal S20 assumes a switching-on level for the switch T, and Toff denotes a switched-off duration, during which the drive signal S20 assumes a switching-off level.
FIG. 3 shows the waveform of the input voltage Vin for one period of a rectified input voltage Vin in the form of the magnitude of a sine wave, the profile which results from this of the comparison signal S21 in the presence of a control signal S10 that is assumed to be constant for this period, and the profile of the input current. The relationship between the comparison signal S21 and the input voltage Vin results in the comparison signal S21 likewise rising when the input voltage Vin rises. Since the current through the switch T likewise rises as the input voltage Vin rises, constant switched-on durations Ton ideally result when the control signal S10 remains the same, that is to say when the load conditions at the output remain the same, while the switched-off durations Toff vary. The mean value of the input current Iin is in this case proportional to the input voltage.
It can be shown that, for the instantaneous value of the power consumption of a power factor correction circuit such as this:P=0.5·Vin2·Ton/L1  (1a)
Furthermore, the power consumption can also be indicated using the relative switched-on duration d=Ton/T:P=0.5·Vin2·d·T/L1=0.5·Vin2·d/(L1·f)  (1b).
In this case, P denotes the instantaneous value of the power consumption, Vin the input voltage, Ton the switched-on duration, L1 the inductance value of the inductor, and f=1/T the switching frequency. The above relationships for the instantaneous value of the power consumption P are also valid when the overall period duration T is not constant.
From (1a), the switched-on duration Ton is obtained as a function of the input current Iin as follows:Ton=Îin·L/Vin  (2a),in a corresponding manner, the relative switched-on duration d is:d=Îin·L/(Vin·T)  (2b)where Îin denotes the peak value of the input current Iin reached in each drive cycle. This peak value is proportional to the comparison signal S21, so that:Ton=k·S21·L/Vin  (3)where k denotes a proportionality factor. Substitution of (3) in (1) gives:P=0.5·k·S21·Vin  (4)
As is evident from (1), the switched-on duration Ton for a given power consumption is inversely proportional to the square of the input voltage Vin. For so-called wide-range power supply units which have to be designed to produce a constant output voltage Vout for input voltages Vin with peak values between 90V and 270V, this means that the switched-on duration for an input voltage of 90V (=⅓·270V) must be 9 times the switched-on duration for a voltage of 270V. The comparison signal S21 for a given power consumption is inversely proportional to the input voltage Vin. During one period of the input voltage, the power consumption is in each case a maximum when the input voltage Vin reaches its maximum value. The comparison signal S21 is also maximized at this time. If one considers the range over which peak values of the input voltage Vin can fluctuate, then the comparison signal assumes its maximum value at the peak value of the smallest possible input voltage.
In the case of a wide-range power supply unit, it is assumed that the rated power consumption is reached when the input voltage Vin assumes a peak value 90V and the comparison signal S21 assumes a maximum value S21max. If the input voltage changes such that peak values of 270V occur, then the maximum value of the comparison signal S21 is reduced to S21max/3. This comparison signal S21 is matched to different input voltage conditions by means of the control signal S10.
If an overload now occurs at the output of the converter when the input voltage is high, resulting in the output voltage Vout falling, then the comparison signal S21 can be regulated up to its maximum value S21max by means of the regulator 10, thus resulting in a power consumption which corresponds to 9 times the rated power. This can lead to instabilities in the power consumption control process.
One aim of the present invention is to provide a method for driving a switch which controls the power consumption in a power factor correction circuit, which method ensures stable control of the power consumption, and to provide a drive circuit for driving a switch in a power factor correction circuit.

Method for driving a switch that controls current drawn in a power factor correction circuit and a drive circuit therefor


A circularly polarized, omnidirectional, corporate-feed pylon antenna uses multiple helically-oriented dipoles in each bay, and includes a vertical and diagonal support arrangement of simple structural shapes configured to provide a frame strong enough to sustain mechanical top loads applied externally. The radiators in each bay fit within the vertical supports. The radiators are integrally formed with cross-braces, and are fed with manifold feed straps incorporating tuning paddles. A single cylindrical radome surrounds the radiative parts and the vertical supports. The antenna admits of application to the upper L-band at the full FCC-allowed ERP. Beam tilt, null fill, and vertical null can be readily accommodated.

The auction of the 700 MHz spectrum by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) resulted in part from the shift of television broadcasting from analog to digital service. Some of the new license holders have begun rollout of a Digital Video Broadcast to Handheld (DVB-H) mobile television (TV) entertainment service. Since receivers for this service may be expected to be integrated into cell phones and similar devices, circularly polarized broadcast signals will likely be preferred.
By providing a signal with horizontal and vertical components of comparable strength, circular polarization offers independence between receiving antenna orientation and reception, at least within a plane perpendicular to a line of propagation between the transmitting and receiving antennas. That is, a simple (linearly polarized) receive dipole is capable of receiving, and is substantially insensitive in orientation with respect to, a circularly-polarized broadcast signal. By contrast, with a vertically (linearly) polarized transmitted signal, the same receive dipole receives very little signal if placed horizontally, and likewise for a horizontally polarized signal and a vertically oriented receive dipole. This can be a significant consideration in ensuring robust and stable received-image quality in a mobile handheld imaging device, for example. Multipath issues, such as reflections from buildings that can reverse polarization handedness and delay time-critical signals, are often managed through signal processing.
Omnidirectionality is frequently a desirable attribute of broadcast antennas, particularly in view of long-established FCC preference for azimuth uniformity in consumer-oriented broadcasting. A fundamental omni radiator, well understood in the art, is a vertical dipole (or a ground-plane-mirrored monopole), that cannot provide circular polarization and is limited regarding power, gain, beam tilt, and null fill. Some previous omni designs, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,796 ('796), issued Aug. 27, 2002, incorporated herein by reference, can provide circular polarization.
In antennas according to the '796 patent, a plurality of omni radiators (bays) are configured in a vertical array. Each radiator in the '796 patent includes two or four arcuate, rod-section dipoles lying on quasi-helical paths around a vertical axis of the antenna common to all bays. As used herein, the term "quasi-helical" describes a radiator formed from material having a suitable shape, such as a cylindrical rod, effectively wrapped into a planar arcuate shape, then rotated without further forming to an orientation approximating a helical path. A projection into a plane perpendicular to the vertical axis of the antenna of a quasi-helical radiator is elliptical; a true helical radiator has a circular projection into that plane. A rod formed into true helical form also does not lie in any plane. The effect of using a quasi-helical radiator is to broaden the impedance bandwidth of the antenna compared to a true-helix equivalent.
The dipoles in the '796 patent are each driven near one end of one monopole, with the centermost ends of the monopoles (the midpoints of the dipoles) grounded to conductive radial structural components. A central hub of each bay is mounted to a strut; the struts project laterally with selected vertical spacing from a vertical bearing structure. Such a configuration is readily applied to a side-mounted antenna on a tower, for example.
The radiative parts of antennas according to the '796 patent emit a signal having a specific circular polarization in accordance with their arrangement—for example, a mirror-image arrangement (opposite direction of advance of the helical paths of the dipoles) would produce opposite circular polarization.
In many other previous omnidirectional antenna designs, individual circularly-polarized radiators are strongly directional. For a multiple-bay antenna using directional radiators to broadcast with a reasonable approximation of azimuth uniformity, three or more separate radiators in each bay are needed, pointing radially outward around a vertical axis. The radiators can be mounted around a central member for top mounting, i.e., mounting of the antenna at the top of a structure. Antennas including such elements require more radiating devices and more power distribution devices than do intrinsically omnidirectional radiators.
In addition to circular polarization, increasing transmitter power output to 5 KW is planned under the new bandwidth assignments in order to achieve effective radiated power (ERP) that approaches the FCC-permitted maximum. This power level is high compared to that of S-band transmitting systems currently used for purposes similar to those for which the auctioned upper-L band spectrum is intended. The new requirements also call for an economical antenna solution and a compact equipment package, both highly desirable attributes for implementation of a nationwide infrastructure. Small size in combination with a simple physical arrangement may result in low wind loading. Other considerations include capability to use a single product over the entire new spectrum without alteration, or to combine multiple signal channels on a single antenna.

