A system, method and masking arrangement are provided of enhancing the width of polycrystalline grains produced using sequential lateral solidification using a modified mask pattern is disclosed. One exemplary mask pattern employs rows of diamond or circular shaped areas in order to control the width of the grain perpendicular to the direction of primary crystallization.

During the past several years, sequential lateral solidification ("SLS") techniques have been developed to generate quality large grained polycrystalline thin films, e.g., silicon films, having a substantially uniform grain structure. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,625, issued to Im and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/390,537 (the "'537 application"), the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, particularly advantageous apparatus and methods for growing large grained polycrystalline or single crystal silicon structures using energy-controllable laser pulses and small-scale translation of a silicon sample to implement sequential lateral solidification have been described. As described in these patent documents, at least portions of the semiconductor film on a substrate are irradiated with a suitable radiation pulse to completely melt such portions of the film throughout their thickness.
In order to increase throughput, continuous motion SLS processes have been proposed. Referring to FIG. 1, such system preferably includes an excimer laser 110, an energy density modulator 120 to rapidly change the energy density of a laser beam 111, a beam attenuator and shutter 130, optics 140, 141, 142 and 143, a beam homogenizer 144, a lens and beam steering system 145, 148, a masking system 150, another lens and beam steering system 161, 162, 163, an incident laser pulse 164, a thin film sample on a substrate 170 (e.g., a silicon thin film) a sample translation stage 180, a granite block 190, a support system 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, and a computer 100 which manages X and Y direction translations and microtranslations of the film sample and substrate 170. The computer 100 directs such translations and/or microtranslations by either a movement of a mask within masking system 150 or by a movement of the sample translation stage 180. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,449 issued to Im, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, the sample 170 may be translated with respect to the laser beam 149, either by moving the masking system 150 or the sample translation stage 180, in order to grow crystal regions in the sample 170.
FIG. 2 depicts the mask used in the continuous motion SLS process as described in International Publication No. 02/086954 (the "'954 Publication"), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This mask is divided into a first mask section 20 and a second mask section 22. The first mask section 20 can be used for the first pass under the laser. The second mask section 22 is used on the second pass. The first mask section 20 may have corresponding opaque areas 24 and clear areas 25. Throughout the specification of the '954 Publication and the present application, "opaque areas" are referred to as areas of the mask that prevent associated regions of a thin film sample irradiated by beams passed through the mask from being completely melted throughout its thickness, while "clear areas" are areas of the mask that permit associated regions of a thin film sample irradiated by beams passed through the mask to be completely melted throughout its thickness. The clear areas can be actual holes in the mask or may be sections of the mask that allow the sample behind it to be completely melted throughout its thickness. The second mask section 22 also has corresponding opaque areas 26 and clear areas 27. The opaque areas 24, 26 of both sections 20, 22 are areas that prevent radiation from a laser source from passing through to the sample. The shape of these clear areas, both in the second mask section 22 and in the first mask section 20, generally have a shape of "straight slits." The array of the clear areas 24 in the first mask section 20 are generally staggered from the array of clear areas 26 in the second mask section 22. As indicated above, the clear areas 25, 27 of both sections allows radiation to pass through to melt the sample below the surface of the mask.
FIG. 3 depicts the radiation pattern passing through the mask of FIG. 2 during processing of the film. The first pattern section 30 shows the pattern that results after the first pass of the irradiation by the pulses shaped using the mask. The pulse passing through the mask may have a first portion 34 that corresponds to the pattern of the first mask section 20. The clear areas of the first mask section 20 in FIG. 2 allow the radiation to pass therethrough, and melt the thin film throughout its thickness, thus resulting in a first melted region and an unmelted region 44 (see FIG. 4) after the first pass of the sample processing. When the mask is translated in the direction of the arrow 33, the second pattern section 32 of FIG. 3 with the radiation pattern results after the second pass of processing the sample. The pulse passing through the mask may have a second portion 36 that corresponds to the pattern of the second mask section 22. The clear areas of the second mask section 22 of the mask in FIG. 2 allow the radiation to pass therethrough, and again melt the thin film throughout its thickness. This results in a second melted region and an unmelted region over the grain boundary 45 (see FIG. 4).
FIG. 4 depicts the resulting crystalline structure that is produced using the mask of FIG. 2. The first structure section 40 includes the structure 41 that results after the first pass of the sample processing. The opaque areas of the first mask section 20 of the mask of FIG. 2 prevent the associated regions 44 from completely melting. A grain boundary 45 in the direction of the crystalline structure forms approximately halfway between the associated regions 44. The second structure section 42 includes the crystalline structure 48 that results after the second pass of the sample processing. The grain boundary 45 from the first pass is not removed, while the individual grains expand in length until they meet one another, because all areas are exposed to the laser during the second pass except the area that corresponds to the grain boundary 45. Thus, the grain length 46 (parallel to the direction of the crystalline structure) may be controlled by the properties and slit patterns of the mask of FIG. 2. The width 47 of the grain (perpendicular to the direction of the crystalline structure), however, is not very easily controlled. Indeed, it may be primarily dependent on the characteristics of the film.
As noted above, the aforementioned SLS techniques typically employ a straight slit mask pattern. This allows for the ease of control of the grain length (in the direction of the primary crystallization). In such case, the perpendicular grain spacing may be dependent on the properties of the film, and thus is not very easily manipulated. While the tailoring of the shaped areas to manipulate the microstructure has been employed in other SLS methods and systems, such as with the use of chevron-shaped openings in a mask, the techniques associated therewith may produce narrow grain areas. Accordingly, there is a need to control grain length in the thin film, as well as increase the area in which a smaller number of grains are present.

Enhancing the width of polycrystalline grains with mask

The Trustees of Columbia in the City of New York


Methods and apparatus for a sensor including a series of tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) pillars and a heatsink adjacent to at least one of the TMR pillars, where the heatsink comprises Titanium Nitride (TiN).

Magnetic field sensors are used in a variety of applications including, but not limited to, an angle sensor that senses an angle of a direction of a magnetic field, a current sensor that senses a magnetic field generated by a current carried by a current-carrying conductor, a magnetic switch that senses the proximity of a ferromagnetic object, and a magnetic field sensor that senses a magnetic field density of a magnetic field.
Some magnetic field sensors include magnetoresistance (MR) elements, such as giant magnetoresistance (GMR) elements and tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR). Generally, GMR and TMR elements have a relatively high sensitivity compared to other types of sensing elements, such as Hall effect elements.


