A magnetic bead-based sample separating device is provided. The device includes a first reactor, a second reactor, a third reactor, a first micro-channel and a second micro-channel. The first reactor receives a mixing solution including several magnetic beads and a sample extraction. The sample extraction is bound with the magnetic beads. The second reactor receives a washing buffer for washing the magnetic beads with sample extraction. The third reactor receives an elution buffer for separating the washing buffer from the magnetic beads. The first micro-channel is for connecting the first reactor and the second reactor and moving the magnetic beads to the second reactor from the first reactor. The second micro-channel is for connecting the second reactor and the third reactor and moving the magnetic beads to the third reactor from the second reactor.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a magnetic bead-based sample separating device, and more particularly to a magnetic bead-based sample separating device using a multiple serial reactor and a misplaced micro-channel net movement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic bead-based separating technology has been widely used in immunoassays, particularly, in the analysis of sample extraction of protein, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). The magnetic bead-based separating technology has two ways of operations: one is through manual operation and the other is mechanical operation using automatic apparatus.
In terms of manual operation, referring to FIG. 1, a flowchart of separating sample extraction by magnetic beads according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,270B1 is shown. Firstly, a mixing solution 11 is added to a tube 16. The mixing solution 11 includes several magnetic beads 15, and the sample extraction is bound on the surface coating of the magnetic beads 15. Next, a magnetic iron 14 is used to attract the magnetic beads 15 with sample extraction and suck the solution out from the tube 16. Then, a washing buffer 12 is added to the tube 16 for washing the impurities attached on the magnetic beads 15 with sample extraction. Next, the magnetic iron 14 is used to attract the magnetic beads 15 with sample extraction and suck the solution out from the tube 16. It is noted that the step of washing the magnetic beads 15 with sample extraction by the washing buffer 12 can be flexibly prolonged according to the state of cleaning. Then, the elution buffer 13 is added to the tube 16 for separating the sample extraction from the magnetic beads 15. Next, the magnetic iron 14 is used to attract the magnetic beads 15 and suck the solution out from the tube 16 to obtain a sample extracting solution.
However, the steps of binding the sample extraction on the magnetic beads 15, quantifying reactive reagent, sucking and adding solution, and then separating the sample extracting solution from the magnetic beads 15 are all done manually, not only labor consuming but also requiring lots of operating time.
Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,810B1, the magnetic beads enable the magnetic iron to suck the connected cells such as the sample extraction at the bottom of the tube via the compression of spring. Meanwhile, several tubes are purified and cleaned inside the corresponding tube. Lastly, the spring is released, such that the magnetic iron is released from the bottom of the tube to separate the magnetic beads for the extraction. Similarly, the operating procedures are still complicated and the operating time is long and tedious.
In terms of mechanical operation through automatic apparatus, all the procedures are automatically processed, such that the labor and operating time are saved and several samples can be processed at the same time. Despite the automatic apparatus produces more sample extraction, however, the automatic apparatus is expensive and uneconomical, and occupies a large volume of space.

Magnetic bead-based sample separating device

Industrial Technology Research Institute


The radio receiver includes: a mixer configured to convert a received signal to an IF signal using a local oscillation signal; an IF processing section configured to limit the band of the IF signal; a detection section configured to demodulate the band-limited IF signal; a frequency control section configured to output a frequency control signal corresponding to a desired signal; and a local oscillation section configured to generate the local oscillation signal having a frequency corresponding to the desired signal according to the frequency control signal. The frequency control section outputs as the frequency control signal to change the frequency of the local oscillation signal so that the difference from the frequency corresponding to the desired signal is not more than the frequency of the IF signal, and determines one of the set values with which the corresponding image signal strength is lowest as the frequency control signal.

The present disclosure relates to a radio receiver for receiving a transmitted signal.
As radio receivers, superheterodyne receivers are generally used. Superheterodyne receivers convert a received signal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal having a given frequency at all times. Hence, this type of receivers has the following advantages among others: an interference signal is easily attenuated (interference less occurs) because the pass band of a filter can be fixed; an amplifier circuit can be easily made up; and the reception sensitivity is high. Also, under the condition where an especially strong interference signal exists, the capability of eliminating an interference signal can be improved by using a filter whose band is variable at the time of processing of an IF signal.
FIG. 9A is a diagrammatic view showing a mixer and the frequencies of its input/output signals. FIGS. 9B and 9C are views illustrating examples of the relationship between the frequency of a desired signal and the frequency of an image signal.
For reception of amplitude modulation (AM) broadcasts and frequency modulation (FM) broadcasts that use a higher-frequency signal than AM broadcasts with a common circuit, an oscillation signal from a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is generally frequency-divided before being inputted into a mixer circuit for converting a received signal to an IF signal. Such frequency-divided oscillation signal is herein called a local oscillation signal. As shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, when either of the relationships expressed by two equations:fvco=fd+fif  (1)fvco=fd−fif  (2)is established among the frequency fd of a desired signal reception of which is desired, the frequency fif of an IF signal and the frequency fvco of a local oscillation signal (local oscillation frequency), an IF signal having the same frequency will be obtained. The case of equation (1) (FIG. 9B) is called upper heterodyne and the case of equation (2) (FIG. 9C) is called lower heterodyne.
In relation to the above, a signal (called an image signal) having a frequency fim satisfyingfim=fvco+fif  (3)fim=fvco−fif  (4)for equation (1) and equation (2), respectively, also obtains an IF signal having the same frequency as the IF signal for the desired signal.
Existence of such an image signal causes interference (called image interference) during reception of the desired signal, worsening the reception performance of the receiver for the desired signal. It is therefore required to remove the effect of the image signal in some way or another. To secure the reception performance in an area badly affected by the interference of the image signal, the receiver should desirably have an image rejection ratio of 80 to 90 dB.
For rejection of an image signal, a radio receiver using a mixer having an image signal rejection function is well known. However, the image rejection ratio of such a radio receiver is of the order of 40 to 50 dB. Also known is a method in which a band-pass filter that allows a desired signal to pass but attenuates an image signal is inserted upstream of a mixer. Such a band-pass filter however does not serve as a useful means for a radio receiver that gives an IF signal having a frequency of several hundreds of kHz because it fails to sufficiently attenuate an image signal.
Under the above circumstances, receivers using a signal having a frequency that is less likely to cause image interference have come to be considered. An example of such receivers is disclosed in WO2001/048909. This receiver measures the image signal strength for the cases of FIGS. 9B and 9C, and adopts a local oscillation signal with which the image signal strength is lower to thereby be less affected by an image signal.
However, when the image signal strength is high in both the cases of FIGS. 9B and 9C, the receiver described above fails to satisfy a desired image rejection ratio and thus fails to receive a desired signal without interference.
The frequency difference between the image signals in the cases of FIGS. 9B and 9C is equivalent to 4×fif. If 500 kHz is selected as the frequency of the IF signal, the frequency difference between the image signals is 2 MHz. In this case, therefore, the strength comparison will be made between signals 2 MHz apart in frequency. In the band of FM broadcasts, there are a myriad of combinations of two signals 2 MHz apart in frequency, and the possibility that the two signals are both high in strength is not low.

Radio receiver and radio reception method


There is disclosed apparatus for routing signals between at least one PCB within a test head and a socket card assembly. In an embodiment, the apparatus may include at least one flexible circuit electrically connecting first and second sides of the PCB and the socket card assembly with one another, and the flexible circuit having a defined shape configured to interface with the socket card assembly and the PCB along substantially perpendicular planes. Methods of routing signals between at least one PCB within a test head and a socket card assembly are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method may include electrically connecting first and second sides of the PCB and the socket card assembly with one another with at least one flexible circuit having a defined shape configured to interface with the socket card assembly and the PCB along substantially perpendicular planes. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

Generally, interconnect technologies used in interfaces for ATE systems are limited by one or more of density, performance, and flexibility. Testing of large devices in parallel requires cost effective, high density, high performance right angle interconnect.
Any interface generally includes the electromechanical assembly between the device or devices under test (i.e., DUT(S)) and the test system electronics (or automated test equipment, i.e., ATE). The interface generally includes device specific and non-device specific portions. The device specific portion exists adjacent to, and connects with, the DUT(s). The non-device specific portion connects with test system electronics, which may include one or more printed circuit boards. Various ways are employed to connect different parts in an interface. Right angle connection can be one of the most challenging interconnects.
For example, FIG. 9 illustrates a prior art connection system 900. FIG. 10 illustrates another prior art connection system 1000. FIG. 11 illustrates components of yet another prior art connection 1100.
In memory ATE, particularly relating to solutions from Advantest, the "interface" may also be known as a HiFix™ brand device specific interface, which may proceed before the words "high performance fixture." The HiFix brand interface has historically included a set of PCBs forming the connection plane between the HiFix interconnect and the ATE, a collection of transmission line assemblies which connect to the "socket card" of a socket card assembly (also referred to as an SCA). If developed and delivered as a complete assembly, this entire extended HiFiX™ assembly is considered to be device specific and the attachment method between the SCAs and the transmission lines is generally achieved through the direct soldering of pre-terminated coaxial cables to the tester-side of the SCA. This makes the entire HiFix™ assembly expensive and minimally re-usable. But, historically, in a world of memory DUTs conforming to JEDEC (or similar) packaging standards and rarely changing, this does not necessarily present a cost challenge to the Memory ATE end user, who must bear the expense of each device change-over and all device specific test hardware. Alternatively, the SCAs in the Hi-Fix™ brand device specific interface may be attached by a pin-socket or coaxial connection system. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,933, issued Jul. 10, 2001, to Toshiaki Awaji, and assigned to Advantest Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,168, issued Apr. 21, 1998, to Toshiaki Awaji, et al., and assigned to Advantest Corporation of Tokyo, Japan. However, these types of prior art systems are significantly limited in density (i.e., connections per unit surface area).
As memory devices are now packaged in an increasing diversity of package types and formats over time, which is largely driven by the need for miniaturization in the mobile electronic and handset market, there have been many developments to reduce the expense of DUT specific test hardware. Advantest and TSE, for example, have developed HiFiX™ (or "u-TIS"™ in the case of TSE) interfaces that are generic and feature a non-permanent connection plane like VHDM connectors between the SCA (or collection of SCAs) and the remainder of the interface. Thus, the SCA becomes the only device specific layer requiring regular changeover between DUTs.

