A sense amplifier that amplifies data signals in either a normal mode or an altered mode. In the normal mode, the data signals must be complementary of each other while in the altered mode, the data signals may, but need not be, complementary of each other. The sense amplifier includes two sense amplifier stages, the first of which drives the second, and each sense amplifier stage includes two identical sense amplifier circuits. A first input of each sense amplifier in the first stage receives a respective data signal, and a first input of each sense amplifier in the second stage receives an output signal from a respective sense amplifier in the first stage. In the normal mode, a mode control circuit couples each of the other data signals to a respective second input of each sense amplifier in the first stage so that the sense amplifiers receive both of the complimentary data signals at their differential inputs. In the altered mode, the mode control circuit couples a reference voltage to the second inputs of the sense amplifiers in the first stage so that the sense amplifiers compare a respective data signal to the reference voltage. The mode control circuit also alters the operation of the second stage. In the normal mode, the mode control circuit couples an output signal from the other sense amplifier in the first stage to a respective second input of each sense amplifier in the second stage so that the sense amplifiers receive at their differential inputs both of the complimentary output signals from each sense amplifier in the first stage. In the altered mode, the mode control circuit couples a data signal to the respective second input of each sense amplifier in the second stage so that the sense amplifiers compare an output signal from a respective sense amplifier in the first stage to a respective data signal.

Complementary data signals are commonly used in a variety of integrated circuits, such as memory devices, including a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) 10 shown in FIG. 1. The SDRAM 10 includes an address register 12 that receives either a row address or a column address on an address bus 14. The address bus 14 is generally coupled to a memory controller (not shown in FIG. 1). Typically, a row address is initially received by the address register 12 and applied to a row address multiplexer 18. The row address multiplexer 18 couples the row address to a number of components associated with either of two memory banks 20, 22 depending upon the state of a bank address bit forming part of the row address. Associated with each of the memory banks 20, 22 is a respective row address latch 26 which stores the row address, and a row decoder 28 which applies various signals to its respective array 20 or 22 as a function of the stored row address. The row address multiplexer 18 also couples row addresses to the row address latches 26 for the purpose of refreshing the memory cells in the arrays 20, 22. The row addresses are generated for refresh purposes by a refresh counter 30 which is controlled by a refresh controller 32.
After the row address has been applied to the address register 12 and stored in one of the row address latches 26, a column address is applied to the address register 12. The address register 12 couples the column address to a column address latch 40. Depending on the operating mode of the SDRAM 10, the column address is either coupled through a burst counter 42 to a column address buffer 44, or to the burst counter 42 which applies a sequence of column addresses to the column address buffer 44 starting at the column address output by the address register 12. In either case, the column address buffer 44 applies a column address to a column decoder 48 which applies various signals to respective sense amplifiers and associated column circuitry 50, 52 for the respective arrays 20, 22.
Data to be read from one of the arrays 20, 22 is coupled to the column circuitry 50, 52 for one of the arrays 20, 22, respectively. The data is then coupled to a data output register 56 which applies the data to a data bus 58. Data to be written to one of the arrays 20, 22 is coupled from the data bus 58 through a data input register 60 to the column circuitry 50, 52 where it is transferred to one of the arrays 20, 22, respectively. A mask register 64 may be used to selectively alter the flow of data into and out of the column circuitry 50, 52, such as by selectively masking data to be read from the arrays 20, 22.
The above-described operation of the SDRAM 10 is controlled by a command decoder 68 responsive to high level command signals received on a control bus 70. These high level command signals, which are typically generated by a memory controller (not shown in FIG. 1), are a clock enable signal CKE*, a clock signal CLK, a chip select signal CS*, a write enable signal WE*, a row address strobe signal RAS*, and a column address strobe signal CAS*, which the "*" designating the signal as active low. The command decoder 68 generates a sequence of command signals responsive to the high level command signals to carry out the function (e.g., a read or a write) designated by each of the high level command signals. These command signals, and the manner in which they accomplish their respective functions, are conventional. Therefore, in the interest of brevity, a further explanation of these control signals will be omitted.
To best understand the disclosed embodiment of the inventive sense amplifier, it is best to have an understanding of a portion of the circuitry conventionally used in the column circuitry 50, 52 and the data output register 56 in the SDRAM 10 of FIG. 1. The column circuitry 50, 52 for each of the memory arrays 20, 22 typically includes a sense amplifier (not shown) for each column in each array 20, 22, respectively. This sense amplifier will be referred to as a digit line sense amplifier to distinguish it from sense amplifiers of the type described and claimed herein which will sometime be referred to as an array sense amplifier. The digit line sense amplifier in the column circuitry 50, 52 for an addressed column receives complimentary signals from a pair of complimentary digit lines. The digit lines are, in turn, coupled to a pair of complimentary I/O lines by column addressing circuitry which is not shown in FIG. 1 for purposes of brevity. There are generally a pair of I/O lines included in each of the column circuitry 50, 52, i.e., one for each of the arrays 20, 22. Each pair of I/O lines is selectively coupled by a pair of complimentary data lines to the complimentary inputs of an array sense amplifier (not shown) included in the column circuitry 50, 52 or the data output register 56. The output of the active array sense amplifier is coupled to a bit of the data bus 58.
In the past, attempts have been made to expedite testing by reading data from the arrays 20, 22 using data compression in which the data from two or more memory cells in the arrays 20, 22 are combined to provide a single output. One technique for accomplishing this data compression has been by coupling the output terminals of several array sense amplifiers to comparison circuitry fabricated on the integrated circuit along with the memory device 10. Although this approach does expedite testing, there are nevertheless several problems in implementing this concept in increasing compact integrated circuit memory devices. At least some of these problems could be largely solved if data compression could occur "upstream" from the array sense amplifier. However, upstream data compression would inherently require that the array sense amplifier be capable of amplifying a pair of signals that may not be complimentary of each other. Unfortunately conventional array sense amplifiers are incapable of amplifying non-complimentary input signals, particularly amplifiers that can sufficiently amplify input signals that, while complementary, differ only slightly from each other. Yet substantial amplification of the input signals is necessary so that the outputs of the array sense amplifier can be interpreted as logic "0" and "1" values.
One embodiment of a conventional sense amplifier circuit is illustrated in FIG. 2. The sense amplifier circuit 100 includes a pair of PMOS transistors 112, 114 having their sources connected to a supply voltage VCC and their gates coupled to each other and to the drain of one of the PMOS transistors 114. In this configuration, the transistors 112, 114 act as current mirrors so that the current I.sub.1 through the PMOS transistor 112 will be the same as the current I.sub.2 through the PMOS transistor 114.
The drains of the PMOS transistors 112, 114 are connected to the drains of respective NMOS sense transistors 120, 122. The gate of one sense transistor 120 is coupled to the data line D while the gate of the other sense transistor 122 is coupled to the complement of the data line D*. The sources of the sense transistors 120, 122 are coupled to ground through an NMOS bias transistor 126 which is biased on by coupling its gate to a voltage V.sup.1 which may be VCC or some other voltage between VCC and V.sub.T, the transition voltage of the transistor 126.
Although not required for the operation of the sense amplifier circuit 100, a PMOS equilibration transistor 130 is coupled between the drains of the sense transistors 120, 122 to equalize their voltages prior to receipt of the complementary data signals D and D*. The drain of one of the sense transistors 120 is used as the output line 132 of the sense amplifier circuit 100.
The operation of the sense amplifier circuit 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 will be explained using exemplary voltage levels which are indicated in parentheses in FIG. 2. However, it will be understood that these voltage levels are provided only as examples since other voltage levels are often present in conventional sense amplifiers. Further, it will be assumed that VCC for the sense amplifier circuit 100 is 3.3 volts and that a logic "1" level of 3.2 volts is coupled to the gate of the sense transistor 120 while a logic "0" voltage of 2.9 volts is coupled to the gate of the sense transistor 122.
Insofar as the voltage applied to the gate of the sense transistor 120 is greater than the voltage applied to the gate of the sense transistor 122, the transistor 120 is turned on to a greater degree than transistor 122. As a result, the source to gate resistance of the transistor 120 is lower than the source to gate resistance of the transistor 122. As mentioned above, the PMOS transistors 112, 114 are configured as a current mirror so that I.sub.1 and I.sub.2 are equal to each other. As a result, the voltage across the lower resistance sense transistor 120 is lower than the voltage across the higher resistance sense transistor 122. For this reason, using the example shown in FIG. 2, the drain of the sense transistor 120 is at 2.7 volts while the drain of the sense transistor 122 is at 3.3 volts. The sense amplifier circuit 100 has thus boosted the differential between the complementary signals from 0.3 volts (i.e., 3.2-2.9) to 0.6 volts (i.e., 3.3-2.7). Prior to applying the complementary signals to the gates of the sense transistors 120, 122, the equilibration transistor 130 is turned on by conventional circuitry to place the drains of the sense transistors 120, 122 at a suitable voltage between 2.7 volts and 3.3 volts, e.g. 3.0 volts. As a result, it is necessary for the drain of either transistor 120, 122 to change by only 0.3 volts when the differential data signals are applied to the gates of the sense transistors 120, 122. The bias transistor 126 is provided to raise the absolute voltages at the drains of the source transistors 120, 122 to a suitable level since the voltage across the sense transistors 120, 122 is boosted by the voltage across the bias transistor 126. The sense amplifier circuit 100 is thus a differential amplifier that compares the voltage applied to the gate of one sense transistor 120 to the voltage applied to the gate of the other sense transistor 122.
In operation, the voltage at the drain of the sense transistor 120 changes to a greater extent than the voltage at the drain of the sense transistor. 122 because the drain of the PMOS transistor 112 is not coupled to the gate of the transistor 112. On the other hand, coupling the drain of the PMOS transistor 114 to its gate limits the magnitude of the change in voltage at the gate of the sense transistor 122. Thus, in practice, the drain of the sense transistor 120 is generally preferred for use as the output node thus causing the sense amplifier circuit 100 to function as an inverting differential amplifier.
In practice, the sense amplifier circuit 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 is commonly used in the quad configuration shown in FIG. 3. The sense amplifier 140 shown in FIG. 3 uses two amplifier stages 142, 144 each of which consists of two sense amplifiers 100 of the type illustrated in FIG. 2.
As mentioned above, the drain of the PMOS transistor 112 changes to a larger extent than the voltage on the drain of the PMOS transistor 114 because the drain of the transistor 112 is not coupled to the gates of the PMOS transistors 112, 114. For this reason, using the drains of the sense transistors 120, 122 as differential outputs of each sense amplifier circuit 100 would result in an unbalance. Two sense amplifiers 100 are therefore used for each stage 142, 144. Further, two stages 142, 144 are used to provide a sufficient voltage differential on output lines 150, 152.
Each of the sense amplifiers 100 operates in essentially the same manner as explained above with reference to FIG. 2. Thus, the sense amplifier circuit 100a receives the data input D and its complement D* and generates an output corresponding to D*-D. Although an output signal is also generated at the drain of the PMOS transistor 114, it is not used because, as explained above, the change in voltage as a function of D*-D is greater at the drain of the PMOS transistor 112. Similarly, the sense amplifier circuit 100b receives the data signal D and its complement D* and generates an output signal that is proportional to D-D*. Since the output of the sense amplifier circuit 100b is also generated at the drain of the PMOS transistor 112, the sense amplifier circuit 100b has essentially the same topography as the sense amplifier circuit 100a. As a result, the change in voltage at the output of the sense amplifier circuit 100a corresponding to D*-D changes by the same magnitude as the output of the sense amplifier circuit 100b responsive to D-D*.
The balanced outputs from the first stage 142 are then applied to the second stage 144. More specifically, the sense amplifier circuit 100c receives the output of the sense amplifier circuit 100a (which is proportional to D-D*) and compares it to the output of the sense amplifier circuit 100b (which is proportional to D*-D). The output signal on output line 150 is thus proportional to (D-D*)-(D*-D) or 2D-2D*. Similarly, since the output signal of the sense amplifier circuit 100d is proportional to the output of the sense amplifier circuit 100a less the output from the sense amplifier circuit 100b, the output of the sense amplifier stage 144 on output line 152 is proportional to (D*-D)-(D-D*) or 2D*-2D. The differential output between lines 150 and 152 is thus (2D-2D*)-(2D*-2D) or 4D-4D*.
It will be apparent from the above formula and the explanation of the sense amplifier 140 shown in FIG. 3 that it is capable of amplifying only signals that are differential or complementary with respect to each other. However, there are some instances in which it is desirable for an array sense amplifier to be able to receive and amplify data signals that are not complementary with respect to each other. While a separate amplifier for amplifying non-complementary data signals could be provided for this purpose, providing this additional circuitry would increase the cost of memory devices containing both types of amplifiers. Providing separate complementary and non-complementary sense amplifiers may not be cost effective in many situations since the data signals may be non-complementary for very limited operating modes, such as in production test modes. There is therefore a need for a sense amplifier that can amplify complementary data signals in normal operation yet, without adding an extensive amount of circuitry, can also amplify data signals that are not complementary with respect to each other.

