An endoluminal prosthesis is disclosed and comprises a first generally tubular stent, a second generally tubular stent, and a generally tubular graft member concentrically disposed between the first and second stents. One or more of the first and second stents may have a body portion and a flaring portion. The first and second stents each may have a recoil force such that the combined application of the first and second recoil forces secures the graft member between the first and second stents.

1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to medical devices. In particular, this application relates to endoluminal devices suitable for various medical applications and the methods for making and using such endoluminal devices.
2. Description of Related Art
The functional vessels of human and animal bodies, such as blood vessels and ducts, occasionally weaken. For example, an aortic wall may weaken, resulting in an aneurysm. Upon further exposure to hemodynamic forces, such an aneurysm may rupture, resulting in internal bleeding, and often, death.
The use of an endoluminal device or prosthesis, such as a stent graft is well known in the art as an intervention for repairing weakened, aneurysmal, dissected or ruptured vessels. An endoluminal prosthesis is delivered in a radially compressed configuration using a catheter delivery system. The catheter is introduced into the lumen system and the prosthesis is delivered to the repair site intraluminally. The prosthesis is then expanded to engage the luminal wall. The prosthesis provides some or all of the functionality of the original, healthy vessel and/or preserves any remaining vascular integrity by replacing a length of the existing vessel wall that contains the site of vessel weakness or failure. Endoluminal prostheses such as stent grafts may be used for the treatment of various functional vessels, including body lumens such as the esophagus, bile duct, or blood vessels.
Examples of stent grafts that may be used for treating damaged or diseased body lumens are described in PCT Application WO 98/53761, entitled "A Prosthesis and a Method and Means of Deploying a Prosthesis," which is herein incorporated by reference.
Often times, a functional vessel may become damaged or defective at a branched location which includes a main lumen and at least one branch lumen extending from the main lumen. For example, an aneurysm may develop within the vasculature near the intersection between the abdominal aorta and branch vessels, such as the iliac, renal, celiac, and/or mesenteric arteries. Similarly, an aneurysm may develop near the intersection of the thoracic aorta and branch vessels, such as the innominate, left common carotid, and the left subclavian arteries. Repair of a damaged or defective branched vessel is particularly challenging because the stent graft must cover the entire affected area without occluding blood flow or obscuring access to adjacent lumens.
Various stent grafts have been provided for repairing main body lumens and spanning branch vessels without occluding fluid flow thereto. For example, a stent graft may be provided that has one or more fenestrations or apertures in the side wall of the stent graft. The stent graft may be deployed within a main vessel so that the fenestration is aligned with a branch vessel to allow fluid communication between the main vessel and the branch vessel.
In many cases, the vasculature is not symmetric. In addition, even with symmetrical vasculature, physiological forces may cause a previously placed stent graft to move causing the position of the fenestration to move with respect to the branch vessel. In other instances, where the disease extends into the branch vessel and affects the ostium of the branch vessel, a stent graft deployed within the main vessel may not properly seal and secure to the branch vessel and may lead to leaks (endoleaks) between the stent graft and the main vessel, reduced blood flow to the branch vessels, and/or may obscure access to portions of the branch vessel, necessitating further interventional procedures.
In cases such as these, a branch vessel prosthesis may be provided instead of or in addition to a main vessel prosthesis. For example, an abdominal aortic stent graft may be provided that extends over branch arteries such as the renal arteries, the celiac arteries, or the mesenteric arteries and that has one or more fenestrations that are alignable therewith. A branch vessel prosthesis may then be provided and attached to the abdominal aortic stent graft through a fenestration in the stent graft to complete the prosthesis.
United States Published Patent Application Nos. 2006/0058864, 2005/0222668, 2005/0171598, and 2005/0149166 A1 disclose various systems for repairing branched vessels, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference here. Various aspects of each of these disclosures may be used in conjunction with the present invention.
Presently, the manufacture of stent grafts or covered stents requires specialized secondary procedures or specialized stent-attachment mechanisms. For example, the stent may be attached to a graft using external components such as hooks, sutures or other fasteners. Alternatively, a covered stent may be formed by using a dip-coating process to apply the graft to the stent. Such components and processes are both labor-intensive and costly.
Thus, there is a need for an endoluminal prosthesis that includes a stent and a graft where the stent and graft are secured together without the use of such attachment procedures or mechanisms.


A collapsible lampshade structure which includes an upper fixing ring provided with a plurality of engaging members, a lower fixing ring provided with a plurality of engaging seats and two pairs of tubular members, and a plurality of resilient ribs each having a projection at an upper end thereof and two pins at a lower end thereof, the ribs being detachably connected between the engaging members of the upper fixing ring and the engaging seats of the lower fixing rings, a first curved rod mounted between a pair of the tubular members and having a first recess, a second curved rod mounted between another pair of the tubular members and having a second recess, and a retainer formed with two hooks adapted to be engaged with the recesses of the curved rods, one of the hooks having two protuberances for preventing the retainer from detaching from the second curved rod.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a collapsible lamp shade structure and in particular to one comprising an upper fixing ring, a lower fixing ring, and a plurality of ribs which can be easily assembled to form a lamp shade and dismantled to reduce its volume, thereby facilitating its transporting, and making it easier for packaging purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional lamp shade (see FIG. 1) is composed of an upper fixing ring, a lower fixing ring, and a plurality of ribs which are welded between the upper and the lower fixing rings, and a cloth hood which is mounted on the outside of the frame and a lining is mounted inside the frame. However, this kind of lampshade cannot be dismantled or collapsed, and so it is bulky in volume, making it difficult for packaging and difficult for transportation.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved lampshade structure which can obviate and mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks.


A solution for translating translatable components in a file containing structured information from a source language to one or more selected destination languages is disclosed. In an embodiment, the translatable components in the original file may be identified by an identifier. Such an identifier may be, for example, a prefix character string, which may be located using a suitable parser. The file and its translatable components may then be separated into a structural base or “skeleton” file, and an “isolated” file containing the translatable components. The translatable components in the isolated file may then be translated from the source language to a selected destination language to form translated components. These translated components in the isolated file may then be merged with the skeletal file to create a new file having substantially the same structure as the original file, but with the translatable components translated into the selected destination language.