System, method and apparatus using at least one flex circuit to connect a printed circuit board and a socket card assembly that are oriented at a right angle to one another


‘JM09191940’ is a new and distinct Petunia cultivar having an abundance of pink flowers and the unique characteristic of a cold hardiness to temperatures as low as −10° C. (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8).

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia x hybrida herein referred to by the cultivar name 'JM09191940'. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone for Petunia is provided as Zones 10-11 (see, Nathalie Alonso, Home Guides, 2022, homeguides.sfgate.com/temperature-range-petunias-65579). In an article entitled How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Petunias, the editors of the Almanac (almanac.com/plant/petunias) state that "[p]etunias are treated as annuals in most areas, but can be grown as tender perennials in Zones 9 to 11." Mary H. Dyer identifies the Petunia as an annual and states that "[a]though, Petunias are classified as tender perennials, they are delicate, thin-leaved tropical plants that are usually grown as annuals due to their lack of hardiness" (M. H. Dyer, Cold Hardiness: What Is The Cold Tolerance Of Petunias in Gardening Know How, 2022; gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/petunia/cold-tolerance-of-petunias). Dyer further states that "Petunias usually tolerate temperatures as low as 39° F. (4° C.) with no problem, but they are definitely not plants that will survive the winter in most climates. Petunias are damaged extensively at 32° F. (0° C.) and killed very quickly by a hard freeze."
Those of us who enjoy gardening as a hobby and as a way to beautify our surroundings are always on the lookout for plants that can survive in a variety of both hot and cold environments. A new variety of cold tolerant Petunia was discovered growing in a rail box on the upper exposed deck of the home of the applicant/breeder in Fredericksburg, Va., having survived the winter. The plant has since survived three winters and is thriving in Fredericksburg, Va., which is in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a.
The new Petunia cultivar was named 'JM09191940'. 'JM09191940' is a mutant or "sport" of Petunia plant named 'USTUNI6001' also known as 'Supertunia Vista Bubblegum' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,730). In contrast to the new cultivar described herein, parent Petunia plant named 'USTUNI6001' is described as being hardy only in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 10 and 11 (see, Missouri Botanical Garden, Plant Finder, Petunia 'USTUNI6001' Supertunia Vista Bubblegum).
'JM09191940' was first planted in the spring of 2019 and in the fall, the plant was trimmed back, with the removal of the flowering stems, but retaining the root stock. Following the winter, the root stock put out green leaves and remained in the rail box undisturbed for the 2020 growing season. 'JM09191940' flowered and thrived for a second growing season, again surviving the winter. 'USTUNI6001' Petunia plants were purchased and planted alongside 'JM09191940' for growing seasons 2019 and 2020, however, none of the 'USTUNI6001' Petunia plants survived. The new Petunia cultivar 'JM09191940' has survived low temperatures in the growing seasons or 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 as shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1Low temperature ranges for 2019-2022 survived by 'JM09191940'LowLowLowLowtemperaturetemperaturetemperaturetemperatureranges inranges inranges fromranges fromDecemberJanuary toJanuary-January-2019March 2020February 2021March 2022−4° C. to −6° C.−5° C. to −9° C.0° C.-8° C.−7° C. to −12° C.
As is demonstrated in Table 1, 'JM09191940' survived and grew from spring 2019 through two additional winter seasons (2019-2021) experiencing at least 160 days in temperatures from at least 0° C. to −6.5° C. range and survived at least 43 days in the temperature range between 0° C. to −6.5° C. during the winter of 2022. As shown in Table 1, 'JM09191940' survived additional days below −6.5 C.
'JM09191940' consistently survived temperatures of about −8° C. to −10° C., but in some cases, did not survive when temperatures dropped below −10° C. This indicates that 'JM09191940' is hardy to temperatures of about −10° C., but not lower temperatures. Notably, the parent Petunia plant, 'USTUNI6001', is described as tolerant of temperatures from 0° C. to 38° C. (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,730), which places it in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 10 or 11. In contrast, the new Petunia cultivar 'JM09191940' can tolerate temperatures below 0° C. to at about −10 C., which makes it cold hardy to USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8. Fredericksburg, Va., where 'JM09191940' was discovered and tested over several years, is located in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a. However, the temperatures that this new Petunia plant survived matches best with USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8. Similar to the parent plant, 'USTUNI6001', 'JM09191940' is heat tolerant, to about 38° C.
Asexual reproduction of 'JM09191940' is division by stem tip cuttings. The first asexual reproduction occurred in February 2021 in Fredericksburg, Va. by the process of stem tip cuttings. Six leafy rosettes of the cultivar were rooted in new containers. The parent plant and the six rooted cuttings were then used to continue the asexual reproduction by stem tip cuttings. During all asexual propagation, the characteristics of the original plant have been maintained including cold hardiness to USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8.


The present invention relates to a round undulating blade for shredder, where a sheet metal is integrally formed into a round undulating blade to serve as the blades for constructing a blade module. The blade includes: a periphery; an undulating blade flank including at least two cambers having a first curvature and at least two cambers having a second curvature alternatively arranged with respect to the cambers having the first curvature; and hooked edges formed on the periphery of the cambers having the first curvature, wherein the undulating blade flank of the blade serves to cut paper along a longitudinal direction to form paper strips having double-tapering end, and the hooked edges serve to cut the strips along a horizontal direction into paper chips. These characteristics help to reduce the manufacturing cost, reduce the motor load and power consumption, to thereby enhance the market competitiveness.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved cutting blade for a shredder, particularly to a round undulating blade that is integrally formed by punching a sheet metal in a punching die or a round undulating blade module that is integrally formed by die-casting.
2. Background Information
With increased privacy concerns, shredders have become an integral part in both homes and businesses. The conventional shredders for cutting paper use a plurality of cutting blades and spacers engaging over a rotary cutter shaft, and the shearing force that two parallel and opposite rotary cutter shafts produce for transferring and cutting the paper-to-be-cut along a longitudinal direction into strips. Shredders typically fall into one of two types: the strip-cut shredders and crosscut shredders, according to the machine cutting style. The strip-cut shredders arrange cutting blades on the rotating cutter shafts in a manner to cut paper longitudinally to form strips. The crosscut shredders include blades with more than one cutting edge part, and each cutter is disposed in a helix fashion along the rotary cutter shaft for first cutting paper along a longitudinal direction into strips and then cutting paper along a horizontal direction into approximate 4 mm by 40 mm paper chips.
By referring to the assembled perspective view of a conventional blade illustrated in FIG. 1 and a planar view showing the operation of the conventional blade in FIG. 2, the conventional blade is made by punching a sheet metal having a thickness of approximately 2 mm into a circular blade by a die. The blade includes a polygonal central hole A1 through which a rotary shaft may pass. The blade also includes cutting edges A2 that are spaced in about 120 degrees apart around the periphery. As shown, when two blades are arranged on the rotary shafts S in a back-to-back manner to combine into a set of blades A, the cutting edges of the two blades assume a V-like edge A3. The opposite rotary shafts S′ space the two blades apart by space rings (not shown) in a face-to-face manner to form a set of blade A′. When the paper to be cut passes through the two reverse rotary shafts S, S′, the opposing rotation of the periphery of the blades, that is, flanks A4 and flanks A4, will cut the paper like scissors. The opposing rotation of cutting edges A2 and the opposite flanks A4 will then cut the paper along a horizontal direction into 4 mm.×0.40 mm paper chips.
During operating of the conventional blades, to ensure smooth cutting of the paper along the horizontal direction, sharp blades with proper orientations are needed. However, because the blades are formed by a punch die, the die wear that increases with the time will reduce sharpness of the blade edges, which does not improve until replacing the die, to result in inconsistent quality. To ensure quality of the blades, it is necessary to shorten the service term of the die, which results in increment of the cost. In addition, in the conventional blades, the thickness of the blade is the same as the width of paper to be cut. To ensure the strength of blades while cutting along the horizontal direction, the blades cannot be too thin, or else the blades tend to deform or fracture. Such a limitation attributes to the high material cost, which is less competitive as compared to the current market price. In addition, because the thickness of the conventional blades is the same as the width of the paper to be cut, and because the location of the width define the horizontal cutting points, the narrower width of cross-section is, the smaller output power is needed to cut along the horizontal direction. In other words, the motor can supply a minimum power for cutting along the horizontal direction, that is, to reduce the power consumed by the motor. But, because of the width of the paper cut by the conventional blades is 4 mm, the motor needs to output higher power to drive the blades and flanks moving in opposing directions to cut the paper along the horizontal direction smoothly.
From the preceding descriptions, it is apparent that the devices currently being used have significant disadvantages and/or limitations. Thus, important aspects of the technology used in the field of invention remain amenable to useful refinement.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Round undulating blade, blade module, and rotary assembly for shredder


