A color tunable substrate is disclosed. The color tunable substrate includes multiple layers. A color of the color tunable substrate can be tuned by altering or adjusting characteristics of the layers included in the color tunable substrate.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described herein are not prior art to the claims in the present application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Color plays a role in many aspects of society. Organizations, companies, and teams are often associated with certain colors, clothes are made in a variety of different colors, and people take pleasure in the colors of their homes. In some instances, color is often the only characteristic that differentiates between otherwise indistinguishable items.
There are many industries where items are manufactured in large quantities and where the only difference is in color. The clothing industry is an example of such an industry. In this industry, the same pattern is often used to sew a large number of articles. The colors of these articles, however, are often different. This gives people the ability to select the colors that they like best and differentiate themselves from others that may be wearing the same article.
The manufactured housing industry is another example of an industry where differences are primarily achieved through the use of color. Manufactured housing often relies on prefabricated walls. The walls are often limited in terms of color. As a result, there is less choice.
The color of manufactured homes, or other structures including interior and/or exterior structures, is still a choice because people are able to paint their homes. The reasons for painting homes, however, widely vary. Some people choose to paint their home because they want to change the look of their home. Others may feel that the color of their home does not fit well with other homes in the area or with the surrounding environment. Some people paint their home for environmental reasons. Regardless of the reason, painting the home involves the same steps and faces the same problems. Paint often has an unpleasant smell, takes time to dry, and can be messy. Paint can also be environmentally unfriendly.


A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes: implanting a first species into a substrate at a cold temperature to form a first region; and implanting a second species into the substrate at a hot temperature to form a second region that is adjacent to the first region.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an electronic device, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device includes a plurality of transistors. Currently, transistors continue to be scaled down, and it is important to develop a method for improving the performance of the transistors in an industrial environment where the transistors are being scaled down continuously. For example, it is necessary to improve an on-current of the transistor.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of forming regions with hot and cold implants


A thermoplastic molding composition comprising polyamide is disclosed. The composition that contains vinyl (co)polymer and an optional solvent is useful in application where inhibited crystallization of polyamide is desirable, including laser-welding.

Polyamides are distinguished by a large number of advantageous properties, such as e.g. high toughness, high temperature resistance etc., which guarantee them a secure market position in the engineering thermoplastics sector. These basic properties of the polymer are generally modified by the addition of fillers or additives. Polymer and additives together form the so-called molding composition. Polyamide molding compositions are used in many applications. Injection molded parts, e.g. for the automotive market, or extrudates such as films or hollow articles for the packaging sector may be mentioned as examples.
Films and hollow articles containing a polyamide layer are distinguished by a large number of advantageous properties. Particularly worthy of mention are good optical properties, such as high transparency of films or hollow articles with high surface gloss. Also significant are the good mechanical properties, such as high toughness, high puncture resistance, high tear propagation resistance and others. Ease of production and ease of further processing are added to these.
Of particular significance for many areas of application for films and molding compositions, particularly for use in the packaging sector, e.g. for foodstuffs or cosmetics, is control of the rate of crystallization of the material used, to provide a specific influence on properties such as e.g. shrinkage or impact strength.
In the area of the use of polyamide in the production of films, a fundamental distinction must be drawn between the flat film production process and the blown film production process.
Particularly in the area of application in the blown film sector, polyamides with slower crystallization than conventional polyamide 6 are necessary to enable the primary tube to be blown and stretched in the blown film production process before the film has reached too high a degree of crystallization.
At present, this goal is achieved by the use of copolyamides. The most widespread copolyamide in blown film extrusion is a copolyamide consisting of polyamide 6 and polyamide 66, which usually contains between 15 wt. % and 20 wt. % polyamide 66.
However, other copolyamides with delayed crystallization are also described (e.g. EP-A 561 226). Here, copolyamides of caprolactam, isophthalic acid and hexamethylene diamine with reduced crystallinity compared with conventional polyamides are described. Increased transparency of the multi-layer film claimed is achieved by the reduced crystallinity after processing.
These copolyamides are conventionally produced not by the continuous tubular reactor process, which is widespread for polyamide 6, but by special processes, as described in EP-A 98 412, EP-A 393 546 or WO-A 9421711.
It is known that the transparency of polyamides may be improved by incorporating poly-N-vinylpyrrolidones at the polymerization or compounding stage (DE-A 1 595 613).
The Japanese patent application JP-A 2002306059 describes the coextrusion of a blend of 96% polyamide 6-polyamide 66 copolymer with 4% of a crosslinked N-vinylpyrrolidone to produce packaging for foodstuffs having moderate water vapor permeability and a good oxygen barrier.
The use of poly-N-vinyllactam or poly-N-vinylpyrrolidones is also widespread in the fiber production sector. Here, for example, to increase the hydrophilic properties, 3 wt. % to 15 wt. % of the above compounds are incorporated by compounding. A high proportion of poly-N-vinyllactam or poly-N-vinylpyrrolidone has a negative effect on the yellowness index, however (EP 802 268).
In the area of compounded products, nigrosine base is conventionally used to slow down crystallization, but this leads to a black discoloration of the product.
For applications such as the laser transmission welding of polyamide moldings, materials with the lowest possible crystallinity are needed, since the transmission of laser light decreases with increasing crystallinity. Basic principles of laser transmission welding are described in the specialist literature (Kunststoffe 87 (1997) 3, 348–350; Kunststoffe 88 (1998) 2, 210–212; Kunststoffe 87 (1997) 11, 1632–1640; Plastverarbeiter 50 (1999) 4, 18–19; Plastverarbeiter 46 (1995) 9, 42–46).
A prerequisite for the use of laser beam welding is that the radiation emitted by the laser first passes through a joining partner, which is sufficiently transparent for laser light of the wavelength used, and is then absorbed by the second joining partner in a thin layer of a few 100 μm and converted to heat, which leads to melting in the contact zone and finally to the bonding of the two joining partners by a weld. While it is true that, in the wavelength range of the lasers conventionally used for thermoplastic welding (Nd:YAG laser: 1060 nm; high-performance diode laser: 800–1000 nm), partially crystalline thermoplastics such as polyamides, e.g. polyamide 6 (PA6) and polyamide 66 (PA66) are transparent or laser-translucent, the transmission is often inadequate for good weldability, and so modifications are required for higher transmission.
The nigrosine base does indeed reduce crystallinity, but in the frequency range of 800–1100 nm which is of interest for laser transmission welding, it has marked self-absorptions.
The object of the present invention consequently is to develop a polyamide, preferably polyamide 6, composition in which crystallization is inhibited that is characterized by the absence of any undesirable discoloration.


A bushing can be anchored in a sheet steel blank for a cross beam for a vehicle chassis by inserting the bushing into a hole precisely provided in the steel blank, hot forming the steel blank in a die and hardening the hot formed shape steel body in the die. The cooling of the hardening step shrinks the sheet steel into a groove formed in the circumference of the bushing.

In the hot forming of sheet steel blanks to produce a shaped body, for example, a cross beam for a shock absorber system or some other part of a motor vehicle, the method can involve the techniques described for example in German Patent DE 24 52 486 C2. In this system, a press forming of the sheet steel blank in a die and in-the-die hardening of the shaped steel body is described for workpieces of boron-alloyed steel. The steel blank is heated to a temperature above the AC3 temperature, namely the temperature at which in the alloy steel the conversion of ferrite to austenite is complete, and then is held in the die for cooling over a period of less than five seconds for hardening. The rapid cooling in the layer shaping die, by indirect cooling, e.g. water cooling of the upper and lower die members of the forming press, results in a martensidic or bainitic fine grain structure. The result can be a product of small thickness of the material from which the shaped steel body is formed, high dimensional stability and high strength.
While the aforedescribed method has been found to be successful in practice, there are many parts of a vehicle where energy-absorbing members are used in the chassis and in parts of the vehicle connected to the chassis that require not only the high strength and good yielding characteristics or ductility, that this method can afford but also the high shape stability and the capacity to use the technique for mass production.
However, in the past these hot formed and tool-hardened components frequently had to be joined to other members. In the case of metal members, this generally required a weld or screw connection. Both of these joining techniques required separate steps in the manufacturing process to effect the joining. In addition, the heat applied by welding could result in dimensional variations, loss of hardness and other drawbacks. In fact, both attachment techniques frequently resulted in a weakening of the zone at which the attachment occurs. A drawback of the screw connection is that the screws themselves create locations at which there can be water penetration, rust formation and loss of strength. Both the welding technique and the screw connection technique had negative affects of the reliability and durability of the assembly.

Joining of two components in a hot forming process


The present invention is intended to provide a highly versatile and simple technique which can increase the expression level of a protein in an E. coli expression system or a yeast expression system. Using an E. coli expression system or a yeast expression system, a target protein is expressed as a tag-added protein to which a peptide tag composed of an amino acid sequence SK, SKX, SKXX (SEQ ID NO. 1), AKXX (SEQ ID NO. 29), or KKXX (SEQ ID NO. 30) (wherein X represents any amino acid residue) is linked at the N-terminal.