A glue application roll 1 rotating at a circumferential velocity v.sub.1 is moved to touch a downstream side corrugating roll (an upper corrugating roll) 9 rotating at a circumferential velocity v.sub.2 via a core paper 11 and, in response to variation in vibration, noise, drive torque or pressing reaction force of the glue application roll 1 caused thereby, a setting position of the glue application roll 1 to the downstream side corrugating roll 9 is adjusted, thus a gap between the glue application roll 1 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9 is maintained approximately at a thickness of the core paper 11.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for a single facer glue application adjustment in which a glue application roll is adjusted of its setting position based on a variation in vibration, noise, drive torque or pressing reaction force of the glue application roll.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A belt pressing type single facer in the prior art is described with reference to FIG. 5. Numeral 1 designates a glue application roll, numeral 3 designates a doctor roll, numeral 4 designates a glue tank forming a wall on one side by the glue application roll 1 and the doctor roll 3, numeral 2 designates a glue within the glue tank 4, numeral 7 designates a glue application portion unit supporting the glue application roll 1, the doctor roll 3 and the glue tank 4, numeral 9 designates a downstream side corrugating roll (an upper corrugating roll), numeral 12 designates an upstream side corrugating roll (a lower corrugating roll) contra-rotating in engagement with the downstream side corrugating roll 9, numeral 11 designates a core paper, numeral 15 designates an endless belt pressing touchingly the downstream side corrugating roll 9, numeral 13 designates a single faced corrugated board sheet, numeral 14 designates a liner, thus a glue application apparatus of a belt pressing type single facer is constructed by the glue application roll 1, the doctor roll 3 and the glue tank 4.
In the belt pressing type single facer in the prior art shown in FIG. 5, the core paper 11 is led between the upstream side corrugating roll 12 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9 engaging and contra-rotating each other to be corrugated into a wave-shaped state and then this core paper 11 is led between the glue application roll 1 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9.
Then, in the glue application apparatus, the glue 2 within the glue tank 4 is applied to the outer circumferential surface of the rotating glue application roll 1, is adjusted to form a glue film of a predetermined thickness by the doctor roll 3, is transferred rotatingly to the direction of the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and is coated on the tip portions of corrugations of the core paper 11.
Said core paper 11 and the liner 14 supplied via another route are led between the endless belt 15 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9 to be lapped each other and, with a predetermined pressing force P and temperature, the core paper 11 and the liner 14 are bonded by the glue 2 coated on the tip portions of corrugations of the core paper 11, thus the single faced corrugated board sheet 13 is produced.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a gap adjusting apparatus in the prior art for adjusting a gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1. Numeral 16 designates a frame, numeral 27 designates a cylinder mounted on the frame 16 and a piston rod of the cylinder 27 is supported pivotally by the glue application portion unit 7.
Numeral 28 designates a positioning metal element fixed to the glue application portion unit 7, numeral 30 designates an eccentric shaft and numeral 29 designates a stopper supported by the eccentric shaft 30.
In the gap adjusting apparatus shown in FIG. 6 for adjusting the gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1, the cylinder 27 is moved to the direction of elongation, the positioning metal element 28 is hit to the stopper 29, thus the gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1 is set to a predetermined measure.
If the gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1 is to be adjusted in the above-mentioned state, the eccentric shaft 30 is rotated, the stopper 29 is moved to the right or left in the figure, the positioning metal element 28 and the glue application portion unit 7 are moved in same direction and the gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1 is finely adjusted.
Incidentally, as a roll gap adjusting apparatus not shown in the figure, there is one in which an insertion amount of a wedge-like element inserted between the stopper 29 and the positioning metal element 28 is changed, a stopping position of the glue application portion unit 7 is changed, thereby a gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1 is adjusted.
FIG. 7 shows another example of a gap adjusting apparatus in the prior art for adjusting a gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1. This roll gap adjusting apparatus is constructed so that the glue application portion unit 7 supporting the glue application roll 1, the doctor roll 3 and the glue tank 4 is moved up and down by a cylinder 21, thereby the glue application roll 1 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9 can make contact or separation each other, and at the stroke end position of the cylinder 21, the gap between the glue application roll 1 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9 is set at a predetermined measure corresponding to a thickness of the core paper 11.
The gap adjusting apparatus in the prior art shown in FIG. 6 is constructed so that the cylinder 27 is moved to the direction of elongation, the positioning metal element 28 is hit to the stopper 29, thus the gap between the downstream side corrugating roll 9 and the glue application roll 1 is set to a predetermined measure.
Further, the gap adjusting apparatus in the prior art shown in FIG. 7 is constructed so that the glue application portion unit 7 supporting the glue application roll 1, the doctor roll 3 and the glue tank 4 is moved up and down by the cylinder 21, thereby the glue application roll 1 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9 can make contact or separation each other, and at the stroke end position of the cylinder 21, the gap between the glue application roll 1 and the downstream side corrugating roll 9 is set at a predetermined measure corresponding to the thickness of the core paper 11.
Accordingly, in order to make a state of glue transfer uniform in a case of change of thickness of a core paper accompanying with change of orders, it is necessary to make the roll-gap adjustment manually at each time of change of orders, and moreover as the adjustment is troublesome and a long time is needed for re-setting, there is such a problem that an operation efficiency of a single facer is lowered.
Further, there are such shortcomings that due to negligence or failure of said re-setting, for example, in case of a changed core paper 11 becoming thicker, a pressing force acts on the core paper 11 so that the core paper 11 tears, or in case of a changed core paper 11 becoming thinner, the gap increases so that a glue transfer amount becomes less.

Method and apparatus for single facer glue application adjustment


Embodiments are provided for an antenna element design with high aperture efficiency and stable gain across a frequency range. In an embodiment, the antenna element is obtained by placing a conductive layer on a dielectric substrate, forming a slot in the conductive layer, and forming two feed lines inside the dielectric substrate. A dielectric layer is placed on the dielectric substrate and over the conductive layer and the slot. A circular or elliptical conductive wall is formed inside the dielectric layer. A conductive element is also formed on the dielectric layer and over the slot. One or more second dielectric layers are placed on the dielectric layer and over the conductive element. A second circular or elliptical conductive wall is formed inside each second dielectric layer. A second conductive element is also formed on each second dielectric layer, over the conductive element.

Radiators with high aperture efficiency and low cross-polarization levels are desired aspects to achieve wide-band or multi-beam antenna design for modern telecommunications. It is desirable that the antenna size of such designs be compact and planar with respect to system integration, for example in antenna array structures. In the antenna array, there is a need to reduce antenna size and increase the antenna gain (e.g., in terms of efficient radiation of energy in the desired direction) to achieve the highest aperture efficiency for each antenna element in the array. In an antenna array, mutual coupling between the antenna elements typically diverts antenna power into unwanted side-lobe radiation patterns, which can reduce the gain of the antenna array.

Apparatus and method for a high aperture efficiency broadband antenna element with stable gain


An electrophotographic toner is disclosed, meeting the requirement that G′ (60)/G′ (80) is from 1×102 to 1×104, where G′ (60) G′ (80) are each a storage modulus of the toner at 60° C. and 80° C., respectively; G′ (100)/G′ (130) is from 1 to 102, where G′ (100) and G′ (130) are each a storage modulus of the toner at 100° C. and 130° C., respectively; and G′ (100-130) is from 5×102 to 1×102 dyn/cm2, where G′ (100-130) is a storage modulus of the toner at a temperature of from 100 to 130° C.

Recently speeding up of color image forming is demanded, and a color toner to obtain a color image with high speed stably is also demanded.
When an image is formed with high speed as low cost printing, running speed through a fixing nip portion in the fixing device is so short that pressure and heating energy to endow the toner is reduced, and glossiness is insufficient or uneven glossiness is generated and the obtained image is inferior to images by low cost printing.
Lower temperature fixing method has been investigated to reduce consumption energy by a fixing device which requires largest energy consumed in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in view of energy saving program. Toner should melt at lower temperature to attain lower temperature fixing, and for this purpose it has been provided to reduce melt viscosity of toner by employing resin having low glass transition temperature or smaller molecular weight generally.
Toner of lower melt viscosity has large of toner viscoelasticity around fixing temperature, and therefore, there is a problem that image glossiness tends to be uneven or may causes irregular glossiness.
When a toner of lower melt viscosity is employed in a high speed image forming apparatus, running speed through a fixing nip portion in the fixing device is so short that pressure and heating energy to endow the toner is reduced, and glossiness is insufficient or uneven glossiness is generated and the obtained image is inferior to images by low cost printing.
Though an improving method in view of storage modulus of toner is provided, it has not become sufficient to satisfy the high demand of the market (Patent Documents 1 and 2).    Patent Document 1: JP A 2D06-084952    Patent Document 2: JP A 2006-133451

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


Individualized responsive dosing dietary supplement systems, compositions, methods of dosing, and processes of producing the same, which allow a consumer to generate individualistic biological responses/effects. More specifically, a dietary supplement system for generating individualized biological conditions/responses which utilizes ultra-low dosage amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, co-enzymes, and/or other nutrients in a bio-active delivery system which preferably avoids first pass metabolism, such that an individual may take multiple doses of the same or different dietary supplement based on varying desired biological response within each 24 hour period is also disclosed.

Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and co-enzymes are compounds required by an animal or human body in small amounts for metabolism, biophysiological repair, to protect health, and for proper growth and cellular reproduction. These compounds also assist in the formation of hormones, blood cells, nervous-system chemicals, and genetic material. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and co-enzymes are often referred to as nutrients, defined herein as a substance or ingredient which may be found in food which imparts a medicinal or health benefit. The various nutrient compounds are not chemically related, and most differ in their physiological actions. They generally act as catalysts, combining with proteins to create metabolically active enzymes that in turn produce hundreds of important chemical reactions throughout the body. Without nutrients, many of these reactions would slow down or cease. The intricate ways in which nutrients act on the body, however, are still far from clear. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council replaced and expanded the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) with Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) to provide recommended vitamin, mineral, or other nutrient intakes for use in a variety of settings for humans. The DRIs are actually a set of four reference values: Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), Adequate Intakes (AI), and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL). These values serve as recommended dosage levels for vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients. Currently there are no DRI's for intake of caffeine and other stimulants, or for L-glutamine or L-arginine. However, the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institute of Health recommend, for example, that for caffeine, no more than 200 milligrams is taken every three or four hours, and that an adult should not take more than 1600 mg in twenty-four hours. Additionally, L-arginine is typically provided in dietary supplements in dosages of about 100 milligrams, and L-glutamine in dosages of about 500 milligrams, pursuant to the FDA.
Dietary supplements are generally nutrient mixtures commonly taken in single mega-dose dosage forms which contain vitamin, mineral and other nutrient doses equal to or over the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) values. Although mega-dose regimens are a common practice for the prevention of disease, there is a great deal of debate in the literature regarding the efficacy of such regimens. Moreover, consuming large doses of vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients, in the absence of some deficiency or without proper medical supervision, may cause harmful toxic effects and/or result in hypervitaminosis.
Additionally, a consumer usually has little choice in choosing the variety of ingredients, dosage levels, or dosing regimens of a conventional dietary supplement, such as a standard vitamin tablet. Conventional dietary supplements may be effective for a general purpose, but usually provide an excess of vitamins, minerals, stimulants, or other compounds which a consumer does not desire, or those supplements may not adequately target an individual's specific dietary need or desired biological response. Additionally, conventional dosage forms of dietary supplements only allow a consumer to take one or two doses per 24 hour period. As a result, conventional dietary supplements fail to recognize that the physiological state and resultant nutrient requirements of any single individual can depend upon and fluctuate based upon a number of different biophysical variables during the course of each day or dosing regimen. For example, individual variations in diet, and the amount and intensity of physical activity, provide physical and chemical stimuli that stress various systems of the body to differing degrees from one person to the next and for each of those individuals on any given day. Thus, standard "one size fits all" mega-dose dosage forms/regimens are not amenable to empirical dosage adjustment to achieve an individualized biophysiological objective or response.
Another drawback with most conventional dietary supplements is that they suffer from poor degrees and/or rates at which the various nutrients are absorbed into the systemic circulation of the body and made available for biophysiological activity (e.g., "bioavailability"). These degrees or rates of bioavailability typically depend upon the dose, dosage form, and method of administration.
One particular barrier to efficient nutrient bioavailability is "first-pass metabolism", which is defined herein to mean a process in which the nutrient compound(s) are modified, activated, or inactivated before they enter the systemic circulation, or are left unchanged and excreted. Alternatively, it may be defined as the intestinal and hepatic degradation or alteration of a drug or substance taken by mouth, after absorption, removing some of the active substance from the blood before it enters the general circulation.
For example, it is believed that one significant drawback to "mega-dosing" of vitamins and minerals is that increased dosages may not be adequately absorbed into the body, or may actually decrease absorption. Thus, available transport mechanisms may become saturated and unable to absorb excess dosage. Additionally, a drawback to vitamin or mineral delivery via a conventional tablet or capsule is that differences in luminal pH along the gastrointestinal tract lining, surface area per luminal volume, blood perfusion, presence of bile and mucus, and the nature of epithelial membranes may prevent efficient absorption, activation, and the like of a nutrient, thereby decreasing its bioavailability.
To compensate for first pass metabolism effects, some previous efforts have been directed to enterically coated tablet or capsule dosage forms which pass through the stomach unaltered to disintegrate in the lower intestines. However, aside from a delayed biophysiologic response as gastric emptying becomes rate-limiting, gastric irritability, and potential allergic reactions from the ingestion of such coating materials occurs, and these enterically coated delayed release dosage forms dissolve and are absorbed within a narrow time frame. As a result, the body typically excretes the non-absorbed vitamins or minerals.
Additional previous attempts have been directed to continuous or gradual release dosage forms. U.S. Pat. No. 4,882,167, to Jang, discloses dry direct compressed products for controlled release of actives including vitamins or minerals. However, the compositions and methods of the Jang patent do not provide for ultra-low dosage amounts of vitamins or minerals, dosing flexibility, or systems, compositions, or methods for individualized responsive dosing based on a desired biological response.
WO 99/17753 discloses rapidly dissolving films for delivery of drugs to be adsorbed in the digestive tract. U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,298, to Leung, discloses consumable oral care films which may optionally contain active amounts of pharmaceutical drugs. However, these patents do not utilize vitamins or minerals, and more specifically, ultra-low dosage amounts of nutrients which would operate to provide flexibility for individualized dosing. Moreover, these products or processes do not provide a system or selection for varying the type or level of dosage depending on a biological response desired.
Therefore, there is presently a need for an efficient process for producing a nutrient dosage and delivery system that is capable of individualized biological response dosing (i.e., dosing based upon empirical analysis and adjustment), which is available in a suitable dosage form, and preferably is efficiently absorbed and made bioavailable to animal or human tissue. Additionally, there is presently a need for a treatment method for managing finely tuned biological needs and responses which utilizes ultra low dosage amounts, substantially avoids first pass metabolism, and allows for varied dosage/dosing regimens within each dosing period (e.g., 24 hours, 6 hours, 1 hour).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Nutrient system for individualized responsive dosing regimens


A replication-defective HIV particle pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G). The pol gene of the HIV genome in the particle is modified to inactivate the pol reverse transcriptase and protcase activity. This pseudotyped HIV particle can infect many cell types, including human and simian cells, and only undergoes one round of replication. Furthermore, a virus-specific immune response can be detected in mice immunized with the VSV-G pseudotyped replication-defective HIV.

1. Field of the Invention
A method is described for making a replication-defective HIV virus particle. The present invention is also directed to a HIV virus particle produced according to the method and to a vaccine including the particle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of strategies have evolved in the pursuit of an effective HIV vaccine. One strategy is the use of attenuated viruses. Recent advances in SIV vaccine studies indicate that live attenuated vaccines provide the best protection against challenge with the pathogenic strain of SIV in vaccinated animals (Clements J. E. et al., Journal of Virology 69 (1995): 2737-2744; Daniel, M. D. et al., Science 258 (1992): 1938-1941; Stahl-Hennig C. et al., Journal of General Virology 77 (1996): 2969-2981; Norley, S. et al., Journal of Virology 219 (1996): 195-205; Almond, N. et al., The Lancet 345 (1995): 1342-1344; Wyand, M. S. et al., Journal of Virology 70 (1996): 3724-3733). This animal model suggests that the protective immunity can be elicited by vaccination with attenuated viruses. However, there is a potential risk in using an attenuated virus as a vaccine in humans. This concern is strengthened by studies in which attenuated viruses are shown to cause disease in neonatal rhesus monkeys (Wyand, M. S. et al., Nature Medicine 3 (1997): 32-36; Baba, T. W. et al., Science 267 (1995): 1820-1825) and, further, by the high rate of reversion of some attenuated SIV strains inoculated in monkeys (Cohen, J., Science 278 (1997): 24-25).
Humoral and cellular immune responses can be elicited in rhesus monkeys inoculated with a naked DNA vaccine. However, there is little or no protective immunity observed in vaccinated animals after challenge with SIV (Lu, S. et al., Journal of Virology 70 (1996): 3978-3991). The mechanisms of protective immunity elicited by attenuated live vaccines in vaccinated animals have not been identified. Protective immunity may be due to the continuous expression of viral proteins from the persisting viral genome in the vaccinated monkeys, to the expression of all (or part of) the SIV proteins from endogenous pathways, or to other aspects (e.g., viral replication site) of the immune response to the live, attenuated virus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,571,712, to Haynes et al. discloses replication-defective HIV virus particles which do not include retroviral RNA. These retroviral particles are acceptable for safety reasons due to their inability to replicate. However, these particles differ from vaccines capable of replication in their lesser ability to elicit protective immunity. Thus, it is expected that larger numbers of particles must be administered to a subject in a course of vaccination. Further, lack of expression of viral proteins in a vaccinated subject will affect the quality of the protective immunity.
Other vaccines are currently under development, which include peptide vaccines, DNA vaccines, multi-valent virus (i.e., recombinant canarypox vaccines) and combination vaccines (i.e., a DNA vaccine combined with a fowlpox booster vaccine) with varying results. (Gold, D., IAVI Report 3 (1998): 1+.)
The efficacy of HIV vaccines is, generally, difficult to evaluate due to the lack of readily accessible animal models (Girard, M. et al., Virology 232 (1997): 98-104). Therefore, it is most desirable to have a replication-defective virus particle with broad tropism, both with regard to range of species it will infect and with regard to the cell types it will infect in a given subject. It is also highly desirable to have a replication-defective virus particle which can produce antigenic HIV proteins in levels and for a duration suitable to elicit a protective immune response, with both cellular and humoral components. These goals have been achieved in the present invention, a replication-defective HIV vaccine pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G) protein.
A method is provided for producing a replication-defective retrovirus particle, including the steps of providing a DNA molecule which includes a complete retroviral genome; modifying a portion of the pol gene of the DNA molecule including the protease and reverse transcriptase activity coding regions to the extent that the remaining pol gene cannot produce a protease and reverse transcriptase capable of functioning in replication of the genome, thereby forming a polxe2x88x92 construct; transferring the polxe2x88x92 construct into a suitable host cell; prior to, during or after the step of transferring the polxe2x88x92 construct into the host cell, transferring into the host cell a pseudotyping construct and a packaging construct; growing the host cell under conditions suitable for expression of the constructs and for production of replication-defective retrovirus particles; and collecting the virus particles.
The retroviral genome is preferably an HIV virus genome and most preferably an HIV-1 genome. In one embodiment, the polxe2x88x92 construct is plasmid pHXB2 with nucleotides 2621-4552 deleted. The method may further include the step of modifying the retroviral genome to represent protein sequence variations in immunologically variant retroviruses.
The pseudotyping construct is preferably a construct for expressing the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein. The polxe2x88x92 construct, the packaging construct and the pseudotyping construct may be co-transfected or, alternately, at least one of the pseudotyping construct and the packaging construct are carried stably in the genome of the host cell.
The present invention further includes a replication-defective retrovirus particle, including a retroviral genome in which a portion of the pol gene including the protease and reverse transcriptase activity coding regions is modified to the extent that the remaining pol gene cannot produce a protease and reverse transcriptase capable of functioning in replication of the genome. As described above in connection with the method embodiment, the retroviral genome can be an HIV genome and, preferably, an HIV-1 genome. In one embodiment, the retroviral genome is a polxe2x88x92 construct that is derived from plasmid pHXB2 with nucleotides 2621-4552 thereof deleted. The pseudotyping protein may be the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein.
The present invention further includes a vaccine including the above-described virus particle in its variously described embodiment in combination with a pharmaceutically and/or veterinarilly suitable excipient. The excipient can include mono-, di-, oligo- and polysaccharides, viscosity enhancing and/or tackifying agents, polymers, block polymers and cross-linked polymers. The vaccine can be lyophilized for use in reconstituted form or in immunization by scarification. Further, the vaccine can be formulated into a form selected from the group consisting of an oral liquid, an oral capsule, a liquid for parenteral injection, a transdermal or transmucosal device and a suppository and includes a suitable excipient for preparation of the selected form.


