The methods and systems for database statement execution plan optimization exploit bind variable data available on the network to build and optimize an execution plan for the statement. A system for database statement execution plan optimization comprises a bind variable analyzer, a frame allocator, and an optimizer, in addition to a parser for parsing and analyzing the statement, a type checker for type checking the statement, and a tree builder for building an expression tree.

In modern relational database management systems (RDBMS), the overhead associated with processing client requests can be troublesome. Cache and buffer overflow, I/O bottlenecks, wasted CPU cycle time, shared memory latch contention, network throughput, and other performance side effects often result from poor planning and untested design.
To avoid these and other by-products of a poorly designed system, a client/server DBMS architecture could benefit greatly from a streamlined database statement processing system. In a typical two-tier DBMS architecture, a client issues a database statement (hereinafter illustratively referred to as a "SQL statement") to a process running on the database server through a proprietary or open-system call level interface (CLI). The server expends a great deal of its run-time resources in parsing the request, creating an execution tree, semantically analyzing the statement, and determining an optimal execution plan. These steps together constitute the compilation, or "hard parse," steps needed to store and create a "cursor" in cache memory before the server can effectively carry out a client request or return a result set. A cursor is a handle to a query execution area, e.g., an area in memory in which a parsed SQL statement and other information for processing the SQL statement is stored.
Database systems frequently invoke an optimizer to handle the task of creating an execution plan that is optimized to a particular SQL statement. For the most part, optimizing a SQL statement is a manageable task; however, SQL statements written with "bind" variables often present a challenge to the optimizer because the optimal execution plan for such a statement will likely differ from one bind value to another. A bind variable is a placeholder, e.g., for literal values, in a query sent to a server. Previous approaches to optimizing SQL statement execution plans in the face of one or more bind variables written into the statement involved providing the optimizer with a suggestion embedded in the command-line, or rewriting the statement with constants in place of bind variables. The latter approach is undesirable because it suggests defeat of the purpose for using bind variables in the first place, while the former technique requires that a developer or user have pre-existing knowledge of the optimizer's functionality-neither approach is very effective.
The methods and systems for database statement execution plan optimization minimize or eliminate the inherent limitations and drawbacks of current optimization techniques by permitting a database statement issued from a client to be optimized based on one or more bind values.
In one embodiment, the methods and systems for database statement execution plan optimization comprise a frame allocator for allocating space in memory for executing a SQL statement execution plan and a bind value analyzer for peeking at the value of one or more bind variables. A type checker, optimizer, and parser are also provided for type checking, parsing, and optimizing a SQL statement, respectively.
The methods and systems for database statement execution plan optimization offer several advantages, including: enhanced SQL processing performance without costly code revision, better execution plan optimization that utilizes actual bind variable data, and improved processing efficiency for SQL statements with one or more bind variables.
Further details of aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention are described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims.

Methods and systems for database statement execution plan optimization


A refrigeration system including a coalescent oil separator for removing oil from a refrigerant gas and oil mixture discharged from a compressor. Upon a pressure condition being exceeded a directional flow valve opens to allow the refrigerant gas and oil mixture to bypass the coalescent oil separator. There is included a method for servicing the coalescent oil separator without having to resort to shutting down the refrigeration system or removing the refrigerant material.

Typically, refrigeration systems include a compressor for compressing a refrigerant gas, a condenser to cool and condense the compressed refrigerant gas to a refrigerant liquid and an evaporator for absorbing heat from a fluid to provide a chilled liquid for refrigeration of a desired area. Most compressors utilize an oil to lubricate the mechanical components and enhance the sealing interface between the components that are performing the necessary work on the refrigerant gas to raise its pressure. A portion of the oil used in the compressor for lubrication often becomes entrained with the refrigerant gas and is discharged from the compressor. This mixture of the oil and refrigerant gas may be carried from the compressor to the other components including the condenser and evaporator.
Oil, however, is not considered a refrigerant and the efficiency of the refrigeration system is reduced if the oil remains mixed with refrigerant gas as it moves through the system. Furthermore, if the oil travels from the compressor to the other components of the refrigerant system and is not returned to the compressor more oil will need to be added to the compressor in order to maintain the compressor performance; for the lack of oil may cause the compressor to fail.
Although there are many prior systems for separating oil from the refrigerant gas, there remains a need for an improved oil separation system for refrigeration systems. The present inventions satisfy this and other needs in a novel and unobvious way.


A pistol including a mechanism that locks firing pin of the pistol. The firing pin locking mechanism may include a stopping member which may be selectively moved by a user of the pistol between first and second positions, and a movable blocking member that may be engaged with a forwardly-movable firing pin. A biasing member such as a spring may be provided to bias the blocking member into engagement with the firing pin. In one embodiment, the blocking member arrests or blocks the forward motion of the firing pin to prevent the firing pin from striking a loaded cartridge and discharging the pistol. In a possible first activated position, the stopping member prevents the firing pin blocking member from being operably disengaged from the firing pin, thereby preventing the firing pin from moving forward to strike a cartridge. In a possible second deactivated position, the stopping member allows the firing pin blocking member to be disengaged from the firing pin by normal operation of the pistol trigger system to allow the pistol to be discharged. The firing pin locking mechanism may further include a locking member to allow a pistol user to lock the stopping member in the first position or second position.

The present invention generally relates to firearms, and more particularly to a mechanism related to locking the firing pin of a pistol.
Prior devices for pistols are known that engage and arrest the forward movement of the firing pin so that it cannot strike a cartridge loaded in the chamber without pulling the trigger. In one type of known device, a spring-biased pin or plunger is provided that moves in a reciprocating manner into and out of engagement with the firing pin. When in a blocking position and absent a trigger pull, the device is spring-biased into engagement with the firing pin to prevent it from being moved forward and striking the cartridge. When the trigger is pulled to discharge the pistol, a mechanical release moves the device against the spring force to a position disengaged from the firing pin. The firing pin may now freely move forward in response to being struck at the rear by the hammer to strike a loaded cartridge and discharge the pistol. Releasing the trigger automatically re-engages the device with the firing pin.
These prior spring-biased devices rely primarily upon the biasing force of the spring to maintain engagement of the device with the firing pin. These automatic devices, however, do not provide a pistol user with the ability to manually lock the device in the blocking position engaged with the firing pin. Although optimal methods to secure a pistol to prevent inadvertent discharge or unauthorized access are to fully unload the pistol and store it in a lockable box, in a safe, or to affix an external lock such as those supplied by most pistol manufacturers, an added measure of precaution can be achieved via a manually-operated supplemental mechanism, that when activated, can physically engage such prior spring-biased devices and lock them into the engaged position even if the trigger is pulled.

Pistol with firing pin locking mechanism


A magnetic information medium recording/reproducing device may include a turnable drum whose outer peripheral face forms a medium feeding path for a magnetic information medium and a feeding mechanism for carrying the medium along the outer peripheral face of the drum while pressing the medium against the outer peripheral face of the drum. The drum may be formed in a hollow cylindrical shape having an inner peripheral wall and a plurality of inner support rollers are disposed for supporting the drum from the inner peripheral wall side of the drum. The drum may be held by the inner support rollers and the feeding mechanism, and one of the inner support rollers may be disposed near a magnetic head and may be urged against the inner peripheral wall of the drum.