Sense amplifier for complementary or non-complementary data signals


In a device including a processor and a computer-readable medium, the computer-readable medium includes executable instructions causing the processor to control the device to perform functions of (i) displaying, via a display, a GUI for a first communication application, the GUI including a first portion displaying content of a first communication session associated with the first communication application, wherein participants of the first communication session includes a user of the device, and a second portion including a plurality of graphical elements, each graphical element associated with one of a plurality of functionalities related to a second communication application different from the first communication application; (ii) detecting an activity related to a second communication session associated with the second communication application; and (iii) in response to detecting the activity, displaying, via the second portion of the GUI, an indication of the detected activity related to the second communication session.

Modern communication systems have an array of capabilities, including integration of various communication modalities with different services. For example, instant messaging, voice/video communications, data/application sharing, white-boarding, and other forms of communication may be combined with presence and availability information for subscribers. Such systems may provide subscribers with the enhanced capabilities such as providing instructions to callers for various status categories, alternate contacts, calendar information, and comparable features. Furthermore, collaboration systems enabling users to share and collaborate in creating and modifying various types of documents and content may be integrated with multimodal communication systems providing different kinds of communication and collaboration capabilities. Such integrated systems are sometimes referred to as Unified Communication and Collaboration (UC&C) systems.

Indication of communication across applications


A circuit for receiving an input signal having a first frequency and generating an output signal having a second frequency. The circuit comprises a forward branch for receiving the input signal and generating the output signal and a return branch for generating a feedback signal from the output signal. The forward branch comprises a frequency detector for receiving the input signal and the feedback signal and outputting a value based on a ratio of a frequency of the feedback signal to the first frequency; a word length reduction block for receiving a fractional component of a first division factor and generating a modulated output; an adder for forming a sum of an integer component of the first division factor and the modulated output of the word length reduction block; a subtracting element for subtracting the output value of the frequency detector from the sum; and an oscillator controlled by an output from the subtracting element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to frequency synthesis, and particularly, but not exclusively, to frequency-locked loops.
2. Description of the Related Art
Frequency-locked loops (FLLS) are blocks that perform the function shown in FIG. 1. That is, an input signal at a fixed first frequency Fin is supplied to a FLL 10, and the FLL 10 outputs a signal at a fixed second frequency Fout that is not equal to Fin. This general principle is known as frequency synthesis.
FIG. 2 shows an implementation of a FLL 20. A signal is input to an integrator 22, which outputs a signal to a voltage-controlled oscillator 24 (VCO). The frequency of the output signal from the VCO 24 is controlled by its input signal. A high input signal into the VCO 24 leads to a high-frequency output signal from the VCO 24, and a low input signal into the VCO 24 leads to a low-frequency output signal from the VCO 24. The signal output Fout from the VCO 24 is sampled, its frequency divided by a factor N in a ÷N block 26, and the resulting output frequency signal Fout/N is fed back to be subtracted from the input signal Fin in a subtracting element 27. The difference ΔF between the frequency of the input signal Fin and the feedback signal Fout/N is calculated and fed back into the loop. In this way, the system converges to an output signal with a frequency of Fout=N×Fin.
It is of course desirable for the system to be able to synthesize an output frequency Fout which is not an integer multiple of the input frequency Fin. That is, N need not necessarily be an integer. However, dividing by a fractional number is difficult.
It is advantageous to realize as much of the FLL as possible using digital circuitry, due to the benefits that are inherent with digital signal processing (i.e. cheaper, smaller die area, rapid testability, etc).