Circularly polarized low wind load omnidirectional antenna apparatus and method


A hydrogen based mixing system for the fabrication of nanoparticles allowing for selection of specified particle size, narrow particle size distribution and core shell nanoparticle encapsulation. A further description of a Dense Energy UltraCapacitor that utilizes the core shell nanoparticles to create an energy storage device.

There is a great need for a reliable and efficient means of producing nanoparticles in a narrow particle range along with encapsulation of the nanoparticle to create a core-shell configuration. Multiple means of nanoparticle synthesis are being studied to determine how to enable volume production of high quality nanoparticles in a narrow particle size distribution. None of these processes has been brought to market to-date.
Coated metal and/or ceramic nanoparticles, and core-shell nanoparticles, are of high interest in a broad range of applications and the large scale production of core-shell nanoparticles is not currently efficient nor cost effective.
Other methods of producing metal and/or ceramic nano-powders require high energy costs, have low production rates, and generate significant liquid waste products, and the particles produced need to be suspended in a liquid to ensure that they do not agglomerate leaving surfactants and solvents contaminating the residual product. These methods also produce particles with inconsistent particle sizes.
Volume production of core-shell nanoparticles are required for a wide variety of applications. One application that requires high volume core-shell nanoparticle production is the fabrication of Dense Energy UltraCapacitor devices which comprises a process that applies core-shell nanoparticles in a suspended binder between electrodes to create an energy storage device.
Therefore, there is a recognized need for an efficient high volume production of core-shell nanoparticles.

Hydrogen hydrothermal reaction tube for use in nanoparticle production and nanoparticle applications


A method is provided of playing a broadcast program content, which includes: (a) producing a combination-dependent unique key which is unique to a combination of a tuner unit and a computer unit; and (b) in response to issuance of a real-time play command or a recorded-video playback command from a user, playing a broadcast program content in real-time after transmission thereof from the tuner unit to the computer unit, or playing back recorded data after retrieval thereof from a data storage. In an illustrative embodiment, the produced combination-dependent unique key is outputted into an encryptor of the tuner unit for encryption, and the encrypted digital data is inputted into the computer unit. A decryptor of the computer unit is caused to attempt decryption of the encrypted digital data, using the produced combination-dependent unique key.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to techniques of playing a broadcast program content with enhanced security, and more particularly to improvements of techniques of playing a broadcast program content in an environment where a computer unit allows the broadcast program content to be viewed and/or listened to, with a tuner unit detachably coupled to the computer unit via an interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, digital broadcasting has become more popular owing to satellite or terrestrial broadcasting. Digital broadcasting programs distributed by satellite broadcasting or the like are viewed and/or listened to, for example, in the following fashion:
Firstly, a radio wave is received by an antenna, and the received radio wave is frequency-converted by a converter. Secondly, the frequency-converted signal, after channel selection by a tuner, is decoded.
Thereafter, there is extracted from the decoded signal a transport stream (hereinafter, referred to as "MPEG2-TS") which is in the form of a coded bit-stream compliant with the MPEG-2 standard. The extracted MPEG2-TS is formatted to contain various kinds of contents, such as images or still or moving pictures, sound, or program guides.
The MPEG2-TS, after decoded, is further converted to an analog signal, resultantly allowing a viewer to view and/or listen to a program content via an image output device such as a TV monitor or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor and/or a sound output device such as a speaker.
In addition, it has been popular recently to add a tuner for reception of TV broadcast, on a personal computer (hereinafter, abbreviated as "PC") in a detachable manner, to thereby allow a broadcast program content to be displayed on an LCD display of the PC for viewing, and allow a broadcast program content to be recorded in a storage device, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), which is coupled to the PC, whether built-in or add-on.
In the industry of digital broadcasting, a broadcast program content is distributed in a digital format, without any significant reduction in picture and/or sound quality during signal propagation. This makes it easier to fully duplicate such a broadcast program content, which, in turn, runs the risk of copyright infringement.
In addition, it is general for a PC to easily accommodate various kinds of external devices by connection, at risk of illegal copying of a broadcast program content which has been received by the PC. Moreover, when a tuner and a PC are detachably coupled to each other, data indicative of a broadcast program content, during transmission from the tuner to the PC, is risky of being intercepted or tapped through an interface of the PC.
It has been that a broadcast program content is encrypted for providing copyright protection thereto, prior to reception by a PC from a tuner which has been detachably coupled to the PC.
This approach can prevent illegal viewing and duplication of a broadcast program content by virtue of encryption thereof, even if data indicative of the broadcast program content is tapped from an interface of a PC with a tuner, during transmission of the broadcast program content from the tuner to the PC. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-173027 discloses an exemplary conventional technique for encrypting a broadcast program content.

Method of playing broadcast program contents using encryption and decryption techniques


A hole plug is configured to plug a hole of a component, and includes a first lip that is configured to be positioned on a first surface of the component, and second lip that is configured to be positioned on a second surface of the component. The second surface is opposite from the first surface. At least one of the first lip or the second lip includes a first lip segment, a second lip segment, and at least one gap formed between the first lip segment and the second lip segment. The gap(s) is configured to allow the first lip segment and second lip segment to deflect and rotate relative to one another to adapt a size of the first lip and/or the second lip to the hole of the component.

Various assemblies include panels, blocks, or other such components connected to one another. Automobile assemblies, for example, include various panels and structures connected to other panels or structures, or to an automobile frame.
Certain components, such as blocks and panels, have holes formed therein. During an assembly process, the holes may receive and retain fasteners, or allow tubing, wiring, or the like to pass therethrough. In some instances, however, a hole may not be utilized. Similarly, the hole may be reserved for a future application, for example.
Hole plugs are often used to securely cover and close holes formed within panels of a device. A typical hole plug is formed of a resilient material, such as rubber, that allows the hole plug to flex, while at the same time providing a fluid-tight barrier.
EP 3061675, DE 10303366, and EP 0911132 disclose plugs. U.S. Pat. No. 9,676,425 discloses an expandable hole plug assembly.
A typical hole plug is sized and shaped to plug a hole of a particular size. The hole plug is generally too large to fit into smaller diameter holes, and too small to effectively plug larger diameter holes. Moreover, known hole plugs are sealed to components via an adhesive (such as glue) on both sides of the component (such as a metal frame). As such, an additional sealing step is used to ensure that the hole plug seals to a component.


A heat dissipating device includes an object, a housing having a chamber for receiving a driving device which includes a spindle extended out of the housing, a fan device is attached to the spindle of the driving device, for being rotated and driven by the driving device. A cap includes a locking device for locking the cap to the housing, to attach and to secure the housing to the object. The cap includes one or more catches engageable into lock notches of the housing, for securing the housing to the object with the catch. A guide arm may be attached to the housing for receiving one or more electrical cables.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat dissipating device, and more particularly to a heat dissipating device having a structure for easily attaching or securing to supporting objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical objects, such as computer facilities, integrated circuits, processor facilities, or the like may generate a great heat while working, such that one or more typical heat dissipating devices or heat sink assemblies are required to be attached onto the computer facilities, the integrated circuits, the processor facilities, or the like, for dissipating the heat from the objects.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,827 to Chung, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,464 to Lin disclose two of the typical heat dissipating devices or heat sink assemblies and each comprises a fan device disposed in a fan housing, and the fan housing is then secured onto the objects with four fasteners.
However, it is difficult to snugly fit and to smoothly support the fan device within the fan housing. In addition, additional driving tools are required for rotating or for driving the fasteners, in order to attach or to secure the fan housing onto the objects. Furthermore, the air drawing or propelling effect of the fan device may be limited by the fan housing.
The provision and the attachment of the fan device within the fan housing may increase the inconvenience for assembling the fan device, and may greatly increase the manufacturing cost for the typical heat dissipating devices or the typical heat sink assemblies.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional heat dissipating devices.