Some magnetic information medium recording/reproducing devices are used for reading and writing information from and on a flexible magnetic recording medium whose medium length is long. A type of flexible magnetic information media is a boarding pass for a passenger aircraft which is a paper magnetic card with a long card length. Data are read and written from and on the flexible magnetic information medium. Various data such as a departure place and a destination are recorded as magnetic information on a boarding pass. The data are read by a magnetic card reader provided at the entrance gate of an airport and new data are written if necessary. The size of a two-head type of magnetic information medium recording/reproducing device becomes larger because a feeding path corresponding to the length of a magnetic recording medium is required. On the other hand, in a type of magnetic information medium recording/reproducing device with one head for both reading and writing, a magnetic recording medium is reciprocated and thus a long processing time is required.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a magnetic information medium recording/reproducing device has been proposed in which a series of information processing such as reading/writing/collation of information for a magnetic recording medium are successively processed while the magnetic information medium is sandwiched and carried between the outer peripheral face of a drum and a feeding mechanism disposed around the drum (see Japanese Patent No. 2,810,600 and Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2,549,807).
A magnetic card reader as described above which processes a magnetic information medium is constructed, for example, as a magnetic information medium recording/reproducing device described below. In other words, this device includes a turnable drum, a feeding mechanism disposed so as to face the outer peripheral face of the drum, a magnetic head disposed to face the outer peripheral face of the drum and the like. In this device, a magnetic information medium is carried along the outer peripheral face of the drum while magnetic information is read with a magnetic head or magnetic information is newly written.
This device is constructed, as shown in FIG. 9, such that feeding mechanisms 103, 104 including flat belts are disposed around a drum 102 which is turnable around a rotation shaft 101 to form a ring-shaped feeding path where a magnetic recording medium is sandwiched between the drum 102 and the feeding mechanisms 103, 104 and circulatively traveled in one direction. Reading or writing of data is successively executed from or on a magnetic recording medium which circulates around the drum 102 by a read/write head 105 which is disposed on the mid way. The feeding direction of the magnetic recording medium is appropriately changed by the operation of flappers 106, 107 disposed in the middle of the feeding path depending on the presence of a defect of recorded information on the magnetic recording medium, the requirement of writing of information or the like, and a prescribed magnetic processing is performed or the magnetic recording medium is sent out from a card eject passage 108. Further, in the case that the magnetic recording medium is abnormal, the magnetic recording medium is returned to a card insertion port 109 and ejected by reverse movement of the feeding mechanism 103, 104.
However, in a magnetic information medium recording/reproducing device shown in FIG. 9, since a solid drum is supported with only a center shaft and turned, wobbling occurs. In addition, in the solid drum structure, since the weight of the drum itself is large, the wobbling is further increased. Therefore, it is difficult that positional relationship between the magnetic recording medium traveling on the outer peripheral face of the drum and the magnetic head is maintained in a constant state and thus the writing/reading output of magnetic data becomes unstable. In order to solve the problem, drum working and bearings with a high degree of accuracy are required to restrict wobbling of the drum and thus cost is increased.
Further, in the solid drum structure, the weight of drum itself becomes large and thus its inertia is also increased. Therefore, it is difficult for the drum to be alternately repeated with forward and reverse turnings during a short time. In other words, it is difficult that reading/writing/collating etc. of information are successively processed by forwarding and returning the magnetic information medium. Therefore, these processings are required to be performed while the drum is turned in one direction and thus a processing time becomes longer because unnecessary turning is needed. In addition, since the weight of the drum itself is large, a motor with a large torque, i.e., an expensive motor is required to be used.
Further, an insert port and an eject port for a magnetic information medium are required to be disposed on an extended side in a tangential and turning direction with respect to the ring-shaped feeding path through which a magnetic information medium is circulated in one direction. Therefore, the arrangement of the insert port and the eject port and the position of flappers cannot be freely designed and thus the size of the device is increased.
Moreover, since all components such as a drive motor are required to be disposed around a solid drum, spaces for arranging these components are needed and thus the size of the device is further increased.
Further, in the case that a magnetic information medium is sandwiched and carried between the outer peripheral face of the drum and the feeding mechanisms (for example, a flat belt) as described above, since the magnetic information medium is made of a paper, it is difficult to cut the magnetic information medium in a longitudinal direction and a short-sized direction with a high degree of dimensional accuracy. Further, the dimension of the magnetic information medium may expand or contract due to humidity, and thus it is not certain that the magnetic information medium moves on the magnetic head side and the magnetic tracks of the magnetic information medium always pass through specified positions. Therefore, the positional accuracy for track at the time of reading and writing operations of magnetic information is not sufficient.
Further, when it is difficult to keep the positional relationship between the drum and the magnetic head to be in a constant state, it is conceivable that the side face of the magnetic information medium is pushed by using a pressing member so as to pass through a specified position at all times. However, since the magnetic information medium is formed of paper, the paper is easily bent or its side edge is damaged with a strong pressure and thus the magnetic information medium is difficult to be carried at a constant position with respect to the magnetic head. Therefore, the output at the time of writing or reading of magnetic information is unstable.

Magnetic information medium recording/reproducing device


An athletic footwear artificial ligament device includes a flexible band securable around a lower leg above an ankle of a foot of a wearer, a ring disposable adjacent an outer side of the ankle spaced below the flexible band, and a plurality of artificial ligaments coupled to and arrayed about the ring. An upper artificial ligament is attached to the flexible band and extends downward to the ring. A lower artificial ligament is attachable to an upper of the athletic shoe, adjacent to the sole and above the heel, and extends upward to the ring. A forward artificial ligament is attachable to the athletic shoe upper forwardly of the ring, above the sole and spaced forwardly from the heel, and extends rearward to the ring such that the artificial ligaments perform as a second set of ligaments providing sprain protection of the ankle of the foot of the wearer.

Extreme or abnormal pronation with or without plantar flexion, resulting in a sprain of one or more of the ligaments of the ankle joint, is one of the most frequent injuries experienced by both professional and non-professional athletes. A traditional approach used by many to minimizing the risk of incurring a sprained ankle is through the employment of athletic tape by immobilizing the ankle. However, this process is very time consuming and must be done properly by a trained professional otherwise in order for it to work properly.
Alternatively, there are those who prefer to utilize a wearable support system (e.g. an ankle brace) that can be easily wrapped and tightened around the ankle to be selectively worn in the inside of an athletic shoe so as to immobilize the ankle joint against abnormal rotation. However, this type of approach is uncomfortable for some making it unbearable to wear during a physical activity. Although both solutions offer different approaches on how to reinforce and restrict the ankle to minimize the hyperextension of the ankle ligaments, they each suffer from similar drawbacks. For example, both the tape and ankle brace are uncomfortable, time consuming to employ, expensive and cause the loss of normal range of motion. The loss of range of motion affects agility, athletic ability, and increases the external forces imposed on other joints as they overcompensate for the force in the kinetic chain that is passed upward due to the restriction of the ankle. This is the reason why so many high ankle and knee injuries occur.
As a result additional approaches have been produced in hopes of reducing the likelihood of ankle sprain occurrences. Some approaches are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,630, 7,171,766 and U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2014/0223775. However, all of these prior art approaches all appear to have the same residual downfall of their counterpart (i.e. they are all focused on overly restricting the normal range of motion of the ankle). Therefore, the ongoing issue of reoccurring orthopedic injuries remains.
Accordingly, there is a long felt, as of yet unmet, need for an improved athletic footwear apparatus in the art that overcomes potential deficiencies of these past approaches and addressed the problems that may still be unsolved.