The present invention relates generally to computer systems, and more specifically to translation of files containing structured information and translatable components.
One type of file containing structured information is known as an Extensible Markup Language ("XML") file. As known to those skilled in the art, XML is a meta-language for documents. XML provides a way of defining structured information containing content, such as text and graphics, and an indication of how such content may be used. Due to its inherent flexibility, XML may be used to describe structures for a wide range of data types. XML files have thus become a widely adopted format for exchanging various types of data for example on the Internet.
An XML file may often include translatable components (i.e. elements or attributes) in the structured information, typically in one source language. With the global reach of the Internet, it is often desirable to have the translatable components in an XML file translated from the source language to one of a number of selected destination languages. A difficulty with translating XML files is that, due to their inherent flexibility, one XML file may have a structure, which is quite different from that of another XML file. Consequently, it may be difficult to identify translatable components in an XML document, and the results of a translation may not be satisfactory.
What is needed is a design for translating files containing structured information and translatable components, which at least partially addresses the difficulty described above.

International Business Machines Corporation


This invention provides a system and method for automatic (non-manual) calibration of one or more cameras employs a tessellating calibration plate having a checkerboard tile pattern and a plurality of 2D codes embedded within the checkerboard pattern. Each 2D code encodes the (X,Y) coordinates that identify tile calibration feature locations in the pattern, and the remaining, surrounding tiles allow measurement of the corner positions as calibration features. One or more vision system camera(s) can be calibrated to a single coordinate system automatically. During calibration, an image of at least a portion of a calibration plate is acquired, the encoded data is decoded for at least one 2D code within the field of view of each camera and then the position of the field of view is determined on the calibration plate for each camera using the 2D code data and the checkerboard tile pattern.

In machine vision systems (also termed herein "vision systems"), one or more cameras are used to perform vision system process on an object or surface within an imaged scene. These processes can include inspection, decoding of symbology, alignment and a variety of other automated tasks. More particularly, a vision system can be used to inspect a flat work piece passing through an imaged scene. The scene is typically imaged by one or more vision system cameras that can include internal or external vision system processors that operate associated vision system processes to generate results. It is generally desirable to calibrate one or more cameras to enable it/them to perform the vision task(s) with sufficient accuracy and reliability. A calibration plate can be employed to calibrate the cameras.
A calibration plate is often provided as a flat object with distinctive patterns made visible on its surface. The distinctive pattern is generally designed with care and precision, so that the user can easily identify each visible feature in an image of the plate acquired by a camera. Some exemplary patterns include, but are not limited to, dot grids, line grids, or conceivably a honeycomb pattern, a checkerboard of triangles, etc. Characteristics of each visible feature are known from the plate's design, such as the position and/or orientation relative to a reference position and/or coordinate system implicitly defined within the design. Among the features present in the design are calibration features. These are the individual features in a calibration plate's design whose characteristics can be readily measured (for example, the feature's position, size, color, etc.), and whose intended characteristics by the nominal design are known precisely. For example, some possible calibration feature positions include the corners or centers of checkerboard-pattern tiles, or the centers of dots in a dot grid, or the line crossings in a line grid. Although not required, most calibration plate designs include a large number of calibration features arranged in a repetitive pattern. More basically, the primary requirement for a calibration feature is to provide known characteristics that can be readily measured in an acquired image.
Note that the design of a checkerboard pattern provides certain advantages in terms of accuracy and robustness in finding the pattern's calibration features, even in presence of perspective and lens distortions, partial damage to the pattern, and uneven lighting, among other non-ideal conditions.
The design of a calibration plate often includes one or more calibration fiducials. These calibration fiducials are a special subset of the calibration features, and serve as "landmarks" in an otherwise repetitive pattern of calibration features. For example, if a camera has a limited field of view that images only a portion of a checkerboard pattern, it will have no sense of which portion of the pattern is being viewed. In many such instances, a motion stage is used to move the plate (for example by half a tile), and the camera then acquires another image of the calibration plate. Because the pattern is repeating, analysis of the two images (before and after the move) could not determine whether the stage had moved the 0.5 tiles, or 1.5 tiles, or 2.5 tiles, etc. To address this ambiguity, the distinctly-shaped fiducials are embedded in the design, which can be identified and corresponded in the two images, as long as there is only one such distinct fiducial on the entire plate and that fiducial is visible in both the pre-motion image and the post-motion image. The functions served by calibration fiducials are, in part dependent upon the information they present in the image. This is described further below.
For a rigid body, such as a calibration plate, a motion can be characterized by a pair of poses: a starting pose immediately preceding a motion, and an ending pose immediately following the motion—a "pose" herein being defined as a set of numerical values to describe the state of a body, at any one particular instant in time, in some underlying coordinate system—a virtual characterization of the body. For example, in two dimensions (2D), a rigid body can be characterized by three numbers: a translation in X, a translation in Y, and a rotation R. A pose in the context of a calibration plate describes how the calibration plate is presented to the camera(s), when there is relative motion between the camera(s) and the calibration plate. Typically, in a standard so-called "hand-eye calibration", a calibration plate is presented at a number of different poses to the camera(s), and each camera acquires an image of the calibration plate at each such pose. For machine vision hand-eye calibration, the calibration plate is moved to a plurality of predetermined poses at which cameras acquire respective images of the plate. The goal of such hand-eye calibration is to determine the rigid body poses of the camera(s) and calibration plate in the "motion coordinate system". The motion coordinate system can be defined in a variety of ways. The numbers in the poses (that specify where the calibration plate and/or cameras reside in the space) must be interpreted in an appropriate coordinate system. Once a single unified coordinate system is selected, the poses and motion are described/interpreted in that global coordinate system. This selected coordinate system is often termed the "motion coordinate system." Typically "motion" is provided by a physical device that can render physical motion, such as a robot arm, or a motion stage, such as a gantry. Note that either the plate can move relative to one or more stationary camera(s) or the camera(s) can move relative to a stationary plate. The controller of such a motion-rendering device employs numerical values (i.e. poses) to command the devices to render any desired motion, and those values are interpreted in a native coordinate system for that device. Note, although any motion coordinate system can be selected to provide a common, global coordinate system relative to the motion-rendering device and camera(s), it is often desirable to select the motion-rendering device's native coordinate system as the overall motion coordinate system.
Hand-eye-calibration, thus, calibrates the system to a single motion coordinate system by rendering of motions (either moving the calibration plate or moving the cameras), and acquiring images before and after that motion to determine the effects of such motion on a moving object. By way of further background, this differs from standard "non-hand-eye" calibration in which a machine vision application is generally free of any motion rendering device. In such instances, the camera(s) are typically all calibrated relative to the coordinate system of the calibration plate itself, using one acquired image of the plate, which is in a particular position within the field of view of all cameras. The machine vision calibration software deduces the relative position of each camera from the image of the plate acquired by each camera. This calibration is said to "calibrate cameras to the plate", whereas a hand-eye calibration is said to "calibrate cameras to the motion coordinate system."
When the machine vision system employs hand-eye calibration, its software solves poses by correlating the observed motion effect in the images with the commanded motion (for which the commanded motion data is known). Another result of the calibration is a mapping between each pixel position in a camera's image and a physical position in the motion coordinate system, so that after finding a position in the image space, the position in the motion coordinate system can be translated and the motion-rendering device can be commanded to act upon it.
In hand-eye calibration, a conventional calibration plate has several disadvantages. Generally, there are at least three disadvantages to a conventional calibration plate, such as a calibration plate employing a traditional checkerboard pattern with repeated (e.g. tessellated) identical-appearance calibration fiducials, each serving as a local origin in the coordinate system of the calibration plate. In general, the identical nature of pattern elements prevents the plate's calibration fiducials from carrying discrete information about their position in the global coordinate system. Moreover, external inputs are typically required to be manually entered by a user or operator of the system to specify the relative positions of the calibration fiducials/local origins. The size of the field of view of a particular camera imposes a limiting maximum motion range in order for a calibration fiducial (on the calibration plate) to remain within the field of view. Also, significant caution and care should be taken to avoid confusion with nearby fiducials on the calibration plate.
Various attempts have been made to address the disadvantages associated with conventional calibration plates. One attempt is to employ a plurality of 2D DataMatrix codes arranged side-by-side, and to use individual cells inside 2D DataMatrix codes as calibration features. Each individual cell can either be a round dot, or a square/rectangle. However, the circular dots are known to have lower calibration accuracy when there are perspective and radial distortions. Additionally, there are at least two disadvantages associated with the square cells. First, the cells must be large enough (in number of pixels) to achieve the desired accuracy, which causes the entire code to be too large for positioning purposes. Second, as compared with a regular checkerboard, there are many corners in a 2D DataMatrix code that are not visible. The complexity of feature extraction is increased, and the number of usable features is decreased, thereby decreasing the overall efficiency.
Identification markers have also been employed at the center of each checkerboard-pattern tile in an attempt to automate the calibration of multiple cameras. However, this requires using larger checkerboard-pattern tiles, which undesirably reduces the checkerboard-pattern tile density. A 2D DataMatrix code embedded directly within individual checkerboard-pattern tiles does not completely encode the 2D position with sufficient resolution.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a calibration plate having self-positioning fiducials embedded thereon. This calibration plate should enable calibration of one or more vision system camera(s), both for hand-eye calibration that involves relative motion between the camera's(s') field(s) of view and the object, and standard non-hand-eye calibration that doe not involve (is free of) such relative motion. It is further desirable for systems containing multiple machine vision cameras to be calibrated to a single coordinate system automatically.