Systems and methods for providing a noncollinear optical parametric amplifier (NOPA). Two approaches for classes of NOPA are described: phase-mask NOPA and Wollaston NOPA.

Noncollinear optical parametric amplifiers (NOPAs) generating sub-20 femtosecond pulses in visible were demonstrated in the late 1990s. Despite significant improvements in spectral bandwidth and stability, the NOPA can be a tedious optical tool because of its strict alignment requirements and its sensitivity to perturbations. The geometry of a traditional NOPA is similar to a Michelson interferometer, in which the beams travel separate paths before recombining. Researchers have shown that a common-path geometry—wherein the two beams never encounter individual reflective optics—can significantly reduce fluctuations in a variety of optical devices; for example, a common-path interferometer, which is largely immune to vibrational perturbations, has been employed to obtain high accuracy phase measurements with a liquid crystal spatial light modulator.
Additionally, researchers have made simple modifications to optical microscopes based on common-path interferometric stabilization, resulting in enhanced optical resolution in aperture limited systems. In nonlinear optics, a common-path approach significantly increases second-harmonic generation signals, and most two-dimensional electronic spectrometers rely on the passive stabilization provided by a common-path geometry. While a NOPA is distinct from an interferometer because a NOPA utilizes a pump that is polarized perpendicular to the seed, the phases of the pump, signal, and idler are important, and the stringent spatial overlap requirements makes the comparison between the devices both natural and productive. The NOPA remains an imposing optical tool because of its strict alignment requirements and its sensitivity to environmental perturbations such as air currents and mechanical vibrations. Prior NOPA designs are based on an adjustable pathlength Michelson interferometer (M-NOPA).
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the following drawings and the detailed description.

Common-path noncollinear optical parametric amplifier


An improved liquid spray masking composition including an effective amount of a non-volatile polyhydroxy component is provided. The preferred polyhydroxy components comprise polyglycerols, especially triglycerols or larger polyglycerols. The presence of such materials in masking compositions improves performance of the compositions with respect to inhibition of high temperature swelling, blistering or spotting of the painted surface to which it is applied.

While the present invention may be applied in a variety of manners, it is foreseen that it is particularly well adapted for applications concerning vehicle refinishing. Portions adjacent to the area to be painted are generally masked to inhibit paint overspray from reaching and adhering to areas not intended to be painted.
One typical masking or protective procedure involves applying a paper mask or plastic mask over the area not to be painted. Such masks can be applied and secured by tape or similar means. They are generally stripped from the vehicle and discarded, after use. However, neither of these methods is fully acceptable at least because air currents can cause the paper or plastic to flutter and allow overspray to swirl behind the paper or plastic, or to tear and expose areas to the overspray.
Water-washable liquid masking compositions have been developed. Examples of such compositions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,104,711; 5,028,350; 4,525,501; and 4,347,266. The system described in the '711 patent provides an example of such systems. According to the disclosure, the liquid masking composition comprises: solvent (typically water), a polyhydroxy liquid carrier (typically glycerol), which aids in dispersion of thickener and surfactant during formulation of the composition and which also operates as a plasticizer in the coating, a thickener or film former (typically xanthan gum), which provides desired rheological properties and which forms a film on the coated surface and surfactant. The composition is prepared by mixing together appropriate amounts of the various components. A portion of a vehicle to be masked is spray-coated (typically and preferably with an atomizing spray gun) with the liquid masking composition. As the masking solution spreads, it will form a continuous mask, i.e., film or coating. A portion of the vehicle (not coated with film) to be finished is then coated with automotive primer, paint, or enamel, with any overspray that occurs typically landing on the masking film. After painting is complete and the paint film is dry, the masking film is readily removed with a washing solution, typically water or soapy water.
The present invention concerns improvements to liquid masking solutions. The improvements concern means by which product performance is enhanced due to reduction in likelihood of damage to the vehicle paint coating from the masking solution or film. The term "paint coating" or variants thereof as used herein in this context is meant to refer to coatings comprising any of a variety of materials including for example, acrylic enamels, acrylic lacquers, polyurethanes, metal flake paints and other typical vehicle finishes.

Liquid spray masking composition and method

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


The present invention relates to mammography. To provide breast density assessment with improved accuracy in the results, a method (100) is proposed for providing mammography information about an object of interest, the region of interest comprising a tissue structure, with the following steps: a) acquiring (110) first image data (112) with first image acquisition parameters (114), wherein the first image parameters are adapted to a first radiation spectrum of a dual energy mode; and wherein the first image acquisition is performed with a low X-ray dosage of a pre-scan; b) acquiring (116) second image data (118) with second image acquisition parameters (120), wherein the second image parameters are adapted to a second radiation spectrum of the dual energy mode, and wherein the second image acquisition is performed with a higher X-ray dosage than the first image acquisition, and wherein the second image acquisition is a Mammography scan; c) performing (122) a dual energy basis material decomposition (124) based on the first and second image data to generate decomposed basis material image data (126); and d) deriving (128) a density information (130) of the tissue structure of the region of interest from the decomposed basis material image data; and providing (132) the density information to a user.

Information about tissue structure is used for so-called cancer screenings, in particular in mammography. US 2009/0022273 A1 describes an X-ray system for mammography exposures. Further, it is known to acquire X-ray images in order to be able to make an assessment of volumetric breast density, which breast density is a key feature or a key characteristic, for detection and prediction of cancer such as breast cancer. However, it has been shown that the assessment of volumetric breast density from conventional mammograms may result in false predictions due to the influence of a 3D breast model estimation on the accuracy of the calculation.


Third harmonic generated from intra-cavity frequency tripled resonator is disclosed in which type II phase matching crystal is used as the tripler. Type I phase matching is used for second harmonic generation. The resonator efficiently converts the fundamental laser frequency to its third harmonic laser beam. The laser is highly efficient with high third harmonic output stability. Overall conversion efficiency exceeds 25% and preferably is 50% or higher.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention concerns a frequency tripled laser, and in particular a method and apparatus for generating a frequency tripled beam.
2. Background of the Invention
Optical harmonic generation using a non-linear medium such as a crystal, provides a method for doubling, tripling or more generally producing the Nth harmonic of the frequency of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a laser or other high intensity source. The third harmonic is produced by sum frequency generation of the laser fundamental and its second harmonic beams through second order nonlinearities of the nonlinear medium (p (.omega.)=.eta..sub.0 (3)*P.sub.0 (.omega.)*P.sub.0 (2.omega.)). The common third harmonic generation method, which is known in the art, combines the fundamental and the second harmonic beam in a nonlinear crystal to generate its third harmonic in the external laser cavity. For a high power laser, typical efficiency is limited to less than 25% overall conversion efficiency, since unconverted fundamental beam and second harmonic beam are wasted in that configuration. The overall conversion efficiency .eta.=P(3.omega.)/P.sub.0 (.omega.)=.eta..sub.0 (3.omega.)*.eta..sub.1 (2.omega.)P.sub.0.sup.2 (.omega.)-.eta..sub.1 (2.omega.)P.sub.0.sup.2 (.omega.))is less than 25% for even very high power pulsed Nd:YAG lasers (see Continuum Products brochures).
The theory of intra-cavity second harmonic generation (SHG) has been discussed by R. G. Smith, I.E.E.E. Journal of Quantrum Electr. QE-6, 215-223 (1970). Franken and Ward, in Rev. Mod. Phys. 35 23 (1963) has noted that a crystalline medium can produce a second harmonic of the frequency of the incident radiation only if the crystal lacks inversion symmetry so that the second order polarization tensor d.sup.ij in the lowest order non-linear polarization term does not vanish. If the crystal has inversion symmetry, the lowest order non-linear polarization contribution is cubic in the electric field strengths, and this crystal will produce only third or higher harmonics of the initial frequency. Beam or parametric production of harmonics has been demonstrated in crystals such as LiNbO.sub.3, BaNa(NbO.sub.3); LiO.sub.3, KDP, KTiOPO.sub.4, BBO and LiB.sub.3 O.sub.5. LiB.sub.3 O.sub.5 is also referred to as LBO crystal.