A process for alkaline leaching of a titaniferous material containing silica and alumina impurities in which spent leachant is recycled by treating to remove the silica and alumina impurities therefrom, by heating, maintaining the leachant at leaching temperature, or treating with an additive. The removal of the silica and alumina impurities by the method of the invention enables further use of the leachant.

The present invention relates to the treatment of a leachant used in leaching impurities from a titaniferous material to upgrade the titania content of the titaniferous material.
The term "titaniferous material" is understood herein to mean a material which contains at least 2 wt % titanium.
In particular the present invention relates to the treatment of a leachant to enhance the effectiveness of the leachant for the removal of impurities in titaniferous materials.
More particularly, although by no means exclusively, the present invention is concerned with minimising the effect on a leaching process of silica and alumina, which are present as impurities in many titaniferous materials.
In a particular embodiment the present invention provides a process whereby the concentrations of silica and alumina in a recycling leachant in a leaching process are maintained below concentrations that affect adversely the leaching process.
In industrial chlorination processes titanium dioxide bearing feedstocks are fed with coke to chlorinators of various designs (fluidised bed, shaft, molten salt), operated to a maxim temperature in the range 700.degree.-1200.degree. C. The most common type of industrial chlorinator is of the fluidised bed design. Gaseous chlorine is passed through the titania and carbon bearing charge, converting titanium dioxide to titanium tetrachloride gas, which is then removed in the exit gas stream and condensed to liquid titanium tetrachloride for further purification and processing.
The chlorination process as conducted in industrial chlorinators is well suited to the conversion of pure titanium dioxide feedstocks to titanium tetrachloride. However, most other inputs (i.e. impurities in feedstocks) cause difficulties which greatly complicate either the chlorination process itself or the subsequent stages of condensation and purification. The attached table provides an indication of the typea of problems encountered. In addition, each unit of inputs which does not enter products contributes substantially to the generation of wastes for treatment and disposal. Some inputs (e.g. heavy metals, radioactives) result in waste classifications which may require specialist disposal in monitored repositories. Preferred inputs to chlorination are therefore high grade materials, with the mineral rutile (at 95-96% TiO.sub.2) the most suitable of present feeds. Shortages of rutile have led to the development of other feedstocks formed by upgrading naturally occurring ilmenite (at 40-60% TiO.sub.2), such as titaniferous slag (approximately 86% TiO.sub.2) and synthetic rutile (variously 92-95% TiO.sub.2). These upgrading processes have had iron removal as a primary focus, but have extended to removal of manganese and alkali earth impurities, as well as some aluminium.
______________________________________ Elemental Input Chlorination Condensation Purification ______________________________________ Fe, Mn Consumes Solid/liquid chlorine, chlorides coke, foul increases ductwork, gas volumes make sludges Alkali Defluidise & alkali earth fluid beds due metals to liquid chlorides, consume chlorine, coke Al Consumes Causes Causes chlorine, corrosion corrosion, coke makes sludges Si Accumulates Can encourage May require in duct distillation chlorinator, blockage. from product reducing Condenses in campaign part with life. titanium Consumes tetrachloride coke, chlorine V Must be removed by chemical treatment and distillation Th, Ra Accumulates in chlorinator brickwork, radioactive; causes disposal difficulties ______________________________________
In the prior art synthetic rutile has been formed from titaniferous minerals, e.g. ilmenite, via various techniques. According to the most commonly applied technique, as variously operated in Western Australia, the titaniferous mineral is reduced with coal or char in a rotary kiln, at temperatures in excess of 1100.degree. C. In this process the iron content of the mineral is substantially metallised. Sulphur additions are also made to convert manganese impurities partially to sulphides. Following reduction the metallised product is cooled, separated from associated char, and then subjected to aqueous aeration for removal of virtually all contained metallic iron as a separable fine iron oxide. The titaniferous product of separation is treated with 2-5% aqueous sulphuric acid for dissolution of manganese and some residual iron. There is no substantial chemical removal of alkali or alkaline earths, aluminium, silicon, vanadium or radionuclides in this process as disclosed or operated. Further, iron and manganese removal is incomplete.
Recent disclosures have provided a process which operates reduction at lower temperatures and provides for hydrochloric acid leaching after the aqueous aeration and iron oxide separation steps. According to disclosures the process is effective in removing iron, manganese, alkali and alkaline earth impurities, a substantial proportion of aluminium inputs and some vanadium as well as thorium. The process may be operated as a retrofit on existing kiln based installations. However, the process is ineffective in full vanadium removal and has little chemical impact on silicon.
In another prior art invention relatively high degrees of removal of magnesium, manganese, iron and aluminium have been achieved. In one such process ilmenite is first thermally reduced to substantially complete reduction of its ferric oxide content (i.e. without substantial metallisation), normally in a rotary kiln. The cooled, reduced product is then leached under 35 psi pressure at 140.degree.-150.degree. C. with excess 20% hydrochloric acid for removal of iron, magnesium, aluminium and manganese. The leach liquors are spray roasted for regeneration of hydrogen chloride, which is recirculated to the leaching step.
In other processes the ilmenite undergoes grain refinement by thermal oxidation followed by thermal reduction (either in a fluidised bed or a rotary kiln). The cooled, reduced product is then subjected to atmospheric leaching with excess 20% hydrochloric acid, for removal of the deleterious impurities. Acid regeneration is also performed by spray roasting in this process. In all of the above mentioned hydrochloric acid leaching based processes impurity removal is similar. Vanadium, aluminium and silicon removal is not fully effective.
In yet another process ilmenite is thermally reduced (without metallisation) with carbon in a rotary kiln, followed by cooling in a nonoxidising atmosphere. The cooled, reduced product is leached under 20-30 psi gauge pressure at 130.degree. C. with 10-60% (typically 18-25%) sulphuric acid, in the presence of a seed material which assists hydrolysis of dissolved titania, and consequently assists leaching of impurities. Hydrochloric acid usage in place of sulphuric acid has been claimed for this process. Under such circumstances similar impurity removal to that achieved with other hydrochloric acid based systems is to be expected. Where sulphuric acid is used radioactivity removal will not be complete.
A commonly adopted method for upgrading of ilmenite to higher grade products is to smelt ilmenite with coke addition in an electric furnace, producing a molten titaniferous slag (for casting and crushing) and a pig iron product. Of the problem impurities only iron is removed in this manner, and then only incompletely as a result of compositional limitations of the process.
A wide range of potential feedstocks is available for upgrading to high titania content materials suited to chlorination. Examples of primary titania sources which cannot be satisfactorily upgraded by prior art processes for the purposes of production of a material suited to chlorination include hard rock (non detrital) ilmenites, siliceous leucoxenes, many primary (unweathered) ilmenites and large anatase resources. Many such secondary sources (e.g. titania bearing slags) also exist.
Clearly there is a considerable incentive to discover methods for upgrading of titaniferous materials which can economically produce high grade products almost irrespectively of the nature of the impurities in the feed.
At present producers of titania pigment by the chloride process require feedstocks to have silica levels as low as possible. In general most feedstocks are less than 2% SiO.sub.2. Where, for various reasons, feedstocks with high levels of silica may be taken in, they are blended against other low silica feedstocks, often with significant cost and productivity penalties. Therefore suppliers of titaniferous feedstocks for chlorination traditionally select ores and concentrates which will result in beneficiated products with low levels of silica. This is generally achieved by mineral dressing techniques based on physical separations. In these processes it is only possible to reject essentially the majority of free quartz particles without sacrificing recovery of the valuable titania minerals. A level of mineralogically entrained silica will normally remain in titaniferous concentrates. In the upgrading processes for ilmenite to synthetic rutile which are presently operated, the removal of iron and other major impurities result in a concentration effect for the silica which exacerbates the requirements for ilmenite concentrates as feedstocks to upgrading plants. Silica is not removed by any commercial upgrading process.
Chemical removal of silica from titaniferous concentrates and upgraded products can be achieved theoretically by aqueous leaching. The leaching of silica from titaniferous materials is frequently accompanied by leaching of other impurities such as alumina. Such impurities are present in most titaniferous materials. When even small concentrations of impurities such as alumina are taken into solution, silica may precipitate as impurity and silica bearing solid compounds within the leach, reducing the effectiveness of the leach. It is therefore necessary to closely control the level of some impurities such as alumina in the leachant produced by any leach treatment process and to employ relatively high ratios of leachant to solid feed.
In the prior art, silica and some other impurities have been removed from titaniferous materials by aqueous leaching with very high excesses of simple caustic solutions. An excess is necessary to prevent impurities present within the titaniferous materials (such as alumina) from interfering with the effectiveness of the leach. In some cases, the spent leachants are discarded. Prior to discard such solutions will generally require neutralisation to satisfy environmental constraints. The cost of the caustic leachant and the neutralisation steps are normally far in excess of the value added to the upgraded titania.
In other processes in which caustic leaching of non titaniferous materials is conducted, spent caustic leachants are regenerated by the addition of lime to precipitate solid calcium silicate compounds which are removed. These processes are conducted in such a manner as to regenerate the active leachant ingredient, viz. caustic, rather than to prevent the accumulation of deleterious impurities observed for titaniferous systems. The precipitates produced frequently have relatively high calcia to silica ratios which will result in much higher consumption of lime than could be economically tolerated for the commensurate silica removal. Further, the precipitates have limited capacity for deleterious impurities. Thus this method of regeneration is of limited usefulness in the treatment of titaniferous materials as deleterious impurities are reported back to the leach step.
In summary the removal of silica and other impurities from titaniferous materials by alkaline leaching is not generally practised due to practical limitations of leachant effectiveness under economic conditions. There is no existing technique in which control of impurities which inhibit the maximum removal of silica is possible while maintaining economic reagent and energy consumption.