Potato plants which exhibit reduced levels of .alpha. glucan L-type tuber phosphorylase (GLTP) or .alpha. glucan H-type tuber phosphorylase (GHTP) enzyme activity within the potato tuber are provided. The conversion of starches to sugars in potato tubers, particularly when stored at temperatures below 7.degree. C., is reduced in tubers exhibiting reduced GLTP or GHTP enzyme activity. Reducing cold-sweetening in potatoes allows for potato storage at cooler temperatures, resulting in prolonged dormancy, reduced incidence of disease, and increased storage life. Methods for producing potato plants which produce tubers exhibiting reduced GLTP or GHTP enzyme activity are also provided. Reduction of GLTP or GHTP activity within the potato tuber may be accomplished by such techniques as suppression of gene expression using homologous antisense RNA, the use of co-suppression, regulatory silencing sequences, chemical and protein inhibitors, or the use of site-directed mutagenesis or the isolation of alternative alleles to obtain GLTP or GHTP variants with reduced starch affinity or activity.

Plant stresses caused by a wide variety of factors including disease, environment, and storage of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum) represent major determinants of tuber quality. Dormancy periods between harvesting and sprouting are critical to maintaining quality potatoes. Processing potatoes are usually stored between 7 and 12.degree. C. Cold storage at 2 to 6.degree. C., versus storage at 7 to 12.degree. C., provides the greatest longevity by reducing respiration, moisture loss, microbial infection, heating costs, and the need for chemical sprout inhibitors (Burton, 1989). However, low temperatures lead to cold-induced sweetening, and the resulting high sugar levels contribute to an unacceptable brown or black color in the fried product (Coffin et al., 1987, Weaver et al., 1978). The sugars that accumulate are predominantly glucose, fructose, and sucrose. It is primarily the glucose and fructose (reducing sugars) that react with free amino groups when heated during the various cooking processes such as frying via the Maillard reaction, resulting in the formation of brown pigments (Burton, 1989, Shallenberger et al., 1959). Sucrose produces a black colouration when fried due to caramelization and charring. The ideal reducing sugar content is generally accepted to be 0.1% of tuber fresh weight with 0.33% as the upper limit and higher levels of reducing sugars are sufficient to cause the formation of brown and black pigments that results in an unacceptable fried product (Davies and Viola, 1992). Although the accumulation of reducing sugars can be slowed in higher temperature (7 to 12.degree. C.) storage, this increases microbial infection and the need to use sprout inhibitors. Given the negative environmental and health risks associated with chemical use, development of pathogens resistant to pesticides, and the fact that use of current sprout inhibitors may soon be prohibited, a need exists for potato varieties that can withstand stress and long-term cold storage without the use of chemicals, without the accumulation of reducing sugars, and with greater retention of starch.
Carbohydrate metabolism is a complex process in plant cells. Manipulation of a number of different enzymatic processes may potentially affect the accumulation of reducing sugars during cold storage. For example, inhibition of starch breakdown would reduce the buildup of free sugar. Other methods may also serve to enhance the cold storage properties of potatoes through reduction of sugar content, including the resynthesis of starch using reducing sugars, removal of sugars through glycolysis and respiration, or conversion of sugars into other forms that would not participate in the Maillard reaction. However, many of the enzymatic processes are reversible, and the role of most of the enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism is poorly understood. The challenge remains to identify an enzyme that will deliver the desired result, achieve function at low temperatures, and still retain the product qualities desired by producers, processors, and consumers.
It has been suggested that phosphofructokinase (PFK) has an important role in the cold-induced sweetening process (Kruger and Hammond, 1988, ap Rees et al., 1988, Dixon et al., 1981, Claassen et al., 1991). ap Reese et al. (1988) suggested that cold treatment had a disproportionate effect on different pathways in carbohydrate metabolism in that glycolysis was more severely reduced due to the cold-sensitivity of PFK. The reduction in PFK activity would then lead to an increased availability of hexose-phosphates for sucrose production. It was disclosed in European Patent 0438904 (Burrell et al., Jul. 31, 1991) that increasing PFK activity reduces sugar accumulation during storage by removing hexoses through glycolysis and further metabolism. A PFK enzyme from E. coli was expressed in potato tubers and the report claimed to increase PFK activity and to reduce sucrose content in tubers assayed at harvest. However it has been shown that pyrophosphate:fructose 6-phosphate phosphotransferase (PFP) remains active at low temperatures (Claassen et al., 1991). PFP activity can supply fructose 6-phosphate for glycolysis just as PFK can, since the two enzymes catalyse the same reaction. Therefore, the efficacy of this strategy for improving cold storage quality of potato tubers remains in doubt. Furthermore, removal of sugars through glycolysis and further metabolism would not be a preferred method of enhancing storage properties of potato tubers because of the resultant loss of valuable dry matter through respiration.
It has also been suggested that ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase (ADPGPP) has an important role in the cold-induced sweetening process. It was disclosed in International Application WO 94/28149 (Barry, et al., filed May 18, 1994) that increasing ADPGPP activity reduces sugar accumulation during storage by re-synthesising starch using reducing sugars. An ADPGPP enzyme from E. coli was expressed in potato tubers under the control of a cold-induced promoter and the report claimed to increase ADPGPP activity and lower reducing sugar content in tubers assayed at harvest and after cold temperature storage. However, this strategy does not eliminate starch catabolism but instead increases the rate of starch resynthesis. Thus, catabolism of sugars through glycolysis and respiration occurs and re-incorporation into starch is limited. Up regulation of ADPGPP would not be a preferred method of enhancing storage properties of potato tubers because of the resultant loss of valuable dry matter through respiration. Again, a method involving the reduction of catabolism of starch would be preferable as dry matter would be retained.
The degradation of starch is believed to involve several enzymes including .alpha.-amylase (endoamylase), .beta.-amylase (exoamylase), amyloglucosidase, and .alpha.-glucan phosphorylase (starch phosphorylase). By slowing starch catabolism, accumulation of reducing sugars should be prevented and the removal of sugars through glycolysis and further metabolism would be minimized.
Three different isozymes of .alpha. glucan phosphorylase have been described. The tuber L-type .alpha.1,4 glucan phosphorylase (EC 184.108.40.206) isozyme (GLTP) (Nakano and Fukui, 1986) has a low affinity for highly branched glucans, such as glycogen, and is localized in amyoplasts. The monomer consists of 916 amino acids and sequence comparisons with phosphorylases from rabbit muscle and Escherichia coli revealed a high level of homology, 51% and 40% amino acids, respectively. The nucleotide sequence of the GLTP gene and the amino acid sequence of the GLTP enzyme are shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2, respectively. The H-type tuber .alpha.-glucan phosphorylase isozyme H (GHTP) (Mori et al., 1991) has a high affinity for glycogen and is localized in the cytoplasm. The gene encodes for 838 amino acids and shows 63% sequence homology with the tuber L-type phosphorylase but lacks the 78-residue insertion and 50-residue amino-terminal extension found in the L-type polypeptide. The nucleotide sequence of the GHTP gene and the amino acid sequence of the GHTP enzyme are shown in SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4, respectively. A third isozyme has been reported (Sonnewald et al., 1995) that consists of 974 amino acids and is highly homologous to the tuber L-type phosphorylase with 81% identity over most of the polypeptide. However, the regions containing the transit peptide and insertion sequence are highly diverse. This isozyme is referred to as the leaf L-type phosphorylase since the mRNA accumulates equally in leaf and tuber, whereas the mRNA of the tuber L-type phosphorylase accumulates strongly in potato tubers and only weakly in leaf tissues. The tuber L-type phosphorylase is mainly present in the tubers and the leaf L-type phosphorylase is more abundunt in the leaves (Sonnewald et al., 1995). The nucleotide sequence of the leaf L-type phosphorylase gene and the amino acid sequence of the leaf L-type phosphorylase enzyme are shown in SEQ ID NO: 5 and SEQ ID NO: 6, respectively.
The role of the various starch degrading enzymes is not clear, however, and considerable debate has occurred over conflicting results. For example, reduced expression of the leaf L-type phosphorylase (Sonnewald et al., 1995) had no significant influence on starch accumulation. Sonnewald et al. (1995) reported that constitutive expression of an antisense RNA specific for the leaf L-type gene resulted in a strong reduction of .alpha. glucan phosphorylase L-type activity in leaf tissue, but had no effect in potato tuber tissue. Since the antisense repression of the .alpha. glucan phosphorylase activity had no significant influence on starch accumulation in leaves of transgenic potato plants, the authors concluded that starch breakdown was not catalysed by phosphorylases. Considering the high level of sequence homology between identified .alpha. glucan phosphorylase isozymes, a similar negative response would be expected with the H-type (GHTP) and L-type tuber (GLTP) isozymes.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need for potato plants which produce tubers exhibiting reduced conversion of starches to sugars during propagation and during storage at ambient and reduced temperatures, particularly at temperatures below 7.degree. C.