System, method and calibration plate employing embedded 2D data codes as self-positioning fiducials


A device for the dispensing of drip system tubing for commercial installers of such irrigation systems. The device has a lower base upon which is centrally disposed a spaced bearing housing with a bearing therein for rotation of an upper base. The upper base has a reel optionally removably mounted thereto, for receipt of a coil of drip system line. The device may include grab handles for carrying it from location to location. It may also include a handle for aiding in the rotation of the upper base relative to the lower base for the dispensing of the drip line tubing. An optional counter for measuring the amount of drip line dispensed may also be included.

This invention relates to a device for the distribution of irrigation drip line for use below ground or above ground for plant irrigation systems.
Drip systems today are becoming more and more popular due to increased costs of residential water and because drip irrigation systems deliver water directly to the individual plants and not just to zones or areas where plants are growing. By direct delivery to individual plants water costs can be reduced.
The coils of drip tubing for commercial installation come in 500 to 1000 foot lengths. Like any other coiled product, if not placed on a reel, the drip line product is subject to kinking and entanglement. Plus, the weight of such large (500/1000 foot) reels, or even 100 foot reels for home use is more than the average person cares to relocate a plurality of times. Therefore there has developed a need for an easy to use low-cost drip tubing dispenser, especially for commercial users, that is members of the installment industry.
Accordingly, it is a first object to provide a dispenser, preferably with interchangeable reels for various lengths of tubing.
It is a second object to provide a drip line dispenser that is easy to carry.
It is a third object to provide a drip line dispenser that permits controllable metering of drip line tubing.
It is a fourth object to provide a drip line dispenser that is low in cost.
A fifth object is to provide a drip tubing dispensing device that can be operated by one worker.
Thus, there is to be described herein a drip tubing dispenser having a lower base upon which is disposed a bearing housing that supports a rotatable upper base. The upper base has a fixed or removably interchangeable reel thereon for receiving the drip line coil. The reel includes a handle mounted on the top thereof for easy one person metering. A counter can also be employed.
Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features, properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


A display system includes a light source, a spatial light homogenizer, and imaging optics. The spatial light modulator has a plurality of modulator pixels. The display system also includes a pixelated plate illuminated by the light source. The pixelated plate has a plurality of individually defined pixels formed thereon. The spatial light modulator is in optical communication with the pixelated color management device by the imaging optics and each of the modulator pixels is associated with at least one of the individually defined pixels of the pixelated plate.

A conventional system or device for displaying an image, such as a display, projector, or other digital imaging system, is frequently used to display a still or video image on a display surface, such as a display screen. Viewers evaluate display systems based on many criteria such as image size, color gamut, contrast ratio, brightness and resolution, for example. Image brightness, pixel color accuracy, and resolution are particularly important metrics in many display markets because the available brightness, color gamut and resolution can limit the size of a displayed image and control how well the image can be seen in venues having high levels of ambient light.
Many digital display systems create a full color display with a single light modulator by creating three or more modulated images in primary colors (red, green, and blue) per video frame. The primary colors are typically derived by passing a white light through a color wheel, prism, or some other color filter before causing the light to impinge the modulator. Sometimes, the white light is passed through a spatial light homogenizer after the color wheel to even out the intensity of the white light. The modulated images are sequentially displayed at a high rate so as to create a full color image in the human visual system. Thus, this method of generating a full color display is called "sequential color." Although the use of sequential color yields the desired red, green, and blue light for image formation, it does so by blocking the transmission of undesired light wavelengths. In other words, a significant portion of the light emitted by the light source is wasted, resulting in a decreased brightness of the final displayed image.
Color wheels add noise, thickness, expense, and complexity to a display system for a variety of reasons, including the inherent long-term reliability problems associated with moving mechanical parts. Further, approximately two-thirds (⅔) of the white light is wasted when using a color wheel because two out of the three colors (in a three-color scheme) are reflected by the color wheel at any given time. The embodiments described herein were developed in light of these and other drawbacks associated with known display systems.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The present invention relates to polynucleotide and polypeptide molecules for zFGF-5 a novel member of the FGF family. The polypeptides, and polynucleotides encoding them, are proliferative for muscle cells and may be used for remodelling cardiac tissue and improving cardiac function. The present invention also includes antibodies to the zFGF-5 polypeptides.