A method separates a color vector into a colorant vector for a printing system that uses more than four colorants, for example cyan, magenta, yellow, black, orange and green colorants. According to the method, the separation process is split up into partial four colorant processes that contain opponent colors. For example, a first partial process is a cyan, magenta, yellow and black process; a second one is an orange, magenta, yellow and black process; and a third one is a cyan, green, yellow and black process. Continuity of magnitudes of the colorants is achieved across the boundaries of the color gamuts of the partial processes by imposing specific constraints on the combinations of colorants to render a given color. A computer implemented system and a print system are based on the method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method for rendering color images on a printer. More specifically, the present invention relates to a color separation method. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to a color separation method for a print process that, besides cyan, magenta, yellow and black colorants, includes additional colorants such as orange, green or blue colorants.
2. Description of the Related Art
Color printing systems generally rely on subtractive color mixing of a set of colorants to render different colors. A set of colorants that is widely used includes cyan, magenta, yellow and black colorants. A color separation process separates a color in a digital document into a set of colorant magnitudes that, when printed on top of each other, yield a faithful rendering of the color. A color separation process is usually based on inverting a mathematical printer model that expresses color as a function of printed colorant amounts. The coefficients of the function are usually obtained by printing and measuring a printer target of which the colorant values are specified.
The color separation for a cyan, magenta, yellow and black printing process involves a transformation from a three dimensional color space into a four dimensional colorant space. This additional degree of freedom is resolved by introducing additional constraints on the relationships between the magnitudes of the colorants. For example, a possible constraint could be that a given color should be rendered with the predetermined magnitude of black colorant in combination with magnitudes of cyan, magenta and yellow colorants. Setting constraints on the amount of black colorant is commonly referred to as a "grey component replacement" strategy.
The range of colors that a color print process is capable of rendering is called its color gamut. Practical constraints, such as the limited capability of a substrate to absorb large amounts of colorants in a given amount of time, may put limitations on the printable color gamut. Another limitation of the printable color gamut results from the broadband nature of absorption spectra of the cyan, magenta and yellow colorants. For example, a magenta dye not only absorbs light in the green portion of the visible spectrum, but to some extent also in the blue and red portions of the visible spectrum. When the magenta colorant is subtractively mixed with a cyan colorant to render a blue color, the blue color will look darker than expected because a considerable amount of the blue portion of the spectrum is absorbed by the magenta colorant. As a result, subtractive color rendering using commercial magenta and cyan colorants does not enable reproducing blue colors that are both bright and saturated. For similar reasons, subtractive color rendering using the available cyan, magenta and yellow colorants fails to render bright and saturated orange and green colors.
The printing industry addresses the above problems by using additional colorants that specifically target blue, orange and green portions of the visible spectrum. While this method is expensive, since it requires the use of additional printing stations to print these additional colorants, the solution is common in the packaging industry, where bright and saturated colors support the sale of a product.
The use of additional colorants greatly complicates the color to colorant separation process.
A first problem that arises is that no standardized targets exist for print systems that use more than four colorants. Additionally, such targets would create problems in printing, as most print processes break up when more than four colorants are printed on top of each other.
Another problem is that the introduction of additional colorants also introduces additional degrees of freedom that need to be managed in the color separation, i.e., the separation of color into five or more colorants is considerably more complex to manage than the separation of a color into four colorants.

Multicolorant separation system and method


A storage device for transporting equipment includes a housing having a base end, a pair of retractable wheels, and a foot operated actuator for retracting and extending the wheels from the housing. The housing defines at least one compartment for storing the equipment. The housing has a handle at an upper end thereof, an open front defining an opening into the housing, and a door for selectively closing the open front. The actuator is coupled to a lower end of the housing towards its base end. Actuation of the actuator displaces the wheels between retracted and extended positions while the housing is resting on its base end. A user while grasping the handle depresses a foot pedal component of the actuator to extend the wheels against the resiliently biased return force of a spring. A manually operated latch releases the wheels to their retracted position urged by the spring.

For many coaches, transporting equipment to and from games for any sport that requires a multitude of protective gear and equipment may be fairly cumbersome and unwieldy. Baseball and softball are examples of sports that involve a plurality of equipment needed for proper team play. Typically, coaches haul one or more large canvas bags from their vehicle to the dug out for each game, and back from the dug out to their vehicle after each game. The equipment loosely packed into such canvas bags usually end up in a disorganized mess due to movement from transport and can be harmed when the equipment collides with each other. The bags may be very heavy and cumbersome to carry and they do not provide proper storage for the equipment as they do not provide ventilation to allow wet or sweaty equipment to dry out, thereby causing damage due to mold.
It is therefore desirable to provide an equipment carrier that keeps virtually all equipment required for a particular sport together such that the equipment may be easily transportable to and from games. In particular, it is desirable to provide a wheeled container for the equipment, preferably where the wheels on such a container are retractable between an extended position for use and a stowed position retracted flush within corresponding wheel-wells for ease and efficiency of storage.
In the prior art applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,141,680 and 4,575,109 which issued, respectively, to McCord et al for Portable Luggage having Retractable Wheels, and to Cowdery for a Luggage Case with Retractable Wheels. McCord et al. disclose a piece of luggage and luggage carrier having a pair of retractable wheels and a telescoping handle with a mechanism operating on the handle for extending and retracting the wheels from and to a compartment within the luggage. Cowdery discloses a luggage case having a retractable handle and retractable wheels which includes a clothes bar for hanging clothes and other items as well as inner compartments, at least one of which is accessible without opening the luggage case. The case is made up of a top portion and a bottom portion which are pivotally connected to each other so that they have an open and a closed position. When in the closed position the top and bottom portions form a case having top and bottom walls, front and rear walls and a pair of side walls. The retractable handle and retractable wheels can be linked so that extension of the retracted handle causes extension of the retracted wheels.
The devices of McCord et al. and Cowdery may be well adapted for use as luggage for the transport of clothing and travel items over the typically smooth-paved or smooth-floored surfaces associated with an airport for example where it is advantageous and not a disadvantage to use the luggage handle as the wheel actuating mechanism also. In contra-distinction, the wheeled sports container according to the present invention is better adapted for rolling over somewhat rougher terrain as may typically be encountered around many playing fields used for sports such as baseball, hockey etc. The rough terrain may be due to uneven ground between parking lots and the playing fields, and may include the parking lots themselves if gravel or mud lots, or may be due to snow and ice in an between parking lots and rinks, to give just two examples. In such instances it has been found that a heavy load of sporting goods in the container being bumped over uneven ground may inadvertently cause a handle-mounted wheel actuation linkage on the container to dis-engage the outwardly locked wheels thereby allowing the wheels to retract and the container to drop onto the ground.


The invention can be summarized as follows. According to the present invention there is provided an attenuated, tumour-targeting bacterium comprising a heterologous nucleotide sequence encoding a protein permitting the accumulation of a radionuclide within the bacterium. The heterologous nucleotide sequence may encode a sodium iodide symporter protein. The invention also relates to the use of such bacteria and methods of treating diseases using the bacteria of the present invention.

Numerous therapies exist for the treatment of tumors including gene therapy, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Of these therapies, radiation therapy is recognized as one of the most important methods of treating tumors. The objective of radiation therapy is to optimize the radiation delivered to the tumor while sparing normal tissue.
For approximately half a century, thyroid cancer has been effectively treated with 131I. Sodium iodide is preferentially taken up by thyroid cells where it is oxidized and incorporated onto tyrosine and ultimately incorporated into triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). Success in the procedure to effectively treat metastatic thyroid cancer is evident by the low mortality of patients treated with 131I (Spitzweg et al., 1999; Mazzaferri, (1996)).
Uptake of iodine by the thyroid is performed by a membrane-bound glycoprotein termed the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS; Dia et al., 1996). NIS has been expressed in different cell types. For example, WO 07/28175 discloses nucleic acids encoding human NIS, methods of producing NIS, probes for the purpose of diagnosing thyroid disorders, and methods of treating disease by using viral vectors to transfect cells with NIS and later ablate with radioiodine. Mandell et al., (1999) disclose retrovirus transfection and expression of the sodium iodide symporter within a range of tumor cell lines. Boland et al., (2000) disclose a method of providing conformal radiation therapy to non-thyroid cancers by gene therapy whereby the NIS gene is transferred into tumor cells by a recombinant adenovirus. The genetically modified tumor cells exhibit selective and significant uptake of 131I. Spitzweg et al., (1999; 2000 and 2001) describe NIS applications for gene therapy and in particular the potential application of NIS to treat prostate cancer. Habercorn, (2001) describes NIS gene therapy for the treatment of liver cancer. The reference teaches that transfection of non-thyroid cells with NIS results in cells capable of concentrating iodide approximately 20 to 40 fold above the plasma iodide concentration. Further, the reference teaches that a sufficient amount of radioiodine can be concentrated in transfected cells in vivo to bring about localized radiation therapy with a single dose of 131I.
The references discussed above disclose transforming tumor cells with a NIS gene by chemical transformation methods, electrical transformation methods or viral transformation methods to enable selective and significant uptake of 131I into tumor masses. A drawback of these references is that chemical, electrical and viral transformation methods are difficult to perform in-vivo. Further, in-vivo transformation of cells by viral vectors is difficult to control and thus other normal or healthy cells may be erroneously infected and transformed with genes enabling accumulation of radionuclides. Another drawback of these methods is that they are confined to target local or regional disease, that is the transformation vector must be administered in close proximity to the cells or tissue to be infected rather than administering the transformation vector to a subject at a remote location and having the vector identify and infect the tumor cells.
There is a need in the art for novel or alternative therapies for the treatment of tumors in a subject. Further, there is a need in the art for alternative radiotherapies to viral based gene therapy.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome disadvantages of the prior art.
The above object is met by a combination of the features of the main claims. The sub-claims disclose further advantageous embodiments of the invention.

Radiation therapy by accumulation of therapeutic radionuclides in tumor-targeting bacteria


Techniques and configurations are provided for packaging optoelectronic devices. In particular, a lid component of an optoelectronic device is provided, and the lid component is configured to cover active components of the optoelectronic device. An optically transparent wall is also provided. The optically transparent wall is coated with an anti-reflective material and configured to interface with a section of the lid component. The optically transparent wall is joined with the section of the lid component such that the optically transparent wall and the lid provide a seal for the active components of the optoelectronic device. Additionally, the lid component has a top surface and a plurality of side surfaces that are coupled to the top surface. An optically transparent wall coated with an anti-reflective material adhesively joins to the top surface and one or more side surfaces.