Athletic footwear artificial ligament device and apparatus


There is provided a heat exchanger with a receiver which has a small diameter and compact size without a liquid refrigerant suction pipe.. The interior of a header tube 2 is partitioned into three chambers A, C, and F by partition plates 8a and 8b. The chamber C is provided with a refrigerant inlet 6, and the chamber F with a refrigerant outlet 7. Also, the interior of a header tube 3 is partitioned into chambers B, D, and E by partition plates 8c and 9. Receiver connecting flanges 11 are inserted in the side surface of the chambers B and E, and a receiver body 18 is fixed via receiver headers 21. An inlet passage 16 and an outlet passage 17 are formed in the receiver connecting flange 11 and the receiver header 21. A liquid refrigerant entering through the inlet passage 16 after passing through the chamber B drops in the receiver body 18 by gravity, and is conducted through the refrigerant outlet 7 after going through the outlet passage 17, chamber E, heat exchange tubes 4, and chamber F.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger suitable for use in a condenser of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 5 is a front view of a heat exchanger conventionally used for a motor vehicle air conditional condenser, and FIG. 6 is a schematic refrigerant system diagram of a motor vehicle air conditioner. In these figures, the same reference numerals are applied to the same elements of the heat exchanger of the apparatus incorporating the principles of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, a heat exchanger 1 has a pair of header tubes 2 and 3 at both sides, a plurality of parallel heat exchange tubes 4 between these paired header tubes, and corrugated fins 5 interposed between the adjacent heat exchange tubes.
A refrigerant inlet coupling 6 is provided at an upper end of one of the header tubes 2 and 3, for example, the header tube 2. A partition plate 8 is inserted in the central portion of the header tube 2 to partition the interior of the header tube 2 into upper and lower portions. A refrigerant outlet coupling 7 is provided at a lower end of the partitioned lower portion of the header tube 2.
In the above mentioned heat exchanger 1, a high-pressure refrigerant compressed by a compressor (not shown) is applied to the header tube 2 through the refrigerant inlet coupling 6 of the heat exchanger 1 after going through a high-pressure refrigerant hose. The refrigerant enters the upper portion of the header tube 2 partitioned by the partition plate 8, goes therefrom through the parallel heat exchange tubes 4, and enters the header tube 3.
From the header 3, the refrigerant goes through the parallel heat exchange tubes 4 in the same manner, is sent under pressure to the lower portion of the header tube 2 partitioned by the partition plate 8, and discharged through the refrigerant outlet coupling 7. The refrigerant flowing in this manner has heat extracted by the corrugated fins 5 interposed between the adjacent heat exchange tubes in the process in which the refrigerant goes through the plurality of heat exchange tubes 4.
Generally, in the motor vehicle air conditioner, as shown in the schematic refrigerant system diagram of a motor vehicle air conditioner of FIG. 6, most of the functional components of the air conditioner are arranged in a motor vehicle engine compartment 101 subjected to a high temperature.
In FIG. 6, a refrigerant, which is sent under pressure from a compressor 103 that is mounted at the side of an engine 102 and driven by the engine 102 via a transmission belt, enters a condenser 1 through a high-pressure refrigerant hose 104.
The refrigerant, which gives up heat via the condenser 1, leaves the condenser 1 through a condenser refrigerant outlet 7, and is sent into a receiver 18 disposed in the engine compartment 101 through a refrigerant pipe 106 connecting the condenser refrigerant outlet 7 to a receiver inlet 181.
Then, the refrigerant leaves the receiver 18 through a receiver outlet 185, goes through a refrigerant pipe 108, and is subjected to adiabatic expansion and is cooled by an expansion valve 109 disposed in a motor vehicle compartment. After being heated by an evaporator 110, the refrigerant is sucked by the compressor 103 through a low-pressure refrigerant hose 111. Thus, the cycle of this air conditioner is completed. In FIG. 6, reference numerals 161 and 162 denote a radiator and a radiator panel, respectively.
FIG. 7 shows the receiver 18. In this figure, reference numeral 181 denotes a refrigerant inlet, 182 denotes a desiccant, 183 denotes a filter, 184 denotes a refrigerant suction pipe, and 185 denotes a refrigerant outlet.
FIGS. 8 and 9 show an example of a conventional heat exchanger integral with a receiver. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the principal portion of FIG. 8.
In FIGS. 8 and 9, a heat exchanger 1 comprises a pair of header tubes 2 and 3 at both sides, a plurality of parallel heat exchange tubes 4 arranged between these paired header tubes, corrugated fins 5 interposed between the adjacent heat exchange tubes, and a receiver body 18.
The upper end of a receiver body 18 is fixed to a receiver fixing bracket 10 mounted at the upper end or on the side surface at the upper position of the header tube 3 by means of fixing bolts 19. The lower end of receiver 18 is directly connected to a receiver connecting flange 11 mounted at the lower position of the header tube 3 by means of fixing bolts 20, so that the receiver body 18 is integral with the heat exchanger 1.
The header tube 2 has a refrigerant inlet 6 at the upper end and a refrigerant outlet 7 at the lower end. Partition plates 8a and 8b are inserted and fixed into the header tube 2 between the refrigerant inlet 6 and the refrigerant outlet 7 with a proper space to partition a refrigerant passage in the header tube 2 into three chambers A, C and F.
In the header tube 3, a partition plate 8c is inserted and fixed at a position corresponding to an approximately intermediate position of the space between the partition plates 8a and 8b in the header tube 2, so that a refrigerant passage in the header tube 3 is partitioned into chambers B and D. At the side of the chamber D of the header tube 3, refrigerant passage holes 12 and 13 are formed. The refrigerant passage holes 12 and 13 are partitioned in the header tube by a partition plate 9, so that a chamber E is formed under the partition plate 9 in the refrigerant passage of the header tube 3.
In the receiver connecting flange 11, which is connected to the header tube 3 by welding, a first refrigerant passage 14 communicates with the refrigerant passage hole 12 and a second refrigerant passage 15 communicates with the refrigerant passage hole 13. Also, the receiver connecting flange 11 has a flange surface through which the receiver body 18 is fixed by means of fixing bolts 20 via a receiver header 21. The header 21 is assembled and welded to the lower end of the receiver body 18 to form the receiver refrigerant inlet/outlet, and is threaded for the fixing bolts 20.
On the flange surface of the receiver connecting flange 11, a seal, such as an O-ring, is assembled to prevent leakage of refrigerant at the connection with the receiver header 21.
The receiver header 21 is formed with a receiver inlet passage 16 and a receiver outlet passage 17. When the receiver header 21 is connected to the receiver connecting flange 11 of the header tube 3, the receiver inlet passage 16 communicates with the first refrigerant passage 14 and the receiver outlet passage 17 communicates with the second refrigerant passage 15.
The chamber E, which is formed at the lower portion in the header tube 3, is connected to the chamber F. which is formed at the lowest portion in the header tube 2, by a plurality of parallel heat exchange tubes at this portion between the header tubes, and the chamber F is provided with the refrigerant outlet 7 of the heat exchanger 1.
The refrigerant entering the receiver 18 through the receiver inlet passage 16 goes through a refrigerant suction pipe 184, filter 183, and desiccant 182, and is conducted to the receiver outlet passage 17.
In the conventional receiver shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, since it is necessary to make the refrigerant entering the receiver pass through the desiccant 182 to absorb water contained in the refrigerant. and it is also necessary to conduct the refrigerant at the receiver outlet, which is a liquid refrigerant accumulating at the lower part of the receiver, to a downstream expansion-valve (not shown), the refrigerant suction pipe 184 is required
For this reason, the receiver is large in diameter and size and the cost also increases.
An object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger with a receiver which has a small diameter and compact size without a liquid refrigerant suction pipe.


A multilayer circuit board includes a first substrate and a second substrate in stack. The first substrate has a first pad, and a first circuit, wherein the first circuit is embedded in the first substrate, and the first pad is electrically connected to the first circuit. The second substrate has a first through hole, a second pad, and a second circuit, wherein the first through hole is opened at both sides of the second substrate, and the first pad of the first substrate is in the first through hole; the second circuit is embedded in the second substrate, and the second pad is electrically connected to the second circuit. The pads on each substrate are exposed by the through hole(s) of the above substrate(s) to shorten the null sections of the interconnectors and reduce the interference from the null sections.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a circuit board, and more particularly to a multilayer circuit board.
2. Description of Related Art
Printed circuit board (PCB) is widely used in electronic devices. In early days, PCB is a single substrate laminated with a circuit on a side or opposite sides thereof. Now, multilayer PCB is popular in the present market, which has several substrates in stack, and the circuit is embedded therein. FIG. 1 shows a conventional multilayer PCB 300, including several substrates 310 in stack, interconnectors 320 (usually are plated through holes, PTH) to connect circuits 340 of each substrate 310, and pads 330. The pads 330 are provided on an outer surface of the PCB 300, and electrically connected to the interconnectors 320. In order to test the connection of the circuits 340, probes 350 are provided to touch the pads 330. A test signal is transmitted to the circuits 340 from the probes 350 to test the electrical connection.
Typically, the test signal is transmitted in a section of the interconnectors 320, so called functional sections, between the pads 350 and a point where the circuits 340 connect to the interconnectors 320. The other sections of the interconnectors 320, so called null sections 320a, give no function on transmission of the test signal. However, there is a resonance occurred in the null sections 320a while high-frequency signal is transmitted through the null sections 320a, and that will interfere with the signal on the functional sections and result an error in the test.


A normally white liquid crystal display includes polarizer and analyzer layers having perpendicular absorbing axes. A liquid crystal layer is disposed between the polarizer layer and the analyzer layer, with its director exhibiting an azimuthal twist through the layer. First and second electrodes are proximate to first and second major surfaces of the liquid crystal layer. A first negatively birefringent compensator layer, oriented with its optical axis substantially parallel to the average direction of the optical axis within a central, nominally homeotropic region of the liquid crystal layer in its driven state, is disposed between the polarizer layer and the liquid crystal layer. A second negatively birefringent compensator layer, with a birefringence substantially the same as the birefringence of the first compensator layer and oriented with its optical axis substantially parallel to the optical axis of the first compensator layer, is disposed between the analyzer layer and the liquid crystal layer.

This invention is concerned with the design of liquid crystal displays and particularly with techniques for maximizing the field of view of such displays by maintaining a high contrast ratio at wide viewing angles.
Liquid crystals are useful for electronic displays because polarized light traveling through a thin film of liquid crystal is affected by the birefringence of the film and the birefringence can be controlled by the application of a voltage across the film. Liquid crystal displays became desirable because the transmission or reflection of light from an external source, including ambient light, could be controlled using a liquid crystal device with much less power than was required for the luminescent materials used in other displays. As a result, liquid crystal displays are now commonly used in such applications as digital watches, calculators, portable computers, and many other types of electronic equipment, exhibiting in these applications the advantages of very long life and operation with very low weight and low power consumption.
The information in many liquid crystal displays is presented in the form of a row of numerals or characters, which are generated by a number of segmented electrodes arranged in a pattern. The segments are connected by individual leads to driving electronics, which applies a voltage to the appropriate combination of segments to display the desired information by controlling the light transmitted through the segments. Graphic information or television displays may be achieved by a matrix of pixels which are connected by an X-Y sequential addressing scheme between two sets of perpendicular conductors. More advanced addressing schemes use arrays of thin film transistors to control the drive voltage at the individual pixels. The latter scheme is applied predominantly to twisted nematic liquid crystal displays.
Contrast is one of the most important attributes determining the quality of a liquid crystal display. The primary factor limiting the contrast achievable in a liquid crystal display is the amount of light which leaks through the display in the dark state. This problem is exacerbated in a high ambient light environment, such as direct sunlight, where there is a considerable amount of reflected and scattered ambient light. In addition, the contrast ratio of the liquid crystal device also depends on the viewing angle. Contrast ratio in a typical liquid crystal display is a maximum only within a narrow viewing angle centered about normal incidence and drops off as the angle of view is increased. This loss of contrast ratio is caused by light leaking through the black state pixel elements at large viewing angles. In color liquid crystal displays, such leakage also causes severe color shifts for both saturated and gray scale colors. These limitations are particularly important for applications requiring a very high quality display, such as avionics, where viewing of avionics displays from both pilot and copilot seating positions is important. It would be a significant improvement in the art to provide a liquid crystal display capable of presenting a high quality, high contrast image over a wide field of view.
Yeh, et al., "Compensator for Liquid Crystal Display . . . ", U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,953, discloses a novel structure for a compensator in such a liquid crystal display, making possible a considerable improvement in the viewing contrast and color rendition of such displays at oblique viewing angles. Further improvements in contrast and viewing angle, however, are desirable for such displays.

Negative optical compensator tilted in respect to liquid crystal cell for liquid crystal display


Particular embodiments described herein provide for an electronic device that can be configured to receive data related to a gaze of a user, determine that a display should be adjusted based on the received data related to the gaze of the user, and activate a motor, where the motor causes the height of the display to be adjusted. In an example, the electronic device can also determine that the display should be rotated based on the received data related to the gaze of the user and rotate the display.