In the expression of recombinant proteins, E. coli and yeasts are most frequently used attractive hosts. Various expression vectors and promoters for expressing target proteins have been developed (Non Patent Literature 1).
Expression systems using E. coli as hosts have been used since long ago, and provide high versatility thanks to their ease in handling. However, depending on the protein to be expressed, the expression level in the soluble form may be small. In addition to the problem of solubility, the expression level itself is small, so that the expression of proteins, regardless of solubility, may not be detected.
There are many reports on the difference among proteins, but the cause has not been clarified. Various theories are proposed, and there is a report that the difference was made by the difference in stability of mRNA and the amino acid following the initiation codon (Non Patent Literature 2). There are other theories that the sequence upstream of the initiation codon is important, and that the codon is important (Non Patent Literature 3).
Because of these problems, the attempts to increase the expression levels of recombinant proteins generally require cumbersome operations such as (1) conversion of the codon, (2) expression after fusion with other highly soluble protein, (3) change of the culture medium, (4) co-expression with a chaperone factor, and (5) change of the expression system (host-vector).
Typical examples relating to the above-described attempts are as follows. Firstly, the codon conversion is carried out by, for example, conversion of rare codons in E. coli to those appropriate for E. coli (Non Patent Literature 4). In addition, recombinant strains having reinforced tRNA genes corresponding to rare codons are increasingly used.
The fusion expression with another highly soluble protein uses, for example, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), a maltose biding domain, a Trx (thioredoxin) tag, or a SUMO (small ubiquitin-like modifier) tag, which are already known to be soluble and achieve a high expression in E. coli. However, according to this method, the target protein is expressed in the state fused with another protein which is intrinsically unnecessary, so that the operation for cutting of the target protein is required. Furthermore, it is unfavorable in terms of the production cost to make the host produce intrinsically unnecessary matter.
The change of the culture medium is carried out by, for example, replacing an LB culture medium, which is generally used for culturing E. coli, with a more nutrient medium such as Super Broth, Terrific Broth, or MMI broth.
In addition, host vector systems are actively studied, and the improvement in the expression level is attempted by using a promoter such as T7, acUV5, tac, λPL, lac, trp, or cspA, or combining the hosts which are more suitable for protein expression.
It is also a known attempt that a base sequence composed of about 40 bases is inserted at the N-terminal or in the upstream part of the initiation codon, thereby increasing the expression level (Non Patent Literature 5). In addition, there is a study report on the trend of the N-terminal sequences of proteins showing high expression levels in E. coli (Non Patent Literature 6).
In addition to the expression system using E. coli as a host, an expression system using a yeast as a host is also used for expression of various proteins.

National University Corporation Nagoya University


A LCD includes a first data line, a second data line and a third data line arranged sequentially, a first scan line, a second scan line and a third scan line arranged sequentially, and a pixel array. The pixel array includes a first pixel, a second pixel, a third pixel and a fourth pixel. The first pixel has a first transistor coupled to the first data line and the second scan line. The second pixel has a second transistor coupled to the second data line and the first scan line. The third pixel has a third transistor coupled to the second data line and the second scan line. The fourth pixel has a fourth transistor coupled to the third data line and the third scan line.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a display method thereof, and more particularly to a LCD having a power-saving effect and a better display effect, and a display method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a schematic illustration showing a conventional LCD 100. Referring to FIG. 1, the LCD 100 includes multiple data lines DL1 to DL6, multiple scan lines S1 to S5, a pixel array 105, a timing controller 110, a data driver 120 and a scan driver 130. The timing controller 110 outputs a data driving signal DDS to the data driver 120, and outputs a scan driving signal SDS to the scan driver 130. The data driving signal DDS substantially includes data (DATA) to be represented on multiple pixels, and some control signals for data driver. A polarity signal (POL) among these control signals decides the polarity of a liquid crystal.
The pixel array 105 includes a plurality of pixels each corresponding to a data line and a scan line. Taking a pixel 141 an example, the pixel 141 corresponds to the data line DL6 and the scan line S5. The pixel 141 includes a transistor M having an input terminal coupled to the data line DL6, an output terminal coupled to a pixel electrode (not shown), and a control terminal coupled to the scan line S5.
The pixel cannot be always kept on a certain voltage, or otherwise the liquid crystal molecules in the pixel cannot be rotated to form different gray-scale levels in response to the variation of the electric field due to the damage to the property thereof. So, the polarity signal in the data driving signal DDS has to be inverted every period of time. The continuous exchange between the positive and negative polarities can prevent the property of each liquid crystal molecule in the pixel from being polarized.
Conventionally, many polarity inversion methods may be adopted to the pixel of the LCD 100 to prevent the liquid crystal molecule from being polarized, and the methods include a column inversion method, a dot inversion method and a (1+2) line inversion method. In the column inversion method, the pixels in the same column have the same polarity. In the LCD 100, for example, the pixels A1 to A5, the pixels C1 to C5 and the pixels E1 to E5 have the positive polarities, while the pixels B1 to B5, the pixels D1 to D5 and the pixels F1 to F5 have the negative polarities. However, the pixels in each column have different polarities, which tend to cause the phenomena of flicker and crosstalk to be generated in the LCD 100.
In the dot inversion method for polarity inversion, the polarity of the pixel is different from the polarities of top, bottom, left and right pixels adjacent to the pixel. In the LCD 100, for example, when the pixel B4 has the positive polarity, the pixels B5, B3, A4 and C4 have the negative polarities. The (1+2) line inversion method is substantially one of the dot inversion methods. In the LCD 100, for example, when the pixels B2 and B3 have the positive polarities, the pixels B4, B5, B1, A2, A3, C2 and C3 have the negative polarities. The dot inversion method and the (1+2) line inversion method for polarity inversion have to pay for the extremely high power consumption so that the LCD can obtain the better display effect due to the alternate polarities of the pixels. Consequently, the power consumption is negatively influenced under the trend in the application with the larger scale and the higher resolution.


Nucleic acid oligomeric sequences and in vitro nucleic acid amplification and detection methods for detecting the presence of HAV RNA sequences in samples are disclosed. Kits comprising nucleic acid oligomers for amplifying and detecting HAV nucleic acid sequences are disclosed.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the causative agent of one form of hepatitis that may produce symptoms that include fever, fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and jaundice over less than two months. Of those infected with HAV, about 10% to 15% have a prolonged or relapsing symptoms over a six to nine months following infection. Immunity to HAV, based on the individual's production of anti-HAV immunoglobulin G (IgG), follows both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections.
Although the incidence of HAV infections has dramatically decreased in parts of the world in which vaccination for HAV (e.g., by using inactivated HAV) has been widely used since the late 1990's, epidemics of HAV infections (greater than 700 cases per 100,000 population) may occur in non-immune populations where poor sanitary conditions exist, even temporarily, e.g. following an earthquake. HAV is shed in feces of infected persons and is usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route. Community-wide outbreaks may result from food-borne transmission that occurs when an HAV-infected food handler contaminates food during preparation, or when food materials are contaminated during growing, harvesting, packing, or processing in the distribution system. Transmission may also result from contact with HAV-contaminated serum, blood products, or contaminated needles, e.g., by transfusion or injection drug use. Persons at risk of HAV infection include those who have household or sex contacts with HAV-infected persons, persons who have clotting-factor disorders (e.g., hemophilia) or chronic liver disease, persons who travel in countries where hepatitis A is common, men who have sex with men, illegal drug users, and children who live in areas with high rates of hepatitis A (e.g., >20 cases per 100,000 population).
HAV is a 27-nm RNA virus (picornavirus) that contains a plus-sense single-stranded RNA genome of about 7.5 kb, for which a single serotype has been found worldwide. HAV replicates in the liver, is excreted in bile, and is shed in feces during the acute phase of an infection (up to 10.sup.8 virus per ml). The incubation period is usually two to six weeks before symptoms appear. Diagnosis of hepatitis A cannot be differentiated from other types of viral hepatitis by symptoms or other clinical features (e.g., elevated serum aminotransferase levels). Typically, hepatitis A diagnosis is confirmed by serological testing that provides positive results for the presence of anti-HAV immunoglobulins (Ig). Anti-HAV IgM is generally present five to ten days before the onset of symptoms and is undetectable in most patients by six months later, whereas anti-HAV IgG appears early during infection and remains detectable for the individual's lifetime. HAV RNA can be detected in the blood and stool of most persons during the acute phase of infection by using nucleic acid testing methods, e.g., amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and nucleic acid sequencing, which has been used to identify the genetic relatedness of HAV following community-wide infections (Dato et al., Morbidity Mortality Wkly. Rpt., 2003, 52(47): 1155-57; LaPorte et al., Morbidity Mortality Wkly. Rpt., 2003, 52(24): 565-67). These methods, however, are not generally used for diagnostic purposes.
In the USA, about 100 persons die each year from acute liver failure due to hepatitis A (death rate of about 0.015%). Even in nonfatal hepatitis A cases there are substantial costs associated with HAV infections, including the costs of patient hospitalization, outpatient visits, and lost workdays. Public health costs associated with hepatitis A outbreaks include locating and administering immune globulin to people exposed to an infected individual or infectious source (e.g., contaminated water or food) within two weeks of exposure. Substantial psychological costs and economic losses may result from the perceived risk of infection, particularly for community-wide outbreaks. Because of the relative ease of HAV transmission in contaminated food and water, and the morbidity associated with hepatitis A, HAV is a potential agent for use in biological terrorism.
There exists a need to accurately detect the presence of HAV in biological and environmental samples. There exists a need to rapidly diagnose HAV-infected individuals. For example, because immune globulin must be administered to a person within two weeks of HAV exposure to be effective, there exists a need for a rapid and accurate assay to promptly evaluate food handlers with hepatitis symptoms and report HAV-positive sources to public health agencies. There is a need to detect HAV present in contaminated materials, such as water and food, to prevent community-wide outbreaks or epidemics resulting from use or consumption of these materials. There is also a need to detect HAV contamination in products that may be used in medical treatment, e.g., blood or serum used for transfusions or for the manufacture of factors derived from human fluids.
The present invention responds to these needs by disclosing oligonucleotide sequences used in nucleic acid testing methods to detect the presence of HAV nucleic acid (HAV RNA or cDNA derived from RNA) in a sample.