The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family consists of at least nine distinct members (Basilico et al., Adv. Cancer Res. 59:115-165, 1992 and Fernig et al., Prog. Growth Factor Res. 5(4):353-377, 1994) which generally act as mitogens for a broad spectrum of cell types. For example, basic FGF (also known as FGF-2) is mitogenic in vitro for endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and generally for cells of mesoderm or neuroectoderm origin, including cardiac and skeletal myocytes (Gospodarowicz et al., J. Cell. Biol. 70:395-405, 1976; Gospodarowicz et al., J. Cell. Biol. 89:568-578, 1981 and Kardami, J. Mol. Cell. Biochem. 92:124-134, 1990). In vivo, bFGF has been shown to play a role in avian cardiac development (Sugi et al., Dev. Biol. 168:567-574, 1995 and Mima et al., Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. 92:467-471, 1995), and to induce coronary collateral development in dogs (Lazarous et al., Circulation 94:1074-1082, 1996). In addition, non-mitogenic activities have been demonstrated for various members of the FGF family. Non-proliferative activities associated with acidic and/or basic FGF include: increased endothelial release of tissue plasminogen activator, stimulation of extracellular matrix synthesis, chemotaxis for endothelial cells, induced expression of fetal contractile genes in cardiomyocytes (Parker et al., J. Clin. Invest. 85:507-514, 1990), and enhanced pituitary hormonal responsiveness (Baird et al., J. Cellular Physiol. 5:101-106, 1987.)
Several members of the FGF family do not have a signal sequence (aFGF, bFGF and possibly FGF-9) and thus would not be expected to be secreted. In addition, several of the FGF family members have the ability to migrate to the cell nucleus (Friesel et al., FASEB 9:919-925, 1995). All the members of the FGF family bind heparin based on structural similarities. Structural homology crosses species, suggesting a conservation of their structure/function relationship (Ornitz et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271(25):15292-15297, 1996.)
There are four known extracellular FGF receptors (FGFRs), and they are all tyrosine kinases. In general, the FGF family members bind to all of the known FGFRs, however, specific FGFs bind to specific receptors with higher degrees of affinity. Another means for specificity within the FGF family is the spatial and temporal expression of the ligands and their receptors during embryogenesis. Evidence suggests that the FGFs most likely act only in autocrine and/or paracrine manner, due to their heparin binding affinity, which limits their diffusion from the site of release (Flaumenhaft et al., J. Cell. Biol. 111(4):1651-1659, 1990.) Basic FGF lacks a signal sequence, and is therefore restricted to paracrine or autocrine modes of action. It has been postulated that basic FGF is stored intracellularly and released upon tissue damage. Basic FGF has been shown to have two receptor binding regions that are distinct from the heparin binding site (Abraham et al.,. EMBO J. 5(10):2523-2528, 1986.)
It has been shown that FGFR-3 plays a role in bone growth. Mice made homozygous null for the FGFR-3 (-/-) resulted in postnatal skeletal abnormalities (Colvin et al., Nature Genet. 12:309-397, 1996 and Deng et al., Cell 84:911-921, 1996). The mutant phenotype suggests that in normal mice, FGFR-3 plays a role in regulation of chrondrocyte cell division in the growth plate region of the bone (Goldfarb, Cytokine and Growth Factor Rev. 7(4):311-325, 1996). The ligand for the FGFR-3 in the bone growth plate has not been identified.
Although four FGFRs have been identified, all of which have been shown to have functional splice variants, the possibility that novel FGF receptors exist is quite likely. For example, no receptor has been identified for the FGF-8a isoform (MacArthur et al., J. Virol. 69(4):2501-2507, 1995.).
FGF-8 is a member of the FGF family that was originally isolated from mammary carcinoma cells as an androgen-inducible mitogen. It has been mapped to human chromosome 10q25-q26 (White et al., Genomics 30:109-11, 1995.) FGF-8 is involved in embryonic limb development (Vogel et al., Development 122:1737-1750, 1996 and Tanaka et al., Current Biology 5(6):594-597, 1995.) Expression of FGF-8 during embryogenesis in cardiac, urogenital and neural tissue indicates that it may play a role in development of these tissues (Crossley et al., Development 121:439-451, 1995.) There is some evidence that acrocephalosyndactylia, a congenital condition marked by peaked head and webbed fingers and toes, is associated with FGF-8 point mutations (White et al., 1995, ibid.)
FGF-8 has five exons, in contrast to the other known FGFs, which have only three exons. The first three exons of FGF-8 correspond to the first exon of the other FGFs (MacArthur et al., Development 121:3603-3613, 1995.) The human gene for FGF-8 codes for four isoforms which differ in their N-terminal regions: FGF isoforms a, b, e, and f; in contrast to the murine gene which gives rise to eight FGF-8 isoforms (Crossley et al., 1995, ibid.) Human FGF-8a and FGF-8b have 100% homology to the murine proteins, and FGF-8e and FGF-8f proteins are 98% homologous between human and mouse (Gemel et al., Genomics 35:253-257, 1996.)
Heart disease is the major cause of death in the United States, accounting for up to 30% of all deaths. Myocardial infarction (MI) accounts for 750,000 hospital admissions per year in the U.S., with more than 5 million people diagnosed with coronary disease. Risk factors for MI include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, truncal obesity, smoking, high levels of low density lipoprotein in the plasma or genetic predisposition.
Cardiac hyperplasia is an increase in cardiac myocyte proliferation, and has been demonstrated to occur with normal aging in the human and rat (Olivetti et al., J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 24(1):140-9, 1994 and Anversa et al., Circ. Res. 67:871-885, 1990), and in catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy in rats (Deisher et al., Am. J. Cardiovasc. Pathol. 5(1):79-88, 1994.) Whether the increase in myocytes originate with some progenitor, or are a result of proliferation of a more terminally differentiated cell type, remains controversial.
However, because infarction and other causes of myocardial necrosis appear to be irreparable, it appears that the normal mechanisms of cardiac hyperplasia cannot compensate for extensive myocyte death and there remains a need for exogenous factors that promote hyperplasia and ultimately result in renewal of the heart's ability to function.
Bone remodeling is the dynamic process by which tissue mass and skeletal architecture are maintained. The process is a balance between bone resorption and bone formation, with two cell types thought to be the major players. These cells are the osteoblast and osteoclast. Osteoblasts synthesize and deposit matrix to become new bone. The activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts are regulated by many factors, systemic and local, including growth factors.
While the interaction between local and systemic factors has not been completely elucidated, there does appear to be consensus that growth factors play a key role in the regulation of both normal skeletal remodeling and fracture repair. Some of the growth factors that have been identified in bone include: IGF-I, IGF-II, TGF-.beta..sub.1, TGF-.beta..sub.2, bFGF, aFGF, PDGF and the family of bone morphogenic proteins (Baylink et al., J. Bone Mineral Res. 8 (Supp. 2):S565-S572, 1993).
When bone resorption exceeds bone formation, a net loss in bone results, and the propensity for fractures is increased. Decreased bone formation is associated with aging and certain pathological states. In the U.S. alone, there are approximately 1.5 million fractures annually that are attributed to osteoporosis. The impact of these fractures on the quality of the patient's life is immense. Associated costs to the health care system in the U.S. are estimated to be $5-$10 billion annually, excluding long-term care costs.
Other therapeutic applications for growth factors influencing bone remodeling include, for example, the treatment of injuries which require the proliferation of osteoblasts to heal, such as fractures, as well as stimulation of mesenchymal cell proliferation and the synthesis of intramembraneous bone which have been indicated as aspects of fracture repair (Joyce et al. 36th Annual Meeting, Orthopaedic Research Society, February 5-8, 1990. New Orleans, La.).
The present invention provides such polypeptides for these and other uses that should be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein.