Precise techniques are used for fabrication and assembly of optoelectronic devices. In particular, optoelectronic devices typically require high precision processing in order to ensure optical linking between a laser diode source to a waveguide and to a connector unit. Optical linking may also be needed from the connector unit to a photodiode. Packaging of optoelectronic devices can be an inhibitor to innovation and cost reduction for optoelectronic transceiver modules.

Lid design to seal optical components of a transceiver module


A tactical finger band is described and taught having a band body which has one segment or is longitudinally dividable into multiple segments. The band body is openable due to the use of one or more socket-protrusion assembly as connecting mechanisms. In addition, the tactical finger band may also include a band cover or other accessories. The tactical finger band disclosed here is particularly suitable for people engaging in industrial work, medical careers, sports activities, military missions, and law enforcement and fire-fighting operations. With a sufficient pulling force applied to the band body, the finger band may be opened due to the disengagement of the socket-protrusion assembly, preventing injury to the wearer. Moreover, the band body and/or the band cover may bear patterns, colors, logos, and words appropriate for the occasion in which the band is used and the person wearing the band.

Wearing finger bands, such as rings, has been a common practice by a great number of people. Nowadays, both men and women wear engagement rings, wedding rings, anniversary bands, and other bands and rings that serve aesthetic, ceremonial, and commemorating purposes. Such jewelry and accessories have become an indispensable part of many people's lives, serving as symbols for love and commitment.
However, wearing rings or bands on the fingers may become problematic in certain occasions. For example, in an industrial setting where there are many articulating structures such as crooks, claws, and hamuli, there is an enhanced possibility of injury if the tactical finger band is caught by any of the articulating parts. In addition, the problem becomes even more acute when the wearer is on a military mission or in a police operation, the finger bands may be caught up by protruding structures such as tree branches, fences ledges, or firearm parts. Such accidents may prove to be dangerous, even deadly, to the wearers of the finger bands.
In the military and law enforcement settings, wearing a finger band may cause another problem. In particular, since most of the bands are made from shiny materials such as gold and platinum, it is a strategic disadvantage to wear the bands because a reflection or deflection of light may expose the location of the wearer. This problem, similar to the possibility of injury indicated above, arises very frequently though the likelihood of actual occurrence for exposure and injury is relatively small.
One seemingly simple solution for all these problems is to take the bands off before any work engagement, military mission, or police or firefighting operation. However, such an approach is problematic because (1) many people are hesitant to take their bands off because the bands are symbols of love and commitment, (2) taking the bands off, especially frequently, may results in loss or damages, and (3) it is easy to forget to take the band off. Another approach, which is widely practiced in the military, is to cover the band with black electrical tapes before operations. However, this approach is likely to leave a great deal of tape residues on the bands, making the bands ugly and hard to clean.
The current invention addresses all these issues in a simple but comprehensive manner.


A signal-repeating device control arrangement facilitates user control of various types of media equipment in a facility. According to an example embodiment of the present invention, the different types of user-controllable media equipment are located with respective user-interface units in various zones of the facility to provide user-selectable interaction for the user. The signal-repeating device control arrangement includes a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a user's remote control, a data-routing circuit for communication with packet-communicating devices such as over an Ethernet, and an emulation circuit for providing an interface to manufacturer-specific equipment for control of other devices types and/or user input devices. Another aspect of the invention is directed to a related arrangement in which the base station includes a data port adapted to download information for configuring both the signal-repeating base-station and, via the base-station transceiver, for configuring the user-interface control device.

The present invention relates generally to signal routing schemes for routing signals, such as audio and video signals, to designated facility areas (or "zones") and, more particularly, to distribution control arrangements for routing and controlling such signals.
Home owners are rapidly becoming aware of the benefits of combining the media functionality of their primary PCs (personal computer) with consumer electronics products, such as televisions and stereos. These benefits include convenient access to the household PCs, televisions and stereos throughout the home, and more efficient use of space and savings in the form of fewer system components.
In an effort to accommodate this device-integration interest by consumers, one relatively-recent approach is the provision of a crossover-type product. A crossover-type product integrates PC and television functions to bring the PC into the realm of the home entertainment center. This approach typically provides integration of conventional PC-functionality with Internet access, live television programming capabilities via remote control or keyboard and mouse, and video recording functions for playing and recording television programs and gaming options. With increased availability of multi-media consumer products, such as CD-ROM burners and DVD, there appears to be an increased diversification and interest in providing various types of PC-TV cross-over products.
Recognizing the above-discussed approach to consumer demands, the present invention addresses additional concerns and needs that further enhance consumer convenience without undermining the benefits of combining the multi-media functionality with the functionality of the household PCs. Some of these additional concerns and needs include: the impact of low-cost networked wireless PCs and web pads on the home system infrastructure; existing devices needing control by either IR or hard-wired "serial link" interfaces or both; a clean solution to bridge to these types of interfaces for convenient and flexible equipment control; and/or an ability to add features to the consumer equipment and new consumer equipment itself without the problems associated with the obsolescence of hardware.
Moreover, many existing crossover products merely connect one staple product with another staple product while carrying into the "integrated" system the lowest-level features of each product type. For example, a crossover product that connects the stereo and the TV set would permit the consumer to access information content (such as listen to the radio or their favorite album) only after waiting for the PC to boot up, or to turn on the TV just to select a radio station. While finding their way to market quickly, these configuration schemes are often manufactured without sufficient engineering forethought to simplicity and ease of use.
The above-discussed issues and others have presented challenges.

Multi-functional residential communication approach


A method, an improvement node, a system and a computer program for computing an improvement result for a runtime environment of at least one application, on a device in a medical context. An embodiment of the method includes detecting a state of the runtime environment on the device; accessing a database with the state detected, to retrieve a corresponding at least one candidate improvement result; using the at least one candidate improvement result retrieved, for test-wise execution on a test infrastructure in which the state of the runtime environment detected is provided identically; measuring improvement parameters of the test-wise execution; and adding, upon the improvement parameters measured meeting defined requirements, candidate improvement results, of the at least one corresponding candidate improvement result retrieved, for which the improvement parameters measured meet defined requirements.

Modern medical application environments are complex and use a variety of different devices, from different manufacturers, in a heterogeneous landscape and infrastructure with heterogeneous functions and applications and often in a non-standardized manner. This leads to challenges when technical improvements need to be implemented with respect to the information technological infrastructure. Each system has to be considered separately and improvements with respect to the runtime environment are to be implemented dedicatedly for each device or system.

Methods and devices for modifying a runtime environment of imaging applications on a medical device


A radome constructed using a rigid or semi-rigid foam core and sandwich construction is described. The foam core radome virtually eliminates water absorption problems associated with present technology radomes. The radome also provides greater impact strength and consistent, high radar transparency without sacrificing weight and structural stability, thereby providing a much longer service life in moisture/impact critical environments. Preferably, the radome includes a vinyl rigid closed-cell foam core consisting of a polymeric alloy of a cross-linked aromatic polyamide urea and a linear vinyl polymer.