Potatoes having improved quality characteristics and methods for their production

Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada as represented by the Department of Agriculture


A vacuum cleaner includes a dust collector that compresses dust stored inside a dust container to minimize the volume of the dust. The dust collector would include one or more pressing plates that are used to compress the dust stored in dust collector. Various methods are used to control movements of the movable pressing plates to facilitate the compression operations. Also, various methods are used to determine when the dust collector is full and needs to be emptied.

Conventional art vacuum cleaners can include a removable dust collector for storing collected dust. These types of removable dust collectors are particularly common on cyclone type vacuum cleaners. Such vacuums are configured such that the user can remove the dust collector, empty it of the collected dust, and then replace the dust collector on the vacuum cleaner.
A typical dust collector according to the related art, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a dust container 11 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, a lid 12 for opening and closing the dust container 11, and a handle 13 disposed on the outer surface of the dust container 11. In this embodiment, an intake port 11a for suctioning outside air is formed on the upper outer surface of the dust container 11. An exhaust port 11b for exhausting air that has undergone the dust separating process is formed at the central portion of the lid 12.
The upper portion of the dust container 11 forms a cyclone that uses a difference in centrifugal force on the air and the dust (the cyclone principle) to separate the dust from the air. The lower portion of the dust container 11 forms a dust bin for storing dust that is separated from the air by the cyclone.
The intake port 11a is oriented in a tangential direction relative to the upper outer surface of the dust container 11. This ensures that the incoming air and dust moves in a spiraling direction along the inner wall of the dust container 11. The exhaust port 11b is coupled to an exhaust member 14 that is cylindrical in shape with a plurality of through-holes formed on the outer surface thereof. The air that is separated from the dust within the dust container 11 is exhausted through the through-holes of the exhaust member 14 and through the exhaust port 11b.
During operation of the vacuum cleaner incorporating this dust collector, the collected dust within the container tends to circulate around the bottom interior of the container 11. When operation of the vacuum cleaner stops, the collected dust settles on the floor of the dust container 11 and is stored therein at a low density.
Thus, in a dust collector according to the related art, when a predetermined amount of dust has been collected inside the container, during the operation of the dust collector, the dust circulates along the inner walls of the dust bin and rises. When the dust rises, it tends to blocks the cyclone formed in the upper space of the dust bin. This causes the separation effect of the cyclone to deteriorate, and not all the dust in the incoming airstream can be separated. As a result, the unseparated dust is exhausted with the air through the exhaust member and the exhaust port 11b.
Also, when the operation of the dust collector 10 ends, and the collected dust settles on the bottom of the dust bin, the collected dust has a very low density. In other words, a relatively small amount of dust inside the dust container 11 can takes up an excessive volume of the container 11. This means that the dust container must be emptied frequently in order to maintain an acceptably low level of dust within the container, which in turn ensures that the vacuum continues to operate in an efficient manner.

Vacuum cleaner with removable dust collector, and methods of operating the same


Aligned birefringent fiber segments are reliably and efficiently rotated approximately 45.degree. relative to each other until the extinction ratio measurement at the output is approximately 0 dB, then birefringent fibers are fused. To determine the extinction ratio, a Wollaston analyzer is placed at the output of the birefringent fiber. Photodetectors placed on each output of the Wollaston analyzer, substantially simultaneously measure the output intensity of each propagation axis.

Depolarizers are widely used in products that incorporate optical fiber, i.e. fiber optic gyroscopes, and play a major role in sensor technology. Because depolarizers can increase the performance and quality of a product containing optical fiber, depolarizers are important to fiber optic gyro systems. Specifically, because gyro error signals arise as a result of different polarization conditions of the individual light wave trains within the optical fiber, depolarizers can is be used to suppress gyro error.
A common technique for fabricating a depolarizer involves aligning the optical axes of two birefringent fibers at 45.degree.. To determine a successful 45.degree. alignment, an analyzer measures the polarization extinction ratio at the output of the fiber. When the measured intensity is independent of the analyzer's angular position with respect to the second fiber, a 45.degree. alignment is achieved. The extinction ratio designates the ratio of the intensities contained in any two orthogonal axes of the birefringent fiber (dB=10 logI.sub.min /I.sub.max !). The decibel (dB) is a customary unit for designating the ratio. An optimum polarizer requires a 90 dB extinction ratio, while an optimum depolarizer requires a 0 dB extinction ratio.
After aligning a broad band polarized input source, the optimum depolarizer would have an output with an equal amount of uncorrelated light in each of the two orthogonal axes, and thus, the extinction ratio equal to 0 dB because I.sub.min =I.sub.max and log1!=0. To achieve an equal amount of light in each axis, the axes of two fiber segments must be aligned at 45.degree. relative to each other. An azimuthal splice orientation alignment of 45.degree. would transfer incoming polarized light into equal orthogonal electric fields (E.sub.max and E.sub.min are equal electric field components in each axis). An alignment not equaling 45.degree. would result an increased intensity along one axis and a decreased intensity along the other axis.
In current methods, when fabricating a depolarizer, the output photodetector is configured with an analyzer to measure the maximum and minimum output intensities (e.g. I.sub.min and I.sub.max are the intensities along the fast and slow axis) of the coupled fiber. That is, a PM fiber is cleaved so that the resulting fiber segments are long enough for source depolarization. Arbitrarily polarized light is coupled into the first fiber. The second fiber is aligned with the first fiber. I.sub.min and I.sub.max are determined by locating the maximum and minimum intensity axes at the end of the second fiber. The first fiber is rotated with respect to the second fiber, then the analyzer is rotated to determine the extinction ratio from I.sub.max and I.sub.min. If the extinction ratio is 0 dB, the fiber segments are fused to form a depolarizer. If the extinction ratio is not 0 dB, the first fiber must again be rotated until the intensities are equal in each axes, then the analyzer is again rotated to determine if a 0 dB extinction ratio has been achieved. Iteratively rotating the first fiber segment and analyzer requires extra skill and time and is susceptible to measurement errors.
If, when the light enters the first fiber, the light is not entirely on one birefringent axes, the light will be at least partially decorrelated prior to the splice alignment. Therefore, because of preexisting decorrelation, determining the quality of the splice angle alignment is difficult. More particularly, if the light enters the first fiber at 45.degree. from the fast and slow axes, the light will decorrelate even if no splice misalignment existed. Optimally, instead of coupling the light into the first fiber at any random angle, the light enters the fiber on one birefringent axis. Light entering the fiber on one axis will remain correlated with respect to itself throughout the entire fiber. Thus, light entering on one axis places the burden of distribution between axes solely on the 45.degree. splice. Complete decorrelation (or depolarization) requires an exact 45.degree. splice.
Many methods for depolarizing light exist, but each of the currently known methods suffer from important disadvantages making them difficult to use, unreliable and/or expensive. The Laskoskie, et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,124, discloses an appropriate system for aligning the birefringent axes through the use of a temporary third fiber and an interferometer. The '124 patent recognizes the problems with the prior art systems; however, the solution proposed in the '124 patent requires the use of expensive, complicated components, such as an interferometer, which require special skills for its operation.
To overcome the iterative rotation problems of the prior art, the Michal patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,916) discloses an apparatus for aligning the birefringent axes through the use of a heated fiber coil. A low birefringent fiber sensing coil is connected to one of the output circuits and a reciprocal interferometer is also used to measure the alignment of the two fibers. By incorporating a heating coil and reciprocal interferometer, the '916 patent requires the use of expensive, complicated devices for the fabrication of a depolarizer.
Other systems that exist include a method that has been used to produce effectively unpolarized light is to split a polarized beam into a plurality of subbeams and then recombine them. The recombination produces a varying pattern of polarization states across the face of a detector to form a spatial average. This method is not useful with single mode fibers because it involves a spatial average across a comparatively large area.
Yet another way of making a depolarizer is through the use of AC detection. The AC signal is generated by birefringence modulation. The modulation disappears when the axes of both fibers are rotated to 45.degree. with respect to each other. However, the AC detection method requires high voltages to operate a Pockels cell which is not only dangerous and costly, but also a complex optical circuit arrangement.
The prior art indicates that while conventional depolarizer fabrication methods exist, they each suffer from the principal disadvantage of requiring complicated devices and iterative measurements. Thus, a system and method is needed for providing a depolarizer which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art. Therefore, a long-felt need exists to ameliorate the disadvantages occasioned by the known fabrication techniques of depolarizers in a more efficient, accurate and cost-effective manner to overcome the prior art.