Compositions and methods for detection of hepatitis A virus nucleic acid


A method is disclosed for synchronizing operating modes across a plurality of peripheral devices. The method includes each of the plurality of peripheral devices transmitting requests to change a rate of power consumption in response to a set of criteria for each peripheral device. A host computing device determines if one or more peripheral devices should change power modes and transmits corresponding commands to synchronize the plurality of peripheral devices into a single operating mode. Each peripheral device may have a unique power mode for a given operating mode and each peripheral device includes one or more common features, such as a lighting display, that is synchronized across all peripheral devices for a given operating mode.

Currently there are a wide variety of peripheral electronic devices that are configured to communicate with a host computing device including mice, keyboards, headsets, trackballs, speaker systems, gaming chairs and the like. Over the last few decades, the advent of wireless communication protocols like Bluetooth® and BLE® has spurred innovation in peripheral devices such that most peripheral devices have migrated from hard-wired connections to the host to wireless connections to the host. The removal of hard-wired connections has resulted in each peripheral device operating from battery power, requiring more sophisticated power management techniques to preserve the battery life. Some peripheral devices now have two, three or more different operating modes in which different systems within the peripheral device are judiciously powered off to conserve battery life. As a result, each peripheral device independently determines which operating mode to operate in which can be based on an elapsed time since the last user interaction with that particular peripheral device. This can result in one peripheral device transitioning to a lower power consumption mode (e.g., sleep mode) while the remainder of the peripheral devices remain in an active mode or visa-versa. This non-unified transition between operating modes can result in the user experiencing unexpected delays when accessing a device that "went to sleep." Further, in the case where the peripheral devices are equipped with exterior lighting schemes, the non-unified transition of peripheral devices between operating modes can result in a non-uniform change in lighting schemes, detracting from the aesthetics of the system.

Peripheral electronic devices having synchronized operating modes


A system and method to initialize registers with an EEPROM stored boot sequence is described. The method includes reading configuration records from an EEPROM coupled to an ASIC upon system reset. The configuration records specify target configuration registers and data to be written to the registers. The configuration records are translated to register write requests and data is written to the target registers via a bus of the ASIC to initialize the registers. Other masters, such as a processor, may be blocked from accessing the registers during the initialization.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of initialization of ASICs, and more specifically to initializing registers with an EEPROM stored boot sequence.
2. Background Information and Description of Related Art
Complex Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) have a large number of configuration registers. These registers perform a variety of functions, such as device identification, feature enumeration, configuration of device operation, or communication of interrupts. Following system reset, there must be a process to initialize these registers.
One way to initialize these registers is to come up in a default state after power up and use software to program the ASIC. Another way is to use hardware to initialize the ASIC. However, current hardware solutions are inflexible, since the hardware stores dedicated information in fixed locations that only allow the hardware to initialize a limited number of predefined registers.

System and method to initialize registers with an EEPROM stored boot sequence


A method to stereospecifically prepare a steroidal sapogenin or a derivative thereof by reducing a 3-keto,5β-H steroidal sapogenin with a hindered organoborane or an organo-aluminium hydride. A 3β-hydroxy,5β-H steroidal sapogenin or derivative thereof may be prepared by reducing the 3-keto,5β-H steroidal sapogenin using as reducing agent a relatively highly hindered organoborane reagent or by SN 2 inversion of a 3α-hydroxy,5β-H steroidal sapogenin or derivative thereof. The organo-aluminium hydride may be used to prepare a 3α,5β-H steroidal sapogenin or derivative thereof. The invention provides a convenient route to useful steroidal sapogenins such as sarsasapogenin, episarsasapogenin, smilagenin, epismilagenin and esters thereof, from readily available or easily preparable starting materials (e.g. diosgenone, preparable from diosgenin).

It has been shown that certain sapogenins and their derivatives (more particularly, sapogenins possessing a 5β hydrogen atom, and most particularly compounds possessing a 3-hydroxy group and a 5β-hydrogen atom, such as sarsasapogenin, episarsasapogenin, smilagenin and epismilagenin) have utility in the treatment of cognitive dysfunction and other conditions. Such activity is described, for example, in WO-99/48482, WO-99/48507, WO-01/49703, WO-02/079221 and WO-01/23406, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The scheme for naming of the ring system and the carbon positions used herein is as given in these prior publications.
The literature describes methods for the synthesis of 3-hydroxy steroids and 3-hydroxy steroidal sapogenins. For example, the synthesis of 3β-hydroxy-5α-H steroids from the corresponding 3-keto-5α-H steroids has been effected with sodium borohydride in tetrahydrofuran and methanol or by using lithium aluminium hydride in diethyl ether (Helv. Chim. Acta, 66, 192-217 (1983)).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,195 (1975), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes the catalytic reduction of 3-keto-5β-H steroids to 3β-hydroxy-5β-H steroids in a lower carboxylic acid with Raney nickel and hydrogen under pressure. These workers note that the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction leads to mixtures of 3α-and 3β-hydroxy steroids in equal portions. The separation of such mixtures is reported to be difficult.
Since the introduction of the family of highly hindered trialkylborohydride reducing agents, commonly known as Selectrides®, beginning in the early 1970s (Brown et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 94, 7159-7161 (1972)), a number of publications have appeared in which these reducing agents have been applied to certain sterol synthetic methods. For example, in Steroids, 36, 299-303 (1980), Steroids, 45,39-51 (1985), J. Chem. Soc. Commun. 1239-1240 (1982), Tetrahedron, 40, 851-854 (1984), Helv. Chim. Acta, 66, 192-217 (1983), U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,336 (2000), and Tetrahedron, 45, 3717-3730 (1989), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, stereospecific selectride reductions of certain 3-keto-5β and 3-keto-5α steroids to their respective 3β-OH,5β-H and 3α-OH,5α-H sterols are described.
In relation to steroidal sapogenins, the art describes the synthesis of smilagenin by reduction of smilagenone with aluminium isopropoxide in isopropyl alcohol, the MPV reduction (Marker et al, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 62, 2525 (1940)). Marker has reported the MPV reduction of sarsasapogenone to afford a mixture of sarsasapogenin and episarsasapogenin (Marker and Rohrmann, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 61, 943 (1939)). The disclosures of these publications are incorporated herein by reference.
The art has also reported certain catalytic hydrogenations, as exemplified by Blunden's preparation of epitigogenin from tigogenone using hydrogenation over an Adams catalyst (platinum (IV) oxide) in glacial acetic acid containing 2% hydrochloric acid (J. Nat. Prod. 42, 478-482 (1979); Onderstepoort J. Vet. Res., 61, 351-359 (1994)). Marker has reported the hydrogenation of sarsasapogenone using Adams catalyst in ethanol to afford episarsasapogenin (Marker and Rohrmann, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 61, 943 (1939)). The art has also reported sodium borohydride reduction, as exemplified by Miles's preparation of episarsasapogenin from sarsasapogenone using sodium borohydride (J. Agric. Food Chem., 41, 914-917 (1993)). The art has also reported lithium aluminium hydride reduction, as exemplified by Djerassi's preparation of epismilagenin from smilagenone (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 74, 422-424, (1952)) and Lajis's preparation of episarsasapogenin from sarsasapogenone (Steroids, 58, 387-389 (1993)). The disclosures of these publications are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,703,052 (1997), U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,834 (1998) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,398 (1999), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, report methods for the synthesis of 3α-hydroxy-5α-H sapogenins using K-Selectride® at low temperatures.
WO-02/079221 (published 10 Oct. 2002), describes in Example 6, a synthesis of episarsasapogenin by reduction of sarsasapogenone using lithium tri-tert-butoxyaluminohydride. However, this publication is not prior art in all countries.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved stereospecific synthesis of 3-hydroxy-5β-hydrogen steroidal sapogenins, and more preferably the 3β-hydroxy, 5β-H-sapogenins defined and described in the said publications WO-99/48482, WO-99/48507, WO-01/49703, WO-02/079221 and WO-01/23406, as well as their derivatives such as, for example, the corresponding saponins and other physiologically acceptable forms such as salts and esters, which may serve as pro-drugs.
In a most preferred embodiment, the present invention seeks to provide an efficient stereospecific synthesis of sarsasapogenin, smilagenin, episarsasapogenin, epismilagenin and their pro-drugs and other physiologically acceptable forms.