The word "radome" dates back to World War II and comes from the two words `radar` and `dome`. Originally, radome referred to radar transparent, dome-shaped structures used to protect radar antennas on aircraft. Over time, however, radome has come to mean almost any structure that protects and serves as a "window" for electromagnetic radiation up to 1,000 GHz. Such structures may be ground based and may be flat rather than dome shaped. Commercial aircraft carriers typically utilize a nose radome. Accordingly, for purposes of brevity, the term radome will hereinafter be understood to refer to a nose radome installed on aircraft to protect weather radar.
The need for all-weather operation of both military and commercial aircraft demands that an effective weather tracking radar be operational at all times. A device is needed to cover the antenna that is strong enough to protect it, yet transparent to radar.
A radome is an integral part of a radar system because thickness and other properties affect the effectiveness of the radar set. This requires that a radome be compatible to the specific properties of the radar set used therein. Major design criteria of a radome include: radar transparency, structural integrity, aerodynamic shape, and light weight. Economics also require that the cost should be as low as possible and the service life as long as possible. Successful radome design must balance all of the conflicting requirements. For example, the ideal shape of a nose radome from an electrical standpoint is hemispherical and as large as the aircraft will allow. A better aerodynamic shape, however, is conical. A thick wall would have structural benefits, yet for optimum radar transmission, the wall must be a factor of the wavelength. A lightweight design may improve aircraft performance, save fuel, and occasionally reduce product cost at the expense of decreased service life, increased maintenance costs, and/or increased product costs.
It is well known in the art that radomes fail when subjected to severe structural damage or radar degradation. There are numerous ways for this to occur in the hostile environment in which radomes must operate. High velocity rain is widely recognized as a leading cause of radome failure. Impact and erosion due to rain initiate damage and pinholes. Additionally, rain causes further damage as it seeks pinholes (i.e. moisture paths) and penetrates into the core.
Moreover, high velocity rain impacts and erodes paint systems and radome skins, particularly in the forward area of the radome. This opens moisture paths and reduces structural integrity. Solutions to the rain erosion problem include maintaining a rain erosion resistant painting system on the radome. Polyurethane and rubber boots are also available to install on the tip of radomes. If adequate erosion protection is used, the dominant mode of failure due to high velocity rain appears to be core impact failure or "soft spots." This promotes microcracking and moisture propagation.
It is also well known in the art that moisture, in the form of water and/or ice, can enter an open-cell core through any microcrack or pinhole in the skin. Altitude changes lead to freeze-thaw cycles, which causes water to expand by about 10% when it freezes. Repetitive freezing and thawing results in delaminations, cracking and the like in the core. Water and ice are also detrimental to radar transmissivity as their dielectric constant is on the order of 20 times greater than that of most materials used for sandwich construction nose radomes.
Additionally, multiple impact strikes are sustained during rain and hail storms. Bird and equipment strikes can inflict major single impacts. Smaller impacts can damage the radome's outer surface, causing delaminations, microcracks and opening up moisture paths. A large enough bird or equipment strike could go completely through the radome and severely damage the antenna.
Moreover, lightning strikes also pose serious problems to radomes. Depending on the current in the strike, lightning can penetrate the radome and damage the antenna, delaminate large sections or leave a microscopic pinhole. Even small holes and delaminated areas open moisture paths. Therefore, many radomes are equipped with lightning protection. This usually consists of strips of conductive material that are grounded to the fuselage. The strips must be placed so that the radar transparency of the radome is not adversely affected. While this does not alleviate the problem entirely, lightning diverter strips do reduce the risk of damage by conducting lightning to the fuselage and away from the antenna and radome.
Finally, static electricity on the outer surface of a radome can burn through the wall when the charge moves towards the antenna or another electrically conductive surface. Static burns are small, about the size of a pinhole, and the surrounding area may be blackened. Even so, any puncture allows moisture into the structure. This can be avoided by using anti-static paint or primer, which permits static electricity to bleed off to the airplane before a charge large enough to create a hole can build up.
Currently, the most common radomes among subsonic and transonic aircraft are fiberglass reinforced honeycomb core sandwich construction radomes. Standard hexagonal cell shaped honeycomb is generally not flexible enough for tight radii. Therefore, in many radomes, a higher density honeycomb variation called "flex core" is used in the nose section.
Honeycomb core radomes have excellent static strength/stiffness-to-weight ratios, excellent radar transparency, and are relatively easy to process. However, honeycomb core has an open-cell structure which encourages moisture intrusion, and it has relatively poor impact properties. Some honeycomb core radomes include a layer of polyvinyl fluoride (TEDLAR.RTM.) on the inside skin to aid in sealing out moisture.
Static properties, FEM analysis and testing traditionally have led aircraft designers to select honeycomb core to construct the "best" radome. Although "best" is often defined as lightest, stiffest and strongest, this approach is often inadequate, especially in impact/moisture critical environments, such as radome and marine applications. The FAA repair station has collected radome repair data for about 20 years. About 85% of all honeycomb radomes are removed for moisture, and most air carriers confirm that their mean-time-between failures is substantially less than two years for "737" style honeycomb radomes. Consequently, high maintenance costs, high inventory and questionable radar performance (due to moisture) occur.
As noted above, some of the numerous ways for moisture paths to be created are impacts from hail, rain, bird, equipment strikes, static electricity pinholes and stress microcracks, which may be invisible. During flight, however, dynamic wind pressure pumps water through the microcracks into the core.
Once moisture gets through the skin, it collects in the honeycomb cells of prior art radomes. As the water freezes, it expands and cracks the cell walls leaving a path for moisture contamination to propagate. Over time, a large portion of the radome may be damaged from just one crack. Even if structural damage is not evident, moisture contamination must be repaired because the presence of water and ice severely diminish radar performance.
Another common type of radome used in aircrafts are the fluted core radomes, which are manufactured for McDonnell Douglas radomes. Fluted core is a series of square fiberglass tubes and was adopted to combat the moisture contamination problem associated with the honeycomb core radomes. Ideally, any moisture introduced into the radome flows through the flutes away from the electrically critical window. The moisture resistance of this type of core is somewhat better than that of honeycomb, thereby providing longer service life and fewer repairs.
However, fluted core has a high density (approximately 200 kg/m.sup.3), which is over twice as dense as other radome core materials. In addition, the construction of a fluted core radome is very labor intensive, which leads to an expensive finished product. Furthermore, repairs are expensive and time consuming. A fluted core radome also weighs approximately 30% more than its honeycomb counterpart. The weight and expense trade-offs are not acceptable to many radome designers, especially since fluted core radomes eventually retain moisture.
Yet another type of radome known in the art is the foam core radome. Foam-in-place radomes (polyurethane foam) were popular in the 1950's, but its tendency to crumble, poor fatigue and poor impact properties quickly gave "foam radomes" an unfavorable name. Other foams that are touted as closed-cell (i.e. polymethacrylimide foam) actually have poor moisture absorption properties. This history of poor "foam radome" performance has hindered the development of other radomes using a better suited foam.
There has therefore been a long-felt need to provide a radome construction that solves the longstanding problems of the prior art.

Radomes having vinyl foam core construction


Disclosed are a method and a device for controlling network connection of an application terminal. The method includes: determining whether one or more connected equipments are equipments in the application terminal's equipment list; and controlling the network connection of said application terminal based on the determination result. Therefore, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the application terminal may control network connection automatically according to connected equipments rather than always connecting the application terminal with the network, which reduces the risk of leaking user's data and at the same time reduces power consumption of the application terminal.

With the development of internet of things and mobile internet technology, the kinds and functions of application terminals have increased dramatically. In the age of interconnected things, an application terminal generally has the network connection function that allows connection at any time and everywhere via the Internet of Things, and another equipment may be connected to the application terminal equipment remotely, thereby realizing functions such as remote monitoring, remote opening, remote turning on microwave oven.
However, the connection between the application terminal and the network is always in the On state at present, since the application terminal is generally installed in a private site such as living room or bedroom, there is the risk of leaking user's privacy and potential security risk.
Therefore, it is desired to have a scheme of automatically controlling network connection of an application terminal to protect user's privacy.

Method and device for controlling network connection of application terminal


The present invention manifests a highly excellent effect of allowing the plasma polymerization film to be formed stably for a long time while very rarely suffering occurrence of abnormal discharge during the formation of the plasma polymerization film and promoting the improvement of the yield of products because it adopts as the electrode for implementing plasma polymerization that of the electrodes which is located on the side confronting a surface on which the plasma polymerization film is formed, coats this electrode with a polymer material at a covering ratio in the range of 50-100%, and effects the formation of the plasma polymerization film on an elongate substrate under the operating pressure in the range of 10.sup.-3 -1 Torr. Further, the properties of the plasma polymerization film also become highly excellent.

The so-called metal thin film type magnetic recording medium which has a ferromagnetic metal thin film of metal or Co--Cr alloy formed on a substrate by a vacuum thin film forming technique, such as vacuum deposition, sputtering or ion plating, is endowed with many advantages shown below as compared with the so-called coating type magnetic recording medium which uses magnetic powder and binder.
Specifically, the metal thin film type magnetic recording medium enjoys various advantages such as permitting recording of high density owing to excellent coercive force and high packing density of magnetic material, manifesting a highly favorable electromagnetic conversion property, allowing a notable decrease in the thickness of the magnetic layer, and markedly repressing the loss of thickness during the course of reproduction.
The metal thin film type magnetic recording medium of this nature, however, is generally at a disadvantage in readily sustaining corrosion in the magnetic layer (ferromagnetic metal thin film) thereof and is further at a disadvantage in being deficient in running property and durability.
For eliminating these problems, various attempts have been heretofore made to form a protective film on the ferromagnetic metal thin film. The plasma polymerization film constitutes itself an apt example of such protective film. In the formation of this plasma polymerization film, the feed gas, electric power, surface area of the electrode, etc. must be properly controlled for ensuring impartation of necessary quality to the produced film. As the pertinent prior art, a proposal has been made to the effect that the value of W/(F.times.S), wherein F represents the flow rate of the monomer gas as a feed gas (cc/sec), W the applied electric power (watt), and S the surface area of the electrode (cm.sup.2), is controlled in the range of 5-10(JP-A-61-5435).
The inventors of the present application, as a result of their diligent study on the conditions for the formation of a film by plasma polymerization, have discovered that in the range of the conditions for the plasma polymerization according to the proposal mentioned above, the applied voltage is so large relative to the value of (area of electrode x amount of feed monomer gas) as to entail such problems as frequent occurrences of abnormal discharge and degradation of yield of production or render difficult the operation of an actual production line.
The present invention has been made under such circumstances and has an object to provide a plasma polymerization film forming method and a plasma polymerization film forming apparatus which enjoy advantages such as repressing the occurrence of abnormal discharge to the minimum, permitting the plasma polymerization film to be stably formed for a long time, and promoting the improvement in the yield of production, let alone imparting excellent film properties including durability to the produced plasma polymerization film.

Method for forming film by plasma polymerization and apparatus for forming film by plasma polymerization


A method for producing an ultrasound transformer as a single integral unit that includes a piezoelectric transformer element coupled to an acoustical matching layer formed from an elastomer capable of vibrating. The method includes the steps of: producing an elastomer body from a molded part which has centering contours; positioning the transformer element into the elastomer body; centering the transformer element with the centering contours; and, coupling the transformer element to the matching layer.