Method and apparatus for accurately fabricating a depolarizer


The invention provides a system utilizing computer databases, high pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to isolate, purify and identify compounds present in a chemical library of reaction products, especially products of liquid phase (solution) chemical reaction, to produce a purified chemical library with each purified compound tracked to the reaction product from which it originated.

In traditional synthetic and medicinal chemistry, chemists typically synthesize, work-up, purify, and analyze compounds one at a time. However, with the more recent onset of small molecule combinatorial chemical synthesis which provide large chemical libraries, this one-at-a-time method has obvious limitations in requiring large numbers of chemists and equipment leading to high costs and slow turnover. As an alternative, the combinatorial chemist may provide a non-purified reaction product to the client. Of course, this option merely shifts the burden to the client to subsequently carry out whatever purification may be necessary for its purposes, using the same one-at-a-time methods.
With the advent of very large combinatorial chemical libraries, and the need for chemical products in purer form than the raw reaction products produced by liquid phase (solution) synthesis of combinatorial libraries, there exists a need for a method to purify the reaction products, and to identify specific sought-after chemical compounds which are components of the raw reaction products. Moreover, there is a need to separate the identified chemical compound components, each of which may have a different biological activity, so that they may be used separately by a client. There is also a need to relate these identified compounds back to their raw reaction product source, which provides data on how to readily prepare more of each identified compound.

Method of purifying and identifying a large multiplicity of chemical reaction products simultaneously


A wing for an aircraft includes: a main wing having an outer skin defining an interior space of the main wing, a slat, and a connection assembly for movably connecting the slat to the main wing, such that the slat is movable in a predefined motion between a retracted position and at least one extended position. The connection assembly includes an elongate and curved slat track, wherein a first end section of the slat track is connected to the slat, a first bearing at least partly arranged outside the interior space of the main wing, a second bearing spaced apart from the first bearing and arranged within the interior space of the main wing. The slat track is movably and rotatably supported on the main wing by the first and second bearing, such that the first and second bearing support the predefined motion.

The wing comprises a main wing having an outer skin defining an interior space of the main wing, a slat and a connection assembly for movably connecting the slat to the main wing, such that the slat is movable in a predefined motion between a retracted position and at least one extended position. The retracted position is preferably the position of the slat for cruise flight. In an example, one extended position of the slat may refer to the position of the slat for a takeoff. In an even further example, at least one extended position of the slat may be a position of slat for landing. The connection assembly may be configured such that the slat is movable in a predefined motion between the retracted position and the least one extended position, or vice versa.
Wings often employ a slat track to movably connect the slat to the main wing. The slat is usually connected to a first end section of the slat track, such that a movement of the slat track results in a corresponding movement of the slat, preferably a long a predetermined a pathway. In order to achieve a higher lift effect of the wing, the slat will be moved to the extended position, for instance for takeoff or landing. In particular during cruise flight, the slat is moved back to the retracted position. The movement between the retracted position and the at least one extended positional is supported and/or ensured by the connection assembly. The connection assembly, however, may require a considerable space in the leading edge portion of the main wing, such that a front spar of the main wing usually has to be penetrated by the slat track, when the slat is move to the retracted position. In order to allow the slat track to penetrate the front spar of the main wing, an opening in the front spar may be necessary. However, the area behind the front spar of the main wing usually servers as the area for the fuel tank. As the result, a one side opened tube like space may be provided beginning with the opening in the front spar. This space may then serve for receiving the part of the slat track penetrating the front spar, when the slat is in the retracted position. As a result, a construction of the main wing with a possibility for a slat track to penetrate the front spar of the main wing may be of a complex construction.


Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, system, and computer program product for battery optimization. A computer receives the driving schedule of an electric vehicle detailing the dates and times electric vehicle will be driven as well as the locations the driver is driving to and from. The computer identifies several potential routes between locations and retrieves trip data detailing information relevant to commuting the potential routes. The computer determines the optimal route the driver should take as well as the minimum number of rechargeable battery packs necessary to power the electric car to the destinations and back. The computer also determines the optimal configuration of those batteries to maximize vehicle handling. The computer transmits both the minimum number of necessary batteries and the configuration thereof to a battery exchanger located under the parking spot of the vehicle which charges and exchanges battery packs to/from the electric vehicle.

Rechargeable battery packs are frequently used in electric vehicles, or EV's. While EV manufacturers aim to maximize the range on a single charge, it is rare for a driver to utilize the entire, or even a substantial portion of, the maximum range of a battery pack. Consequently, EV drivers are transporting hundreds of pounds of overprovisioned and underutilized battery packs that are effectively dead weight. This dead weight negatively impacts EV performance by decreasing efficiency, acceleration, and handling while increasing stopping distance.

International Business Machines Corporation


A valve comprises a housing and at least three ceramic discs in the housing such that at least two fixed ceramic discs are provided and at least one rotatable ceramic disc is provided between the fixed ceramic discs. The ceramic discs comprise through holes such that when the holes are aligned, the valve is open, and turning the rotatable ceramic disc turns the holes to be misaligned in successive ceramic discs, which prevents water flow through the valve. The valve further comprises a handle for rotating a rotatable ceramic disc and the handle comprises a stem extending through the housing, and a curved part, the curved part curving at least partly around the housing along the circumference of the housing.

U.S. 2006/0 086 923 discloses a valve assembly including a first gate having at least one opening and a second gate having at least one opening, the second gate being spaced from the first gate. The valve assembly has first and second discs disposed between the first and second gates, each disc having at least one opening. The assembly also includes a biasing element disposed between the first and second discs for normally urging the discs away from one another and toward opposing inner faces of the first and second gates. The first and second discs are rotatable. The valve assembly is in an open position when the openings of the rotatable discs are in alignment with the openings in the stationary gates. Turning the rotatable discs such that the openings in the rotatable discs are not in alignment with the openings of the stationary gates makes the valve assembly to adopt a closed position, so that no fluid is allowed to flow therethrough. The rotatable disc is provided with a surrounding gear ring and the valve assembly further comprises a worm drive. The outer surface of the gear ring includes teeth that engage with threads on the worm drive. In operation, as the worm drive rotates about its longitudinal axis, the threads engage with the gear teeth on the outer surface of the ring gear for rotating the ring gear. As the ring gear rotates, the rotatable discs rotate simultaneously therewith. The worm drive is operated by a motor for moving the valve between open and closed positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,438 discloses a faucet comprising three ceramic discs inside a housing. The first and the third disc are stationary and the second disc is rotatable by a stem forming a handle and located between the first and the third disc. The ceramic discs comprise holes such that when the holes are aligned, the faucet is open, and turning the rotatable ceramic disc turns the holes to be misaligned in successive ceramic discs which prevents water flow through the faucet. The housing is formed by a female housing and a male housing, such that the female housing is positioned on the male housing. A slot is provided through the female housing and the male housing, which slot forms a handle window. The stem forming the handle extends through the window. The first and third ceramic discs are axially movable by outwardly extending ears which extend into vertical grooves inside a side wall of the housing. The stem is attached to a pan and the rotatable ceramic disc is seated in the pan. The rotatable ceramic disc has ears extending outwardly from its side wall and the pan comprises axial grooves, whereby the axial movement of the rotatable disc is also permitted.


A method of forming embrittled areas in multiple layers inside a wafer so as to enable the wafer to be divided correctly even at areas where embrittled areas intersect. In a first direction embrittling step an embrittled area is formed as a bottom layer, in a second direction embrittling step embrittled areas are formed as a bottom layer and a second layer, in the first direction embrittling step the embrittled areas are formed as a second layer and a third layer, and thereafter, the second direction embrittling step and the first direction embrittling step are alternately implemented, and finally, in the second direction embrittling step, embrittled area is formed as a top layer, so that a length of an unprocessed area is contained within a range that does not interfere with division.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming embrittled areas inside a wafer for dividing the wafer in which a plurality of devices is formed.
2. Descriptions of Related Art
Conventionally, a wafer in which a plurality of devices such as IC, LSI and the like is formed is divided into individual devices by a dividing apparatus such as a dicing apparatus, and the individual devices are then used in a variety of electronic devices, such as mobile phones, personal computers, and so forth.
As a technology for dividing the wafer into individual devices, a technology that directs a laser beam of a wavelength capable of penetrating the wafer onto focal points established inside the wafer and irradiating the wafer so as to form embrittled areas inside the wafer has been proposed (see, for example, JP-A-2002-192370).
However, a thickness in the depth direction of the embrittled areas formed inside the wafer that is obtained with a single laser beam irradiation is approximately 20 μm to 30 μm, and therefore in the case of a thick wafer, i.e., having a thickness of 200 μm-300 μm, (for example, for CCD or for MEMS), the embrittled areas must be formed in multiple layers. For example, after forming embrittled areas in multiple layers inside predetermined division lines in a first direction, embrittled areas are formed in multiple layers inside predetermined division lines in a second direction. However, a problem with this approach is that, formerly formed embrittled areas in the first direction form a wall that disperses the intersecting laser beam to be emitted subsequently in the second direction, as a result. Accordingly, in areas where the embrittled areas intersect, embrittled areas are not formed inside the predetermined division lines in the second direction, and thus the wafer cannot be divided correctly along the predetermined division lines.