Process for alkaline leaching a titaniferous material


A lock pin assembly is provided. The lock pin assembly is structured to coupled a panel board device to a panel board. The panel board device includes a body defining a number of mounting passages. The lock pin assembly includes an elongated body, a first radial extension, and, in an exemplary embodiment, a biasing device. The lock pin body is rotatably disposed in the panel board device mounting passage. The lock pin body is moved between an unlocked, first radial position, wherein said first radial extension does not engage a panel board back plate mounting tab, and a locked, second radial position, wherein said first radial extension engages a panel board back plate mounting tab.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed and claimed concept relates to a panel board and, more specifically, to a locking assembly for a panel board device.
2. Background Information
A panel board, or other type of load center, includes a number of conductive members disposed in a housing assembly defining an enclosure. The conductive members include "stabs" to which a panel board device, such as, but not limited to, a circuit breaker, is attached. That is, the conductive members, as shown, are planar members and the stab is a generally planar tab extending generally perpendicular thereto. A panel board device includes a conductive spring clip that engages the stab and thereby couples the panel board device to the conductive member. This is a disadvantage in that a coupling that relies upon friction is not always secure.
Further, the panel board device must include a coupling that is compatible with the size and shape of the stab. This is a disadvantage as not every device that could conveniently be disposed in the panel board housing assembly can be, or needs to be, directly coupled to a stab. That is, a panel board includes other constructs that may be used to mount a panel board device within the housing assembly. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the panel board housing assembly includes a number of generally opposing mounting tabs to which a panel board device may be coupled.
There is, therefore, a need for a coupling assembly for a panel board that secures, i.e. locks, a panel board device to a panel board or a stab. There is a further need for a locking coupling assembly that is compatible with existing panel boards and their housing assemblies.

Locking assembly for a panel board device


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving, from a client device, an ad request for an ad space being for presentation in a user interface of an application on the client device, sending, to bidder systems, a bid request on the ad space, receiving bids from the bidder systems, selecting, from the received bids, a cost-per-view bid corresponding to a first creative and a cost-per-impression bid corresponding to a second creative, and sending a message to the client device wherein the message comprises respective identifiers of the first and second creatives, and wherein the client device is configured to obtain the first creative and present the first creative in the ad space if the ad space is in view one the client device within a specified time period.

This specification relates to online advertising, and more particularly, to advertisement space auction and payment.
Online display advertising delivers promotional messages to consumers by using visual advertisements (or "ads") in web pages. A publisher of a web page can insert an ad space in a web page. An ad space is a region of a web page (or other electronic document) where an advertisement can be placed. When the web page is displayed in a browser, a visual advertisement (a "creative") of an advertiser can be dynamically retrieved from an ad server for the advertiser, and displayed in the ad space. The act of serving a creative on a web page for displaying is often referred to as an impression.
An ad space inventory is a collection of one or more ad spaces on web pages served by a publisher's web sites. Publishers can sell their ad space inventories to advertisers. Multiple publishers and multiple advertisers can participate in auctions in which selling and buying of ad space inventories take place. Auctions can be conducted by an ad network or ad exchange that brokers between a group of publishers and a group of advertisers.
Selling and buying ad spaces can be based on pricing or payment models such as cost per thousand impressions (CPM), cost per view (CPV), cost per click (CPC), and cost per action or acquisition (CPA). In the CPM model, advertisers typically pay for every impression of their advertisement; the price paid for each impression is measured in price per 1000 ("mille") impressions. In the CPV model, advertisers typically pay each time their advertisement is viewed. In the CPC model, advertisers typically pay each time a viewer clicks on their advertisement. In the CPA model, advertisers pay for every action, such as a sale or registration, completed as a result of a viewer clicking on their advertisement.

Cost-per-view and cost-per-impression bids on a single impression


Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media are disclosed for variably rendering graphical representations of co-users in VR environments based on social graph information between the co-users and a VR user. For example, the disclosed systems can identify a co-user within a VR environment. Furthermore, the disclosed systems can determine a social relevancy (e.g., a social relationship type) between the co-user and a VR user within the VR environment based on social graph information. Then, the disclosed systems can select and/or determine a graphical representation and/or other capabilities of the co-user within the VR environment based on the social relevancy. Additionally, the disclosed systems can display the co-user within the VR environment using the determined graphical representation type (e.g., from the perspective of the VR user).

The present disclosure generally relates to virtual reality (VR) systems. Virtual reality systems and environments allow a user to view a virtual environment through a head mounted display by generated sensory input. Sensory input can be any form of media, such as sound, video, graphics, etc. Often times, events (e.g., social events, video game events, sporting events, concerts, etc.) can be available in a virtual environment. Indeed, recent years have seen an increase in events that are available within virtual environments and are attended by a number of virtual reality system users. In particular, conventional virtual reality systems often enable large numbers of users to attend events within virtual reality environments and interact with and/or view other users and/or objects within the virtual reality environments.
However, conventional virtual reality systems often utilize an increasing amount of computational resources (e.g., processing power of a head mounted display) to display and/or manage a large number of users (e.g., hundreds, thousands, or millions of users) within a virtual reality environment. As such, many conventional virtual reality systems cannot efficiently and easily render large numbers of users within a virtual reality environment due to limitations in bandwidth and/or rendering power of virtual reality systems. For instance, many conventional virtual reality systems limit the number of users that are present in a virtual reality environment. Furthermore, conventional virtual reality systems often utilize an excessive amount of computational resources to include as many users in a virtual reality environment as possible (e.g., at the expense of battery life and/or excessive heat generation).
Additionally, conventional virtual reality systems often cannot efficiently and/or easily enable a user to interact with and/or manage a large number of users within a virtual reality environment. For example, some conventional virtual reality systems fail to enable a virtual reality user to easily discover and interact with other users (or graphical representations of users) that are relevant to the virtual reality user within a crowded virtual reality environment. Moreover, many conventional virtual reality systems also fail to efficiently and/or easily avoid unwanted behaviors and/or interactions between a virtual reality user and other users in the crowded virtual reality environment.
These along with other problems and issues exist with regard to conventional virtual reality systems.

Using social connections to define graphical representations of users in an artificial reality setting


A wire connection structure for vehicle optional part includes a power socket connected to a vehicle power supply, and obtains a power supply for an optional part by cutting in a feeder path supplying electric power to the power socket. In the wire connection structure, a main-side output cord branched from a main harness is preliminarily connected to the back surface side of the power socket by way of couplers. In addition, each optional part harness is provided at an end portion thereof with an option-side output cord and an input cord, which each have a standardized structure. At the time of additionally installing each optional part, the option-side output cord is connected to the power socket, and the main-side output cord or the option-side output cord, which has been detached from the power socket, is bent into a U shape and connected to the input cord.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire connection structure for vehicle optional parts. More particularly, the invention relates to a wire connection structure for vehicle optional parts by which to additionally install a plurality of electronic apparatuses to be driven by a single power supply system.
Description of Related Art
Heretofore, there have been known a variety of structures by which power supply lines of electronic apparatuses to be additionally installed so as to be driven by a single power supply system are allowed to cut in the original power supply system.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 1-100883 discloses an inter-apparatus connection device designed for connecting a plurality of electronic apparatuses in a row by a daisy chain system. In this inter-apparatus connection device, standardization of connection cables is realized by connecting the connection cables between the apparatuses by way of common cable relays.
In addition, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 62-70038 discloses a wire connection structure for additionally installing electronic apparatuses as optional parts in a meter device of a vehicle. In this structure, a feeder socket to be connected to a back side of an optional part is designed to be compatible with an existing socket hole formed in a meter case.
Meanwhile, optimization of a wire connection structure has been investigated. This is for the purpose of ensuring that in the case of additionally installing an auxiliary light, a winch or the like as a vehicle optional part in a vehicle, also, a wiring of the optional part is allowed to cut in the original wiring structure supplied with power from an on-vehicle battery.
However, in the technologies described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 1-100883 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 62-70038, investigation has not been made of enhancement of workability in connecting a feeder cord of a vehicle optional part, or of a contrivance for efficiently arranging the feeder cords the number of which increases as each vehicle optional part is additionally installed.