The invention relates generally to a method for producing an ultrasound transformer having a piezoelectric transformer element and more particularly, to an ultrasound transformer having a transformer element that is coupled to an acoustical matching layer formed of an elastomer capable of vibrating, as a single, uniform body.
Methods for producing ultrasound transformers of the type mentioned above are known. For example, such a known method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,370. This reference discloses a solid body ultrasound transformer in which a matching layer consisting of an elastomer is used for matching to the surrounding medium of air. When applying the elastomer to the transformer element, the latter should be held in position as precisely as possible, with respect to its outer contours or to a housing. To accomplish this positioning, the aforementioned U.S. patent provides centering elements that position the transformer element centrally with respect to the elastomer and at the proper height and plane that is parallel to the elastomer. To apply the elastomer matching layer to the transformer element, a complicated device is used, which press heats the elastomer directly onto the transformer element while under pressure, into a specially structured cavity. The pressure that is exerted is limited by a spring system which is part of the device, so that the transformer element, which is formed from a piezoceramic element, does not degrade under excessive pressure with respect to its properties such as polarization and sensitivity. The centering element used in the aforementioned method has openings, i.e. cavities, into which lead wires contacting the transformer element must be threaded before applying the matching layer. It is not possible to test the quality of the matching layer itself, which might be limited due to undesirable air inclusions, for example.
Therefore, the prior art does not provide a simple method for producing ultrasound transformers that avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages.

Method for the production of ultrasound transformers


A high intensity lamp is provided based on an open discharge between a cathode grid anode and a collector. A phosphor layer on the collector is excited by an electron beam to produce light or ultraviolet radiation to produce light.

Backlighting is generally necessary in all Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). Such displays may be used in televisions, lap-top computers, and various types of aircraft and automotive displays. The backlight in these systems is normally provided from a miniature fluorescent lamp. In many of these applications the backlight is the largest single consumer of power in the display system. There is clearly a need for high efficiency, versatile lamps for applications with LCDs.
The efficiency of electric lamps using filaments has not increased significantly for many years. Fluorescent discharge lamps are more efficient, but have other limitations which have been difficult to remove, such as the potential for environmental pollution from mercury in the lamps.
Cathodoluminescent lamps have been known for several years. They originally employed thermionic cathodes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,914 provided an improvement in cathodoluminescent lamps based on a field emission cathode. A layer of phosphor on an anode is located inside an envelope along with the field emission cathode, which is placed opposite the phosphor layer. A voltage source, either DC or AC, is connected across the cathode and accelerator electrodes to cause field emission of electrons from tips of needle-like members. A higher voltage is connected across the cathode and an anode for attracting electrons to the phosphor layer and exciting the phosphor to luminescence.
In aviation and automobile displays, particularly, there is a need for a light source that can be dimmed and that does not fail catastrophically. For other types of displays and light sources, such as projectors, a high brightness is needed. In some applications it is important to have the capability to scale-up the size of the source to provide high total light output. In all light sources, there is a need for a simple and efficient source and a source that will not cause environmental pollution.


The invention provides a method of controlling biological fouling of water containing items. The method involves combining at least two reactants, a peroxygen source and an acyl group donor to form peracetic acid. Because the peracetic acid can be made in situ, the entire sum of its short lifespan can be used controlling biocidal fouling and storage and transport is simplified. The invention further facilitates the ease of controlling biocidal fouling by allowing the injection of the biocidal agent in liquid form, in a non-acidic environment, and without the need for any halogen. This allows the inventive biocide to be used with chemistries for which prior art biocides are inapplicable.

This invention relates to the on-site in situ production of stable peracetic acid for use as a biocidal control agent. Biocidal agents are used to limit or prevent biological fouling in liquid systems or on the surfaces of equipment that come in contact with the liquid systems. In the absence of such agent, biologically fouled liquid systems suffer with unwanted process interferences and inefficiencies. In addition biologically fouled liquid systems may lead to product contamination and various health hazards.
Fouling generally refers to the presence of unwanted organic or inorganic material in the suspended water phase (bulk water) or the accumulation of such unwanted material deposits on various surfaces that come in contact with the liquid system. Fouling can be mineral (such as particulate scale accumulation) and/or biological (microbial contamination) in nature. Fouling occurs by a variety of mechanisms including deposition of air-borne and water-borne and water-formed contaminants, water stagnation, process leaks, and other factors. In some cases mineral fouling can induce biological fouling and vice versa.
Some sources of microbial contamination in industrial liquid systems include, but are not limited to, air-borne contamination, water make-up, process leaks and improperly cleaned equipment. Under these conditions, microorganisms can rapidly establish microbial communities on any wetted or semi-wetted surface of the liquid system. Once these microbial populations are present in the bulk water more than 99% of the microbes present in the water will be present on the surface in the form of biofilms.
Exopolymeric substances secreted from the microorganisms aid in the formation of biofilms as the microbial communities develop on the surface. These biofilms are complex ecosystems that establish a means for concentrating nutrients and offer protection for growth. Biofilms can accelerate scale, corrosion, and other fouling processes. Not only do biofilms contribute to reduction of system efficiencies, but they also provide an excellent environment for microbial proliferation that can include pathogenic bacteria. It is therefore important that biofilms and other fouling processes be reduced to the greatest extent possible to maximize process efficiency and minimize the health-related risks from water-borne pathogens.
Several factors contribute to the problem of biological fouling and govern its extent. Water temperature, water pH, organic and inorganic nutrients, growth conditions such as aerobic or anaerobic conditions, and in some cases the presence or absence of sunlight, etc. can play an important role. These factors also help in deciding what types of microorganisms might be present in the water system.
A number of prior art attempts have been made to control biological fouling in industrial processes. The most commonly used method is the application of biocidal compounds to the process waters. Many of these prior art attempts make use of halogen based and in particular, chlorine-based compositions of matter. Some examples include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,976,386 and 3,254,952 and US Published Patent Application 2009/0311164. However for various reasons it is desirable to avoid the use of halogens in biocidal agents. Halogens tend to conduct unwanted side reaction with other chemicals in the process waters thereby limiting the efficacy of the biocidal application and that of the applied chemical with which the halogen reacts. Also, halogen based biocides can form disinfection by-products such as AOX (adsorbable organic halide) and THMs (trihalomethanes) and in some cases cause health concerns. Finally, halogen based chemistries raise several environmental concerns due to their high reactivity and formation of disinfection by-products.
Thus there is a clear need and utility for an improved biocidal agent. The art described in this section is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is "prior art" with respect to this invention, unless specifically designated as such. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 CFR §1.56(a) exists.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Strategy for on-site in situ generation of oxidizing compounds and application of the oxidizing compound for microbial control


A set of hand-held plastic laminated disks which provide for visually displaying selected combinations of musical information such as musical notes of scales and chords. The display is composed of two disks. The top disk functions as a template and is fastened to the lower disk at the center by a metal eyelet. The lower disk displays the twelve notes of the chromatic scale on several concentric circles. Apertures on the top disk display subsets of the chromatic scale as diatonic scales or chords. By rotating the bottom disk relative to the top disk, the notes of all twelve diatonic scales and their associated chords are displayed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of displaying technical information for music such as notes of scales and chords.
2. Background Information
There are several devices in the prior art which are used as musical teaching aids, but many of them are complex, cumbersome and costly. These devices are limited to displaying a single unit of technical information for music from each manipulation of the device. Accordingly, it would be desirable to produce a simple and compact device that simultaneously displays several related types of technical information for music, thereby revealing underlying relationships between those displayed units of musical information.


The present disclosure provides a display substrate, a method for manufacturing the same, and a display device. The display substrate includes: a base substrate; a plurality of light emitting units on the base substrate, where the plurality of light emitting units include a plurality of pixel display areas; and a reflection layer on the base substrate. The reflection layer includes a plurality of patterns and a plurality of openings defined between adjacent patterns of the plurality of patterns, and positions of the plurality of openings are corresponding to positions of the plurality of pixel display areas.

A mirror display device refers to a display device that has both display and reflection functions, such as a car rearview mirror and a cosmetic mirror. Taking the car rearview mirror as an example, the car rearview mirror uses its reflection function as a mirror to observe the scene behind the vehicle, and can also be used as a display device to display some video images. However, the display effect of the mirror display device in the related art is poor.

Display substrate and method for manufacturing the same, and display device

Beijing BOE Technology Development Co., Ltd.


A surgical instrument system for use in surgical procedures is disclosed. The surgical instrument system includes a guide assembly, a surgical tip assembly, and a drive unit. The guide assembly includes an elongated portion having a central axis of rotation, and a distal end that is positioned a radial distance away from the central axis. The surgical tip assembly may be attached to the guide assembly. The drive unit is coupled to the guide assembly for rotating the guide assembly and thereby rotating the surgical tip with respect to the central axis.