End users have more electronic device choices than ever before. A number of prominent technological trends are currently afoot and these trends are changing the electronic device landscape. Some of the technological trends involve clamshell devices. Generally, clamshell devices are devices where a first housing is rotatably coupled to a second housing. For example, a laptop, notebook computer, etc., is a small, portable personal computer with a clamshell form factor typically having, a computer display mounted on the inside of an upper first housing of the clamshell and an alphanumeric keyboard on the inside of a lower second housing of the clamshell. The clamshell device is opened to use the device and folded shut for transportation or storage.
The FIGURES of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as their dimensions can be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.


A method of fabricating a stacked type capacitor. A semiconductor substrate having a transistor, a field oxide layer, and a conductive layer formed on top of the field oxide layer is provided. The transistor comprises a gate and a source/drain region. A first dielectric layer is formed over the substrate. An oxide layer is formed over the first dielectric layer. A second dielectric layer is formed on the oxide layer. An etching step is performed to the second dielectric layer to form an opening therein. A first poly-silicon layer is formed on the second dielectric layer and the opening. The first poly-silicon layer is etched back to remove a part of the first poly-silicon layer. A first spacer is formed on a wall of the opening. The oxide layer is etched for a first height by using the first spacer and the second dielectric layer as a first mask. A second poly-silicon layer is formed on the second dielectric layer and the opening. An etching back is performed to the second poly-silicon layer to remove a part of the second poly-silicon layer. A second spacer is formed on a wall of the first height in the opening. The oxide layer is etched for a second height by using the first spacer, the second spacer, and the second dielectric layer as a second mask, and a third spacer is formed. The first dielectric layer is formed to expose the source/drain region. Selective epitaxy growth is performed to form an epitaxy layer on the first spacer, the second spacer, and the third spacer. The second dielectric layer and the oxide layer are removed to form a bottom electrode. A third dielectric layer is formed on the bottom electrode. A top electrode is formed on the third dielectric layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of fabricating an dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and more particularly to a method of fabricating a capacitor with a higher capacitance in a DRAM, by increasing surface area of an electrode.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the function of a microprocessor becomes more and more powerful, the program and calculation of a software becomes more and more complicated, and thus, the required capacitance of a memory is larger and larger. FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of a conventional DRAM. A memory cell comprises a transfer transistor 10 and a storing capacitor 11. The source region of the transfer transistor 10 corresponds to a bit line 12, whereas the gate corresponds to a word line 13. The drain region of the transfer transistor 10 connects with the storing electrode 14, that is, the bottom electrode of the capacitor 11. The plate electrode 15, that is, the top electrode or the cell electrode, connects with a constant voltage source. A dielectric layer is formed between the storing electrode and the plate electrode.
The capacitor is the heart for storing input signal in a DRAM. For a large amount of charges to be stored in a capacitor, it is more frequent that an soft error is caused by noise, such as an .alpha. particle, during data access, and therefore, the refresh frequency is reduced. Several ways are available to increase the storing capacitance of a capacitor. (1) Using a dielectric layer with a higher dielectric constant, the storing charge per unit area is increased. (2) To decrease the thickness of the dielectric layer, a higher capacitance can be obtained. However, the quality of the dielectric layer restricts the thickness of the dielectric layer to a certain value. (3) By increasing the surface area of a capacitor, the amount of charges stored in a capacitor is increased. However, with increasing the surface area of a capacitor, the integration of a device is decreased.
For a conventional DRAM with a smaller amount of storing charges, a two dimensional planar type capacitor is adapted in a integrated circuit. The planar type capacitor occupies a sizeable surface area on the substrate, and therefore, not suitable for the use in a high integrated circuit. To achieve a high integration, a three dimensional structure of a capacitor, such as a stacked type or a trench type capacitor is adapted. However, as the integration becomes further higher, a pure three dimensional capacitor can not meet the requirement to be used. A method of increasing capacitance in a small area of a capacitor in a DRAM is developed.
Referring to FIG. 2a to FIG. 2b, a conventional method of fabricating a trench type capacitor in a DRAM is shown. Referring to FIG. 2a, a substrate 200 having a field oxide 201, a gate 202, an exposed source/drain regions 203, 204, 205, and a first insulation layer 206 to cover the gate 202 formed thereon is provided. A first poly-silicon layer is formed and defined to form a bit line 207 coupled with the source/drain region 204. A second insulation layer 208 is formed and patterned to cover the bit line 207 only, and expose the source/drain regions 204, 205.
Referring to FIG. 2b, a thin and doped second poly-silicon layer 209 is formed and coupled with source/drain regions 203, 205. A photo-resist layer 210 is formed on the second poly-silicon layer 209. A via 211 is formed by patterning the photo-resist layer and penetrates through the photo-resist layer 210, the second poly-silicon layer 209, and the second insulation layer 208. The via 211 is filled with an oxide layer 212. Referring to FIG. 2c, the photo-resist 210 is removed and a third poly-silicon layer 213 is formed. Referring to FIG. 2d, the third poly-silicon layer 213 on the oxide layer 212 is removed to expose the oxide layer 212. The oxide layer 212 is removed, and a storing electrode coupled with the source/drain region 204 is formed. After the formation of a dielectric layer and a fourth poly-silicon layer as a plate electrode, a capacitor is formed. The subsequent metallization and insulation protection process are then performed to complete the fabrication of a DRAM.
Referring to FIG. 3, the cross sectional view of a conventional stacked type capacitor in a DRAM is shown. A substrate 30 having a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) 32 comprising a gate 33, a source/drain region 35 and a spacer is provided. On the substrate 30 with a field oxide layer 36 and a conductive layer 37 formed thereon, an insulation layer 38 is formed. A contact window is formed by etching the insulation layer 38 to exposed the drain/source region 34. A bottom electrode 39, a dielectric layer 310, and a top electrode 311 is formed on the contact window in sequence to form a stacked type capacitor 312. The dielectric layer is, for example, an oxide/nitride/oxide (ONO) layer. The bottom electrode 39 and the top electrode 311, for example, are poly-silicon. The bottom electrode has an accidented topography. After the subsequent process of metallization and insulation protection, a DRAM is fabricated.
The capacitor in a conventional DRAM adapts an accidented topography, that is, an uneven surface to obtain a higher capacitance. The disadvantage is that the degree to increase is limited. For a even higher requirement of capacitance, or a device with further smaller dimension, this kind of capacitor does not meet the requirement for application. Moreover, to fabricate a stacked type capacitor, quite a few photo-masks are used, and therefore, the process is more complex and the fabricating cost is increased.

Method of fabricating stacked type capacitor


The present invention relates to a terminal crimping machine capable of feeding different sized terminals, which includes a base body provided at a lower end thereof with a feeding platform for placement of terminal-chain; a punching mechanism having an upper crimper and a driving piece, the upper crimper capable of moving longitudinally on the base body; an adjusting mechanism provided with a fixing block and an adjusting screw, the fixing block fixed in the base body and the adjusting screw movably coupled on the fixing block; an auto-feeder having a fixing base disposed on a front side of the base body, and a first and a second driven pieces disposed in the fixing base in an interlocking manner, wherein the second driven piece driven by an elastic force to abut against the adjusting screw of the adjusting mechanism, and the second driven piece provided at an end thereof with a pushing block, the driving piece of the punching mechanism employed to drive the first driven piece, so as to enable the second driven piece to push terminals on the base body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal crimping machine, and more particularly to a terminal crimping machine capable of feeding different sized terminals.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
A conventional terminal crimping machine generally comprises a base body, an auto-feeder and a punching mechanism. Wherein the base body is provided at a lower end thereof with a feeding platform for placement of terminal chain. The auto-feeder can be movably disposed on the base body and located close to the feeding platform, so as to push the terminal chain to a crimping position automatically. The punching mechanism can be movably disposed at a position close to an upper end of the base body, so as to carry out crimping operation on the terminals at the crimping position. However, in real operation, there are still some defects need to be improved as follows:
The distances between each pair of neighboring terminals in the terminal chain are the same, and the distance between the neighboring terminals decides the operating distance of the auto-feeder, in other words, the traveling distance of the auto-feeder is fixed. Thereby, a terminal crimping machine only fits terminals of single size. Once the terminal size is changed, the terminal crimping machine is unable to feed the terminal anymore, so the applicability is limited.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional terminal crimping machine.


An example electromagnetic actuator includes a drive shaft, a motor operable to rotate the drive shaft, and a load shaft coupled to an armature body. A clutch is operable to control whether the drive shaft engages the load shaft. A rotatable portion of the clutch corotates with the drive shaft and includes a field winding and a clutch body. A stationary portion of the clutch includes an exciter winding that is inductively coupled to the rotatable portion and is operable to energize the field winding. The field winding is operable, when energized, to provide a magnetic field that causes engagement or disengagement between the clutch body and an armature body. A method of operating an electromagnetic actuator is also disclosed.

This application relates to clutches, and more particularly to an actuator that includes a rotatable electromagnetic clutch utilizing an inductive coupling.
Clutches are used to selectively couple a drive shaft to a load shaft to drive a load. A common application for a clutch is selectively coupling a vehicle engine to a transmission to transmit driving torque to wheels of the vehicle, for example.
Electromagnetic clutches utilize an electromagnetic field to cause a clutch plate to engage or disengage from an armature coupled to the load shaft. In a typical configuration, direct current (DC) is provided to an electromagnetic coil, which creates a magnetic field causing the armature to engage a clutch plate. DC is typically provided to the electromagnetic coil through brushes. Brushes are subject to wear and are therefore considered unreliable for certain applications.