Wire connection structure for vehicle optional parts


A gaming system receives a total wager for a game session which occurs over a designated period of time. The game session includes a plurality of different wagering events. Each of the wagering events is associated with one of a plurality of different magnitudes. For each of the plurality of different wagering events, the gaming system determines: a portion of the total wager amount, and a wager by modifying the determined portion by the magnitude associated with that wagering event. The gaming system causes the wagering event to occur, determines at least one outcome for the wagering event, determines any awards based on the determined wager and the at least one determined outcome, and provides any of the determined awards to the player.

Gaming devices that enable a player to place a wager for a game session over a designated period of time are known. These known game sessions typically include a number of events in which, for each event, the gaming system determines a wager for the event based on an amount of time elapsed since the beginning of the event or since a previous event. These known gaming devices take into account time between each event, but not the events themselves. One drawback of such known gaming devices is that they treat all events equally, applying all of the accrued amounts between wagering events to the next wagering event without taking into account what the wagering events are.
There is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming systems, gaming devices and methods which enable a player to place a wager for a game session which occurs over a designated period of time.

Gaming systems, gaming devices and methods having time based games and magnitudes associated with wagering events in the time based games


An information processing device includes a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to obtain data including a temperature in a space where each of a plurality of air conditioning apparatuses is installed, a temperature outside the space, and power consumption of the plurality of air conditioning apparatuses, calculate a factor to obtain relationship between the temperature in the space, the temperature outside the space, and the power consumption related to each of the plurality of the air conditioning apparatuses based on the obtained data, and calculate, in a case of changing a setting temperature of the plurality of air conditioning apparatuses, a change width of each of the setting temperatures of the plurality of air conditioning apparatuses in such a manner that variation in the change width becomes a control unit using an objective function expressing a cost of a power supplier and the calculated factor.

In power supply plans carried out by power companies in the past, a demand is normally handled as a predicted value (fixed value). Such a power supply plan is a plan to adjust the amount of power supply by running or stopping power generating facilities.
In recent years, as a method for controlling power consumption of a demander on the side of the power provider, demand response/demand side management (hereinafter, referred to as DR/DSM) has been started reviewing. DR/DSM is a method of achieving coordination of power supply and demand by monitoring the demand in the power grid on the side of the power provider and making a power control plan for each apparatus in accordance with the demand to suppress power consumption of each apparatus.
As such related art, there are disclosed, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2000-78748, Japanese Patent No. 2934417, and the like.
In a case that a power provider carries out DR/DSM, the power provider is capable of controlling the power consumption by changing the value of setting temperature that affects power consumption of an air conditioning apparatus. In a case that setting temperatures of a plurality of air conditioning apparatuses is controlled by a power provider, it is preferred that load due to the control of the power consumption is not concentrated on a specific air conditioning apparatus.

Information processing device, information processing method, and storage medium


An adaptor device is provided for connecting and accessing data cards of various specifications and includes a data card insertion structure, a cover board, and a carrier board. The data card insertion structure forms at least one first insertion slot for the insertion of the carrier board. The carrier board forms at least one data card carrying section for carrying at least one selected data card. The cover board is mounted to a top surface of the data card insertion structure. An underside of the cover board is provided, at a predetermined position, with at least one set of signal contact elements. When the carrier board is inserted in the first insertion slot, a signal contact section of the data card is electrically connectable with the signal contact elements of the cover board for direct output through a signal connection port of the cover board or for output to a computer device via a signal connection port of the data card insertion structure.

PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) is an international standard that defines and promotes PC Card (formerly known as "PCMCIA card"). PCMCIA interfaces are commonly used in regular desktop computers or notebook computers to serve as a data card reading device. The PCMCIA interfaces have very broad applications and are commonly used with an adaptor interface device to read data cards or memory cards of various specifications or to serve as an externally connected wireless networking card or a transmission interface for other external devices.
FIG. 1 of the attached drawings shows a conventional dual-slot computer card adaptor device. As shown, a notebook computer 100 is provided, at a side wall thereof, with an adaptor device 1 that meets PCMCIA specifications. The adaptor device 1 comprises a data card insertion structure 10, which is of a dual-slot configuration, including a first insertion slot 11 having an associated first ejection button 110 and a second insertion slot 12 having an associated ejection button 120. The first insertion slot 11 and the second insertion slot 12 are each for the insertion of a computer card 13 for accessing and supplying the data of the computer card 13 to the notebook computer 100.
In respect of known techniques that use a PCMCIA interface to read data cards of various formats, Taiwan Utility Model M246731 discloses a seven-in-one PCMCIA interface, wherein a connection circuit is provided in a cartridge that mates a slot of the PCMCIA interface. A front end of the cartridge is provided with a connector for the insertion of a memory card of one of the following seven specifications: CF, MD, MMC, MS, SD, SM and XD and for access, exchange, and transmission of data of the various memory cards via the connection circuit. Thus, an electric/electronic appliance that is provided with a PCMCIA interface is allowed to read/write a memory card of at least the previously mentioned seven specifications.

Adaptor device for connecting and accessing data card and computer device incorporating the adaptor device


Some embodiments of a system and a method to verify compliance in a connected system have been presented. For instance, a system management server provided by a software vendor is installed in a customer's network to manage a set of computer systems belonging to the customer. The system management server can provide cryptographically timestamped hashes of states of the system management server to the software vendor periodically to allow the software vendor to verify compliance information from the customer.

Currently, a system management server can be installed in a connected mode. In that mode, the system management server may "call home" to the system management server provider's network or to any other proprietary service. That includes management of entitlements, allowing client machines to consume software channels and other services. The communication between the system management server and the system management server provider may be substantially continuous, or at least, frequent.
A conventional signed "certificate" is issued to the customer, which has the number of entitlements listed for each item. The numbers are then copied to the database tables and the system management server restricts access if the limit is reached. Nothing, however, prevents customers from tampering the database tables, such as increasing the raw numbers in the database tables to obtain more entitlements without paying for them.

State-based compliance verification in a connected system


A transmitter-receiver controller system for remote actuation of devices or appliances such as security systems and garage door opener systems. The transmitter and receiver each utilize a programmable microcontroller for encoding and decoding signals. The device code, the data transmission format and the transmission frequency are selectable. The device code, data transmission format and the transmission frequency of the transmitter and/or the receiver can be selected to emulate other remote transmitter-receiver controller systems to enable operation of the present transmitter and receiver with those systems.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed in general to controller systems including transmitters and/or receivers which operate on a coded signal and, in particular, to a controller system in which the transmitter and receiver are capable of selectively operating with one of a plurality of coded signals at a plurality of frequencies.
2. Prior Art
Transmitter-receiver controller systems (hereinafter transmitter-receiver systems) are widely used for remote control and/or actuation of devices or appliances such as garage door openers, gate openers, security systems, and the like. For example, most conventional garage door opener systems use a transmitter-receiver combination to selectively activate the drive source (i.e., motor) for opening or closing the door. The receiver is usually mounted adjacent to the motor and receives a coded signal (typically RF) from the transmitter. The transmitter is carried in the vehicle and selectively activated by a user to send the coded signal to open or close the garage door.
Different manufacturers of such transmitter-receiver systems normally utilize different code schemes for the coded signal and may also operate their products at different transmission frequencies within the allocated frequency range for this type of system. The code scheme typically includes two aspects: 1) a device code (equivalent to a device address) for the transmitter and receiver, and 2) a transmission format, i.e., the characteristics of the transmitted signal including timing parameters and modulation characteristics related to encoded data. The code scheme used by one manufacturer is usually incompatible with the code schemes of systems produced by other manufacturers. Currently available transmitter-receiver systems typically employ custom encoders and decoders to implement the code scheme. These encoders and decoders are fabricated with custom integrated circuits such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). They are, to a large degree, fixed hardware devices and allow very limited flexibility in the encoding/decoding operation or in the modification of the encoding/decoding operation.
Consequently, if a user has two or more systems from different manufacturers, multiple transmitters may be necessary to operate all of the systems. For example, if a user has multiple garages (e.g., a vacation home, an office or the like), multiple transmitters may be required to operate different systems at each location. Moreover, businesses that sell or maintain transmitter-receiver systems from more than one manufacturer must maintain an inventory of each type of device when the transmitters/receivers have distinct code transmission format or transmission frequency requirements.
To provide greater flexibility and avoid the requirement for multiple inventories, there is a need for a transmitter unit and a receiver unit which can selectively emulate the transmitters and receivers of other transmitter-receiver systems to enable the transmitter unit and/or receiver unit to operate in such other systems.