The invention relates generally to surgical instruments and particularly relates to computer controlled or assisted surgical instruments. Computer controlled or assisted surgical instrumentation typically involves the manual manipulation of instruments such as scalpels, scissors or catheters during surgical procedures with the aid of a computer. The computer may guide the movement of the instrument, may assist a surgeon in moving the instrument, or may simply monitor the movement of the instrument. The present invention is particularly useful in systems in which the movement a surgeon's hand is used to indirectly control the movement of the instrument via mechanical couplings and transmissions. As surgical instruments become more sophisticated, many of these devices will be monitored and possibly further controlled by computers.
Computer controlled surgical instrumentation has many advantages over conventional devices. For example, computer enhanced systems may coordinate many complex motions—more than is possible for the unaided human. These systems may scale motion arbitrarily, remove tremor, provide safe zones and limit forces. Computer systems may perform movement "macros" or stereotypical motion, such as suturing or knot typing. Even feedback processes, such as maintaining a constant grasp or probing for occlusions may be possible with advanced computer controlled surgical instruments.
Computer controlled instrumentation is particularly effective for minimally invasive surgical procedures, since access and visualization are severely limited. Minimally invasive techniques involve operating through small—typically 5 mm to 10 mm diameter—incisions, through which instruments are inserted. A video camera may also be inserted into the patient in order to view the operative site. Minimally invasive surgery is typically less traumatic than conventional surgery due, in part, to the significant reduction in incision size. Furthermore, hospitalization is reduced and recovery periods shorten as compared with convention techniques.
Although the surgeon has visual feedback from the surgical site, from either a camera, radiological imaging or ultrasonic scanning, the ability to control the relatively simple laparoscopic instruments remains difficult. Even with good visual feedback, the surgeon's tactile and positional sense are physically removed from the operative site rendering endoscopic procedures slow and clumsy.
Current instrumentation, with forceps, scissors, etc., inserted into the body at the end of long slender push rods is not fully satisfactory. The use of such conventional instrumentation increases operative time, and potentially heightens risk. For example, tissue may be injured when the laparoscopic tool moves outside the visual field. Moreover, there are limitations on the type and complexity of procedures that may be performed laparoscopically due, in part, to the limitations on the instruments that are used.
Development work has been undertaken to investigate the use of robots in surgery. Typically, these robotic systems use arms that reach over the surgical table and manipulate surgical instruments in a manner similar to the human operator. The presence of such a robot at the surgical site, however, may be problematic if the robot is too large or otherwise impedes access to the patient during surgery.
There is a need, therefore, for a surgical instrument that provides computer assistance yet does not impede access to the patient during surgery.
There is further a need for such a system that may be used for minimally invasive surgery.


A thermal ink-jet pen cartridge having a rigid external frame member is fabricated from a rigid engineering plastic and an interior frame structure is attached thereto, formed of a softer, more ductile plastic material than the engineering plastic. An ink reservoir is defined by the interior structure and a pair of flexible bag membranes formed of a plastic material impervious to the ink and compatible with the interior member material, allowing the membranes to be joined to the interior member to form a leak-proof joint. The external structure has locking features formed into an interior surface. When the interior member is injection molded to the external member, the molten material flows into and around the locking features, securing the interior member to the external member and resisting the shrinkage forces as the molten material cools. The ink reservoir is filled through a fill port passageway extending through the external frame member and the inner member. The passageway is lined with the softer material of the inner member, and is sealed by an oversized ball press fit into the passageway after the ink filling process. The external frame member comprises polysulfone, while the interior frame structure comprises a polymer blend composition comprising (A) a copolymer of ethylene and methyl acrylate and at least one of (B) a polyester copolymer and (C) either a styrene-ethylene/propylene or a styrene-ethylene/-butylene-styrene block copolymer. The present polymer compositions provide good chemical and heat stabilities and solvent resistance when subjected to inks used in printing. Further, the present polymer compositions are flexible and have excellent compatibility and adhesion to the various polymeric components used in the ink jet cartridge.

TIJ technology is widely used in computer printers. Very generally, a TIJ includes a print head typically comprising several tiny controllable ink-jets, which are selectively activated to release a jet or spray of ink from an ink reservoir onto the print media (such as paper) in order to create an image or portion of an image. TIJ printers are described, for example, in the Hewlett-Packard Journal, Volume 36, Number 5, May, 1985, and Volume 39, Number 4, August, 1988.
Plastic components used for printers must provide a variety of properties. Specifically, polymer blends used in making the plastic components must be compatible with other polymers used in making the other components that comprise the printer and must be compatible with the inks used in the printer. When the polymer blend is used in printer cartridges, the polymers are exposed to inks which have a variety of materials which may chemically attack the polymers. When the polymers are weakened by the ink, stress cracks may lead to ink leakage and smearing of the printing images.
Another problem for polymer blends used in ink cartridges, is compatibility with the other polymers used in the construction of the ink cartridge itself Usually, the polymers are formed into films and sealed together to form the ink cartridges. The polymer blend composition has excellent adhesion to the film structures as well as to the other polymeric components of the ink cartridge.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have polymer blend compositions which are resistant to chemical attack and stress cracking. Further, it is desirable to have polymer blend compositions which are compatible with the polymeric components of the ink cartridge.

Two material frame having dissimilar properties for thermal ink-jet cartridge


Disclosed is a class of light modulating materials comprising microdomains of ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal dispersed in a light-transmissive polymer medium. The microdomains are formed by phase separation of the liquid crystal from solution with the polymer as the polymer is solidified. The switching of the liquid crystal may be either monostable or multistable (e.g., bistable), depending on the liquid crystal and polymer. The material modulates light in either a scattering-transmissive mode or a birefringence mode. Materials operating in the scattering-transmissive mode do not require polarizers. Advantages of the materials include switching times down to the order of microseconds or less, multistable optical states, wide viewing angles and high contrast.

Smectic liquid crystals are characterized by molecules which align in layers. Molecular ordering exists within each layer, with the degree of molecular ordering depending on the particular smectic phase. In chiral smectic materials, which include the chiral smectic C*, F*, I*, G* and H* phases, the ordering of the molecules within the layers rotates by a constant angle from layer to layer, so that the liquid crystal structure is twisted. For example, smectic C* phases are characterized in that the molecules align in layers in which the directors (i.e., the common directions of the long axes of the molecules within each layer) are oblique to the layer boundaries, so that the "tilt angle" of the molecules (i.e., the angle between the director and the layer normal) is the same from layer to layer. In bulk samples of smectic C* material, the directors twist from layer to layer.
Molecules of substances having chiral smectic liquid crystal phases have permanent dipole moments approximately normal to the director. The alignment of molecules of chiral smectic liquid crystal in an external electric field is determined in part by competition between the torques induced by this permanent dipole moment and by the induced dipole moment which, in materials with positive dielectric anisotropy, is parallel to the director. The smectic C*, F*, I*, G* and H* phases are all "ferroelectric" in the sense that geometry of the liquid crystal may be altered with the application of an electromagnetic field and then, under proper conditions, remains stable once the field is removed.
A number of transmissive mode displays using smectic C* phase liquid crystal have been proposed. For example, "surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal" ["SSFLC"] displays make use of thin films of smectic C* liquid crystal confined between parallel substrates. In SSFLC displays, the liquid crystal is preferably aligned in a so-called "bookshelf" geometry in which the molecules are arranged in layers that are perpendicular to the inner surfaces of the substrates and the molecules are approximately parallel along a 45.degree. angle to the layers. The material may be switched between two stable orientations by generating external electric fields across the liquid crystal normal to the inner surfaces of the substrates. The field useful for switching the material from one orientation to another is opposite in polarity to the field useful for switching back to the first of the orientations. If the film is sufficiently thin, each orientation should be stable when the electric field is removed. The two stable orientations differ in that the directors in the two orientations form mirror images about a plane normal to the layers and to the inner surfaces of the substrates.
In one proposed SSFLC device, the liquid crystal is confined between parallel substrates which are placed between a polarizer and an analyzer. The device modulates light by controlling the polarization direction of linearly polarized light transmitted through the liquid crystal. Due to the birefringence of the liquid crystal, light incident on the liquid crystal is decomposed into two orthogonally-polarized components having different speeds. The relative advance of one of the polarized components relative to the other rotates the polarization direction of the transmitted light relative to that of the incident light to a degree dependent on the thickness of the liquid crystal film and the orientation of the director within the film.
In a preferred device, the substrates contain a film of liquid crystal having a film thickness selected to effect a 90.degree. rotation of the polarization direction of the light incident on the liquid crystal. If the polarizer is aligned at approximately 45.degree. with respect to the optic axis of the liquid crystal in the first of the two orientations and the analyzer is oriented parallel or perpendicular to the polarizer, the light transmission through the device is maximized or minimized in the first stable orientation of the liquid crystal. Applying an electric field to transform the liquid crystal to the second stable orientation changes the intensity of light transmitted by the device. Consequently, such an SSFLC display is bright when the liquid crystal is in one of the stable orientations and dark when the liquid crystal is in the other orientation. The optical behavior of the device may be changed by rotating the analyzer relative to the polarizer, or either the polarizer or analyzer relative to the liquid crystal.
Among the advantages attributed to displays using smectic C* liquid crystal are fast switching times, high contrast and wide viewing angles compared to commercially available liquid crystal displays such as twisted nematic displays. One application for these ferroelectric liquid crystal materials would be in computer display terminals and televisions. Most currently available flat panel displays are based on twisted nematic liquid crystal. These flat panel displays require less power than conventional cathode ray tubes, but have not replaced cathode ray tubes due to their slow response, poor contrast, low brightness and narrow viewing angle.
Displays using ferroelectric smectic C* liquid crystal may be capable of switching times on the order of microseconds or less, whereas the switching times of twisted nematic displays are often on the order of milliseconds. Existing SSFLC displays have shown viewing angles in excess of 45.degree. and contrast ratios on the order of 1500:1, which exceed the performance of typical twist cells. Despite these advantages, SSFLC displays have not replaced cathode ray tubes due to the technical difficulty and expense of obtaining stable bookshelf alignment of the liquid crystal. Furthermore, the use of surface coatings with strong anchoring which promote alignment of the liquid crystal parallel to the substrates increases the switching voltage required to switch between stable orientations. Another disadvantage inherent in SSFLC displays is that the substrate anchoring that is necessary for bookshelf alignment is unstable; the liquid crystal may switch to light scattering "zig-zag" or "chevron" texture if jarred, rendering the display worthless. Despite intense research over the past decade, there remains a need for an economical method for aligning ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal in a geometry useful for display applications.
Flat panel liquid crystal displays using a nematic liquid crystal phase have been formed by phase separation of the liquid crystal phase from solution with a polymer or pre-polymeric resin. The earliest form of these materials comprised microdroplets of liquid crystal dispersed in a continuous polymeric matrix. In such materials, the ordinary index of refraction was matched to an index of refraction of the polymer. The material scattered light in the absence of an external field and transmitted light in the presence of an electric field. The evolution of such materials may be found in references such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,671,618; 4,673,255; 4,685,771; 4,688,900; 4,890,902; 5,004,323 and 5,093,735, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
Three techniques have been proposed for inducing phase separation of the nematic liquid crystal phase from the polymer phase. According to a method known as "polymerization induced phase separation" or "PIPS," the liquid crystal is dissolved in a prepolymer followed by polymerization. According to another method known as "thermal induced phase separation" or "TIPS," the liquid crystal is dissolved (or redissolved) in a polymer melt followed by cooling. According to the third method, known as "solvent induced phase separation" or "SIPS," the liquid crystal and polymer are dissolved in a common solvent followed by evolution of the solvent. The polymer is often cross-linked to improve the properties of the display material. The size and density of the droplets may be varied by changing the ratios of the liquid crystal and polymer phases as well as by changing the conditions under which phase separation occurs.
While flat panel displays comprising material formed by phase separation of a nematic liquid crystal phase from solution with a polymer appear to be highly durable, as well as useful and economical for many applications, the fastest switching times for such materials remain on the order of a millisecond. Furthermore, the viewing angles for these materials can be increased beyond about 20.degree. only through the use of specialized birefringent polymers which increase the cost of the displays. There remains a need for relatively inexpensive flat panel displays with higher switching speeds, higher contrast and larger viewing angles.