Stereospecific reduction of sapogen-3-ones


A method for the operational test measurement of a lambda probe, particularly for the purpose of calibrating and/or determining the status of the lambda probe, wherein pure air is circulated around a probe head of the lambda probe is disclosed. The method has the following steps:, —insertion of the lambda probe into a flow receptacle which is separate from an engine construction, in such a manner that an air stream (L) can be circulated around the probe head; generation of an air stream (L) in the flow receptacle; evaluation of probe measurement signals (S), wherein a calibration value is obtained and/or a heating current of the lambda probe is evaluated. A device for carrying out the method, as well as a system, is also disclosed herein.

In general, a lambda probe functions as a device for measuring a gas concentration in an exhaust stream, as part of the design of an internal combustion engine—termed "engine design" below. By means of the measurement result, the so-called lambda ratio of combustion air to fuel, or fuel to exhaust gas, is determined and may be utilized to control the combustion of fuel. A lambda sensor can be implemented as a lambda probe, for example, or—for the purpose of determining the NOx fraction in a gas mixture—can be implemented as a NOx probe. In addition, sensors used to determine the concentration of other gases, for example NH3, CO, or HC can be contemplated, and are termed "lambda probes" in general in the following text.
A correct lambda ratio, or a NOx concentration, or the other concentration values named above which are part of the detection by the lambda probe, are important parameters for the control of the combustion in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, and for enabling adequate exhaust scrubbing by a catalytic converter.
A lambda probe generally has a probe head which is formed as a ceramic measuring element, wherein the same is capable of measuring a gas property, as explained above—generally via a probe voltage. For example, the ceramic measuring element can be realized by means of a concentration cell (Nernst cell), preferably based on an yttrium-doped zirconium dioxide ceramic. The ceramic measuring element can also be realized with a resistance cell (Arrhenius cell), for example with a semi-conducting titanium dioxide ceramic. The measurement result is obtained as the result of ionic conduction by oxygen and/or oxygen occupying a lattice void in the ceramic, according to the measuring principle, with a resulting probe voltage or probe current. Such a probe signal can be a measurement of a difference in concentration between a reference gas and a measured gas (Nernst cell) as the result of a partial pressure difference, or a conductance between a reference gas compartment and a measured gas compartment (Arrhenius cell). For this purpose, the measuring element is regularly heated to temperatures above 650° C., or in some cases—if a YSZ ceramic is used—to temperatures above 300° C.
For example, a discrete-level sensor provides a lambda value which is equal to 1 and a probe voltage between approximately 200 and 800 mV (optimally approx. 450 mV), a lambda value larger than 1 (lean mixture with too much air) at a voltage less than 200 mV, and a lambda value smaller than 1 (rich mixture with too much fuel) at voltages over 800 mV. A discrete-level sensor is characterized in that the characteristic curve is extremely steep in a very narrow intermediate range on either side of lambda=1, meaning between 200 and 800 mV—the so-called lambda window. In this range, the voltage changes, almost in a jump, in dependence on the air-fuel ratio.
In contrast, a wide-band probe is characterized by a suitable layered construction of a pump cell of a measuring gap, and of a Nernst cell, for example. An exhaust gas flow is on one side of the pump cell. An air flow is on the other side of the Nernst cell. The pump cell connects the measuring gap to the exhaust stream via a diffusion channel. The measured gas is constantly held at lambda=1 in the measuring gap via the diffusion channel. The pump current provides information on the lambda ratio in the exhaust gas flow. In the case of a wide-band probe, it is important for the measurement result that the probe is heated.
In general, then, it can be said that lambda probes indirectly measures the current prevailing oxygen concentration in the gaseous medium which surrounds them. The electrical pump current needed for the measuring method—for example, in the case of wide-band probes—is measured and converted via a stored characteristic curve. The precision of this measurement also significantly depends on the calibration interval because—as explained—potentially steep ramps in the probe signal must be taken into consideration as part of the measurement result.
The method of leaving a lambda probe in an engine construction and circulating air around the same for the purpose of determining the probe status is known. For example, the internet document http://de.wikibooks.org/wiki/Mb-Technik/_M07-KE/_Lambda-Sonde explains how it is possible to check the status of a lambda probe as regards to heat generation, the probe voltage signal, or lag smearing of the probe. For this purpose, probe signals or a heating current are measured when the engine is running and at operating temperature.
For the purpose of calibration, the method of circulating pure air around a probe head of the lambda probe is known. In general, boundary conditions of the manufacturer which are suited to such calibration must be observed. A calibration factor can generally be determined by means of analysis software provided by the manufacturer, or ECU software, or suitable evaluation devices—also known as lambdameters—for example. For example, the INCA diagnosis and calibration tool from the Bosch company or the LA4 or AWS2 lambdameter from the ETAS company are known. In general, such calibration or status determination methods are suitable for the LSU or LSU ADV probe from the Bosch company.
A problem with all methods currently known for the calibration of a lambda probe is that the lambda probe remains in the engine construction. It is also a problem that a true calibration of the lambda probe can only take place if it is reasonably correct to assume that the lambda probe is intact; however, if the lambda probe is in a malfunctioning state, a calibration of the same only makes a limited amount of sense.
It would be desirable for the operational test measurement to be able to not only calibrate a lambda probe but also determine the status thereof. It is also desirable to be able to perform an operational test measurement of the lambda probe independently of influences from the engine.

Method for an operational test measurement of a lambda probe, and device for carrying out method


A connector assembly, particularly for the windings of a stator of an electric motor, which comprises a connector element constituted by a section for anchoring to the electric motor and by a section for the guided and predefined connection of the windings to a complementary part connected to the power supply; the sections are mutually monolithic and the latter section has one or more cavities adapted to accommodate terminals for electrical connection between the stator and the power supply; the connector assembly is characterized in that each one of the terminals is constituted by a laminar body, made of conducting material, which comprises two sections which lie on mutually perpendicular planes; a first one of the sections is shaped so as to form a flap, the free end of which is in turn shaped so as to form two substantially rigid mutually opposite wings which form a slot in which two elastic tabs converge towards the bottom; the tabs are connected in an L-shaped configuration to a corresponding wing, and an electric conductor with insulating sheath can be inserted up to the free end between the elastic tabs, part of the edges of which is sharp. A second one of the sections is shaped so as to form the male element of an electrical connection to a corresponding female terminal.

The present invention relates to a connector assembly which is useful particularly but not exclusively for the windings of a stator of an electric motor.
An electric motor conventionally comprises a stator part and an axial shaft which are inside a frame; the rotor is fixed to the shaft, which is supported by bearings.
The stator part is usually constituted by a lamination pack on which a plurality of conductors are wound which form the stator windings; their end portions are connected to the mains for power supply.
Currently, as soon as the stator winding has been formed, each one of the leads of the conductors is welded to a corresponding conductor of a wiring system.
The welding points are then insulated electrically by means of tapes or sleeves.
In small- and medium-power electric motors, the leads of the stator windings are connected to a connecting terminal strip.
Both methods for connecting the stator leads to the power supply, although performing their intended aim and objects, entail drawbacks.
Among these drawbacks, particular mention must be made of an extremely labor-intensive nature, complexity in construction and structural weak points with a high risk of failure especially at the welds, with a consequent risk of shorting.

Connector assembly for the windings of a stator of an electric motor


A gene ansB knockout mutant of Citrobacter werkmanii and an application thereof are provided. The gene ansB knockout mutant of the C. werkmanii is C. werkmanii with a gene ansB knocked out and a nucleotide sequence of the gene ansB is as shown in SEQ ID NO: 1. In the present invention, the acquired engineering bacteria with the gene ansB of the C. werkmanii knocked out are cultured in LB, TSB, NB and other media at 25° C. and 30° C., so that a biofilm formation capacity of the C. werkmanii on a polypropylene material is improved. Thus, the application scenarios and scopes of the C. werkmanii in heavy metal ion adsorption and construction of cellular protein synthesis micro-factories are broadened.