Remote transmitter-receiver controller system


A portable electronic device that provides compact configurations for audio elements are disclosed. The audio elements can be drivers (e.g., speakers) or receivers (e.g., microphones). In one embodiment, an audio element can be mounted on or coupled to an intermediate structure (e.g., a flexible electrical substrate) having an opening therein to allow audio sound to pass there through. In another embodiment, an audio chamber can be formed to assist in directing audio sound between an opening an outer housing and a flexible electronic substrate to which the audio element is mounted or coupled thereto. In still another embodiment, a barrier, such as a mesh barrier, can be provided in an opening of an outer housing so that undesired foreign substances can be blocked from further entry into the opening in the outer housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to audio ports for electronic devices and, more particularly, for audio port configurations for compact electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today, it is popular for portable electronic devices, such as notebook computers, netbook computers, portable digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players) and the like, include at least one speaker to produce audio sound output and at least one microphone to receive audio sound input.
Portable electronic devices often provide audio jacks (i.e., audio connectors) that facilitate connection with headsets or headphones which provide personal external speakers for their users. Alternatively or additionally, portable electronic devices can provide one or more internal speakers that are able to be utilized for producing audio sound. Similarly, portable electronic devices can have a microphone jack that facilitates connection with a microphone which can be externally provided for a user. Alternatively or additionally, portable electronic device can provide one or more internal microphones that are able to be used to pickup (i.e., receive) audio sound.
There is, however, an ongoing need to make portable electronic devices smaller and thinner. As portable electronic devices get smaller and thinner, there are increased difficulties in providing the same or greater functionality in a smaller area. With respect to audio sound, a portable electronic device can utilize at least one or two speakers and one or more microphones provided internal to the housing of the portable electronic device. Unfortunately, given the area constraints imposed on many portable electronic devices, it is increasingly difficult to provide high-quality audio sound output and pickup without hindering the ability to make portable electronic devices smaller and thinner. Consequently, there is a need for improved approaches to provide high-quality audio sound output and/or pickup from portable electronic devices as they get smaller and thinner.

Audio port configuration for compact electronic devices


Compounds corresponding to formula I,

Indanes, benzopyrans and analogues of such compounds which have potassium channel-blocking effects, and in particular effects beneficially influencing the cardiovascular system, are already known from specification WO 00/12077 A1 (equivalent to U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,356).
Document WO 00/58300 discloses chroman derivatives which are suitable as pharmaceutical formulations, in particular antiarhythmically effective pharmaceutical formulations.
Published international patent application WO 2005/037780 (equivalent to US 2005/0148659) refers to novel amidomethyl-substituted 2-(4-sulphonylamino)-3-hydroxy-3,4-dihydro-2H-chromen-6-yl derivatives with a potassium channel-blocking effect, in particular with an effect influencing the cardiovascular system, and also to pharmaceutical formulations containing these compounds.

Abstract: Compounds corresponding to formula I,

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10 and n have the meanings given in the description, and also a process for the preparation of these compounds and intermediate products of this process. Furthermore, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of Formula I and related methods of treatment.


A sensor assembly may include a Wheatstone bridge with one or more sense elements, an amplifier coupled to the Wheatstone bridge for providing a sensor output signal, a resistor, and a switch for connecting the resistor between the sensor and an adjustable power source output to induce an offset in the sensor output signal. In some instances, a controller may perform an automatic shunt calibration procedure by activating the switch to connect the resistor between the sensor and the adjustable power source output to induce an offset in the sensor output signal. The controller may read the output value and compare the output value with a predetermined value. The controller may adjust the power source output to a value that moves the sensor output value toward the predetermined value. The controller may repeat the reading, comparing and adjusting step until the sensor output value is within a predetermined range of the predetermined value.

Pressure sensors often include a pressure sense element that is configured to detect a pressure of a media to be sensed by converting mechanical stress caused by the incoming pressure of the media into an electrical output signal. Pressure measurements are typically taken in the context of absolute, gauge or differential (or relative) pressure measurements. An absolute pressure sensor measures a pressure relative to a vacuum (or near vacuum). A gauge sensor measures a pressure relative to atmospheric pressure. A differential pressure sensor measures a pressure difference between two pressure inputs. Pressure sensors are used in a wide variety of applications including commercial, automotive, aerospace, industrial, and medical applications, among other similar and dissimilar industries.
A common method for field calibration of such pressure sensors includes the "shunt calibration" method. This method typically applies a known, accurate resistance across one leg of the pressure sensor transducer, which simulates an actual physical stimulus when one is not present. Upon application of this shunt resistance, the output of the pressure sensor transducer changes as it would if a known pressure were applied. The shunt calibration method has some shortcomings. For example, in order to achieve the most accurate results, the value of the shunt resistance should be tailored to and depend on the particularly characteristics of the pressure sensor at hand. In some cases, the value of the shunt resistance may be calculated from calibration data derived from the particular pressure sensor. However, the selection of a shunt resistance value during calibration of the pressure sensor tends to increase the complexity of calibration and assembly of the pressure sensor, since various values of shunt resistors must be stocked in the factory, and since only a limited number of resistance values can be stocked, an ideal shunt resistance value will often not be achieved. What would be desirable is an improved system and method for shunt calibration of a sensor.

System and method for automated shunt calibration of a sensor


A stabilizer system for a vehicle that includes a stabilizer bar and an actuator for changing stiffness of the stabilizer bar, an electric current to be supplied to an electric motor that is a drive source of the actuator is changed based on various parameters. The supply current is made smaller in a situation in which an operational direction of the actuator is toward a neutral position, than in another situation. Further, the supply current is made smaller with an increase in a distance of the operational position of the actuator from the neutral position. Moreover, the supply current is made larger with an increase in a steering speed. In detail, when the supply current is determined by multiplying a basic supply current by a control gain, the control gain is set to change depending upon the above-indicated parameter, whereby the supply current is changed based on the parameters.

In recent years, there has been developed a so-called "active stabilizer system", in detail, a stabilizer system in which stiffness or rigidity of a stabilizer bar is changed for thereby effectively controlling or restraining roll of a vehicle body. For instance, JP-A-2002-518245 disclose a stabilizer system equipped with an actuator which has an electric motor and which changes the stiffness of the stabilizer bar with respect to the roll of the vehicle body. By controlling the operation of the actuator, the roll of the vehicle body is effectively restrained or suppressed. JP-A-2005-35515 discloses, for controlling the stabilizer system, a method of determining an amount of electric power to be supplied to the electric motor based on roll-restraining moment to be exhibited by the stabilizer bar.


"A method and apparatus for organizing windows to be displayed on a screen of a computer system into window groups by attribute, function, content, or any arbitrary characteristic. A window's membership in a window group is also assigned a status that determines whether the window, upon selection, is displayed individually or as part of that group. Each window may simultaneously belong to a plurality of window groups. A data structure may be formed in a table where windows represent rows and window groups represent columns".