Photonics Industries International, Inc.


N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone (HEP) is purified by a distillation sequence in which the purified HEP is recovered as a side stream without being separated as an overhead at any point in the procedure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of purifying N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone (herein HEP) by an improved distillation procedure which avoids separating HEP as an overhead distillate stream during the procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
HEP is an important chemical of commerce which is primarily useful for the production of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone by intermolecular dehydration, the N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone having utility in the cosmetics, food additives and pharmaceutical industries.
An extensive description of the known procedures for producing and purifying HEP can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,811, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
In the procedure described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,726,811, HEP of high purity is recovered from the reaction liquid resulting from reacting gamma-butyrolactone with 2-aminoethanol and which contains N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-pyrrolidone, low-boiling component and high-boiling component.
In the process of the reference, the reaction mixture is first distilled in column 1 to separate as overhead a lighter stream containing both light impurities and HEP from a heavier stream containing higher boiling components. The overhead stream from column 1 is then passed to one (FIG. 1) or two (FIG. 2) columns for ultimate recovery of purified HEP.
It has now been found that the distillation recovery of high purity HEP can be significantly enhanced by an improved distillation sequence as provided in accordance with the present invention.


Disclosed are systems and methods for identifying a scene in a video or audio source containing sports content. A representative method includes: extracting audio data from a video source, the video source containing sports content, removing from the audio data sounds not producible by human, classifying scenes of the video source as important scenes of the video clip by analyzing the energy, pitch and tonality of at least one frame of the audio data and determining whether the at least one frame is an exciting scene.

Video content is a form of multimedia that is increasingly viewed and manipulated by consumers. With the proliferation of sports related programming and live or delayed sports event programming, consumers have the ability and option to consume an increasing amount of sports video programming. The vast amount of sports related programming available to consumers could render it difficult for consumers to consume all desirable content. Also, many devices and services available in the marketplace allow consumers to record, time-shift or view on-demand video and audio content. These devices and/or services can allow a consumer to enjoy such content, particularly sports related programming, at a time other than their initial broadcast or delivery. Such devices and/or services can also allow a consumer to fast-forward or rewind programming which enables quicker viewing of the content or replay of certain scenes contained within the content.
Unfortunately, many consumers have neither the time nor inclination to view all such content in its entirety. Many sporting events are broadcast or delivered in a primarily unedited form. That is, such content is typically not edited for brevity or even delivered with important or eventful scenes tagged or noted for their importance in a manner that allows consumers to quickly view important scenes or a summarized version of the programming.
Frequently, consumers are inclined to fast-forward recorded or on-demand sports-related programming to view the programming in a shorter period of time than its original live running time. However, simply fast-forwarding through a televised sporting event, for example, renders it difficult for a consumer to view scenes or events in the programming that he/she may find exciting or important. For example, a soccer match may contain only a few instances of a goal being scored or a few impressive non-goal events. A consumer may miss such scenes in a recorded or on-demand sporting event if he/she is viewing the event and attempting to shorten the amount of time to view the event by simply fast-forwarding. Further, simply fast-forwarding through a recorded or on-demand sporting event provides a consumer with a less than ideal viewing experience, particularly when saving time is a concern of the viewer.

Systems and methods for detecting exciting scenes in sports video


Process for the preparation of oxazole, imidazole, and pyraxole boryl compounds. The compounds are intermediates to functionalized compounds, both natural and synthetic which are cytotoxic, anticancer and antiviral agents.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the preparation of oxazole, imidazole, and pyrazole boryl compounds, using iridium complexes. The present invention also relates to novel compounds.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Oxazoles have a wide variety of applications in synthetic organic chemistry and have been found in numerous natural products such as hennoxazole, thiangazole, calyculin, halicondrins, pyrenolide, virginiamycin, amphotericin, and phorboxazoles.a New studies have illustrated the particular utility of 5-substituted oxazoles. For example, a very recent structure-activity relationship study targeting the 5-position of an oxazole based inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) revealed that the optimal position for substitution was the meta-position. Concurrent with these studies, a series of small, nonaromatic C5-substituents was also explored and revealed that the Ki follows a well-defined correlation with the Hammett p constant (=3.01, R2=0.91) in which electron-withdrawing substituents enhance potency, leading to inhibitors with K is as low as 400 pM (20n). Proteomic-wide screening of theses inhibitors revealed that most are exquisitely selective for FAAH over all other mammalian proteases.b In another investigation, a series of 4-(4-cycloalkyl/aryl-oxazol-5-yl)benzenesulfonamide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their abilities to inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) enzymes. This work led to the identification of a potent, highly selective, and orally active COX-2 inhibitor JTE-522 [4-(4-cyclohexyl-2-methyloxazol-5-yl)-2-fluorobenzenesulfonamide], which is currently in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and acute pain.c 2-Anilino-5-phenyloxazoles have also been identified as inhibitors of VEGFR2 kinase. In this case, optimization of both aryl rings led to very potent inhibitors at both the enzymatic and cellular levels. These oxazole-based compounds had excellent solubility and good oral PK when dosed as the bis-mesylate salt and demonstrated in vivo efficacy against HT29 human colon tumor xenografts. Furthermore substitution at the 5-position proved especially instructive as X-ray crystallography confirmed the proposed binding mode and revealed interesting differences in orientation of 2-pyridyl and 3-pyridyl rings, respectively, attached at the meta position of the 5-phenyl ring.d In yet another report, the antibacterial activity of a range of 5-alkyl, 5-alkenyl, and 5-heterosubstituted 2-(1-normon-2-yl) oxazoles against a range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms demonstrated the importance of substitution on potency. Compounds possessing an acid functionality directly on, or close to, the ring were found to be of greatly decreased potency, while increasing lipophilicity with greater chain length led to increased potency of these derivatives.e Likewise, in the search for transthyretin (TTR) amyloid fibril inhibitors, oxazoles bearing a C(4) carboxyl group and various aryls at the C(2) position of the oxazole ring reveals that a 3,5-dichlorophenyl substituent significantly reduced amyloidogenesis. The efficacy of these inhibitors was enhanced further by installing an ethyl, a propyl, or a CF3 group at the C(5) position. The CF3 substitution at C(5) also improves the TTR binding selectivity over all the other proteins in human blood.f

Process for producing oxazole, imidazole, pyrrazole boryl compounds

Board of Trustees of Michigan State University


A method and apparatus are provided for creating and displaying images. An inner lens of transparent sheet material is formed, which may have a generally pyramidal configuration and presents a plurality of inner sides. A plurality of image sectors are created equal in number to the number of inner sides and are assembled on a medium, which may be translucent, conforming in shape to the inner sides. An outer lens is formed of transparent sheet material and presents outer sides conforming in shape to the shape of the inner sides. The inner lens nests within the outer lens with the image medium held therebetween to provide an envelope assembly. The envelope assembly may be supported on a lamp base whereby a light source backlights and penetrates the image to create a desired visual effect.

This invention relates to an image displaying device wherein the images are readily interchangeable by the user depending on the aesthetic effect desired. More particularly, the invention relates to the method of creating and displaying the images.
It is desirable to offer a lamp capable of displaying and illuminating desired images. It is even more desirable for those images to be easily interchangeable or replaceable to enable the user to be expressive through images and editorial in different ways, at different times throughout the year and even through new and different media.