Bacteria of Citrobacter sp., as chemoorganotrophic bacteria, can grow by taking citrate as the sole carbon source, hence its name. The bacteria of this genus are all gram-negative bacteria and usually peritrichous and facultative anaerobic, have two types of metabolism, i.e., respiration and fermentation, and produce acid and gas when fermenting glucose. The bacteria of this genus are commonly found in feces of humans and animals as normal intestinal resident bacteria, are also found in soil, water, sewage and food, but are often used as conditioned pathogens isolated from clinical samples. In recent years, the bacteria of this genus have been widely applied in the fields of heavy metal ion adsorption, sewage treatment and other polluted environment treatment. The typical representative of this genus is Citrobacter werkmanii with typical characteristics of the Citrobacter. In addition, as the determination of the whole genome of the bacteria of this genus was completed and based on the advancement of genetic engineering technologies, it has become practical means to make necessary intervention and modification on the C. werkmanii from a genetic level to make it have a better phenotype, such as knock out a gene ompA therein to make it have a better biofilm formation capacity and better resistance to fungicides (Patent: method for improving biofilm formation of Citrobacter werkmanii).
ansB is a gene encoding glutaminase/asparaginase II and mainly functions to catalyze the hydrolysis of L-asparagine into aspartic acid and ammonia. The transcription of this gene is positively regulated by the cAMP receptor (CRP) and FNR proteins. Studies have shown that ansB is monocistronic, that is, this gene encodes only one protein, and the expression of this gene depends on σ54. In addition, it was reported that in Salmonella typhimurium, ansB is necessary to inhibit T cell proliferation and cytokine production and down-regulate T cell receptor expression; and the mechanisms of ansB used to treat acute Lymphoblastic leukemia may involve in amino acid starvation of leukemia cells. Moreover, this gene also has certain effects on the colonization of human pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni, Helicobacter pylori and Salmonella typhimurium in a host. However, the gene ansB in the C. werkmanii is 1047 bp in overall length and a protein encoded thereby has 348 amino acid sequences. Thus, this gene may have important functions in the C. werkmanii and may be developed by genetic engineering and other means.
However, most bacteria in nature do not exist as single cells (individuals), but aggregate with one another, and live and grow in a form of a biofilm. The biofilm, as a bacterium aggregation group, has a structure mainly including water, bacteria, extracellular polymeric substances, proteins and genetic materials, such as eDNA and RNA, and has a better phenotype than individuals, such as increased resistance to external nutritional and environmental stress. More importantly, the biofilm has a three-dimensional structure, many pores and a specific surface area, a better adsorption capacity as well as self-repair and replantation capabilities, and thus has become an important material and vector applied in the fields of environment pollution control and protein synthesis micro-factories. However, the above applications must be based on the fact that the bacteria can form enough biofilms. How to improve the biofilm formation has always been a difficult and hot spot in scientific research. In addition, the formation of biofilms is also affected and restricted by external nutrients and environmental conditions and thus we should pay more attention to the finding of the best conditions for the biofilm formation.

Gene ANSB knockout mutant of citrobacter werkmanii and application thereof

INSTITUTE OF MICROBIOLOGY, GUANGDONG ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (GUANGDONG DETECTION CENTER OF MICR


The invention concerns a transceiver module for an optical data network, comprising an optical interface for connection with an optical transmission line and an electrical interface for connection with a host board, wherein the electrical interface is suitable for providing the transceiver module with payload data to be sent on the optical transmission line and for providing the host board with payload data read from the optical transmission line, and further comprising monitoring means for monitoring the optical transmission line, which the transceiver module comprises an analyzing means for processing measuring data provided by the monitoring means in a statistical manner, and where the analyzing means is connected to the electrical interface for providing processed measuring data to the electrical interface. The inventive transceiver module is easy to install, and only a small amount of monitoring data needs to be transferred.

The invention is based on a priority application EP 05291883.6 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to a transceiver module for an optical data network, comprising an optical interface for connection with an optical transmission line and an electrical interface for connection with a host board, wherein the electrical interface is suitable for providing the transceiver module with payload data to be sent on the optical transmission line and for providing the host board with payload data read from the optical transmission line, and further comprising monitoring means for monitoring the optical transmission line.
The invention further relates to a method for making available measuring data from monitoring an optical transmission line coupled to an optical transceiver module.
Such a transceiver module is known from the European patent application 04 291 995.1, scheduled to be published after the submission of this application.
In order to transmit digital data, optical networks are used. An optical network comprises optical transceivers which are linked by optical transmission lines, in particular optical fibers.
It is common to realize optical transceivers with optical transceiver modules. An optical transceiver module is a device for converting electrical signals carrying payload data, received at an electrical interface, into optical signals, which are sent onto an optical interface (where an optical transmission line is attached), and for converting optical signals, received at the optical interface, into electrical signals. The payload data, no matter whether contained in received electrical signals or contained in received optical signals, is only passed on, without any analysis of the payload data such as error analysis or error correction within the transceiver module.
The transceiver module is typically linked to a host board, where data to be sent and received data are processed and analysed.
Unfortunately, optical fibers may become defective. A defect may cause a loss of data. For this reason, the status of an optical fiber in an optical network must be monitored. A well known monitoring method is OTDR (optical time domain reflectometry). In this method, a short optical pulse is sent onto an optical fiber, through which it propagates. At locations of defects, such as a sharp bend within the optical fiber, light of the optical pulse is particularly strongly backscattered. The time between the sending the pulse and receiving a peak of backscattered light indicates the location of the defect.
From the above mentioned European patent application, it is known to integrate equipment for an OTDR measurement, in particular a tap coupler, a photo diode and an OTDR signal output, into an optical transceiver module. The ODTR signal is passed on, without any signal analysis, to a failure detection means externally of the transceiver module via the OTDR signal output.
In order to learn about the state of the optical fiber, in this state of the art, a large amount of data must be transferred over the OTDR signal output. Further, the installation of the optical transceiver module requires linking both a data interface and an ODTR signal output.

Optical transceiver module for monitoring an optical fiber and method for making available measuring data from monitoring an optical fiber


Methods, systems, and computer readable media for network test configuration using VLAN scanning are disclosed. One method for network test configuration using VLAN scanning occurs at a first port of a network equipment test device. The method includes sending a plurality of address resolution protocol (ARP) requests to a system under test (SUT), wherein each of the plurality of ARP requests includes a different virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID). The method also includes receiving an ARP response from the SUT, wherein the ARP response indicates a first VLAN ID associated with the SUT. The method further includes using the first VLAN ID when sending test packets to the SUT via the first port.

Network operators typically test network nodes for reliability and other characteristics before deploying the network nodes in live (e.g., non-test environments). Generally, it is important to test networks nodes with various amounts of traffic and different types of traffic. For example, a test platform, such as an IxNetwork™ platform manufactured by Ixia, may be usable for network topology testing and traffic analysis and may generate realistic, dynamically-controllable data-plane traffic, such as multiple packets flows, for testing various network nodes using one or more protocols.
Network test configuration is typically needed before a test platform can test one or more network nodes. For example, when trying to start a test, a user of a test platform may observe that the test fails in the preflight check because the control plane is not properly configured. In this example, the user may spend a significant amount of time opening an SSH connection to a device under test (DUT) and comparing network configuration settings in the test platform with settings in the DUT. However, manually checking network configuration settings (e.g., an Internet protocol (IP) address, a subnet mask, a gateway IP address, and an virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier) for a plurality of test ports involved in testing a DUT does not scale well and can be very time consuming, e.g., since some tests can involve a significant number (e.g., hundreds or even thousands) of test ports.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for network test configuration using virtual local area network (VLAN) scanning

KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES SINGAPORE (SALES) PTE. LTD.


A fuse is provided for protection of high current power distribution equipment, such as transformers. The fuse includes a dual function fuse element having a solder pot which permits fuse opening in response to long-term current overload conditions, and a minimum cross-section wire portion for short circuit opening. The fuse element is enclosed within a tube, and the tube is received within a housing. The tube is closed off on one end thereof with a dual size button, which size is selectable for reception into the housing.