A computer system typically includes a monitor having a display screen for presenting information, such as text and images, to the user. The display screen can be configured into a window environment in which separate areas of the display screen, called windows, are established. Each window, which is typically rectangular in shape, can present or represent different information or different views of the same information. Examples of popular software systems that employ window environments are the System/7.RTM. operating system developed by Apple Computer, Inc. and the Microsoft Windows .RTM. operating system, which is commercially available from Microsoft Corporation.
A window manager controls the size and position of each window on the display screen. The window manager is a set of system software routines, located within the computer's operating system, that is responsible for managing the windows that the user views during operation of the computer system. The window manager keeps track of the location and size of each window and the window areas that must be drawn and redrawn in response to commands issued by application programs executing on the computer system. These commands, which may include move windows, change window sizes, etc., are generated and sent by the application program to the window manager via application programming interfaces (APIs). APIs typically include a collection of system calls requesting services from the operating system.
Each application program executing on the computer system typically defines a set of windows that are associated with that application. For example, a drawing application may define a window into which a user "draws" images as well as palette windows which contain tools, such as pencil, color, etc., for drawing those images. Similarly, a word processing application may have a window into which text is entered as well as palette windows containing the tools, such as cut, paste, paragraph numbering, etc., available to manipulate the text.
The window manager typically stores these windows in layers defined by and associated with those application programs. A window layer is simply a set of all the windows associated with a single application program. The window manager maintains these window layers in a block of memory.
In addition to controlling the size and position of each window on the display screen, the window manager also controls the front-to-back order of the windows displayed on the display screen. This front-to-back positioning is referred to as the window's "z-order", which is named for the z-axis of a three-dimensional coordinate system, where z is the coordinate extending into the computer screen. In particular, a number is assigned by the operating system to each layer of windows describing its priority class relative to the other window layers. A window layer's priority class defines where in the z-order the window layer can be placed. For example, a window layer of priority class "2", e.g. a screen saver, always appears in front of a window layer of priority class "3", e.g. an application program, while multiple window layers of priority class "3", e.g. a word processing application and a spreadsheet application, can overlie each other in the z-order.
In general, the window manager draws the entire layer of windows associated with a currently executing application program at the front of the computer screen for display to a user, provided that the priority class of the window layer is the same as or higher than the priority class of any other window layer on the display screen. For example, if the user initiates a word processing operation, then the layer of windows associated with a word processing application is brought to the front of the screen. Behind that layer of word processing windows is a layer of windows associated with the last executed application program, such as a drawing application, which is assigned to the same priority class as the word processing layer of windows. Behind the layer of drawing windows is a third layer of windows from the application program used before the drawing application, such as a spreadsheet application.
When a user selects a window that is not displayed on the front of the screen, the window manager brings that window and all of the windows in that layer to the front of the screen, provided that the priority class of the selected window layer is the same as or higher than the window layer being displayed. If, during a word processing task, for example, the user selects a window from the spreadsheet application, the window manager re-draws the screen so that all of the windows from the spreadsheet application are at the front of the screen. This re-drawing of the windows displayed on the screen also alters the z-ordering of windows by placing the spreadsheet layer of windows ahead of the word processing layer of windows.
Such re-positioning of window layers by application program, however, may be annoying to a user wanting to work with only a particular window or windows of the layer. For example, the layer containing the spreadsheet windows may include two data field windows, e.g. D.sub.A and D.sub.B, and three palette windows, P.sub.1, P.sub.2 and P.sub.3, where palette windows P.sub.1 and P.sub.2 contain tools that apply only to data field D.sub.A and palette window P.sub.3 contains tools that apply only to data field D.sub.B. As noted, the window manager arranges all of these windows into a single layer and when the user selects any spreadsheet window, e.g., D.sub.B, all of these windows are brought to the front of the display screen, even though the user may want to work only with window D.sub.B. The screen is thus crowded with many more windows than the user desires.
A programmer could create a predetermined layer of windows "manually", i.e., by having the application program issue individual calls to the window manager to bring particular windows to the front of the display screen. Such a series of distinct procedures, however, results in significant consumption of resources by the operating system and may be distracting to the user as the window environment is altered piece-by-piece. Furthermore, these predetermined layers only include windows defined by that application.

Method and apparatus for organizing window groups and windows in a table


A multilayer tube including at least three layers including a layer (a) formed of (A) polyamide 11 and/or polyamide 12, a layer (b) formed of (B) a polyamide (semi-aromatic polyamide) including a dicarboxylic acid unit containing a terephthalic acid and/or naphthalenedicarboxylic acid unit in a proportion of 50 mol % or more based on all dicarboxylic acid units, and a diamine unit containing an aliphatic diamine unit having a carbon number of 9 to 13 in a proportion of 60 mol % or more based on all diamine units, and a layer (c) formed of (C) a fluorine-containing polymer having introduced into the molecular chain thereof a functional group having reactivity with a polyamide-based resin, is provided as a multilayer tube excellent in an alcohol gasoline permeation-preventing property, interlayer adhesion, low-temperature impact resistance, heat resistance and chemical resistance.

The main material of a tube for automobile piping is shifting from a metal to a lightweight resin, with an excellent rust-preventing property, so as to overcome an old problem of rusting due to anti-freeze agents on roads or to meet the recent requirement for energy saving which is a pressing issue in view of the prevention of global warming. The resin usually used for the piping tube includes a polyamide-based resin, a saturated polyester-based resin, a polyolefin-based resin, a thermoplastic polyurethane-based resin and the like. However, a single-layer tube using such a resin is insufficient in heat resistance, chemical resistance and the like and, therefore, the applicable range thereof is limited.
In the tube for automobile piping, from the standpoint of reducing gasoline consumption and attaining higher performance, an oxygen-containing gasoline having blended therein alcohols, having low boiling points, such as methanol and ethanol, or ethers such as methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), is transferred. Furthermore, in view of environmental antipollution, strict regulations regarding exhaust gas have been recently implemented, including preventing volatile hydrocarbons or the like from leaking out into air by diffusion through a piping tube walls. The regulations will become more and more strict in the future and it is desired to maximally prevent the fuel from permeating and evaporating through the piping tube walls. Such strict regulations cannot be satisfied by a conventionally-employed single-layer tube using a polyamide-based resin, and particularly polyamide 11 or polyamide 12 excellent in the strength, toughness, chemical resistance and flexibility, because the capability of preventing permeation of the above-described fuel is insufficient. Thus, an improvement is required in the prevention of, particularly, alcohol gasoline permeation.
As for the method to solve this problem, there has been proposed a multilayer tube having disposed therein a resin having good alcohol gasoline permeation-preventing property, such as an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer saponification product (EVOH), polymetaxylylene adipamide (polyamide MXD6), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polybutylene naphthalate (PBN), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), ethylene/chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (ECTFE), tetrafluoroethylene/hexafluoropropylene copolymer (TFE/HFP, FEP), tetrafluoroethylene/perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether) copolymer (TFE/PAVE, PFA) and tetrafluoroethylene/hexafluoropropylene/vinylidene fluoride copolymer (TFE/HFP/VDF, THV) (see, for example, Kohyo (National Publication of Translated Version) No. 7-507739).
Furthermore, a fuel transfer tube where a fluorine-based resin is disposed as an inner layer and a layer comprising an ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer saponification product is disposed outside the inner layer has been proposed (see, Kokai (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication) No. 5-247478). However, the ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer saponification product (EVOH) used in this technique is lacking in the thermal stability and when the die temperature, in the merging section, is high during the coextrusion molding with a fluorine-based resin, the polymer may undergo thermal deterioration. In order to prevent this problem, the melting point of the fluorine-based resin may be reduced by controlling the compositional ratio of monomers thereof and rendered close to the processing temperature of the ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer saponification product, but the alcohol gasoline permeation-preventing property inevitably decreases.
On the other hand, a fuel transfer tube where a fluorine-based resin is disposed as an inner layer and a layer comprising a partial aromatic polyamide resin is disposed outside the inner layer has been proposed (see, Kokai No. 5-245988). However, the polymetaxylylene adipamide (polyamide MXD6) disclosed as the partial aromatic polyamide in Examples of this technique is insufficient in the adhesive strength to polyamide 11 and/or polyamide 12 conventionally employed as a material constituting the tube for automobile piping, and an adhesive layer such as modified polyolefin needs to be provided between those layers. When a modified polyolefin is used as the adhesive layer, this is disadvantageous in that the thermal aging resistance is poor and the tube cannot be used in severe conditions, and fails in maximally bringing out the characteristic properties of the partial aromatic polyamide resin or fluorine-based resin constituting the fuel transfer tube. Also, the increase in the number of layers may incur problems in view of cost and process control.
Furthermore, a fuel transfer tube comprising an innermost layer formed of a fluorine-based resin, an intermediate layer formed of a polyalkylene naphthalate resin and an outer layer formed of a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer, wherein an adhesive layer is disposed between the innermost layer and the intermediate layer, has been proposed (see, Kokai No. 7-96564). The fuel transfer tube of this technique is very excellent in the alcohol gasoline permeation-preventing property. In this fuel transfer tube, an adhesive resin composition comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of fluorine-based resins and fluorine-based rubbers, at least one member selected from the group consisting of crystalline polyester-based resins and polyester-based elastomers, and a compatibilizing agent is proposed as the adhesive resin interposed between those layers. However, its interlayer adhesion is affected by the morphology of the mixture used as the adhesive resin and this gives rise to a problem that the interlayer adhesion greatly varies or decreases depending on the extrusion conditions, use environment conditions or the like. In particular, the durability of the interlayer adhesive strength during the immersion in fuel (hereinafter referred to as "fuel resistance of interlayer adhesive strength") is poor. Also, in a fuel transfer tube comprising an innermost layer formed of a polyamide-based resin, an intermediate layer formed of a polyalkylene naphthalate resin and an outer layer formed of a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer, wherein an adhesive layer is disposed between the innermost layer and the intermediate layer, it is proposed to dispose, as the adhesive resin interposed between those layers, an adhesive resin mixture comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of polyamide-based resins and polyamide-based elastomers, at least one member selected from crystalline polyester-based resins and polyester-based elastomers, and a compatibilizing agent. However, for the same reason as given above, there is a problem that the interlayer adhesion greatly varies or decreases depending on the extrusion conditions, use environment conditions or the like. Furthermore, in the case where the innermost layer is a polyamide-based resin, the resistance to sour gasoline, produced by oxidation of gasoline, (chemical resistance) is sometimes poor.
It would therefore be helpful to provide a multilayer tube excellent in an alcohol gasoline permeation-preventing property, interlayer adhesion, low-temperature impact resistance, heat resistance and/or chemical resistance.