Method and apparatus for creating and displaying images


A wireless module includes a first board (2), in which an electronic component is mounted on one board (2a) and a ground layer (GND1) is formed on the other board (2b), a second board (3) which is laminated on the first board, a connecting member (8) which electrically connects the first board to the second board, a wiring pad (4) which electrically connects the first board to the connecting member, and a wiring pad (4b) which is provided on a bonded surface of the one board and the other board. A signal path of the connecting member has predetermined impedance which is determined depending on a distance between the second wiring pad and the ground layer.

As a circuit module for wireless communication having an electronic circuit mounted on a board, a circuit module is known, in which a board having an active device (for example, an integrated circuit (IC) mounted thereon and a board having a passive device (for example, a resistor, an inductor, or a conductor) mounted thereon are arranged to face each other and electrically connected together, and the space between the boards is sealed with resin.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a semiconductor apparatus as a wireless module which uses a board having an antenna as a passive device mounted thereon and a board having a semiconductor device as an active device mounted thereon (see FIG. 11). FIG. 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a semiconductor apparatus of a related art.
In the semiconductor apparatus of Patent Literature 1, an antenna 44 is mounted on one surface of a silicon board 38, a semiconductor device 40 as an active device is mounted on the other surface of the silicon board 38, and the antenna 44 and the semiconductor device 40 are electrically connected together through a through-via 46 passing through the silicon board 38. A wiring board 30 formed separately from the silicon board 38 has passive devices 32, 34 mounted on one surface thereof, and the wiring board 30 and the silicon board 38 are electrically connected together through a connecting member 54 provided between one surface of the wiring board 30 and the other surface of the silicon board 38.
As a wireless module of the related art, a wireless module is known, in which a first board having an active device and a passive device mounted thereon and a second board having an antenna mounted thereon are arranged to face each other and electrically connected together by a connecting member. In this wireless module, a semiconductor device (for example, an IC) as an active device and a chip capacitor or a chip resistor as a passive device are mounted on the first board, and a connecting member, such as a solder-plated Cu (copper) core ball, is mounted on the second board. The mounting surfaces of the first board and the second board are arranged to face each other, the solder of the connecting member is molten and electrically connected to the first board, and mold resin as a seal material is filled in a buried layer having a component between the boards to seal the space between the boards with a seal. Accordingly, a wireless module in which a plurality of boards are laminated is completed.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


Example embodiments relate to providing pixel-based visualizations of time series data using nested helices. In example embodiments, helix portions in the time series data may be identified according to a measured time interval, where each of the helix portions represents the measured time interval in the time series data. A helical time period may then be determined and used as a helical revolution in a helical pixel representation. At this stage, the helical pixel representation may be generated using the helix portions, where proximate helix portions along a common line parallel to an axis of the helical pixel representation are chronologically separated by the helical time period.

Pixel-based representations of data allow for large data sets to be represented in a graphically efficient manner. For example, time series data may be represented in a two dimensional (2D) pixel calendar tree that subdivides the data into calendar elements. In this example, each pixel within the representation may represent a portion of the time series data for a period of time (e.g., hour, day, week, etc.). Such pixel-based representations may be used to determine patterns and anomalies in the data sets.

Pixel-based visualizations of time series data using helices

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


The present invention relates to methods of inducing or inhibiting the angiogenic process and promoting vessel growth or stabilization in an organ by modulating the trk receptor pathway. The present invention also relates to a method for treating a pathological disorder in a patient which includes administering a trk receptor ligand or an inhibitor or expression or activity of a trk receptor ligand. The present invention also relates to a method of screening for a modulator of angiogenesis, vessel growth, or vessel stabilization. Another aspect of the present invention is a method of diagnosing or monitoring a pathological disorder in a patient which includes determining the presence or amount of a trk receptor ligand or activation of a trk receptor ligand in a biological sample.