Actuator with rotating electromagnetic clutch utilizing inductive coupling


A denoising process statistically processes a series of frames of a motion picture to construct respective data structures for the frames. Each data structure indicates for each of multiple contexts, occurrences of symbols that have the same context and are in the corresponding one of the frames. The data structures for multiple frames are combined to construct an enhanced data structure for one of the frames, and symbols in that frame are replaced with values determined using the enhanced data structure.

Motion pictures on celluloid or magnetic storage media (e.g., VHS tapes) are subject to scratches, dust, speckling, and other sources of "noise." Noise can also appear in motion pictures during transmission through a noisy channel and in general, sources of noise such as storage errors, transmission errors, and reproduction errors can all be treated as the effects of a noisy channel. During viewing of the motion pictures, the noise often appears as static or as superposed pixels of the wrong color, e.g., black or white specs. While motion pictures containing noise may still be viewable, it is desirable to rid the motion pictures of these artifacts in many applications and in particular in consumer products that transfer motion pictures from analog media to digital media such as DVDs.
The process for removing noise from data or a signal is generally referred to as denoising, and a number of denoising schemes and filters have been developed The goal of most denoising processes is to convert a noisy signal SN into a recovered signal SR that is "closer" to the original clean signal SC. Since the clean signal SC is unavailable during denoising, a denoising process may use a priori knowledge of characteristics of the clean signal SC and/or attempt to infer the characteristics of the clean signal SC from analysis of the noisy signal SN. A universal denoising process in general operates with little or no a priori knowledge of the characteristics of the clean signal SC.
Discrete Universal DEnoising, sometimes referred to herein as DUDE, is a type of universal denoising that can be applied to a noisy signal SN containing discrete symbols si from a known alphabet A={a1, a2, . . . an}. DUDE uses a context η(s) of each symbol s being denoised, where the context η(s) in general is a set of symbols that in some sense neighbor the symbol s. For example, a signal representing a grayscale image and containing symbols that are pixel values may have an alphabet that is the set of values from 0 to 255, and each symbol corresponding to a pixel away from the edge of an image may have a context defined to be the pixel values for the nearest pixels in the image.
DUDE generally includes a modeling scan and a denoising scan of the noisy signal SN. The modeling scan determines count vectors m(η) (or equivalent probability vectors) for respective contexts η. Each component m(η)[i] of a count vector m(η) indicates the number of times a corresponding symbol ai is found in context η in the noisy signal SN. Related count vectors q(η) containing counts of symbols in the clean signal SC that end up in neighborhoods η in the noisy signal SN indicate statistical characteristics of the clean signal SC. Lacking the clean signal SC, DUDE cannot directly determine the count vectors q(η), but DUDE can estimate count vectors q(η), for example, through matrix multiplication of measured count vector m(η) by the inverse of a channel matrix Π, e.g., q(η)≈Π−1m(η). The channel matrix Π can be determined or estimated based on knowledge of the source or type of targeted noise.
The denoising scan generates recovered signal SR by replacing each occurrence of a symbol aj found in context η in the noisy signal SN with a symbol ai that minimizes an estimate of the distortion that results from replacing symbol aj with symbol ai in the clean signal SC. (Symbols aj and ai may be equal, which is equivalent to leaving aj unchanged when found in context η.) Equation 1 indicates a distortion estimate D(aj,ai,η) suitable for the DUDE process. In Equation 1, vector λ(ai) is a column of a symbol transformation matrix Λ, and each component of vector λ(ai) indicates a measure of the distortion created in clean signal SC by replacing the symbol corresponding to that component with symbol ai. Vector π(aj) is a column of channel matrix Π and has components indicating the probability of the channel (i.e., the source of targeted noise) replacing a corresponding symbol with symbol aj, and the Schur product λ(ai)⊙π(aj) generates a vector having components equal to the products of corresponding components of vectors λ(ai) and π(aj).D(aj,ai,η)=qT(η)(λ(ai)⊙π(aj))≈mT(η)Π−1(λ(ai)⊙π(aj))  Equation 1:
Obtaining optimal performance from DUDE generally requires a signal of sufficient length (i.e., a sufficiently large data set) to provide good statistics in the determination of measured count vectors m(η). However, when the alphabet A is large and/or the number of symbols in each context η is large, for example, in grayscale or color images, the available data may be insufficient to provide reliable statistics for the measured count vectors m(η).

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


According to one embodiment, there is to provide a data write method which is applied to a disk drive, for recording data on a disk medium by a head mounted on a rotary type actuator. The method carries out a track pitch conversion processing so that a track pitch of data track is set larger than a track pitch in an intermediate circumferential area based on an azimuth angle of the head in the case where the position of the data track is included in an inner circumferential area or outer circumferential area on the disk medium.

1. Field
One embodiment of the invention generally relates to a disk drive, and particularly relates to a method for writing data in a disk drive of a perpendicular magnetic recording method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in a disk drive which represents a hard disk drive, a rotary type (rotation type) actuator is used as a mechanism for positioning a head at a targeted position (track of an access object) on a disk medium which is a data recording medium.
In the case where a head mounted on such a rotary type actuator is subjected to positioning control (servo control) in the radial direction on the disk medium by control of a CPU which is a main controller of the drive, a so-called azimuth angle is generated in an inner circumferential area or outer circumferential area of the disk medium.
In a disk drive, the servo control is carried out by reproducing a servo pattern (servo data) recorded on the disk medium by a read head contained in the head. In this case, the azimuth angle becomes larger in, for example, the outer circumferential area on the disk medium, and thus, a detection range (detection sensitivity) by the read head is expanded. Consequently, it is a factor causing the lowering of the preciseness of the head positioning.
In order to solve such a problem, there has been proposed a disk drive in which an interval of servo tracks having a servo pattern recorded therein is made narrower in, for example, an outer circumferential area where an azimuth angle becomes larger (see, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 6-60573).
Moreover, when an azimuth angle is larger, an effective track width of a data track having user data recorded therein is variable, and thus, there is an influence such that the recording density is lowered and so on. In order to solve the problem, a constitution in which a distance between tracks adjoining in the radial direction on a disk medium is changed has been proposed (see, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-237142).
As a result of an influence generated by the azimuth angle of the head, a so-called fringe area is generated except for an effective recording area in the data tracks in the case where data is written on the disk medium by a write head. This fringe area is an area where data cannot be normally read out by the read head. Particularly, in a disk drive of a perpendicular magnetic recording method, a single pole type head having the length in the circumferential direction of the track is used as a write head, so that the fringe area is generated in a degree that cannot be neglected due to the azimuth angle.
In the above-described prior-art literatures, the technology capable of solving, particularly, the influence of the fringe area by the azimuth angle has not been proposed.

Method and apparatus for writing data in a disk drive


A moveable body, cladding medium, and fiber are arranged to form a sensor suitable for use in monitoring changes in liquid, fluid, and material level and changes in pressure. The moveable body moves in response to changes in pressure or force. Movement of the body causes a change in the length of cladding medium surrounding an optical fiber. As the extent of cladded fiber length changes, the intensity of light transmitted through the fiber also changes.

The detection of liquid or fluid level is one of many functions for which fiber-optic sensors are more suitable than their electrical counterparts, especially in noisy or hostile environments. Current sensors are typically arranged as simple on-off level switches which sense a sudden increase in optical radiation loss from an uncladded optical fiber making contact with a material liquid or fluid. An array of such "point" sensors may be used to detect a number of discrete levels; however, such a system is complex and provides discontinuous indication of level.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,617 shows a sensor configuration where a diaphragm is deflected by pressure of a liquid. Light is reflected off of one face of the diaphragm, and the reflected light is transmitted through several additional fibers. This is a relatively complicated arrangement.
Various other sensors are known in the art for measuring liquid level, but their use may be limited if: 1) they require fibers or other optical components to be immersed in the liquid, which immersion could modify the optical characteristics of the fiber as a result of "wetting" or corrosion; 2) they require light to pass through a liquid whose refractive or absorptive properties effect the operation of the sensor, thereby limiting their operation with certain liquids, especially opaque ones; or 3) they are complex and rely on components which are not common in the fiber-optics industry. What is needed is a level sensor which is simple, uses available components, and is relatively economical for commercial use.


The disclosure describes a method, an apparatus, a computer-readable medium, and/or means for reducing two-qubit gates in quantum circuits may include receiving a netlist including information relating to a first plurality of two-qubit quantum gates that form the quantum circuits, performing a controlled gate cancellation operation on the information relating to a first plurality of two-qubit quantum gates to produce a second plurality of two-qubit quantum gates that is functionally equivalent to the first plurality of two-qubit quantum gates, wherein a first number of two-qubit quantum gates in the first plurality of two-qubit quantum gates is larger than a second number of two-qubit quantum gates in the second plurality of two-qubit quantum gates, generating a new netlist containing information about the second plurality of two-qubit quantum gates, and providing the new netlist to implement a functionality of the quantum circuits based on the second plurality of two-qubit quantum gates.