A one-way flow valve is provided wherein the one-way flow valve may comprise a first section and a second section of a housing. A valve member may be disposed between the first and second sections of the housing that permit fluid flow through one direction of the one-way flow valve but prevents fluid from flowing in the reverse direction. The opening pressure (i.e., the pressure differential across the valve member) to permit flow through the one-way flow valve may be increased or decreased by inserting (e.g., threadably engaging) the second section of the housing deeper into the first section of the housing or withdrawing (e.g., threadably disengaging) the second section of the housing from the first section of the housing.

In medical fluid handling applications, one-way flow valves are typically used in situations where blood is being drained from a patient's wound site or urine drained from a patient's bladder. The blood or urine may be drained into a collection bag or container. Typically, the drainage of blood or urine may be accomplished through placing the drainage bag or container below the patient. Gravity may then force the fluid out of the patient and into the bag or container. During the drainage procedure, the drainage bag or container may be raised above the patient to check the level of the fluid or for some other purpose. Undesirably, the urine or blood may flow back into the patient's body. To prevent such situation, prior art one-way flow valves have been invented that permit the fluid to flow from the patient's body to the drainage bag or container but do not allow a reverse flow of fluid back into the patient from the drainage bag or container. One effective one-way flow valve is disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,594, issued to Pradip Choksi. The device disclosed in the Choksi disclosure permits fluid to flow through the one-way flow valve at a very low opening pressure. However, when the pressure differential across the one-way flow valve is negative, the one-way flow valve does not permit reverse flow of fluid back into the patient.
As can be expected, the pressure across the one-way flow valve required to open or allow fluid flow through the one-way flow valve should be very low in such circumstances. The blood or urine should readily flow out of the patient's body without significant flow resistance by the one-way flow valve. For example, the one-way flow valve should permit fluid to flow through the one-way flow valve at a pressure differential across the one-way flow valve at between 0 PSI to about 2 PSI.
In certain other medical applications, it is also desirable to increase or decrease the opening pressure based on the medical application. For example, it may be desirable to have the opening pressure set at 1 PSI, whereas in other medical applications, it may be desirable to set the opening pressure at 1.5 PSI. Unfortunately, prior art one way flow valves have a pre-set opening pressure. Moreover, in low opening pressure applications, it is difficult to precisely control the opening pressure of the one way flow valve.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved one-way flow valve.


A display addressing method applied in conjunction with an array of cold cathode field emission micro-emitters employs a row-by-row addressing technique in concert with controlled constant current sources connected simultaneously to each column of the array of emitters to provide a novel addressing scheme which yields an improvement in cathodoluminescent display brightness on the order of a full order of magnitude over that of the prior art.

Cathodoluminescent display devices are well known in the art and commonly referred to as cathode ray tubes (CRTs). CRTs are commonly employed to provide visual information in systems such as television, radar, computer display, aircraft navigation and instrumentation. CRTs are commonly operated by scanning a very small cross-sectional beam of electrons horizontally and vertically with respect to a layer of cathodoluminescent material (phosphor) which is deposited on the back side of the viewing area of the CRT. By so doing a desired image will be produced on the viewing area as the incident electrons excite photon emission from the phosphor.
Since the very small cross-sectional area electron beam is scanned over the entire active area of the CRT it dwells on a particular spot for only a very short period of time. In the instance of CRTs utilized in commercial television applications the dwell time is on the order of a few tens of nano-seconds. In order to operate CRTs with reasonable brightness levels for viewing it is necessary that during the short dwell time as many photons as possible be generated from the phosphor. Accordingly, electron beams of high current density are commonly employed to energize the phosphor. This results in operation of the phosphor in a saturation mode wherein additional electron excitation provides diminishing photon generation. A number of shortcomings may be attributed to this mode of operation which include reduced phosphor lifetime (phosphor lifetime is an inverse function of deposited charge), phosphor heating, poor resolution, and poor overall efficiency. Phosphor heating results from the increase in energy which must be dissipated in the viewing screen (faceplate) of the CRT as a result of increased electron current. Poor resolution occurs due to beam spreading which results from the increased current density electron beam. Efficiency degrades as a result of operating in a saturation mode wherein few activation centers remain to accept a transfer of energy from the incoming energetic electrons.
Alternatives to the CRT have been proposed which include devices such as back-lit liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, electroluminescent displays, and flat field-emission displays. All of these alternative techniques fail to provide superior brightness characteristics and resolution which are deemed essential for evolving display products.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a device, technology, or method which overcomes at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art.