Method of forming embrittled areas inside wafer for division


One embodiment of the invention includes a method of buffering data between an upstream system sending data to a buffer and a downstream system obtaining data from the buffer. This method may include receiving a data record containing a status flag and a position identifier, reading the status flag and the position identifier of the received data record, and searching an existing buffer location associated with the received position identifier. In some instances, when the existing buffer location associated with the received position identifier has an existing record associated with the received position identifier, the condition of a processing flag associated with the existing record and buffering the received data at the buffer location may be reviewed and subsequent updates to a processing flag may be made.

Sales organizations often gather large volumes of data in order to analyze and study the progress and efficiencies of their business. The data that may be gathered can depend on the type of business operation (i.e., retail, wholesale, etc.) as well as upon where the business is operating. In other words, depending upon the operation being evaluated, the type of collected data may differ within an industry or within a specific geographic region. Likewise, the analysis that may be performed with the stored data may also vary by region, division, organization, and industry. Some of the data that may be gathered and subsequently analyzed includes: (a) daily sales data by product, price, and size; (b) inventory levels, again by product, price, and size; and, (c) daily operating costs including prorated salaries, rent, and advertising at each retail facility.
In each of these instances, the intake of data can be cumbersome, not only because of the enormous volume of information but also due to the sporadic fashion in which the data may be sent.

Flexible and error resistant data buffering and connectivity


An implant for the intervertebral space consists of an essentially cuboid body with a device for gripping by a tool.

It is known that if an intervertebral disk is damaged, it can be removed and the space thereby produced can be filled with cortico-spongiose bone.
With this method, the vertebral bodies are first spread as far apart from each other as possible using a spreader. One special technique consists of placing wedge-shaped pieces--so-called dilators--between the two vertebral bodies, to spread them in step fashion out from each other. In turn, dilators with diameters that increase in each case by 1 mm are alternately inserted from the left and right from the posterior. After the greatest possible spreading has been achieved, the dilators are replaced by the above-mentioned cortico-spongiose bone.
This known technique has a disadvantage in that the bone is difficult to manipulate and bring into the correct position, with corrections nearly impossible. An additional disadvantage of this technique is that in the intervertebral space a rectangular or cylinder-shaped recess must be cut away or milled out, to insert the bone implants between the initially concave sides of the adjoining vertebral bodies. This is complicated, and also causes damage to the vertebral body.
For this, the invention affords a remedy. The invention has the task of creating an implant for the intervertebral space. Based on its specific shape and the method of insertion, it allows an extremely stable locking between the vertebral bodies, without damaging the surface of the bony cover plate of the vertebral body.
An additional task of the invention is to create an implant for the intervertebral space which can be put in without using dilators.


An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for mitigating signal asymmetry. An analog to digital converter samples an analog signal from a read head and converts the sample to a digital input signal. The digital input signal addresses a look-up module, and the look-up module outputs a modified digital signal. The modified digital signal value is a specified function of the digital input signal value, wherein the specified function is configured to mitigate the asymmetry of the digital input signal. The modified digital signal value may be periodically recalculated to adjust for read head wear.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to digital signal processing and more particularly relates to digital signal processing to mitigate signal asymmetry.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the read process in a data storage device, a read head is typically passed over a data record in order to convert pre-recorded data into an analog signal. For example, in a magnetic tape drive, a magneto-resistive read head ("MRRH") is passed over a data record that has been previously written as flux reversals on a magnetic tape. As the MRRH is passed over the tape, the MRRH converts the flux reversals into an electrical analog signal that represents the data originally stored on the magnetic tape. An analog to digital converter ("ADC") periodically samples the analog signal and converts the sampled analog signal to a digital input signal. The ADC typically samples and converts a plurality of digital input signals forming a digital waveform. A data storage device such as a magnetic media storage device processes the digital waveform to reconstruct the data that was originally written to the tape.
The data waveform is typically recorded as flux reversals on a magnetic media and is symmetric, such that if the MRRH was perfectly adjusted, the received analog signal would be symmetric about a known reference level. For example, the analog signal may be symmetric about a reference level of zero volts (0 V). Unfortunately, manufacturing inconsistencies and read head wear may cause the read head to generate an asymmetric analog signal from the magnetic media. The asymmetric analog signal is converted to a plurality of digital input signals forming an asymmetric digital waveform. The asymmetry in the digital waveform increases the probability that the data storage device will interpret the asymmetric digital input signal incorrectly, resulting in an increased number of data errors.
Data errors due to a read head generating an asymmetric analog signal may make the read head unsuitable for shipment in a magnetic media storage device, increasing the failure rate and manufacturing costs of the read head. In addition, as the read head wears over time, the analog signals generated by these worn read heads will become more asymmetric. This shortens the life of the read head and the data storage device, increases the probability of an uncorrectable read error, and increases warranty costs.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method that mitigates the asymmetry of a digital input signal waveform generated from an asymmetric analog signal. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would reduce the manufacturing defect rate and adapt the mitigation of the asymmetry over the life of the read head and storage system in order to compensate for changes in the read head with time.

Apparatus, system, and method for mitigating signal asymmetry


The catalytic combustion burner made from a porous material is designed to cooperate with a wick that will carry a combustible composition to the burner that penetrates into the pores of the porous material, and comprises a peripheral zone that supports a catalyst and that surrounds a central zone without a catalyst forming a vaporization zone, the peripheral zone and the central zone being located in the upper part of the burner. The burner has a tapered peripheral surface flaring upwards.

This invention relates to a catalytic combustion burner made of a porous material suitable for cooperation with a wick that will carry an combustible composition to the burner penetrating into the pores of the said porous material, the said burner comprising a peripheral zone that supports a catalyst and that surrounds a central zone without a catalyst forming a vaporization zone, the peripheral zone and the central zone being located in the upper part of the burner.
Conventionally, this type of catalytic combustion burner has an approximately cylindrically shaped peripheral surface.
However, it is relatively difficult to manufacture burners with such an approximately cylindrically shaped peripheral surface.
Actually, many parts have to be scrapped during the mould removal step because they include weak zones, particularly around the periphery of the burner.
Even a slight taper flaring upwards of the order of one degree or two degrees, conventionally on the peripheral surface of the burner, cannot satisfactorily solve all the difficulties mentioned above encountered during mould removal.

Catalytic combustion burner made from a porous material and flask equipped with such a burner


Provided is a projection lens, including: a plurality of moving lens units that move on an optical axis for zooming; and a plurality of plastic lenses containing plastic, in which when a focal distance of an i-th positive lens from a predetermined plane side of N positive lenses of the plurality of plastic lenses is given by fpi, a focal distance of a j-th negative lens from the predetermined plane side of M negative lenses of the plurality of plastic lenses is given by fnj, and fp and fn are defined by