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to circuit optimization, and more specifically, to an automated optimization of large-scale quantum circuits with continuous parameters.
Large-scale quantum circuits may be implemented in different ways. The use of trapped atomic ions is one of the quantum information processing (QIP) approaches that has delivered universal and fully programmable quantum computing machines. Trapped atomic ions are also a leading platform for quantum information networks (QINs). Systems or networks based on trapped atomic ions that can improve the overall communications of such systems or networks are desirable.
It is therefore desirable to develop efficient techniques that allow for better optimization (e.g., smaller number of gates) of large-scale quantum circuits in various types of QIP systems, including QIP systems that are based on trapped atomic ions as well as those that are based on, for example, superconducting circuits.

Methods and apparatuses for two-qubit gate reduction in quantum circuits


The invention provides methods and compositions for diagnostic assays for detecting bone and cartilage formation and therapeutic methods and compositions for treating disease and disorders related to bone and cartilage formation or resorption, such as osteoporosis and bone fractions. The invention also provides therapeutic methods for diseases related to bone or cartilage formation or resorption. Methods for identifying therapeutics for such diseases are also provided.

Bone formation is an essential process in embryonic development and plays a critical role in many diseases and conditions which affect millions of humans. For example, osteoporosis is a debilitating disease characterized by excessive bone loss that affects approximately 14 million Americans and costs the U.S. health care system nearly $10 billion annually. In about 40 percent of women and 13 percent of men over 50, osteoporosis is the underlying cause of most hip, spine, and wrist fractures. Recent studies estimate that as much as 70 percent of the variation in bone density is inherited. Bone density reaches adult levels at approximately 18–22 years of life and remains relatively stable until middle age. Loss of bone density in the elderly is the consequence of known factors such as menopause, inadequate nutrition, specific medical conditions, and unknown factors such as a person's genetic constitution. Physicians have very few available drugs to treat declining bone density and need drugs that will promote bone formation in patients.
Bone is continuously remodeled through a coupled process of bone resorption and bone formation. During bone resorption, osteoclasts attach to the mineralized bone matrix and excavate small pits on the bone surface, releasing bone collagen and minerals in the circulation. Subsequently, cross-linked N-telopeptides are released into the bloodstream during osteoclastic activity. During bone formation, osteoblasts are recruited to the newly resorbed areas on the bone where they deposit new collagen. When resorption and formation are in balance, there is no net change in bone mass. After a resting phase during which the bone is mineralized, the remodeling cycle begins again.
In addition to bone formation, another important role for osteoprogenitor cells is in vascular calcification (see, e.g. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens (2000) 9: 11–15). Calcification is a component of vascular disease that usually occurs in concert with atheroma formation but through distinct pathophysiological processes. Vessel wall osteoprogenitor cells known as calcifying vascular cells can form bone matrix proteins and calcified nodules, analogous to osteoblastic differentiation in bone. These cells have been isolated from the tunica media of bovine and human arteries, and both in-vitro tissue culture models and mouse models of vascular calcification have been established. Studies of the effects of diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, estrogens and glucocorticoids on calcifying vascular cell function provide insight into the relationship between common human disease states and vascular calcification.
While endochondral bone formation has been fairly well characterized from a morphological perspective, this process remains largely undefined at a gene transcriptional level. In vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) plays an important role in bone formation, however a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved would be useful to identify potential genetic targets for controlling bone formation. Accordingly, an understanding of the biochemical and molecular events underlying bone formation, and in particular the identity of the gene(s) expressed during bone and cartilage formation, would provide significant diagnostic and therapeutic applications for the treatment of diseases relating to bone and cartilage formation or resorption, such as osteoporosis, bone fractures and rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods and compositions for regulating bone and cartilage formation


The present disclosure relates to methods for measuring affective bandwidth of a subject (e.g., a human) and determining depression determination of the subject. The affective bandwidth measurement may include the following operations. For example, the subject may watch positive neutral and negative pictures for 8-10 seconds, respectively. Information for all fixation points may be obtained using an eye movement tracking device. Pupil diameter sizes of the subject while watching the positive, neutral and negative picture tasks may be calculated, and the affective bandwidth may be calculated. The affective bandwidth may include positive affective bandwidth (positive-neutral), negative affective bandwidth (negative-neutral) and positive-negative affective bandwidth (positive-negative) of the subject.

Previous affective recognition technologies have primarily been used in studies such as recognition of different types of emotions (e.g., pleasure, sadness and fear) based on the different affective recognition (e.g., voice and face). However, most methods cannot recognize and quantify the same type of affective recognitions in terms of the level of pleasure (i.e., extremely pleased vs. relatively pleased) or the scope of pleasure.
In the field of cognitive psychology, affective experience is measured by presenting pictures of different types of emotions to a subject. The level of pleasure is measured on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being the most pleasant and 1 being the least pleasant. The subject selects the level that best depicts the affect induced by the pictures. This method can be used to quantify an emotions of the subject, which is influenced by the subjectivity of the subject with a certain level of uncertainty.
Studies have shown that, the visual stimulation of positive emotions, such as joy and happiness, induces pleasant emotions, indicated by the expansion of the diameter of the pupils of the subject. In contrast, the visual stimulation of negative emotions, such as sorrow and fear, induces unpleasant emotions, indicated by the contraction of the diameter of the pupils of the subject. Therefore, the expansion and contraction of the pupils of a subject serves as an objective indicator of changes of emotions of the subjects.
Affective disorder primarily is characterized as moodiness, deficiency of pleasurable feelings and feeling of depression. Currently, auxiliary scales (such as the Beck scale and the self-rating affective disorder scale) have primarily been used for the determination and estimation of affective disorder, and brain waves and eye movement indexes are also used in determination estimations; however, these determination and estimations are not directly associated with the affective experience due to the shortage of affective indexes directly associated with mood. Therefore, the recognition rate and accuracy of affective injuries is not high. The affective width describes the affective change, and the positive affective bandwidth will be remarkably narrowed, thereby decreasing the affective change range and deficiency of the affective experience induced through external positive emotion information in the case of gloomy mood and the deficiency of pleasurable feelings. Hence, mood disorders such as the deficiency of pleasurable feelings and black moods can be induced. However, affective deficiency will induce negative cognitive schema, resulting in negative cognitive deviation to external information. This tends to perform cognitive processing in the negative psychology for non-negative (positive or neutral) visual stimulation. Therefore, experiences and affective disorder of a normal person are different from external positive and negative affective stimulation such that the positive emotion experience of the affective disorder is smaller than that of the normal person.

Affective bandwidth measurement and affective disorder determination


Methods for fabricating silicon nanowire chemical sensing devices, devices thus obtained, and methods for utilizing devices for sensing and measuring chemical concentration of selected species in a fluid are described. Devices may comprise a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) structure.

Defining high aspect ratio structures with controllable sidewalls in silicon has become increasingly important both in the nanometer and micrometer scale for solar cells, microelectronic devices, and chemical analysis. High aspect ratio micrometer pillars can be used for solar cell investigations while nanometer scale high aspect ratio pillars can enable fundamental investigations in theories of nanopillar stress mechanics, silicon based lasers, and nanoscale electronic devices such as finFETs and chemical sensors. Currently various nanofabrication techniques exist that rely on self assembly or bottom-up processing. Some top-down processing enabling reproducibility in nanofabrication can also be found.
Among further possible applications are mechanical oscillators and piezo-resistive sensors. High aspect ratio nanopillars with diameters between 50-100 nm could prove useful for core-shell type plasmonic resonators while nanopillars with sub-10 nm diameters have shown promising light emission characteristics.

Chemical sensing and/or measuring devices and methods


Using a cathode material with which an electron emission having sufficient intensity is obtained with a low electric field, over a back substrate, cathodes and first control electrodes are formed on the same plane, which is parallel to the back substrate, thus forming electron beam sources, and second control electrodes, which focus electrons taken out from the electron beam sources, are formed, whereby it is possible to obtain an image display of high brightness.

The present invention relates to a flat panel display device of the type which includes electron beam sources having electron sources (cathodes) which emit electrons in response to an electric field and a phosphor screen which is excited by electron beams emitted from the electron beam sources, and, more particularly, the invention relates to a flat panel display device which is capable of producing an image display of high definition by focusing electron beams on a phosphor screen.
Recently, a field-emission-type flat panel display device has been developed which uses diamond, carbon nanotubes or the like as the material for electron sources which emit electrons in response to a low electric field. These electron sources will be referred to as cathodes hereinafter. This type of cathode can obtain a sufficient emission of electrons in response to an extremely low electric field compared with conventional field-emission-type cathodes which use a metal material as a main material. The flat panel display device which uses such an electron emission material as a cathode is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2000-268706 (patent literature 1) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2002-25478 (patent literature 2), for example. The flat panel display device described in these publications is a kind of cathode tube in which a back panel and a face panel have respective main surfaces which face each other in an opposed manner, and the peripheries of these panels are sealed by a sealing frame and a vacuum is created in the inside of the sealed structure. Here, the back panel has a so-called in-plane-gate (hereinafter abbreviated as IPG) structure in which cathodes operating as electron beam sources and control electrodes are formed on the same plane of a main surface of a back substrate which constitutes a first substrate, while the face panel includes a phosphor screen to which phosphors are applied to a main surface of a face substrate which constitutes a second substrate.
In the flat panel display device having the electron beam sources of the IPG structure, to effectively excite the phosphors with the electron beams from the electron beam sources, it is effective to provide focusing electrodes. To provide focusing electrodes to the back substrate of IPG structure, it is necessary to provide focusing electrode lines in addition to control electrode lines which supply electricity to the control electrodes. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2000-3664 (patent literature 3) discloses a flat panel display device which includes electron sources of the Spindt structure and electron beam sources formed of control electrodes, wherein focusing electrodes having a partition-wall shape which surround respective pixel regions are formed over the electron beam sources, and the focusing electrodes are connected with control electrode lines of neighboring pixels.