This invention relates to the field of power transmission and distribution equipment, more particularly to the field of protective devices for power transmission and distribution equipment, and more particularly still to the field of localized protection of power transmission and distribution equipment, such as transformers and surge arresters.
Transformers placed on poles, or at remote distribution sites, are subject to the ravages of weather upon the distribution system components. If lightning hits a wire or the transformer, an electrical surge will pass through the distribution conductor feeding the transformer. To help prevent these disruptive weather related occurrences from destroying the distribution equipment, surge arresters and fuses are placed in the distribution network immediately adjacent the transformer, or other component, which is to be protected. The surge protector is normally disposed in an electrical parallel configuration with the transformer. During normal, steady state operations, the surge arrester has a very high resistance to ground, and therefore, nearly all of the current in the distribution conductor leading to the transformer passes through the transformer. However, when a surge in the form of a high current spike is detected by the arrestor, the resistance of the arrester drops precipitously to a level substantially lower than that of the transformer, and the surge arrester diverts the surge to ground. Once the surge has passed or dissipated, the arrester once again returns to the high resistance state to re-energize the transformer.
Fuses are used to further protect the transformers located on poles or at remote locations in the distribution network. Power lines coming into the transformer are typically rated at between one half and 100 amps, supporting voltages of between 2400 and 38000 volts thereon. The fuses are commonly placed in a parallel electrical relation to the surge arrestor. The fuse, and transformer, are mounted in series and these two components in series are then mounted in an electrically parallel configuration to the surge arrestor. The arrestor provides protection to the transformer by diverting surges, such as those caused by lightning, to ground, rather than through the fuse and transformer combination and into the rest of the distribution network. The fuse provides long-term overload protection to the circuit, such as what occurs when a short appears as a result of a failure in the transformer or a long-term over load situation is present in the secondary circuit. However, the fuse is not intended to carry the lightning surge to ground. The prior art fuses cannot withstand the full surge current created during a lightning strike, and thus the surge arrestor must be placed in parallel with the series combination of the transformer and fuse to protect both the transformer and the fuse.
To physically locate the surge arrestor and fuse-transformer combination in a parallel electrical configuration, the surge arrestor and fuse are both placed upon the pole, pad, or other mounting location, or otherwise remotely located from the transformer tank, and the ground lead is run from the transformer tank to the surge arrestor. This arrangement leads to less protection of the transformer windings than would be present if the surge arrester were mounted directly on or in the transformer tank. It is known that the longer the length of the lead between the transformer and surge arrestor, the greater the likelihood of damage occurring to the transformer windings during a current surge condition. However, the prior art fuses dictate that the surge arrestor be remotely mounted so that the surge current does not pass through the fuse while protecting the transformer.
The individual fuse associated with a transformer must be sized to protect the transformer, and not prematurely open in response to rated amperage or slight overload conditions. Each transformer will have a specific rated primary amperage and voltage which must pass therethrough to provide the proper voltage and amperage on the secondary, or low voltage, side thereof. Likewise, as the rated amperage and voltage of the transformer varies from application to application, the fuse which protects the transformer must be sized to match the performance rating of the transformer. Therefore, the fuse manufacturer typically must supply a line, or group of fuses with different opening amperages, for proper transformer protection for any given range of transformers. These requirements are well known in the art, and handbooks, design manuals and government and industry standards are promulgated which dictate to designers the power absorption, time to open or blow, and overcurrent characteristics of fuses for high energy applications.
Prior art fuses employ a variety of materials as fusing links, or wires. The link, or wire, serves as the fusing element in the fuse which severs or opens in response to an overload or surge condition. The fusing link must be capable of withstanding, or carrying, a low current overload for some period of time without opening, but must also be capable of rapidly opening within a period of time as short as one one-hundredth of a second, when a fault or short circuit appears across the fuse. The required opening time for any given overload condition is governed by government standards which are well-known to those skilled in the art.
During surge openings, when the current passing through the fuse is the equivalent of a short circuit, the fusing link locally vaporizes at a point thereon between the button and leader. The leader is attached to one end of the fusing wire, in a large crimp. The cross-section of the crimp physically blocks off approximately two-thirds of the internal cross-sectional area of the auxiliary tube. The leader is spring-loaded with a spring flipper, so that upon a fuse opening, the severed wires will be physically pulled apart by the spring flipper actuating the leader outward the bottom of the fuse. Additionally, the crimp is substantially larger than the fusing wire, and the gasses generated during a fuse opening generate pressure within the tube, which bears upon the upper area of the crimp to create a differential pressure thereon to help speed up the ejection of the severed fuse link from the auxiliary tube.
To obtain the above-referenced fuse opening characteristics, fuse designers must use materials with well-known properties and then physically size and shape the fusing link to accommodate the limitations of the fusing material while still obtaining the required fusing characteristics. One very common fusing link material is tin. Tin is a relatively inexpensive material which has well-known fusing properties. However, tin has several disadvantages when used as a fusing link material. When tin wire is required to sustain, or carry, a long-term circuit overload to a fusing termination, for example a current of 200% fuse rated capacity for a sufficient length of time to cause the fuse to open, the tin wire is incapable of sufficiently dissipating the resistance heat generated by the current flowing therethrough. As a result, the fusing link opening will occur as a localized explosion at the transverse location in the tin wire where maximum heating, in relation to localized wire heat dissipation, occurs. The explosive opening is a natural result of the resistance heat generating and heat dissipation characteristics of tin which the fuse designer must accommodate in the fuse design. This "explosive" opening is a metalized vapor created out of the vaporized tin fusing wire, which splatters out against the walls of the auxiliary tube. This metalized vapor is conductive, and electric current will continue to pass through the fuse and arc through the metalized vapor for a period of time. The arc will continue to generate until the severed ends of the fusing wires are separated a sufficient distance to create a sufficient gap therebetween which is greater than the gap-bridging power capacity of the arc. It should be appreciated that where the arc is sustained on fuse wire metal deposited on the sides of the auxiliary tube, the separation distance necessary to stop the arcing is greater than were air only present in the gap, because the electric resistance of air is several orders of magnitude greater than that of tin. If the arcing condition persists, the arc will begin burning the inside of the auxiliary tube, leading to a possible fire. In addition to the fusing deficiencies of tin, tin wires have a low tensile strength, and therefore a secondary wire made from a stronger material, such as ni-chrome, must often be used in parallel with the tin wire to support the tensile forces needed in a fuse. The use of the two parallel wires causes undesirable discontinuities in the fusing characteristics of the fuse, as both must sever to open the fuse.
In addition to tin, silver is another common fusing link material. Silver has a higher strength, but lower resistance and higher cost than tin. To compensate for the lower resistance of silver as compared to copper, the fusing link must be thicker and longer. The longer link will sometimes sag during overload conditions, causing it to contact the side of the auxiliary tube and scorch or burn the tube, creating altered fusing characteristics and the possibility of fire.


An image processing device includes: a motion-vector computation unit that computes a motion vector between a base image and a reference image; a motion compensation unit that performs a motion compensation to align the reference image with the base image based on the motion vector; a contrast computation unit that computes a contrast value of a target pixel of the base image based on one of the base image and the reference image; a synthetic ratio computation unit that computes a synthetic ratio between: the target pixel for a synthesis processing in the base image; and a corresponding pixel corresponding to the target pixel in the reference image processed by the motion compensation, in response to the contrast value of the target pixel; and a synthesizing unit that synthesizes the target pixel of the base image and the corresponding pixel of the reference image based on the synthetic ratio.

Known techniques for reducing an amount of noise of a moving image include a cyclic noise reduction technique. This technique performs motion compensation between an input frame image and a processed previous frame image, and computes reliability of the motion compensation related to each pixel based on differences from peripheral pixels. The input frame image (the current frame) and the previous frame image are blended and synthesized in a blending synthetic ratio (a mixing ratio) derived from a reliability, an amount of motion, and an estimated amount of noise (see Japanese Patent No. 4321626 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-147986).
In recent years, a motion detection for each pixel by recording a moving image at high image quality and high frame rate increases the circuit size and the computation time. On the other hand, a motion compensation based on a motion detection with discrete points reduces the circuit size and the computation time. In this case, an error occurs in the motion detection. In a block matching method and similar method that allow a high-speed motion detection, an error occurs in a motion detection due to influences of, for example, lens distortion and rolling shutter. Additionally, an error occurs in a motion detection due to an influence of noise. Therefore, the known technique that reduces the amount of noise increases the synthetic ratio of the previous frame image as the reliability of the motion compensation becomes higher, and reduces the synthetic ratio of the previous frame image as the reliability of the motion compensation becomes lower, so as to prevent occurrence of image lag and artifact during the blend synthesis. It should be noted that the reliability of the motion compensation can be computed from an evaluation value for dissimilarity, for example, the sum of absolute difference (SAD) between the images processed by the motion compensation. The reliability increases as the sum of absolute difference becomes smaller, and decreases as the sum of absolute difference becomes larger.

Image processing device, image processing method, photographic imaging apparatus, and recording device recording image processing program


An image projector is provided with a light source and a light valve positioned downstream of the light source. An optical path is defined between the light source and the light valve. To accommodate various image viewing formats, a plurality of optical integrators is positioned between the light source and the light valve. Each of the plurality of optical integrators is movable laterally of the optical path and is positionable in the optical path. Light from the light source is transmitted to the light valve through the particular optical integrator positioned in the optical path. Each optical integrator is constructed to produce a unique display format for the light transmitted therethrough to the light valve, in order the accommodate different display formats such as standard and letter-box without wasting light.

Projection systems have been used for years to project motion pictures and still photographs onto display screens. More recently, presentations using multimedia projection systems have become popular for purposes such as sales demonstrations, business meetings, and classroom sessions. In a common mode of operation, multimedia projection systems receive analog video signals from a personal computer (PC). The video signals represent still, partial-, or full-motion display images of the type rendered by the PC. The analog video signals are converted into digital video signals to control a digitally-driven light valve, such as a reflective light valve or a transmissive liquid crystal light valve (LCD), which form display images.
A popular type of multimedia projection system is a projector that incorporates a light source and optical path components upstream and downstream of the light valve to project the display images onto a display screen. Examples such projectors include those sold under the trademark LITEPRO.RTM. by In Focus Systems, Inc. of Wilsonville, Oreg., the assignee of the present application.
It is increasingly necessary that projectors be capable of projecting electronic images in a variety of formats. Two of the most common formats are the 3.times.4 standard screen format and the 16.times.9 "letterbox" format. The letterbox format is utilized in some laser-disc based videos and is proposed for use in high-definition television (HDTV).
While conventional projectors are capable of handling both standard and letterbox formats, they do so with a penalty in optical efficiency. For example, the optical systems of conventional projectors are usually designed for standard format projection, and letterbox format projection is accomplished by "blanking" pixels in upper and lower margin portions of the light valve. In the case of a transmissive light valve, the blanked margins block light while the active central portion of the light valve modulates and passes light, producing a letterbox-sized display field. In the case of a reflective light valve, the blanked margins block light by reflecting it away from the projection path, and the active central portion of the light valve modulates and reflects light along the projection path, producing a letterbox-sized display field.
In both cases, the light blocked by the upper and lower blanked margin portions is wasted, thereby compromising projector brightness in the letterbox mode. Such decrease in projector brightness is a serious disadvantage. For instance, even in standard display format without letterbox blanking, the optical efficiency of many projectors is such that the projectors are only marginally bright enough to produce good image quality in a well-lit room. Thus, the additional loss of light attending letterbox blanking is undesirable.
Thus, in light of these disadvantages, it is a principle object of the present invention to provide a projector capable of standard and letterbox format projection, without loss of brightness in the letterbox display format.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a projector with a simple system for converting between standard and letterbox formats.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention an image projector is provided with a light source and a light valve positioned downstream of the light source. An optical path is defined between the light source and the light valve. To accommodate various image display formats, a plurality of optical integrators is positioned between the light source and the light valve. Each of the plurality of optical integrators is movable laterally of the optical path and is positionable in the optical path. Light is transmitted from the light source to the light valve through the particular optical integrator positioned in the optical path. Each optical integrator is constructed to produce a unique display format for light transmitted therethrough to the light valve.
Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention a first and a second optical integrators are provided to accommodate both standard and letterbox viewing formats without waste of light.