Angiogenesis is a precisely regulated process which coordinates the assembly and differentiation of numerous cell types to form the arteries, capillaries and veins of the pre-existing vascular bed. The primitive vasculature is composed of an endothelial plexus, which require the recruitment of pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells by soluble growth factors secreted by endothelial cells to pattern the vessels into arteries and veins (Risau, "Mechanisms of Angiogenesis," Nature 386:671-674 (1997)). In the final steps of vessel formation, the newly formed endothelial cells are stabilized by the extracellular matrix, the formation of a basement membrane and ensheathment with pericytes and smooth muscle cells. Numerous polypeptide growth factors have been implicated in initiating vasculogenesis and angiogenic sprouting, including fibroblast growth factors (bFGF and FGF-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and the angiopoietins (Darland et al., "Blood Vessel Maturation: Vascular Development Comes of Age," J. Clin. Invest. 103:167-168 (1999); Ferrara et al., "The Biology of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor," Endocrin. Rev. 18:4-25 (1997)). In addition, platelet derived growth factor B (PDGF-BB), angiopoietin-1 (ang-1), ephrin B2, and TGFβ have been shown to regulate later aspects of the angiogenesis process, in the recruitment of mural cells, and in the patterning of the vascular bed (Yancopoulos et al., "Vasculogenesis, Angiogenesis and Growth Factors: Ephrins Enter the Fray at the Border," Cell 93:661-664 (1998); Lindahl et al., "Pericyte Loss and Microaneurysm Formation in the PDGF-B-deficient mice," Science 277:242-245 (1997); Dickman et al., "Defective Haematopoiesis and Vasculogenesis in Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 Knock Out Mice," Development 121:1845-1854 (1995); Yang et al., "Angiogenesis Defects and Mesenchymal Apoptosis in Mice Lacking SMAD5," Development 126:1571-1580 (1999)). Very little is known about growth factors which regulate the stabilization and survival of the mature vasculature, although angiopoietin-1 has been proposed as a candidate molecule. Of these factors, only VEGF has been rigorously tested for its ability to initiate angiogenesis in adults in preclinical and clinical trials (Ferrara et al., "The Biology of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor," Endocrin. Rev. 18:4-25 (1997); Mack et al., "Biologic Bypass With the Use of Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer of the Complementary Deoxyribonucleic Acid for Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor 121 Improves Myocardial Perfusion and Function in the Ischemic Porcine Heart," J. Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 115:168-176 (1998); Losordo et al., "Gene Therapy for Myocardial Angiogenesis: Initial Clinical Results with Direct Myocardial Injection of phVEGF165 as Sole Therapy for Myocardial Ischemia," Circulation 98:2800-2804 (1998)). Although delivery of VEGF by gene transfer can induce an angiogenic response in ischemic tissues, exogenous VEGF induces the formation of fragile, dilated and malformed vessels (Springer et al., "VEGF Gene Delivery to Muscle: Potential Role for Vasculogenesis in Adults," Molecular Cell 2:549-558 (1998); Drake et al., "Exogenous Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Induces Malformed and Hyperfused Vessels During Embryonic Development," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 92:7657-7661 (1995)). In addition, recent studies suggest that the endothelial cells of postnatal vessels may become independent of VEGF for their continued survival within several weeks of birth in rodents (Gerber et al., "VEGF is Required for Growth and Survival in Neonatal Mice," Development 126:1149-1159 (1999)). Thus, the ultimate endpoint is the definition of the cellular steps and molecular sequences that direct and maintain microvascular assembly leading to therapeutic targets for repair and adaptive remodeling.
In recent studies, the roles of the neurotrophins in regulating cardiovascular development and modulating the vascular response to injury have been investigated (Donovan et al., "Neurotrophin-3 is Required for Mammalian Cardiac Development: Identification of an Essential Nonneuronal Neurotrophin Function," Nature Genetics 14:210-213 (1996); Donovan et al., "Neurotrophin and Neurotrophin Receptors in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Regulation of Expression in Response to Injury," A.J. Path. 147:309-324 (1995); Kraemer et al., "NGF Activates Similar Intracellular Signaling Pathways in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells as PDGF-BB But Elicits Different Biological Responses," Arteriol. Thromb. And Vasc. Biol. 19:1041-1050 (1999)). The neurotrophins today consist of a family of five related polypeptide growth factors: nerve growth factor (NGF), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophins 3, 4 (also referred to as neurotrophin 5), and 6 (NT-3, NT-4, NT-6) (Lewin et al., "Physiology of the Neurotrophins," Ann. Rev. Neuro. 19:289-317 (1996)). These structurally related proteins mediate their actions on responsive neurons by binding to two classes of cell surface receptor (Lewin et al., "Physiology of the Neurotrophins," Ann. Rev. Neuro. 19:289-317 (1996)). The low affinity neurotrophin receptor, p75, binds all neurotrophins and modulates signaling initiated by the second class of neurotrophin receptors, the trk family of receptor tyrosine kinases (what was originally identified as the trk tyrosine kinase receptor is now referred to as trk A, one member of the trk family of receptors). Trk A, trk B, and trk C tyrosine kinases serve as the receptors for NGF, BDNF, and NT-3, respectively, and trk B can also be activated by NT-4.
NT-3 initiates a number of trophic effects on neurons expressing its receptor, trk C, ranging from mitogenesis, promotion of survival, or differentiation, depending on the developmental stage of the target cells (Chalazonitis, "Neurotrophin-3 as an Essential Signal for the Developing Nervous System," Molecular Neurobiology 12:29-53 (1996)). The reported sites of action of NT-3 reside primarily in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), various areas of the central nervous system (CNS), and in the enteric nervous system (ENS). Id. Analyses of the phenotypes of transgenic mice lacking NT-3 or injection of embryos with a blocking antibody have revealed the essential role of NT-3 in development of specific populations of the PNS, and in particular of proprioceptive, nodose, and auditory sensory neurons and of sympathetic neurons. Id. The actions of NT-3 also extend to modulation of transmitter release at several types of synapses in the periphery as well as in the adult CNS. Id.
NT-4 acts via the trk B receptor and supports survival of primary somatic and visceral sensory neurons (Erickson et al., "Mice Lacking Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Exhibit Visceral Sensory Neuron Losses Distinct from Mice Lacking NT4 and Display a Severe Developmental Deficit in Control of Breathing," J. Neurosci. 16:5361-5371 (1996)). The major visceral sensory population, the nodose-petrosal ganglion complex (NPG), requires BDNF and NT-4 for survival of a full complement of neurons, however, only one functional NT-4 allele is required to support survival of all NT-4-dependent neurons. Id. NT-4 appears to have the unique requirement of binding to p75 for efficient signaling and retrograde transport in neurons (Ibanez, "Neurotrophin-4: The Odd One out in the Neurotrophin Family," Neurochemical Research 21:787-793 (1996)). In addition, while all other neurotrophin knock-outs have proven lethal during early postnatal development, mice deficient in NT-4 have so far only shown minor cellular deficits and develop normally to adulthood.
Trk B receptors and BDNF are highly expressed by central and peripheral neurons, and gene ablation studies have demonstrated the critical role of trk B and BDNF in neuronal differentiation and survival, with gene targeted animals exhibiting abnormalities in cerebellar function and respiratory drive (Lewin et al., "Physiology of the neurotrophins," Ann. Rev. Neuro. 19:289-317 (1996); Jones et al., "Targeted Disruption of the BDNF Gene Perturbs Brain and Sensory Neuron Development But Not Motor Neuron Development," Cell 76:989-999 (1994); Erickson et al., "Mice Lacking Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Exhibit Visceral Sensory Neuron Losses Distinct From Mice Lacking NT4 and Display a Severe Developmental Deficit in Control of Breathing," J. Neurosci. 16:5361-5371 (1996); Schwartz et al., "Abnormal Cerebellar Development and Foliation in the BDNF (−/−) Mice Reveals a Role for Neurotrophins in CNS Patterning," Neuron 19:269-281 (1997)).
However, the BDNF:trk B receptor system is expressed at high levels in nonneuronal tissues, including muscle, lung, kidney, heart and the vasculature, where its biological functions are unclear (Donovan et al., "Neurotrophin and Neurotrophin Receptors in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Regulation of Expression in Response to Injury," A.J. Path. 147:309-324 (1995); Timmusk et al., "Widespread and Developmentally Regulated Expression of Neurotrophin-4 mRNA in Rat Brain and Peripheral Tissues," Eur. J. Neurosci. 5:605-613 (1993); Hiltunen et al., "Expression of mRNAs for Neurotrophins and Their Receptors in Developing Rat Heart," Circ. Res. 79:930-939 (1996); Scarisbrick et al., "Coexpression of the mRNAs for NGF, BDNF and NT-3 in the Cardiovascular System of Pre- and Post-Natal Rat," J. Neurosci. 13:875-893 (1993)). Prior studies have identified roles for the related neurotrophin, NT-3, and its receptor, trk C, in regulating cardiac septation and valvulogenesis (Donovan et al., "Neurotrophin-3 is Required for Mammalian Cardiac Development: Identification of an Essential Nonneuronal Neurotrophin Function," Nature Genetics 14:210-213 (1996); Tessarollo et al., "Targeted Deletion of all Isoforms of the trk C Gene Suggests the Use of Alternate Receptor by its Ligand Neurotrophin-3 in Neural Development and Implicates trk C in Normal Cardiogenesis," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:14766-014781 (1997). In addition, it has been demonstrated that BDNF and trk B are expressed by vascular smooth muscle cells of the adult aorta, and expression of this ligand:receptor system is upregulated in neointimal cells following vascular injury (Donovan et al., "Neurotrophin-3 is Required for Mammalian Cardiac Development: Identification of an Essential Nonneuronal neurotrophin Function," Nature Genetics 14:210-213 (1996)). However, the biological actions of BDNF and related neurotrophins in cardiovascular function and development have not been assessed.
The present invention is directed to functions of the neurotrophins and the trk receptor family related to vascular biology.

Methods for increasing capillary density and maintaining viability of microvascular cardiac endothelial cells using trk receptor ligands


An organic interposer includes: a first organic insulating layer including a groove; a first metal wire located in the groove; a barrier metal material covering the first metal wire; and a second metal wire located above the first metal wire, wherein the barrier metal material includes: a first barrier metal film interposed between the first metal wire and an inner surface of the groove; and a second barrier metal film located on the first metal wire, and wherein the second metal wire is in contact with both of the first barrier metal film and the second barrier metal film.

The present disclosure relates to an organic interposer and a method for manufacturing an organic interposer.
An implementation form of mounting chips each having different performance on one package is proposed for the purpose of enhancing density and performance of a semiconductor package. In this case, a high-density inter-chip connection technique excellent in terms of costs is important (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
Non Patent Literature 1 and Non Patent Literature 2 describe a mode of Package on Package (PoP) connecting different packages by laminating on a package a different package through flip-chip assembly. This PoP is a mode widely adopted in smart phones, tablet terminals, and the like.
Further, as another form for performing high-density implementation of a plurality of chips, there are proposed a packaging technique using an organic substrate having high-density wires (organic interposer), a fan out type packaging technique (FO-WLP: Fan Out-Wafer Level Package) having a through mold via (TMV), a packaging technique using a silicon or glass interposer, a packaging technique using a through silicon via (TSV), a packaging technique using a chip embedded in a substrate for transmission between chips, and the like.
Especially, in the case where semiconductor chips are mounted in the organic interposer and the FO-WLP, a fine wiring layer for allowing the semiconductor chips to have electrical continuity of high density becomes necessary (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).