Row activating method for fed cathodoluminescent display assembly


An overhead lining for vehicular inside roof linings of passenger cars is described, which is designed as self-supporting, integral shaped bowl. The overhead lining is made by compressing a mat of refuse nonwoven fabric, while exerting a pressure thereon at an elevated temperature. For this purpose, the refuse nonwoven fabric is made up of a mixture of at least 30 percent up to a maximum of 90 percent of partially stretched polyester fibers with parts of polyester high-bulk fibers, supplemented to 100 percent. The weight per unit area of the finished shaped bowl is between 600 and 1,200 grams per square meter, and the thickness is between 1 and 10 millimeters. The shaped bowl, on its one visual surface, is lined without an additional cement being used. The wall thickness of said shaped bowl may vary across its surface, and compaction of said shaped bowl, in the regions of its mounting elements, may be higher than in other regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an overhead lining, designed as self-supporting, integral shaped bowl and mountable, as vehicular inside roof lining, to the roof structure of the body of a passenger car as described herein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such shaped bowls have become known e.g. by German Utility Model 71,14,684. This known shaped bowl having a thickness of some centimeters is made of lightweight foam or hard foam material and, apart from effective protection of the passengers in case of accidents, shall, in particular, also serve the purpose of damping the noise of the sound issuing through the car body and of temperature-insulating. The shaped bowl may be squeezed into the roof structure of the vehicle but it may also be permanently bonded to the lower roof of the vehicle by means of adhesive bonds. Both plastic foils and sheeting fabrics of all kinds serve as linings for the known integral shaped bowl.
There also is another known padded inner lining for the roof of a vehicle, which lining is made of foam or another yielding bolstering material, has a cover in the form of a foil, artificial leather, leather or textile fabric and, together with the air ducts formed towards the lined roof, is mounted to said air ducts with the aid of spacers, such as e.g. materially uniform ribs, foamed or separately attached thereto (German Laying-open Specification 15 55 667).
Aside from a sufficient bolstering effect, such vehicular inside roof linings must not only be highly capable of withstanding mechanical stresses or taking loads, but also must convey an optically uttermost favorable appearance. Self-supporting, flexible shaped parts, which constitute such overhead linings, are subject to further essential preconditions, such as e.g. improved dimensional stability also with extreme moisture or temperature variations. With sufficient vapor-permeability, such bowls must always maintain the desired mechanical stability, and that with as low as possible a weight, i.e. material minimizing.
Departing from such self-supporting, flexible overhead linings comprising an appropriate surface lining, it is the object of the present invention to impart improved bending flexibility to the shaped bowl, regardless of the fact that improvement in material minimization is always worth aspiring after, so that it may, e.g. even subsequently, be introduced into the back of the passenger car through an opened window of same, as well as to enable lining of said shaped bowl without the use of cement, which bowl shall be of a material, that can be recycled, and shall be free from bonding-agent additives. The method of producing such self-supporting overhead linings shall have the merits of simplicity and of little need of employing tools.

Overhead lining designed as self-supporting, integral shaped bowl


The invention features proteins including an antibody, or functional derivatives thereof, that bind hCD59 and have the activity of domain 4 of the Streptococcus intermedins intermedilysin (ILY) protein. In order to prevent the independent induction of CDC and ADCC, the antibodies of the invention can bind the same hCD59 epitope as ILYd4 and/or contain modifications that disrupt the interaction between the antibody and complement.

This invention relates to the treatment of proliferative and pathogenic diseases.
The complement regulatory protein CD59 is expressed on the surface of mammalian cells to protect host cells from the bystander effects of complement activation. CD59 activity inhibits formation of the membrane attack complex of complement (MAC) by binding to complement proteins C8 and C9 and preventing C9 incorporation and polymerization. During maturation by budding, a number of enveloped viruses, such as human cytomegalovirus, HCMV, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), HIV-1, simian immunodeficiency virus, Ebola virus, influenza virus, and vaccinia virus, capture CD59 and use it to evade the complement system (Stoiber et al. Mol. Immunol. 42:153-160 (2005), Bernet et al. J Biosci 28:249-264 (2003), Rautemaa et al. Immunology 106:404-411 (2002), Nguyen et al. J Virol 74:3264-3272 (2000), Saifuddin et al. J. Exp. Med. 182:501-509 (1995), Spiller et al. J Infect Dis 176:339-347 (1997)). Other viruses, (e.g., Herpesvirus saimiri) express a CD59-like molecule that aids the virus in avoiding the complement system. Additionally, microbial parasites have been identified which also express a CD59-like molecule (e.g., Naegleria fowleri and Schistosoma mansoni (Parizade et al. J Exp Med 179:1625-1636 (1994), Fritzinger et al. Infect Immun 74:1189-1195 (2006))). These parasites, many of which are intracellular, are protected from human complement mediated lysis by CD59 and also use CD59 for infectivity (ibid).
Cancer is a disease marked by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. Cancer cells have overcome the barriers imposed in normal cells, which have a finite lifespan, to grow indefinitely. As the growth of cancer cells continues, genetic alterations may persist until the cancerous cell has manifested itself to pursue a more aggressive growth phenotype. If left untreated, metastasis, the spread of cancer cells to distant areas of the body by way of the lymph system or bloodstream, may ensue, destroying healthy tissue.
CD59 is over-expressed in many cancer cells. Complement is a main mediator for antibody mediated cancer cytolysis. Up-regulation and high expression of CD59 can drive resistance to any antibody-mediated cancer therapy that activates complement as a component of its mechanism of activity. An example of resistance mediated by CD59 overexpression is resistance to the anti-CD20 chimeric MAb rituximab used for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL).
Accordingly, there exists a need for compounds and methods that sensitize pathogens and cancer cells to complement-mediated cell death.

Methods and compositions for the treatment of proliferative and pathogenic diseases

PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE


Various methods and associated wireless communication mobile terminals are provided that repetitively switch power on and off to a RF transmitter and/or to a RF transceiver, and that regulate the power duty cycle in response to movement of the associated communication terminal. Movement of the communication terminal may be sensed in response to an acceleration signal from an accelerometer, a position signal from a GPS receiver, a light level signal from an ambient light sensor, and/or a pressure level signal from a pressure sensor.