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection lens (a zoom lens) used for projection, image taking, or the like, and an image display (projection) apparatus using the zoom lens, and an image pickup device using the zoom lens, which are suitable for, for example, a liquid crystal projector, a digital camera, and the like.
2. Related Background Art
Up to now, there have been proposed various liquid crystal projectors (image projection apparatuses) using an image display device such as a liquid crystal display device, which project an image displayed on the image display device to a screen surface.
In particular, the liquid crystal projectors have been widely used for a meeting, a presentation, or the like as an apparatus capable of projecting an image displayed on a display device of a personal computer or the like to a large screen. Recently, a small-size liquid crystal projector for home theater has been put into wide spread use. With this spread, a size of the liquid crystal display device is reducing.
In a three-plate color liquid crystal projector using three liquid crystal display devices, light from a white light source is separated into color light beams of red light, green light, and blue light by a color separation means. The separated color light beams are guided to the corresponding liquid crystal display devices. The color light beams modulated by the liquid crystal display devices are synthesized with one another by a color composition means which is composed of a dichroic prism, a polarizing plate, and the like and guided to a projection lens. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a space in which the optical elements composing the color composition means are disposed between the liquid crystal display device and the projection lens. Thus, a predetermined back focal distance is demanded for the projection lens.
When an incident angle to a color composition film provided in the dichroic prism composing the color composition means changes, a spectral transmittance changes, so, for example, uneven color occurs on a projected image. Therefore, in order to minimize the influence of angular dependence and ensure preferable pupil alignment with an illumination system, it is demanded that a projection optical system used for the color liquid crystal projector be a so-called telecentric optical system in which a pupil on the liquid crystal device (reducing) side is at infinity.
When a picture (image) produced by the color composition of three-color liquid crystal display devices is to be projected to a screen, it is necessary to superimpose respective color pixels on one another over the entire screen region. This is to prevent reductions in resolution and quality due to a double image of, for example, a character on the display device of the personal computer. Therefore, it is demanded to preferably correct a color shift (magnification chromatic aberration) caused in the projection lens in a visible light band.
In order to prevent a reduction in viewability of a projected image due to distortion of a contour portion thereof, it is demanded to sufficiently correct distortion. This is because, when a significant change in distortion is left particularly in peripheral and intermediate portions, the image quality undesirably reduces. In addition, in order to take a great deal of light fluxes from a light source means, it is demanded to use a bright lens system having a small F number.
Recently, while there are needs for increases in screen luminance, image resolution, etc., reductions in device size and weight have been strongly demanded for a projector provided with small-size panel in view of mobility. Further there has been demanded a zoom lens which can realize light and large screen projection (high luminance and wide view angle) at a shorter projection distance in a small room and easily adjust a projection screen size.
Up to now, a six-unit zoom lens has been known as the projection lens for liquid crystal projector (for example, JP 2001-108900 A). The six-unit zoom lens includes six lens units which are a lens unit having negative refracting power, a lens unit having positive refracting power, a lens unit having positive refracting power, a lens unit having negative refracting power, a lens unit having positive refracting power, and a lens unit having positive refracting power, which are disposed in order from a magnifying side (front side). Zooming is performed by suitably moving predetermined lens units of the six lens units.
In addition to the above-mentioned zoom lens, a five-unit zoom lens has been known as the projection lens for liquid crystal projector (for example, JP 2001-066499 A). The five-unit zoom lens includes five lens units which are a lens unit having negative refracting power, a lens unit having positive refracting power, a lens unit having negative refracting power, a lens unit having positive refracting power, and a lens unit having positive refracting power, which are disposed in order from the magnifying side. Zooming is performed by suitably moving predetermined lens units of the five lens units.
An aspherical lens has been used to correct aberration without an increase in the number of lenses in a zoom lens. In addition, an aspherical lens made of a plastic material has been used from the viewpoints of ease of processing and a manufacturing cost.
For example, there has been known the following zoom lens (for example, JP 2003-050352 A). The zoom lens includes three lens units which are a lens unit having negative refracting power, a lens unit having positive refracting power, and a lens unit having positive refracting power, which are disposed in order from an object side. The aspherical lens made of a plastic material is used for each of the lens units.
As compared with the case of an aspherical lens made of a glass material, the aspherical lens made of the plastic material has merits in that it is easy to manufacture, a large aspherical amount is easily obtained, and the aberration of an optical system can be easily corrected.
However, when there is a change in environment, for example, when there is a change in temperature, a refraction index of a material, a thickness thereof, a surface shape thereof, and the like significantly change. Therefore, an optical characteristic may be significantly changed to vary, for example, a focal point.
For example, when a lens made of a plastic material is used for the zoom lens for liquid crystal projector, respective lenses composing the zoom lens are heated due to a set temperature environment, heating of an illumination lamp, or the like. In particular, a refraction index of a material of a plastic lens is significantly changed by heat. Therefore, the amount of variation in focal point increases with a reduction in optical characteristic.

Zoom lens and image display apparatus including the zoom lens

Abstract: 1      fp        =                  ∑                  i          =          1                N                          1        fpi                        1      fn        =                  ∑                  j          =          1                M                          1        fnj            (N and M each are a natural number, that is, an integer equal to or larger than 1), −0.56<fn/fp<−0.05 is satisfied.


Coil bobbins for balanced armature receivers are disclosed. The balanced armature receiver bobbin includes a coil support member, at least two flanges, and a shoulder. The coil support member has an armature passage extending between a first end and a second end thereof. The flanges extending radially from the coil support member such that the first flange extends from the coil support member proximate the first end and the second flange extends from the coil support member proximate the second end. The shoulder extends from the first flange, with the first flange located between the shoulder and the coil support member. The shoulder has a plurality of conductive coil pads disposed on a bottom portion thereof.

Many hearing instruments such as hearing aids, earphones, and personal audio headsets, among other devices include one or more balanced armature receivers, also referred to herein as "acoustic receivers" or "receivers". Such receivers generally comprise a case or housing containing a diaphragm that divides an interior of the housing into front and back volumes. A motor located in the back volume includes an electrical coil with a passage through which an armature (also called a reed) is disposed. The armature has a stationary end fixed to a yoke and another end movably disposed between magnets supported by the yoke. A drive rod or other link couples the armature to the diaphragm. In operation, an electrical signal applied to the electrical coil causes the armature to vibrate between the magnets. The vibrating armature moves the diaphragm, resulting in emission of sound from an aperture in the front volume of the housing. In some acoustic receivers, the coil includes an insulated wire wound about a bobbin having a passage through which the armature extends. However, connecting the coil wires to heavier gauge wire soldered to an external terminal board is laborious and can be costly.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity. It will be further appreciated that certain actions or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required unless a particular order is specifically indicated. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have meanings accorded to such terms and expressions by those having ordinary skill in the art except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

Coil bobbin for a balanced armature receiver


There are provided mechanisms for sharing channels in a wireless communications system among wireless devices that use a plurality of different access technologies. First and second wireless devices are operable to share a channel in the wireless communication system with each other. The first wireless device is operable to provide an indication to the second wireless device that the first wireless device is using a first access technology to access the channel. The second wireless device is operable to receive the indication and determine, based on the indication, that the first wireless device is using a first access technology to access the channel. Accordingly, the second wireless device can determine, based on compatibility of its access technology with that of the first wireless device, whether to refrain from using the channel or to share the channel.

During Release 12, the LTE standard has been extended with support of device to device (D2D) (specified as "sidelink") features targeting both commercial and Public Safety applications. Some applications enabled by Rel-12 LTE are device discovery, where devices are able to sense the proximity of another device and associated application by broadcasting and detecting discovery messages that carry device and application identities. Another application is direct communication based on physical channels terminated directly between devices.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, one potential extension for the device-to-device work is support of vehicle-to-x (V2x) communication, which includes any combination of direct communication between vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure. V2x communication may take advantage of a NW infrastructure, when available, but at least basic V2x connectivity should be possible even in case of lack of coverage. Providing an LTE-based V2x interface may be economically advantageous because of the LTE economies of scale and it may enable tighter integration between communications with the network infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure) and communications with pedestrians (V2P) and other vehicles (V2V), as compared to using a dedicated V2x technology.
V2x communications may carry both non-safety and safety information, where each of the applications and services may be associated with sets of specific requirements, e.g., in terms of latency, reliability, capacity, etc.
ETSI has defined two types of messages for road safety: Co-operative Awareness Message (CAM) and Decentralized Environmental Notification Message (DENM). A CAM message is intended to enable vehicles, including emergency vehicles, to notify their presence and other relevant parameters in a broadcast fashion. Such messages target other vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructure, and are handled by their applications. CAM message also serves as active assistance to safety driving for normal traffic. The availability of a CAM message is indicatively checked for every 100 ms, yielding a maximum detection latency requirement of <=100 ms for most messages. However, the latency requirement for pre-crash sensing warning is 50 ms. A DENM message is event-triggered, such as by braking, and the availability of a DENM message is also checked for every 100 ms. Moreover, the requirement of maximum latency is <=100 ms. The package size of CAM and DENM message varies from 100+ to 800+ bytes and the typical size is around 300 bytes. The message is designed to be detected by all vehicles in a proximity range.
The Society of the Automotive Engineers (SAE) has also defined the Basic Safety Message (BSM) for DSRC with various messages sizes defined. According to the importance and/or urgency of the messages, the BSMs are further classified into different priorities.
In Europe, 7×10 MHz channels (also referred to herein as bands) are currently designated for intelligent transport systems (ITS) safety-related services in the 5875-5905 MHz band, as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, 5905-5925 MHz is identified as a potential extension band for ITS and 5855-5875 MHz is recommended to be made available for ITS non-safety related applications. ITS services are expected to be primary services deployed on such spectrum. Any other system or service that wishes allocation as a secondary service may be required to ensure that it gives priority to ITS services. On the other hand, non-safety ITS services are not of the same priority and could potentially be co-primary allocated with other services.
Telecommunication regulators consider issues related to wireless access systems, including radio local area networks (WAS/RLAN) in the frequency bands between 5,150 MHz and 5,925 MHz, and take appropriate regulatory actions, including additional spectrum allocations to mobile services. The Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) has mandated the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) to do such compatibility studies for ITS services.
Currently, the ETSI ITS standards consider Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) technologies as a baseline for ITS. At the same time, a new Work Item (WI) has been approved in 3GPP to define LTE for ITS (both safety and non-safety). Both access technologies are then of the same priority and will need to co-exist in the same spectrum.
Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) is another access technology defined in ETSI ITS, EN 302 571. Listen-Before-Talk requires the device which wishes to transmit to listen the channel and transmit if the measured level in such channel is below a pre-defined threshold. However, this does not ensure that the detected signal is the one.
Listen-Before-Talk in conjunction with preamble detection requires the device which wishes to transmit to listen the channel and transmit if the measured level in such channel is below a pre-defined threshold.
In addition, ETSI TR 103 319 proposes the use of Preamble detection to allow radio local area network (RLAN) devices to detect dedicated short range communications (DSRC).