Flat panel display device including electron beam sources and control electrodes


A bearing for allowing the movement of a movable mirror in a Michelson interferometer includes a stationary hollow glass cylinder and a movable assembly which includes the movable mirror and at least one graphite member, the graphite member being slidably disposed within the bore of the glass cylinder. Preferably, there is an anti-rotation system for the movable assembly which includes a post coupled with the movable assembly, a magnet mounted on one end of the post and a stationary guide rail positioned substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the movable assembly and at a predetermined radial distance from the movable assembly.

The present invention relates to an improved design for a Michelson interferometer and more particularly to an apparatus for precision movement of a movable mirror in a Michelson interferometer.
Michelson interferometers are used in spectrometers which provide spectroscopic data such as light wavelength, line position, intensity and absorption coefficient. A typical Michelson interferometer employs a half-silvered mirror or beam splitter, placed at a 45.degree. angle with respect to the electromagnetic radiation being measured. The beam splitter divides the radiation into two parts, and each part is directed along a separate perpendicular path within the interferometer. One part of the radiation is reflected off of a fixed mirror. The other part is reflected off of a movable mirror. The two parts are then recombined at the beam splitter and optically interfere with each other to a degree proportional to their phase displacement. The phase displacement between the two parts is generated by the inequality in the path lengths between the movable mirror and the fixed mirror.
In a Michelson interferometer the alignment of the movable mirror must be maintained to a very high degree of precision as it travels toward and away from the beam splitter. In particular, the movable mirror should be able to move over a distance or stroke length of several centimeters while tilting less than a few arc-seconds.
State of the art Michelson interferometers use either air bearings or mechanical pivot-type bearings which require costly close tolerance machining and assembly for controlling the tilt of the movable mirror as it moves. Air bearings, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,193, offer higher performance but are expensive and require an air compressor and filter to supply compressed air. Mechanical pivot-type bearings, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,984,190 and 4,828,367, have certain limitations. Bearings of this type can have errors in the mirror alignment as the mirror moves. These alignment problems worsen at long stroke lengths, thus limiting the stroke length and system resolution. Moreover, these bearings are subject to wear and degradation. The mechanical bearings also have poor damping and tend to capture or generate mechanical and acoustical vibrations, thereby causing noise in the system output data.

Interferometer having glass graphite bearing


A hand-held electronic pedicure instrument includes a housing having an outside portion and an inside portion. The inside portion includes a battery electrically coupled to a motor which can be activated by a switch on the outside portion of the housing. The outside portion of the housing also has a handle. The motor provides rotational output to a shaft extending from the inside portion of the housing, through an opening in the housing and beyond the outside portion of the housing, the shaft having a distal end. The instrument further has a wheel having proximal and distal surfaces. The distal end of the shaft secures to the proximal surface of the wheel. An attachment has a proximal portion that is removably secured to the distal surface of the wheel. The attachment has a distal portion having an abrasive material.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an electronic pedicure instrument used for care and treatment of the hands or feet, including removal of calluses or corns from the feet or hands.
2. Description of Related Art
During a pedicure, calluses, corns and dry, dead, or flaky skin (hereinafter, collectively, "skin imperfections") are abraded or scraped from the bottom of the feet. This process is optimally performed after the foot has soaked in warm water. Various tools known in the art for removal of skin imperfections include pedicure sanders, callus rasps, pumice stones, pumice sponges and/or razors. Although razors are often very effective for this purpose, they carry a risk of injury. In fact, many states in the United States of America have passed laws prohibiting the commercial use of razors in performing pedicures, and it is expected that more states will follow suit.
The manual performance of a pedicure with abrasive tools, e.g., pumice sponges, is tedious and can result in significant fatigue to the pedicurist, especially when the pedicurist performs several pedicures per day. Some pedicurists experience pain and unfortunately even physical impairments, e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome, from repeated use of manually operated abrasive pedicure tools.
Accordingly, attempts have been made to automate the process of removing skin imperfections from the feet and hands. For example, Jerdon Products, LLC sells a battery-powered pedicure instrument under the name "Pedi-Smooth" and product number JD51BX. This instrument is powered by three AA batteries and comes with detachable rotary sandpaper refills. The sandpaper refills provide an abrasive surface for performance of the pedicure. However, the Pedi-Smooth does not operate at sufficient revolutions per minute (RPM) to adequately remove skin imperfections. It is therefore not popularly used commercially by pedicurists.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,546 (Jo) discloses a pedicure sander used for removing calluses or corns from the feet. The sander comprises a motor-driven cylindrical abrasive rotary body. The rotary body and motor are located within a housing. The housing has at least one opening exposing a portion of the rotary body in order to allow the rotary body to contact the skin during a pedicure. Although an improvement over manual tools for the removal of skin imperfections, the structure of this device is not conducive to comfortable use, and can cause undue stress to the hand and wrist of a pedicurist who uses it for extended periods of time throughout the day. The device is not characterized in Jo as being water-tight, and therefore can be unsafe to use in wet environments (in which pedicures are typically performed). The device is capable of providing rotary motion to the cylindrical rotary body at varied RPM. However Jo does not mention the RPM at which the device operates - a parameter which is essential to the effective removal of skin imperfections. Additionally, the cylindrical rotary body is not removable and replaceable. Thus, wear over time as well as collection of bacteria through use can diminish the safety and effectiveness of the device.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20070221238 (Tran) discloses a foot sanding disk adapted to attach to an output shaft of a motorized rotary tool. The details of a rotary tool onto which the disk would attach are not disclosed in Tran. The abrasive materials disclosed for use with the disk, e.g., silica, garnet, silicon carbide, and aluminum oxide, are not ideal for the removal of skin imperfections.
What is therefore needed is a safe and effective electronic pedicure instrument for the removal of skin imperfections. The instrument can be suitable for commercial or home use. Additionally, the instrument would preferably be cordless, rechargeable, safe for use in wet environments and comfortable to use over extended periods of time.


This invention relates to technology of carbographite materials, in particular, to production of oxidized graphite for making low foaming temperature foamed graphite, which is used for manufacturing flexible foil, fireproof materials, water-purification sorbents, materials for cleaning up spills of petroleum products, and so on. The method for producing oxidized low foaming temperature graphite comprises the stages of (a) preparing a mixture based on graphite particles and at least one aqueous solution of an acid; (b) activating the surface of said graphite particles to produce acid-containing functional groups on the surface of the particles; (c) treating the graphite particles to produce a graphite intercalation compound; (d) washing said compound with water; (e) drying said compound, and heat-treating it to produce foamed graphite, wherein stage (b) and (c) are carried out by electrochemical treatment at a quantity of electricity within 300 to 600 mA·hour/g of graphite. The technical result is oxidized graphite having improved characteristics, in particular, high uniformity, low bulk density, and capacity for foaming at temperatures of 150° C. to 260° C.

Oxidized graphite is a product of hydrolysis of graphite intercalation compounds (GIC) with strong inorganic acids, for example, sulfuric or nitric acid.
Oxidized graphite is used as a base for producing foamed graphite, which is a very light-weight, chemically inert material that is essentially a heat-expanded graphite.
This material is obtained by rapidly heating oxidized graphite.
Oxidized graphite may be obtained by treating graphite in aqueous solutions of strong acids, for example, sulfuric or nitric acid, in the presence of oxidizing agents, or by electrochemical treatment.
To achieve a foaming effect, oxidized graphite is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature in the order of 900-1,000° C.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,576 discloses a method for producing foamed graphite, comprising electrochemical processing by anodic oxidation of graphite in aqueous solutions of H2SO4 or HNO3 at a constant current density of less than 500 mA/cm2 for 6 to 7 hours, followed by washing with water, drying, and heat treatment.
The bulk density of foamed graphite obtained by this method is between 4 and 6 g/liter.
This known method is disadvantageous because of the considerable duration of electrochemical treatment, non-uniformity of the end product, unsatisfactory bulk density of the product, and absence of foaming capacity at relatively low temperatures (150-250° C.).
A number of publications that have come out in recent years disclose production of oxidized graphite, which has a low foaming temperature, for manufacturing foamed graphite. In particular, GB Patent No. 2,367,291 describes a method for producing oxidized graphite, which comprises preliminary treatment of feedstock graphite in organic acids of the general formula H(CH2)nCOOH, wherein n takes values of 0 to 5, followed by electrochemical treatment in an aqueous solution of 30-50% H2SO4 at a constant current density of up to 0.06 A/cm2, washing with water, drying, and heat treatment. Accordingly, the patent discloses a foamed graphite produced by this method at a bulk density of 3-5 g/liter. The foamed graphite is capable of foaming at low temperatures.
This known method is disadvantageous because the use of organic compounds at the preliminary treatment stage complicates the method significantly since it requires the use of additional equipment capable of distributing a small quantity of organic additive over the entire mass of feedstock graphite. But even in that case, the probability of the feedstock and, therefore, foamed graphite being non-uniform is very high. Besides, this processing method creates a problem of mixed acidic waste disposal, adding to the costs of the method.