The present invention relates to wireless communication mobile terminals and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus that reduce power consumption in a wireless communication mobile terminal.
Extension of battery life continues to be important goal in the design of wireless mobile communication terminals (communication terminals). To reduce the power consumed by a communication terminal when it is not actively carrying out communications with another terminal, the communication terminal can cycle between a sleep mode and an active mode. In the sleep mode, communication circuitry that is used for communication with another terminal via a cellular network is powered off to conserve power. Such communication circuitry can include a high-frequency temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO), transmitter circuitry, and receiver circuitry.
A mobile network may be configured to page the communication terminal during predefined discrete intervals using a slotted paging channel. For example, in a WCDMA system or a Universal Mobile Telephone System (UMTS), these discrete intervals occur during "paging occasions" when the cellular network transmits a paging indication channel (PICH) that contains 10-millisecond frames, with each frame having 288 bits.
Thus, in order to detect incoming calls, a communication terminal must periodically transition from the sleep mode to an active mode to monitor the paging channel for pages and/or other commands from the cellular network. The communication terminal may also be required to periodically transition from the sleep mode to the active mode to generate and transmit timing alignment updates to the cellular network, to search for adjacent cells for handover decisions, and/or to determine and send geographic location updates to the cellular network.
The duty cycle between the duration of the higher-power active mode relative to the duration of the sleep mode can substantially affect the battery life of the communication terminal.

Regulating power duty cycle of an RF transmitter/receiver responsive to distance moved


A solar powered memorial light is used for grave-side, road-side or other memorials. The invention teaches that a small light may be solar powered so as to run at night: during the night-time, it may illuminate from within or without a small memorial or ornament. An eternal memorial of the invention may be the inscription on a headstone, or a plaque, etc. A typical ornament may be an angel, a religious figure, praying hands, or so on. The ornament of the invention may be translucent. It furthermore may comprise a staff having a first end adapted to be driven into the ground and a second end comprising a hook.

The typical grave, tomb, road-side memorial or other memorial presents a problem to well wishers of the deceased: the grave itself may last forever, but the items left as tokens of the esteem of visitors and well wishers probably will not.
Flowers left at a memorial or grave quickly fade and must eventually be removed by those in charge of the site. Artificial flowers last many times as long, but the fact that they are a copy of real flowers is often an embarrassment that makes them a less desirable token. Parents of deceased children sometimes bring toys, while photographs of the deceased tend to fade quickly.
There is an additional problem with such offerings: they tend to be visible in the day-light hours only. There are numerous reasons for this. The typical site such as a cemetery is large, out of doors, and landscaped: addition of outdoor lighting may be physically or financially impossible. Most well wishers visit during the daylight hours. Stringing electrical cables for long distances out of doors presents safety hazards and may obstruct the natural beauty of the location. It would be preferable to provide a device which provides a pleasing effect in daylight as well as night time.
Certain solar powered memorials are known which have various disadvantages. U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,816 issued Oct. 15, 1996 to Arcadia et al for ILLUMINATED MEMORIAL ASSEMBLY teaches a device intended for retrofit to a tombstone, and not having any separate support. It is further a metal device from which lights shines through an aperture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,893 issued Oct. 12, 1993 to Chacham et al for LIGHT FLASHER APPARATUS teaches a circuit to extend life of headstone memorial batteries by flashing the light rather than shining steadily.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,076 issued Dec. 8, 1981 to Splendora for MONUMENTS teaches an actual headstone comprising a substantially transparent member generally dissimilar to the present invention.
These systems use the headstone itself as a support for a light assembly. Under some circumstances this may be advantageous, but in general it is preferable to provide a method of lighting which may use the headstone but which does not require use of the headstone. Other systems require that the installation be pre-installed on the headstone or grave site, or else require a great deal of work on the headstone, or a special transparent headstone, but in general it is preferable to provide a method of lighting which might be quickly retrofitted to any grave site, by driving the staff into the ground.
Finally, while known systems use opaque or transparent devices which essentially allow viewers to see through the ornament, a pleasing effect may be achieved by the use of translucent materials which provide an even glow to the ornament.
Thus, for a number of reasons, items left at memorials tend to either disappear quickly and not be visible at night, or not offer a pleasing appearance in the day, or may be expensive or difficult to install and maintain. Some systems rely on the headstone as a component or support for the eternal memorial ornament.
The present invention solves these problems and others.


A method for providing activity pattern based battery charging alerts for mobile devices, the method includes: monitoring usage patterns of a mobile device; determining periods of activity and inactivity for the mobile device's usage; creating an activity log detailing the determined periods of activity and inactivity; monitoring levels of available battery charge for the mobile device; correlating the levels of available battery charge with the activity log; and generating a charging advisory alert in response to at least one of: an available battery charge dropping below a threshold value prior to a period of device inactivity, or toward the end of a period of activity.

This invention relates generally to communication via wireless electronic devices, and more particularly to a method and system for activity pattern based battery charging alerts for mobile devices.
Mobile communication devices, such as cellular phones, have become a central communication tool for both business and personal use. Competitive pressures and multiple billing options have lowered the subscriber cost of operation of mobile communication devices. In many instances, the mobile or cellular phone has replaced the traditional landline phone as a person's primary communication device. Advanced mobile communication devices offer not only voice services, but also text messaging and Internet access. Video and gaming applications are also now available on many mobile devices and service networks
As portable communication and electronic devices have continued to evolve their level of sophistication and abilities to carryout a myriad of applications have progressed as well. Initially, a portable electronic device was dedicated to voice communication, such as a cell phone, or to basic computing functions and scheduling, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA). However, the present generation of portable devices has combined computing and voice communications in a single unit, while offering additional features of data communication over the Internet, delivery of multimedia content (video/audio), as well as gaming functions. The increased functionality of the present generation of portable devices has increased their usage throughout the user's day, and placed additional energy demands on the portable device's power source. Despite the increased energy demands, the continued miniaturization of these devices has continued to reduce the amount of space allocated to the portable device's power sources. Furthermore, despite advances in materials that have improved electronic device efficiency, and that have allowed for increased energy storage per unit area, the user demands placed on portable electronic devices has continued to outpace the ability to power the device for extended periods of time. For example, cell phones normally have a maximum of 2 to 4 hours of talk time between a required recharge, while other applications on the cell phone such as Internet access or playing a pre-recorded audio, such as a stored MP3, decrease the amount of talk time considerably below the maximum.