Co-channel co-existence in a wireless communications system


A liquid cosmetic product dispenser that can allow a person to quickly and unobtrusively apply liquid cosmetic product includes a palm sized dispenser and the liquid cosmetic product is disposed in the dispenser under pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. The dispenser includes a movable actuator button for controlling dispensing of the liquid cosmetic product from the dispenser and a locking mechanism for locking the actuator button.

Body odor, as well as other unpleasant odors from cigarette smoke, food, etc., can be embarrassing in certain situations. For young people, especially adolescent males, these unpleasant odors can be very embarrassing. A liquid cosmetic product, such as perfume or cologne, can be applied to overcome and/or eliminate these unpleasant odors. Aerosol dispensers are particularly useful to dispense liquid cosmetic products, e.g. antiperspirant, deodorant and fragrance products, quickly and evenly over a person's body.
Oftentimes these unpleasant odors can arise at a time or a location where one does not typically have access to a private location, e.g. a washroom, where he can dispense a fragrance, deodorant or antiperspirant. Moreover, known aerosol dispensers used to dispense liquid cosmetic products include large cans that are not easily carried or concealed thus making difficult unobtrusive application of the product in public.


An ignition system has an ignition coil unit, an ignition plug, and a voltage limiter. The ignition coil unit has a primary coil and a secondary coil which are magnetically coupled with each other. The ignition plug has a center electrode and a ground electrode. The ignition plug generates discharge spark between the center and ground electrodes to which voltage is applied on the basis of the magnetic energy accumulated in the ignition coil unit. The voltage limiter limits an absolute value of the voltage applied to the center and ground electrodes of the ignition plug to a voltage limit value. The voltage limiter increases the voltage limit value as cumulative usage time of the ignition plug increases.

Technical Field
This disclosure relates to an ignition system having an ignition plug.
Related Art
Ignition plugs used as ignition means in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine are configured to ignite air-fuel mixture by generating discharge spark at spark discharge gaps between center electrodes and the ground electrodes. The discharge spark is repeatedly generated between the center electrode and the ground electrode, which causes wear on the discharge surfaces and the like. Accordingly, the ignition plug deteriorates, depending on the cumulative usage time.
In an initial stage of spark discharge, charge accumulated in stray capacitance between the center electrode and the surrounding housing flows into the spark discharge gap, and thereby capacitive discharge occurs. The wear of the discharge surfaces become advanced as the capacitive discharge current becomes larger. Accordingly, in order to improve the lifetime of the ignition plug, there is a need for reducing the capacitive discharge current.
In order to reduce the capacitive discharge current, the capacitive current PTL1 (Japanese patent application publication No. 2011-222242) has disclosed a method for reducing the stray capacitance of the ignition plug. In the ignition plug of PTL1, a resistor is disposed between the center electrode and a portion forming the stray capacitance for reducing the stray capacitance of the ignition plug.
However, actually there is manufacturing difficulty involved in filling the space with the resistor at a density which enables sufficient effect of reducing the capacitive discharge current to be obtained as described above. Further, in order to produce the foregoing effect, there is a need for providing the resistor at least near the plug tip. However, in this case, the resistor might deteriorate because of heat stress received from combustion in the combustion chamber, which changes the resistance. As a result, it has been difficult to secure ignitability and reduce the capacitive discharge current, and it has not been possible to improve the lifetime of the ignition plug.

Ignition system with voltage limiting related to usage time increase


A solid polymeric fast ion conducting layer for an electrochromic device is prepared by forming a plurality of partially cured fast ion conducting polymer spacers, inserting the spacers and additional fast ion conducting polymer between an electrochromic material layer and a counterelectrode, and fully curing the spacers and fast ion conducting polymer.

Generally, in a multi-layered device for modulating color or transmissivity employing an electrochromic material, a physical/chemical change is produced within the electrochromic material layer in response to electron or ion transfer caused by an externally applied electrical potential. This change results in modulation of the color and transmissivity of the device with respect to electromagnetic radiation directed thereagainst. Such devices generally comprise consecutive layers of an electrochromic material, an electrolyte-containing fast ion conducting material, and a counterelectrode. The exchange of ions between the electrochromic material and fast ion conducting layers, when an electrical potential is applied across the device, comprises the mechanism by which the electrochromic material layer becomes either bleached (substantially transparent, either lightly colored or colorless) or deeply colored (substantially opaque). By reversing the polarity of the electrical potential applied across the device, it may be "switched" between the bleached and opaque states. Depending upon the magnitude and duration of the applied electrical potential, an intermediate, generally colored, translucent state may be induced, wherein the electrochromic material layer contains a concentration of fast ions sufficient to reduce the transmissivity of the device to a desired level. Thus, depending upon the manner in which the device is operated, i.e., the polarity, magnitude, and duration of the voltage applied, it may be adjusted to have an electromagnetic radiation transmissivity from about 0% to greater than about 90%, with an inversely corresponding reflectivity.
In a typical electrochromic device, the electrochromic material layer comprises an inorganic metal oxide, most commonly a transition metal oxide such as, for example, tungsten oxide. Alternatively, the electrochromic material layer may comprise an electroconductive polymer such as an unsubstituted or substituted polyaniline. The electrolyte-containing fast ion conducting layer adjacent the electrochromic material layer is generally adapted to provide a positively charged light cation such as, for example, a lithium ion for insertion into the electrochromic material layer. As an example of the operation of a typical electrochromic device, when lithium ions are introduced into a tungsten oxide electrochromic material layer, the layer changes from a colorless transparent state to a dark blue-black color. Where the tungsten oxide electrochromic material layer is sufficiently thick, the induced coloration causes the tungsten oxide electrochromic material layer to become highly absorbing opaque to electromagnetic radiation, e.g., radiation in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The counterelectrode of an electrochromic device generally comprises a transition metal oxide layer such as, for example, vanadium oxide or tungsten oxide, or an electroconductive polymer such as, for example, a polypyrrole or polythiophene.
The electrolyte-containing fast ion conducting layer may be a liquid electrolyte solution such as, for example, lithium perchlorate in propylene carbonate, a gel such as, for example, a solution of polyvinyl butyral in methanol doped with lithium chloride, or a solid such as, for example, a cured polyurethane containing a lithium compound.
Where the fast ion conducting layer is a liquid or gel, the spacing between the apposing surfaces of the electrochromic material layer and the counterelectrode generally is established and maintained by glass beads or plastic spacers imbedded in the fast ion conducting layer. This construction also requires a seal at the peripheral edge of the device, to prevent leakage of the liquid or gel fast ion conducting material.
It is important to establish a uniform thickness for the fast ion conducting layer. This will assist in providing uniform coloration of the electrochromic device. Thus, glass beads or plastic spacers have been used in the prior art to maintain a precise gap between the electrochromic material layer and the counterelectrode.
Where the fast ion conducting layer is a solid polymeric material, glass beads or plastic spacers are likewise used to establish and maintain the spacing between the apposing surfaces of the electrochromic material layer and the counterelectrode while the fast ion conducting polymeric material cures to form a solid. However, the curing fast ion conducting polymer often shrinks during the curing process, causing the polymeric fast ion conducting layer to pull away from one or both of the electrochromic material layer and the counterelectrode. Consequently, the communication of fast ions between the electrochromic material layer and the cured solid polymeric fast ion conducting layer is diminished, resulting in poor coloring uniformity. Moreover, the glass beads or plastic spacers result in inoperative areas of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,048 to Kamimori et al. discloses an electro-optical light controlling device, comprising consecutively an electrochromic material layer, a non-liquid electrolyte layer, and an electrode, wherein glass beads are used to establish a constant spacing between the electrochromic material layer and the electrode. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 59-185328 illustrates the use of glass spacers between the electrochromic layers of a transmittance-adjustable glass panel.
It would be desirable to devise a process for preparing a solid polymeric fast ion conducting layer for an electrochromic device, which does not require the use of glass beads or plastic spacers. Such a process would result in a device wherein the fast ion conducting layer intimately contacts both the electrochromic material layer and the counterelectrode, and wherein the solid polymeric fast ion conducting layer would be devoid of inoperative areas.

Process for preparing a solid polymeric fast ion conducting layer for an electrochromic device


A processing apparatus that performs processing on a workpiece continuous in a transport direction, and performs processing on the workpiece at a predetermined processing pitch in a rotational direction of a rotating body that rotates about an axis, includes: a first processing section that is disposed at a predetermined position in the rotational direction so as to oppose an outer circumferential face of the rotating body, second processing sections at each predetermined angle in the rotational direction on the outer circumferential face of the rotating body, which perform the processing on the workpiece in cooperation with the first processing section when a second processing section opposes the first processing section, and a support section that supports the workpiece between the second processing sections, and in which it is possible to change, depending on the processing pitch, a position at which the support section supports the workpiece.

Conventionally, disposable diapers (hereinafter referred to as "diapers") have been produced in a continuous production line. One of processes for producing disposable diapers involves a process in which a plurality of continuous sheets are superposed and an welding process is performed on those sheets in a direction of continuation at a processing pitch of a product unit, thereby joining the plurality of sheets. This process is performed using a so-called sealing apparatus (for example, see JP-A-2006-101970).