Organic interposer and method for manufacturing organic interposer


A photocatalytic filter having a coating layer formed in a thickness of 5 to 60 xcexcm on a base material and including 5 to 60% by weight of ultraviolet ray-transmissible particles (such as glass particles or fibers) having a minor axis of 0.2 to 50 xcexcm, 20 to 80% by weight of photocatalytical particles (TiO2) having an average particle size of 0.001 to 0.02 xcexcm, 10 to 60% by weight of fine silica particles having an average particle size of 0.002 to 0.2 xcexcm and optionally 0.2 to 20% by weight of a clay mineral material, preferably a portion of the ultraviolet ray-transmissible particles being exposed to the outside of the coating layer, exhibits a high air-cleaning activity, a high adhesion of the coating layer to the base material and a high durability in the air-cleaning activity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air-cleaning photocatalytic filter utilizing a photocatalyst capable of cleaning air by utilizing a photoreaction. More particularly, the present invention relates to an air-cleaning photocatalytic filter which is used as a filter of an air-cleaning apparatus arranged in a place exposing to natural or artificial light in a vehicle, train, ship or house, to clean the ambient air to, for example, deodorize the air.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, many attempts are made to utilize a photocatalyst which realizes various functions, for example, deodorization, antibacterial function and stain-proofing, upon being irradiated by the light, for the purpose of cleaning the environment.
As an air-cleaning photocatalytic method, a method in which odorous substances, for example, aldehyde compounds, in air are decomposed and removed and/or NOx gas is oxidized to convert it to nitric acid and is removed from the air by using a titanium dioxide photocatalyst, is advantageous in that no electric energy and no specific apparatus are necessary and thus the study of the practical utilization of the method has been started.
In a practical utilization of the photocatalyst, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-171,408 discloses a utilization of a composite material having a support material and a coating layer formed on a surface of the support material and comprising a mixture of photocatalyst particles and a binder having a high resistance to photodecomposition.
In this type of the coating layer, however, since the photocatalyst particles, per se, exhibit an air-cleaning function upon absorbing ultraviolet rays therein, when the photocatalyst particle-containing coating layer is formed in a large thickness on the support material surface, only the portion of the photocatalyst particles which are located in a surface portion of the coating layer and are exposed to the irradiation of the ultraviolet rays, can fulfil the photocatalytic function. Namely, the other portion of the photocatalyst particles which are located inside of the coating layer and to which the ultraviolet rays do not reach, does not work as a photocatalyst. Thus, the photocatalyst particles contained in the coating layer exhibit an insufficient reaction efficiency.
The above-mentioned problem forms an obstructive barrier to the practical utilization of the photocatalyst particles for use in, for example, air-cleaning and water-purification, for which a high reaction rate and a high reaction efficiency are required.
As a means for solving the above-mentioned problem, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-71573 discloses a photocatalytic method in which a light-transmissible material having a roughened surface is used as a support, and photocatalytic particles are supported on the roughened surface of the support, and thus the resultant photocatalytic coating layer has an increased surface area.
Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-171,408 discloses a photocatalytic coating layer formed from a coating liquid prepared by mixing photocatalyst particles with a binder comprising water glass and/or a silicone polymer. In this coating layer, however, the water glass and/or the silicone polymer which serves as a binder and exhibits no effect on enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst particles, covers the surfaces of the photocatalyst particles and thus usually disadvantageously causes the photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst particles to be reduced.
As mentioned above, no means for causing the all of the photocatalyst particles contained in the photocatalytic coating layer to fully function, by controlling the compositions of the coating liquid and the coating layer has been found and thus the function of the conventional photocatalytic coating layer has a limit.
Further, the above-mentioned coating layer is disadvantageous in that the coating liquid containing an alkaline material, for example, a water glass (sodium silicate) causes the support material to be corroded and the coating operation circumstances to be degraded. Also, when the coating layer contains a silicone polymer, since a catalyst, for example, an acid, must be used and/or the silicon polymer must be used together with a large amount of an organic solvent, the coating operation circumstances are deteriorated. Thus, the above-mentioned conventional photocatalytic coating layer must be further improved.
An object of the present invention is to provide an air-cleaning photocatalytic filter which is provided with a surface formed by a photocatalytic coating layer formed on a support material with a high adhesion and having an excellent durability, exhibits a high efficiency on air-cleaning including deodorization and removal of nitrogen oxides from the air, and thus is free from the disadvantageous of the conventional photocatalytic coating layer and air-cleaning photocatalytic filter, namely, a low efficiency of photocatalytic activity.
The above-mentioned object can be attained by the air-cleaning photo-catalytic filter of the present invention which comprises:
a base material, and
a coating layer formed on a surface of the base material, comprising 5 to 60% by weight of ultraviolet ray-transmissible solid particles having a minor axis of the particles in the range of from 0.2 to 50 xcexcm, 20 to 80% by weight of photocatalytic solid particles having an average particle size of 0.001 to 0.02 xcexcm and 10 to 60% by weight of fine silica particles having an average particle size of 0.002 to 0.2 xcexcm. and having a thickness of 5 to 60 xcexcm.
In the air-cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, the coating layer optionally further comprises 0.2 to 20% by weight of a clay mineral material.
In the air-cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, at least a portion of the ultraviolet ray-transmissible solid particles located in the surface portion of the coating layer is preferably exposed to the outside of the photocatalytic filter.
In the air-cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, the ultraviolet ray transmissible solid particles are preferably selected from the group consisting of pulverized glass particles and glass fibers.
In the air-cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, the minor axis of the ultraviolet ray-transmissible solid particles is preferably in the range of from 0.1 to 1.5 times the thickness of the coating layer.
In the air-cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, the base material preferably comprises a member selected from the group consisting of aluminum materials, paper sheets ceramic fiber nonwoven fabrics, and plastic resin materials.
In the air-cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, the base material is preferably in the form of a panel, sheet or honeycomb.
In the air cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, the photocatalytic solid particles are preferably selected from the group consisting of titanium dioxide particles, zinc oxide particles, strontium titanate particles and tin dioxide particles.
In the air-cleaning photocatalytic filter of the present invention, the clay mineral material preferably comprises at least a member selected from the group consisting of natural and artificial smectite, sepiolite, talc, swelling mica and kaolin.


LED assemblies, lens-less luminaires, and methods of use are provided herein. According to some embodiments, the present technology may contemplate a lighting assembly that includes a reflector in association with a light emitting diode (LED) light source, the LED light source contacting a cooling device, wherein the LED light source is electrically coupled to a power source; and a mounting plate for coupling the lighting assembly to a luminaire.

Existing luminaires (e.g., light fixtures such as stage lights) utilize energy inefficient lighting sources. Commonly utilized lighting sources include high performance lamps (HPL), high-intensity discharge lamps (HID), as well as metal-halide lamps, fluorescents, incandescents, and so forth. While HID lamps provide some increase in energy efficiency relative to HPL lamps, both HID and HPL lamps require hundreds of watts of power to function at their designed output levels.
Moreover, these conventional lamp-type luminaires produce a significant amount of heat. It has been estimated that venues which utilize these conventional lamp luminaires, a significant portion of the operating expenses of the venue can be attributed to climate control processes (e.g., HVAC) to offset the heat produced by these conventional lamp luminaires. Thus, what is needed are LED lighting assemblies that can replace and/or be retrofit into conventional luminaires, such as stage lighting, (or other lighting assemblies) that reduce not only the amount of energy consumed, but also the heat produced by the luminaires. The present technology provides these benefits without deleteriously affecting the performance (e.g., lumen intensity) of the luminaires. Additionally, the present technology utilizes LED light sources which have a much longer operating life than standard filament light sources (e.g., HID and HPL lamps).

Light emitting diode (LED) lighting assemblies and methods of use


The identification information about unnecessary files is registered to generate an unnecessary-file database. The identification information about files stored on a plurality of storage devices connected to a host computer is acquired to decide with the unnecessary-file database whether the identification information about files conforms to unnecessary-file conditions. Files nonconforming to unnecessary-file conditions are checked to determine whether they are already migrated to a different storage device. If all the files stored on a storage device conform to the unnecessary-file conditions or are already migrated to a different storage device, the identification information about the former storage device is displayed to indicate that the storage device can be removed.