Image projection system with variable display format


A device for suppressing high-voltage electricity is connected to a three-phase circuit of an electric generator, including three up arm semiconductor switches, three low arm semiconductor switches, three reverse breakdown diodes respectively connected to the low arm semiconductor switches in parallel, and a control circuit sending PWM signals to turn on and off the low arm semiconductor switches sequentially to evenly share and absorb the energy of surge voltage. Each of the up arm semiconductor switches has a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminals are electrically connected together, and the second terminals are respectively electrically connected to one of three coils of the three-phase circuit. Each of the low arm semiconductor switches has a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminals are respectively electrically connected to the second terminals of the up arm semiconductor switches, and the second terminals are electrically connected together.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a device for suppressing high-voltage electricity, and more particularly to a method and device applied in vehicles to suppress high-voltage electricity generated in a generator.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, vehicles are driven by high power, so that the generator thereof should generate high-current electricity. The conventional rectification having a diode with a P-N junction can't afford such high-current electricity.
In present days, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are widely used since they could be switched fast, and have a lower forward bias to reduce the heat generating. For example, if a100A current is transmitted to a MOSFET with 1 mΩ conducting resistance (Rds(on)), there only is a potential drop of 0.1V. However, it will be 1.0V for a conventional diode, so that the MOSFET only generates one to tenth of the heat of the diode. The MOSFET in an electric generator may reduce the heat, and therefore it can save the heat dissipating device in the electric generator to reduce the weight, and save the energy.
However, for the electric generator installed in a vehicle, such as a micro hybrid vehicle with a start-stop system, it has to face the problem of load dump, which generates surge voltage. It is an important issue to deal with the surge voltage, which may damage electronic elements.
A conventional way of suppressing the surge voltage is cutting the generator off immediately while the surge voltage is appearing, and simultaneously conducting three MOSFETs of low arms to convert the energy of the surge voltage into heat. Typically, the surge voltage has high voltage and high energy, so that there will be an extreme high current transmitting through the MOSFETs, even there are many
MOSFETs. However, the current and the heat concentrate in three MOSFETs. Therefore, in practice, a chip with larger power and size and a heat sink with high thermal capacity are needed to solve this problem. However, it doesn't get a good result, and furthermore, such MOSFETs are very expensive.

Method and device for suppressing high-voltage electricity


A socket terminal assembly includes a socket body having a first end with a first opening to receive a contact element and a second opening at a second end to receive a pin. A contact element, located in the first opening, is configured to contact the corresponding connection region of a printed circuit board; a pin has an end adapted to contact an electrical contacting area of an integrated circuit package and an opposite end configured to be inserted within the opening of the socket body. A contact spring in the second opening receives the pin and applies a frictional force sufficient to retain the lower end of the pin within the opening of the socket body. A resilient member is disposed within the opening between the contact element and the contact spring. The resilient member applies to the pin and contact element, in response to a downward force applied to the pin or an upward force applied to the contact element, a force sufficient to overcome the frictional force of the contact spring. An intercoupling component includes a socket support member having holes, each hole receiving a corresponding socket terminal assembly.

This invention relates to making connections between integrated circuit array packages (IC) and circuit boards.
Ball grid array (BGA) and land grid array (LGA) packages are becoming increasingly popular because of their low profiles and high densities. With a BGA package, for example, the rounded solder balls of the BGA are generally soldered directly to corresponding surface mount pads of a printed circuit board rather than to plated thru-holes which receive pins from, for example, a pin grid array IC package.
Sockets are used to allow particular IC packages to be interchanged without permanent connection to a circuit board. More recently, sockets for use with BGA and LGA packages have been developed to allow these packages to be non-permanently connected (e.g., for testing) to a circuit board. Problems associated with attaching a BGA package to conventional sockets are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,554, which is incorporated herein by reference. However, some of the same problems exist in attaching the socket to the circuit board. These problems occur because a BGA package presents a non-traditional mating condition. The rounded solder balls of the BGA are relatively poor points of contact for temporary connection to the circuit board and are suited oily for their intended purpose of being reflowed. Further, individual points of contact for each rounded solder ball may lack co-planarity on account of ball irregularities and warping of the circuit board.


A multi-compartment collection vehicle having a packing apparatus and a multi-compartment storage body wherein the packing apparatus includes a charging hopper divided into upper and lower portions each having corresponding dual linear packers. The upper charging hopper and upper compartment of the multi-compartment storage body are connected by a ramped floor. The dividing floor of the multi-compartment storage body is ramped from a relatively lower level aligned with the upper charging portion to a higher level defining the major longitudinal portion of the dividing floor. The ramped floor arrangement increases the holding capacity of the upper portion of the charging hopper, without significantly decreasing the holding capacity of the lower storage compartment.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to material collection vehicles and those vehicles having divided storage bodies and to a loading system including a packing apparatus for charging refuse or recyclables into distinct predetermined storage body compartments in such a multi-compartment collection vehicle. More particularly, this invention relates to a receiving and packing apparatus having a divided charging hopper wherein dual linear-operating packing panels, each operating within a divided portion of the charging hopper, charge the refuse or recyclables into an associated compartment of the storage body. The charging hopper and storage body are divided so as to increase the relative holding capacity of the upper portion of the charging hopper, without significantly decreasing the holding capacity of the lower storage compartment.
II. Discussion of the Related Art
Refuse collection vehicles of the conventional variety generally include a storage compartment, a charging hopper, a loading mechanism, and a compacting mechanism all mounted on the vehicle. If the loading mechanism is of the front or side loading variety, the loading mechanism operates to engage, lift, and empty a container of interest into the associated charging hopper and the compacting mechanism directs the material from front to rear. When separated waste materials are hauled in designated compartments of the storage body of the collection vehicle, it is desirable to separately compact the material stowed in each compartment to allow a greater volume of material to be hauled.
The charging hopper typically includes a ram or packer panel which operates to pack refuse or recyclable material into the storage compartment. A partitioned charging hopper of a multi-compartment collection vehicle typically has an upper loading hopper separated by a floor and wall, and a separate packing system that is operated independently of that of the lower loading hopper. The wall is normally a transverse member that provides a rigid dividing wall that divides the receiving opening or access to the upper hopper (rear) from that of the lower hopper (front).
A divided side loading bucket may be used to load the segregated, collected materials into the predetermined portions of the charging hopper. When refuse is dumped into the hopper of the vehicle, the rearward portion of refuse contained in the loading bucket may land in the access to the upper hopper and the forward portion is received in the lower hopper. The loading bucket is typically divided or split fore and aft so that a first dedicated portion dumps into the lower hopper and a second dedicated portion dumps into the upper hopper.
A representative example of such a collection vehicle appears in U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,430, issued to Horning et al., which describes a divided vehicle for collecting, hauling, and delivering recyclable materials. The vehicle includes a divided charging hopper having a packer panel associated with the upper portion of the divided charging hopper. A double acting packing cylinder pushes and pulls or reciprocates the packer panel between a forward and aft position. The packing cylinder extends into and through the opening to the lower divided portion requiring material being loaded into the lower portion of the charging hopper to spill over the packing cylinders eventually reducing their useful life.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,246 also issued to Horning et al. discloses a similarly divided upper and lower charging hopper compartment. The upper portion of the charging hopper includes a ram that encloses a longitudinally extending packing cylinder. While this avoids exposing the cylinders to corroding refuse, it significantly reduces the holding capacity of the upper portion of the charging hopper.
While strides have been made, a need clearly persists for a packing apparatus having a divided charging hopper, wherein the packing mechanism of each portion of the charging hopper is not exposed to the refuse or recyclables as they are dumped into a predetermined portion of the charging hopper, yet where the available volume of the upper portion of the charging hopper is not reduced and further wherein the charging hopper is divided to increase the holding capacity of the upper portion of the charging hopper, without significantly decreasing the holding capacity of the lower storage compartment. The present invention meets these needs.