A doffer device for a spinning machine includes a plurality of gripping devices, each gripping device having a rotatable gripping unit. Each gripping unit includes a bobbin gripper that grips a full bobbin and a tube gripper that grips an empty tube. Each gripping unit is rotatable between a gripping position in which the full bobbin can be gripped on the spindle and a placement position in which the empty tube can be placed on the spindle. A rotating device is configured with the gripping units to rotate the gripping units about an axis of rotation such that neighboring ones of the gripping units are rotated with a time lag relative to one another. The rotating device is driven by a toothed belt.

Doffer devices for spinning machines are well known. The doffer device usually has a plurality of gripping devices, so that a gripping device is assigned to each spinning station. In many cases, such a gripping device has a gripper, which first removes a full bobbin from a spindle and places it on a peg on a conveyor belt, for example. Then the gripper grips an empty tube, removing it from a peg on a conveyor belt, for example, and places it on the spindle. Between removal of the bobbin and placement of the tube, a bar on the doffer device, on which the gripping devices are arranged, must be moved from the spinning station to the conveyor belt and then back to the spinning station. Because of the size of the doffer device, this movement is usually time consuming, which results in a loss of spinning time.
DE3640002A1 describes a doffer device having gripping devices to solve this problem, each of the gripping devices being provided with two controllable gripping elements for gripping tubes and bobbins. The gripping elements are accommodated in a rotating disk driven by means of an adjusting drive. For a doffing operation, the first gripping element first grips an empty tube. Then the bar on the doffer device moves the gripping devices together with the empty tubes to the spinning stations. The second gripping element then removes the full bobbin from the spindle at the spinning station. Then the adjusting drive rotates the rotating disk, so that the first gripping element with the empty tube is placed on the spindle. Then the first gripping element places the empty tube on the spindle. Once this is done, the spinning process can be continued. With this doffer device, great distances of travel of the bar during the shutdown of the spinning stations are avoided and this saves time. However, one disadvantage of this doffer device is that the gripping devices with the rotating disks need more space in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the spinning machine than is available between two spinning stations on many contemporary spinning machines.
FR589966 discloses a doffer double gripper, which receives the finished cop at the side and positions it with empty tubes. However, one disadvantage of this embodiment is the lower fastening of the tubes/cops because this is a stability problem.

Doffer device having a double gripper for a spinning machine


A litter-free pet waste collection system providing a sanitary, easy to clean and aesthetically pleasing unit for receiving household pet waste without utilizing granular or pelleted litter, comprising a base, a diverting tray having a sloped bottom surface and an aperture therein for draining liquid waste, a perimeter wall section for containing waste, a support tray and grill lined with a permeable, non-absorbent material for supporting the animal in the unit while allowing liquid waste to flow through to the diverting tray, and a removable covered liquid waste receptacle housed in the base and aligned under the diverting tray aperture whereby liquid waste is easily disposed of and odor is effectively contained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to a waste collection system for pets, and more specifically, to a waste collection system that controls odor and spillage of pet waste, provides for easy disposal of pet waste and does not require granular litter or pellets.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional litter boxes for use with felines and other small indoor pets can be extremely messy and malodorous. Conventional litter boxes utilize granular litter or pellets that are easily scattered throughout the house by the pet. The litter is tracked from the box by the pet as a result of moisture or static electricity when the pet uses the conventional litter box. The litter may also be kicked out of the conventional litter box scattering litter around the area immediately surrounding the conventional litter box as a result of the animal's instinctive tendency to scratch or dig in the area used for elimination. This litter may then be tracked throughout the house.
Conventional litter boxes are also cumbersome to empty and clean. The solid waste must be cleaned out of the granular litter or pellets and the entire volume of litter or pellets must routinely be emptied and replaced in the litter box. The design of conventional litter boxes requires that the soiled litter and waste be scooped from the box, or that the entire box be lifted and either dumped into a trash bag or carried to a disposal bin or toilet. This requirement can result in spillage of waste and/or litter throughout the house. Additionally, even odor-controlling litter does not always effectively control pet waste odors, particularly those resulting from liquid waste which remains in the conventional litter box until such time as there is enough solid waste to justify replacing the entire volume of granular litter or pellets contained in the litter box. Accordingly, pet owners are constantly looking for a better way to contain pet waste and odor as well as a better way to dispose of the pet waste and maintain a sanitary "litter" box. Particularly in recent years, a need has arisen for a pet litter box system having the above-mentioned attributes that will accommodate not only felines, but also canines, rabbits, ferrets, or other indoor pets.


An equipment cradle for motor vehicles that is capable of securing equipment during transit in the passenger compartment of motor vehicles, and rests on the motor vehicles seats and is securely coupled to the motor vehicle using the standard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) Restraint System.

1. Field of the Invention
An equipment cradle for motor vehicles that is capable of securing equipment during transit in the passenger compartment of motor vehicles, and specifically an equipment cradle that is easily added to and removed from the motor vehicle even when equipment is attached, and more specifically an equipment cradle that rests on a motor vehicle's seats and is securely coupled to the motor vehicle using the standard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) Restraint System.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditionally there has been no good way to transport equipment, particularly office equipment such as printers and multifunction machines safely and useable in the passenger compartment of motor vehicles. Many employees, agents and other personal or small business owners need to create, process and upload documents remotely from an office. Examples of such individuals are mobile notaries, real estate agents, insurance adjustors, sales persons, medical care providers, field agents, and the like. As mobile data access has grown, there is a need and benefit for the remote printing, scanning and copying of documents. Most of these functions when in a physical office and performed with readily available office equipment, such as multifunction printers. While some individuals have attempted to hook up multiple function printers to a power convertor and buckle the unit to the seat of a vehicle, this is generally an unsafe method as the seat belts are not configured to securely hold such equipment in position, particularly under heavy braking, quick acceleration, sharp cornering, or even in a crash situation where the equipment is subjected to extreme force in a single direction or multiple directions. In particular, while some individuals and companies have attempted to place the smallest multifunction device in a vehicle, for most individuals, including real estate agents and mobile notaries, a small multi-function printer is not designed for, not reliable and not convenient for printing large closing packages and transaction documents which regularly exceed one hundred pages. The smallest of the large multifunction printers typically used for large print jobs easily weigh 40-50 or more pounds. To address the problems listed above, many companies, employees and agents purchase specially configured vehicles, such as a van or the like and reconfigure it into a mobile office. The necessary office equipment is permanently bolted in place, making the vehicle unusable in other settings and applications. Therefore, an expensive vehicle, typically $30,000-$40,000 or more after reconfiguration into a mobile office has a limited use and purpose. As such, many individuals companies cannot afford these limited use vehicles. Therefore, there is a need for a solution that safely and quickly allows a standard vehicle to transport in a useable configuration office equipment and quickly be converted back to a passenger vehicle.


A TEM RF antenna device (40) for a magnetic resonance MR imaging system (10), ⋅the RF antenna device (40) comprising a plurality of rungs (44), and each rung (44) having at least one axial member (46) that in an operational state is substantially arranged parallel to the axial direction (38) wherein ⋅the axial members (46) of the plurality of rungs (44) are arranged along an azimuthal direction (34) in a substantially equally spaced relationship about a center axis (42), and wherein ⋅the at least one axial member (46) of each of the rungs (44) has two end regions (48, 50) and wherein ⋅for at least two rungs (44′, 44″) of the plurality of rungs (44) that are adjacently arranged with regard to the azimuthal direction (34), each rung (44′, 44″) comprising at least one transversal member (52, 54) that is galvanically connected to one of the end regions (48, 50) of the axial member (46) of that rung (44′, 44″) only, in the operational state, the at least one transversal members (52, 54) of the adjacent rungs (44′, 44″) are substantially arranged such that there exists at least one location on each of the transversal members (52, 54) of the two rungs (44′, 44″) that at least have substantially identical azimuthal coordinates, thereby reducing the RF field outside of the antenna device.

In the art of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, birdcage type coils are being employed as RF antennae, especially as body coils at higher magnetic field strength like, for instance, 3 T because of their superior power efficiency in comparison to transversal electromagnetic mode (TEM)-type resonators. This is mainly due to the ring currents, which confine the radio frequency (RF) field to a smaller region around the coil, whereas the RF field axially extends far outside the coil in case of TEM-type resonators. As an attempt of improvement, coils have been proposed which comprise U-shaped resonator elements (Leussler et al.: U-shaped Ladder TEM-Coil Structure with Truncated Sensitivity Profile in z-Direction for High Field MRI, ISMRM 20 (2012), 2805). These so called UTEM (U-shape TEM-type) coils emulate the function of the ring of a birdcage type coil by their transversal conductor elements and thus are also able to confine the RF field outside the coil.
It is desirable to be able to employ a TEM-type resonator for MR imaging, with its defined RF ground that can advantageous be made use of for de-tuning circuits, feeding cables and RF pick-up coils used for RF safety purposes, which also has a confined RF field.

TEM resonator-type RF antenna device for a magnetic resonance imaging system