The present invention relates to a support system for data migration suitable for providing support for efficiently migrating data from an old storage device to a new storage device and removing the old storage device within a computer system, particularly in a large-scale computer system, to which a plurality of storage devices are connected, a data migration support program, a method for identifying such a removable storage device, and a system for migrating data with a removable storage medium.
In an information system that handles a large amount of data, the capacity of a storage device for data storage needs to be large. The storage device capacity can be increased either by enlarging the size of an employed storage device or by using a large number of storage devices.
If it is anticipated that the stored information might be lost due to prolonged use of a storage device for a period longer than the estimated lifetime or if the storage device's defect detection rate is increased, the storage device is replaced with a new one that is less likely to deteriorate or become defective. Before the existing storage device is replaced, the data stored in it is transferred to another storage device. This transfer is called "data migration." The same is also true for optical disks and other storage media.
A generally employed data migration method is to back up the data on an existing storage device to a tape or other storage medium and then restore it to a new storage device. To make such a backup, it is necessary to halt a host computer's access to the existing storage device. If the existing storage device has a large capacity, the resulting access halt time for backup is long.
In a situation where the old existing storage device and a new migration destination storage device are connected to the host computer via a network, data migration can be achieved, for instance, by allowing individual users using the existing storage device to copy necessary data to the new storage device before the old storage device is replaced by the new storage device. For example, the storage devices disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-187608 accomplish data migration between the old and new storage devices on an individual file basis and without intervention of a host computer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,748 disclosed a migration destination storage device, which uses a table that indicates whether data elements are migrated. When a host computer issues a transfer request about one or more data elements, the disclosed migration destination storage device judges whether the data elements are already migrated. If the data elements are already migrated, the migration destination storage device responds to the transfer request. If, on the other hand, the data elements are not migrated, the migration destination storage device migrates the data elements, responds to the transfer request, and writes into the table to indicate that the data elements are now migrated. While there are no services or requests, the migration destination storage device migrates data elements in the background. Thus, data migration requests can be fulfilled immediately.

System and method of data migration for safe removal of storage devices


Disclosed are micro-wire stimulators that magnetically stimulate nearby cells and/or their processes (e.g., nerve fiber, axons, dendrites, etc.). The micro-wire includes one or more bends. The micro-wire stimulator can facilitate the creation of stronger field gradients in one direction with much smaller gradients in orthogonal directions, allowing for selective targeting, or avoiding, of specific cell types within a targeted region. The bent micro-wire stimulator may be implanted into the cortex of the brain to selectively stimulate nearby neural cells having a particular orientation relative to the stimulator. A tip portion of the micro-wire may be rounded, or it may have corners forming other suitable geometric shapes.

The ability of electrical stimulation delivered from small micro-electrodes to modulate the activity of CNS neurons has opened up the possibility that implant arrays can be used to treat a wide range of neurological disorders. Notable successes include implantation of arrays of electrodes into the cochlea (cochlear prosthesis) to restore hearing to the profoundly deaf, and implantation of a single probe containing four distinct electrodes into the sub-thalamic nucleus, or other targets within the basal ganglia, to treat Parkinson's Disease or other disorders of the motor system. These successes have inspired much new effort over the last few decades to implant electrodes into many other regions of the central nervous system (CNS), including the neocortex, with the hope of treating many additional disorders. For example, arrays of microelectrodes have been implanted into the primary visual cortex with the goal of restoring vision to blind subjects. Encouragingly, subjects consistently report light percepts (phosphenes) in response to stimulation from a single electrode, and stimulation from an adjacent electrode elicits a phosphene in an adjacent region of visual space. Much additional effort has been devoted to stimulation of somatosensory cortex to provide somatosensory and proprioceptive feedback, e.g. as part of a brain-computer interface (BCI) in which cortical signals are "read" by the interface to allow the user to gain control of a prosthetic arm; the feedback signal is used to provide relevant feedback to the user, such as the force being exerted to grip a cup that is being lifted by the prosthetic arm. In addition to prosthetic-based applications, precise stimulation of the cortex has been and continues to be an essential component of many research studies that study fundamental questions of brain anatomy and/or physiology.
Unfortunately, the long-term viability of implantable cortical electrodes has been limited by the biological reactions that arise in response to implantation as well as by the fundamental biophysics of electric stimulation. For example, prolonged implantation alters the properties of the electrode, especially at the junction between the exposed metal and the surrounding insulation. Functionally, this changes the impedance of the electrode and thus the effectiveness with which stimulation is delivered. Another significant concern arises from the complex biological reactions induced by the implantation of any foreign material into cortex; activated astrocytes can encapsulate individual electrodes, forming a high-impedance barrier that can diminish the effectiveness of stimulation. It is likely that these types of changes contribute to reported difficulties in maintaining response consistency over time with implanted electrodes. For example, electrodes implanted into the primary visual cortex (V1) of macaque monkeys each reliably elicited a visual percept (phosphene) shortly after implantation, but individual electrodes lost effectiveness within a few months. Although larger groupings of electrodes could be used to generate phosphenes (e.g. 2×2 or 3×3), the need to couple electrodes together represents a significant loss in potential visual acuity. The use of non-penetrating approaches, such as electrodes positioned on the surface of the cortex, has been proposed to alleviate some of these concerns but unfortunately, surface stimulation requires considerably higher levels of current to induce an effect and further, cannot produce the same level of focal activation as implants, thereby greatly limiting their effectiveness.
Another important limitation associated with the implantation of electrodes into cortex is that the electric field induced by stimulation is spatially symmetric. The driving force for activation of a neuron subjected to artificial stimulation is proportional to either the strength of the electric field induced by the stimulating electrode along its length or to the gradient of the induced field, i.e. a rapidly changing field along the length of an axon is highly effective in many situations. Referring to FIG. 1A, a spatially symmetric field 10 creates equal driving forces in all directions. As illustrated, the activating force for those neurons (or axons) oriented primarily along the x-axis 15 is approximately equal to the activating force for those neurons (or axons) oriented primarily along y-axis 20. Consequently, all nearby neuronal targets are activated regardless of their orientation relative to an electrode 25 that is inserted past skull 55, dura 50, and brain surface 30 and into cortex, which includes a target neuron 35 with its long axis aligned with the x-axis. This is especially problematic because the passing axons 40 that arise from distal neurons have their (orthogonal) long axes aligned with the y-axis and are highly sensitive to stimulation and their activation can lead to a wide range of undesirable side effects as well as to the spread of activation well beyond the local region surrounding a given electrode, thus diminishing the ability to create precise patterns of neural activity. Spatially symmetric fields also lead to the activation of both local excitatory neurons (mostly pyramidal neurons that project the results of local computations to other regions of the brain) as well as local inhibitory neurons (a heterogeneous group of neurons that provide feedback and limit the output of pyramidal neurons); the activation of local inhibitory neurons can negate the effect of stimulating nearby excitatory neurons.
Magnetic stimulation is an attractive alternative to electrical stimulation from implanted electrodes. This is because direct contact between the metal coils and the targeted neural tissue is not necessary and thus the stability of the interface is much less likely to deteriorate over time. Further, because magnetic fields pass readily through biological materials, they are not significantly diminished by even the most severe encapsulation, further enhancing the stability of coil performance over time. Note that while magnetic fields are not thought to directly modulate neuronal activity, the electric fields they induce are effective; thus, the electric field induced by the coil can be 'carried' beyond the region of encapsulation to drive activation. Coils small enough to be safely implanted into cortex were not thought to be sufficiently powerful to induce neural activation but recent studies have shown that small-sized inductors (coils) (0.5 mm width×1.0 mm length) could indeed modulate neuronal activity. While attractive, their size was still too large to safely implant into cortex, especially if such coils were to be part of a multi-coil array used to simultaneously modulate activity in multiple nearby regions. This is especially problematic because the orientation of the coil that best activates vertically-oriented pyramidal neurons necessitates the coil to be oriented in the horizontal direction, thereby increasing the cross-sectional area of the implant. Thus, it would be desirable to have a magnetic stimulator that is small enough to be safely implanted into cortex but still effective at providing selective stimulation and maintaining consistency over time.

Selective activation of cortex using bent micro wires to magnetically stimulate neurons