Polymer dispersed ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal


The present invention provides a method and apparatus of electronically selecting an output mode of a welding power source. The invention includes operational circuitry that electronically energizes an output terminal based on a user selected parameter. Specifically, a series of power switches is selectively biased based on a particular output mode selection by the user. As such, independent output terminals of the power source may be activated without requiring mechanical and manual operation by the user.

The present invention goes generally to welding systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus of electronic selection of an output mode of a welding power source. Specifically, the present invention includes operational circuitry that electronically and selectively energizes an output terminal of the power source based on an output mode selection by a user.
Power sources are commonly used in welding-type processes such as welding, plasma cutting, and induction heating to condition a raw power input from a utility or generator into a form usable by the welding-type process.
Some welding-type processes can be categorized into various modes and power sources have been designed so as to be operable with the various modes. For example, MIG welding, formerly known as Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), is one welding process that combines the techniques and advantages of TIG welding's inert gas shielding with a continuous, consumable wire electrode. Two examples of MIG welding modes are constant voltage (CV) or constant current (CC). Should a user select CV mode, a user selected voltage is generally required. The voltage is an indication of the voltage desired at a point of a weld and is held constant by the power source. It is also necessary to select an initial wire feed speed (WFS). The WFS indicates the speed with which metal filler is delivered to the point of the weld but when the mode is CV, also corresponds to an output current. By holding the output voltage constant, the user can manipulate the output current by adjusting the WFS. Since the WFS is directly proportional to the current delivered to the wire feeder and point of the weld, the higher the WFS, the greater the current delivered to the weld. However, should the user choose CC, the user input current is held constant and the user can adjust the WFS to obtain the desired voltage at the weld. In this case, the user must lower the WFS in order to raise the voltage at the weld or raise the WFS to lower the voltage at the weld.
The above-described arc control process is well known and is a standard technique of controlling the power source to provide a user selected output at the weld. However, it is simply not sufficient with known power sources for the user to identify an output mode. That is, most MIG welding power sources include a CC terminal as well as a CV terminal. Accordingly, if the user intends to carry out a CC welding process, then the weld cable extending from the wire feeder must be connected to the CC terminal of the power source. Conversely, if a CV welding process is to be carried out, then the weld cable extending from the wire feeder must be connected to the CV terminal. Conventional power sources have a mechanical switch that must be manually operated to energize the appropriate output terminal. In this regard, the user must manually select the output inductance and selectively energize a number of capacitive elements such that the appropriate output terminal is energized. The mechanical switch assembly typically found in power sources to selectively energize an output terminal to be consistent with the output mode selected by the user in prescribing a particular welding process is a relatively complex assembly that not only increases the complexity of the power source, but also adds additional cost to the manufacturing process. Additionally, implementing a mechanical switch to energize the appropriate terminal of the power source requires that the user take additional steps to insure proper commencement of the welding process.
Mechanical output mode selector switches is not limited to selection between a CC output terminal and a CV output terminal of a MIG welding power source. That is, power sources have been developed that may be usable to provide power for welding as well as plasma cutting or induction heating. With these power sources, a user must mechanically energize output terminals based on the particular welding-type process to be carried out or load placed on the power source. For example, to switch between welding and plasma cutting, the user must mechanically operate a switch designed to selectively energize an output terminal for plasma cutting rather than an output terminal for welding.
It would therefore be desirable to design a method and apparatus of electronically energizing isolated output terminals based on a user selected welding parameter.

Method and apparatus of electronic selection of an output mode of a welding power source


A novel benzophenone type polymerizable dye containing a urethane bond and an ophthalmic lens containing the said polymerizable dye are disclosed. The benzophenone type polymerizable dye is shown by the following general formula (1)

Hereinbefore, against a disease caused by a crystalline lens, such as cataract, a remedial method by an intraocular lens and a contact lens has been adopted. However, while a natural crystalline lens has a property that an ultraviolet (UV) ray and visible lights in a blue range of about 380 to 500 nm are not transmitted, a polymethyl methacrylate, etc. which has conventionally most widely been used as a lens material can transmit visible lights and an UV ray, and thus there has been such a problem that wearing an ophthalmic lens made of this material causes dazzling and bluish sight as compared with a natural eye. Further, it has been considered that retina is damaged by using a conventional lens material permeating an UV ray.
Hereinbefore, as a material for an ophthalmic lens having absorption property of an UV ray and visible lights having specific wave length range (about 380 to 500 nm), a benzophenone type polymerizable UV-absorbable dye has been known (Japanese Patent Publication No. H2-232056A). Specifically, the compound has been obtained by reacting 2,4-dihydroxy-5-(4-(2-hydroxyethyl)phenylazo) benzophenone (UV-PEP) and the like with a compound having a polymerizable group such as methacryloyl chloride. However, the pigment disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. H2-232056A contains no urethane group, and thus when it is used in a large amount in a foldable intraocular lens made of a soft acrylic acid resin (hereinafter referred to as a soft foldable intraocular lens), there have been observed such problems that the implant becomes hard and the function of the said intraocular lens of inserting into an eye under bending is prohibited or lowered.
Further, when UV-PEP is reacted with methacrylic acid according to the disclosure of the patent publication, such a problem has been accompanied that a product produced by reacting with a phenolic hydroxyl group is produced as well as the desired product produced by reacting with a primary hydroxyl group, because UV-PEP contains one primary hydroxyl group and two phenolic hydroxyl groups, and thus yield of the desired product is reduced remarkably, and production in an industrial scale is very difficult because of difficulty in separation and purification.

Polymerizable dye and ophthalmic lens containing the same

Abstract: (wherein R1 and R2 are respectively and independently a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a carboxylic group, a C1 to C8 alkyl group, a C1 to C8 alkoxy group, a sulfonic acid group or a benzyloxy group, and m and n are respectively and independently an integer of 0 to 18. R3 is any of a polymerizable functional group of a vinyl group, an acryloyl group or a methacryloyl group).