Drop floor split body charging hopper system having a dual linear packing system


A thin film transistor substrate according to one or more embodiments of the present invention includes a gate line formed on a substrate, a data line that is insulated from and intersects the gate line, a thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line, a barrier rub formed on the thin film transistor and partitioning a plurality of first openings, a reflecting electrode formed in each of the first openings, and a pixel electrode formed on the reflecting electrode and that is electrically connected to the thin film transistor.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array panel and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) has a structure in which two display panels are arranged such that their surfaces, which are provided with field generating electrodes, face each other, and a liquid crystal material is provided between the two display panels. In the above-described LCD, liquid crystal molecules are moved by an electric field generated by applying a voltage to the two electrodes, and a desired image is obtained by controlling the transmittance of light that varies depending on the movement of the liquid crystal molecules. However, because the liquid crystal display is a non-emissive device, a light source is necessary. Typically, the LCD may be classified as a transmissive type or a reflective type depending on the type of light source utilized.
In the liquid crystal display of the transmissive type, light emitted from a backlight, as a light source that is attached to the rear surface of the liquid crystal panel, is incident to the liquid crystal layer such that light transmittance is controlled according to an arrangement of liquid crystal molecules to display images. In the liquid crystal display of the reflective type, natural external light or artificial light is reflected, and the light transmittance is controlled according to arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules.
The transmissive type of liquid crystal display generates bright images that can be displayed in a dark environment since it uses a rear light source, but high power consumption is generated. The reflective type liquid crystal display consumes low power in comparison with the transmissive type since it depends on external natural light or external artificial light, but it is difficult to use in a dark environment.
Accordingly, a transflective type of LCD that can appropriately select a reflection mode and a transmissive mode according to the circumference has been suggested. In the transflective LCD, a reflection region and a transmission region are provided in one pixel area. A reflecting electrode is provided in the reflection region, and a pixel electrode made of a transparent material is provided in the transmission region. To increase reflection efficiency of the reflecting electrode, a lower layer is formed in an embossed shape and the reflecting electrode is formed thereon so that the reflecting electrode has protrusions and depressions. However, the embossing process is performed using a photolithography process, thereby complicating the process.
It should be appreciated that the above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore, it may include information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Thin film transistor array panel and manufacturing method thereof


A method of targeting and ablating cardiac tissue wherein an ablation catheter is directed and positioned at a potential ablation site, and is energized to a catheter tip temperature of approximately 50 degrees centigrade while observing whether AP block occurs. If block occurs, the site is confirmed and treatment is then initiated at a higher ablation level, either immediately or at a later time. On the other hand, if block does not occur within a first time interval T.sub.1, illustratively five or ten seconds, at the lower targeting energy, the catheter is repositioned and another site evaluated.

The present invention relates to cardiac ablation systems, and more particularly to RF ablation systems in which a radio frequency ablation catheter is inserted, typically via a cut down to a major artery or vein, to access the wall of the heart and "ablate" tissue by the application of RF energy thereto. The energy is applied at a level and for a time effective to denature or kill the active tissue and thereby eliminate a region of myocardium or abnormal electrical pathway responsible for an arrhythmia.
A number of techniques have been developed for identifying the relevant sites in the cardiac wall, and for guiding an ablation catheter to the correct site for treatment. In particular, there exist a number of so-called mapping catheters which are inserted to detect and map cardiac signals. These catheters typically have a plurality of electrodes which each are operated in a sensing mode to receive cardiac signals and identify the location of the target site, and have one or more electrode portions which may be actuated to apply energy and treat the site. A reasonable degree of accuracy is achieved by such mapping catheters. Nonetheless, treatment of cardiac sites in this manner remains subject to a number of uncertainties due in part to the inaccuracies of determining the exact lesion site, and in part to the difficulty of applying the correct amount of energy to dependably ablate the site. Ablation is effected by raising the tissue temperature sufficiently high for a suitable length of time. Typically, in current technology, one does not actually measure the tissue temperature achieved in the cardiac wall but only the temperature of the catheter tip or of the electrode portion contacting the wall. This is done, for example by using an ablation catheter such as the Medtronic RF Ablater, which has a temperature sensor centrally located in its electrode tip. Typically, the catheter control console is set to achieve a tip temperature of 70-80 degrees centigrade, with the assumption, based on experimental data, that actual tissue temperatures will be approximately 0-10 degrees centigrade higher. Nonetheless, even at these temperatures, it is not uncommon for conduction to return after a lapse of fifteen to twenty minutes, requiring a second round of targeting and ablation to be undertaken. In addition, ineffective applications which produce these high temperatures may kill areas of heart tissue unnecessarily, and may produce long term risks.
Thus, it would be desirable to develop a method which more accurately identifies a target site and positions an ablation electrode at the site.
If it would further be desirable to identify methods of ablation which are highly effective yet reduce the risk of damaging tissue sites at which block would not occur.

Cardiac ablation system with low temperature target site identification


Background noise from relevant data sets, including for example over-the-counter sales data, absenteeism data, etc., is subtracted using a background estimation algorithm that outputs residual data. The effects of hypothetical anomalous events, such as a bio-terrorist attack, on the relevant data sets are modeled to create replica data. The replica data may be based on input from epidemiologists and various scenario templates including information on disease manifestation and other intelligence. The residual data and the replica data are then matched using a detector. Types of detectors include for example adaptive matched-filter detectors, change detectors and Bayesian Inference Networks. An alarm is triggered if a real anomalous event similar to a hypothetical anomalous event is detected. A Geographical Information System (GIS) may be used to display data from individual zip codes.

Recent history demonstrates that weapons of mass destruction can be built and deployed by almost any individual or group that has an intent to cause harm or that is looking for media attention for its cause. The arsenal of weapons available to the terrorist includes chemical and biological agents. These weapons, banned from wartime usage, have nevertheless proliferated in third world countries. Information on the development and deployment of these weapons has become widely available on the Internet. Materials to produce some agents are also readily available. Certain biological agents pose a particularly insidious threat in that a clandestine release into a population may not be noticed during the incubation period of the resultant disease. Yet, concerning agents such as anthrax, once the symptoms are manifested it is no longer possible to treat the victim and high mortality is inevitable. Contagious agents like smallpox or the plague pose even greater threats. Such agents require early identification of an infected population in order to treat the victims and contain a potentially devastating epidemic.
Use of biological weapons therefore poses very serious crisis and consequence management issues. Various State and local emergency management plans utilize fire, rescue, and law enforcement first responders to provide emergency assistance, to control an incident site, and to collect evidence for criminal prosecution. For clandestine bio-agent releases, the medical community may be the first to see patients present with uncommon diseases. These diseases include small pox, plague, tularemia, anthrax, etc., and have a high mortality rate. In order to institute measures to contain disease outbreaks, public health officials must receive timely reports from agencies and health providers in their jurisdiction. Early warning is a key to managing an epidemic and saving lives. However, the first indicators of a bio-terrorist event may be the onset of disease in humans and animals. And professionals from the health care community may not be able to recognize the early signs of diseases that would result from bio-terrorism. Early diagnosis of such diseases is often difficult because the diseases generate only common "flu-like" initial symptoms. For example, FIG. 1 lists several characteristics of some of the most threatening biological agents, including initial symptoms associated with exposure.
To overcome the obstacles concerning an effective early warning system, improved technology is needed. Information technology and advanced telecommunications can play a major role in improving surveillance for biological weapons of mass destruction. Information integrated from multiple sources that interface with the health care needs of a community can provide early warning for the onset of an outbreak resulting from terrorist activities. FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the potential impact of earlier warning on the survivability of a hypothetical bio-terrorist attack. As shown in FIG. 2B, even seemingly small advances in early warning timing could save a tremendous number of lives.
However, there are significant limitations with previous attempts at constructing early warning bio-surveillance systems. Conventional bio-surveillance focuses on categorical data collected from emergency rooms, clinics, and other healthcare facilities. The detection algorithms in these conventional systems rely on threshold crossing algorithms applied to single streams of data. Such an approach does not make optimal use of available information and cannot detect a bio-terrorist attack until sizeable numbers of infected individuals appear at healthcare facilities.
Further, conventional bio-surveillance is labor-intensive. For an early warning system to be a viable option several processes must be instituted. First, data from multiple agencies that interface with human health, animal health, and agriculture must be collected and forwarded to a central integration facility. In most systems, a human analyst is needed to review all the data received to extract indicators of a bio-terrorist event. If indicators are found, the analyst needs to assemble the knowledge to form an argument. When an argument is sufficiently mature, the analyst must originate alerts to the specific organizations that need to respond to the incident. This form of bio-surveillance requires continuous support, delays alerts and may be cost prohibitive for the agencies both supporting and analyzing the data.
A need exists therefore for an automated early warning bio-surveillance detection and alerting system. Such a system should be capable of operating continuously with minimal human intervention, and should exploit the data collection and analysis capabilities of modem information technology and advanced telecommunications.

Method and system for bio-surveillance detection and alerting