Activity pattern based battery charging alerts for mobile devices


A method of preventing interference of signals transmitted from electronic input devices to a computer host. An identification is generated for each individual electronic device. A receiving unit is connected to the computer host. The identification frequencies are pre-stored in the receiving unit. The receiving unit performs scanning of signals transmitted from the electronic devices with a scanning cycle. The receiving unit switches between a plurality of detection sequences within each scanning cycle. When signals are transmitted from the electronic devices, the receiving unit receives the signals within the detection sequences corresponding to the electronic devices that transmitting the signals. The identification frequencies carried by the signals are compared to the pre-stored identification frequencies to ensure the signals being received at respective frequency channels. The input data carried by the signals can thus be received and transmitted the input data to the computer host without being interfered. In one embodiment, each of the identification frequencies is modulated with a product identification code, a sub-identification code and the input data.

The present invention relates in general to a method of preventing interfering signal transmission of an electronic product, and more particularly, to a method that prevent interference and overcome the problem of identification between signals simultaneously transmitted from electronic products by generating a unit identification frequency for each individual electronic device.
In the application of computers and the peripherals thereof, the limitation of cost and space often results in the connection of a single computer host and electronic input devices such as multiple mouse, keyboards, remote controls and audio input devices. Or for the multimedia function, a mouse, a keyboard, a remote control and an audio input device are often required and connected to the same computer. The conventional signal transmission between the computer host and the electronic input devices is performed by a switch which serves as a signal transmission medium. The hardwire connection has the limitation of the length of cables. Further, when many electronic devices are connected, the cables are easily tangled together to cause difficulty in maintenance. In addition, when the cables are worn off by mouse bite or other external forces, the connection is seriously affected.
The wireless transmission technologies such as radio-frequency (RF) transmission, the WLAN local network operative to perform bi-directional signal transmission for multiple frequency channels and the Bluetooth wireless technique have been applied to electronic products such as mouse, keyboard, remote control, and audio input devices (such as wireless microphone). The WLAN local network and Bluetooth wireless techniques both adapt the frequency of 2.4 GHz as the signal transmission frequency standard. The bidirectional operation frequency is often set up between 2420 MHz and 2460 MHz. That is, only 40 MHz operation bandwidth is provided for bi-directional signal transmission. Therefore, it is easy to cause interference between signals, such that the computer cannot properly receive the input signal or correctly determine the signal source.

Method of preventing interferring signal transmission of electronic products


A seat slide device includes a reinforcing member attached to a rear end part of an upper rail. The reinforcing member is higher in rigidity than the upper rail. The reinforcing member includes a reinforcing member body having a U-shaped cross section having a lower opening, and including a reinforcing member top wall; a pair of reinforcing member lateral walls; and a pair of reinforcing member bent wall parts each being bent outwardly from a lower end of a corresponding one of the reinforcing member lateral walls in a lateral direction of the reinforcing member, and extending upwardly between a corresponding lower rail outside lateral wall and a corresponding lower rail inside lateral wall.

The present Invention relates to a seat slide device.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-121905 (JP 2017-121905 A), corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 10,118,506 (U.S. Pat. No. 10,118,506 B2), discloses a slide rail in which an upper rail is slidably mounted to a lower rail, wherein a seat is fixed to the upper rail, and wherein the lower rail Is fixed to a floor of a vehicle. In the slide rail, a buckle is fixed to a rear end part of the upper rail via an anchor bracket, wherein the buckle is structured to be coupled with a tongue plate of a seat belt. When a shock is inputted into such a slide rail to act forward in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a large load in a diagonally forward and upward direction of the vehicle is applied to the upper rail via the buckle coupled with the seat belt. This load acts so as to deform the upper rail so that the rear end part of the upper rail is raised with respect to the lower rail. In view of the foregoing, the slide rail according to JP 2017-121905 A is structured such that a lower-side J hook fixed to a rear end part of the lower rail is engaged with an upper-side J hook fixed to the rear end part of the upper rail so as to suppress the upper rail from being deformed and detached from the lower rail.


A ship track and underwater conditions indicating system for displaying a ship track and the underwater conditions under the ship track at the same time on the screen of an indicator, and for associating the two resultant pictures with each other. The ship track and the underwater conditions are respectively displayed on two corresponding portions of the face of the indicator by dividing the screen into two parts. Also, the ship track or the underwater conditions are selectively indicated on the whole screen of an indicator at different times.

The present invention relates to a display system for indicating at least two kinds of data on different portions of the face of an indicator respectively, or on the whole display surface of an indicator at different times respectively, and for mutually associating the two kinds of data with each other. The two kinds of data are written into different memory units successively and respectively to be stored. Each kind of data is selectively displayed on the whole surface of an indicator when only one kind of data is read out at a time from a corresponding memory unit. The two kinds of data are respectively displayed on two corresponding portions of an indicator by dividing the whole surface of the indicator into two parts, when the two kinds of data are simultaneously read out from the memory units to the indicator. The two resultant displayed pictures are associated with each other by means of recognizable marks assigned to the one or two pictures.
The present invention will be described below as embodied in a ship track and underwater conditions indicating system.
A prior art ship track and underwater conditions indicating system is disclosed in a Japanese patent application publication No. 142484/1986. The prior art system selectively displays the track of a ship or the underwater conditions under the ship's track on the whole screen of an indicator at any instant of time. One of the drawbacks of the prior art system is that a previous point on the ship track shown in one picture can not be associated with the underwater conditions under the same point shown in the other displayed picture.
Another prior art ship track and underwater conditions indicating system is disclosed in a Japanese patent application publication No. 265590/1986. The prior art system displays the track of a ship in the upper part of the screen of an indicator, and indicates the underwater conditions under the ship track in the lower part of thereof. One of the drawbacks of the prior art system is that a previous point on the ship track can not be associated with the underwater conditions under the same point.

Ship track and underwater conditions indicating system


The invention relates to watery resin dispersions, a process for their manufacture, and a product. To make available resin dispersions that do not pollute the environment during their processing, while simultaneously generating products that have a high glass transition temperature, it is suggested that the watery resin dispersion contain at least components (I), (II) and (III), whereby R1: unsubstituted single or polynuclear aromatic rest or with amino groups and/or cyano groups and/or nitrile groups and/or with saturated and/or unsaturated aliphatic C2 to C12 carbon chains substituted single or polynuclear aromatic rests R2, R3 and R4: hydrogen, alkyl residue group with up to 15 C atoms or aromatic rest whereby R2, R3 and R4 can be equal to or different from each other, (II) is a co-dispersion agent based on epoxide resins and/or novolak resins and (II) one surfactant.

The production of impregnations of building construction products utilizes resin dispersions which have hitherto generally consisted of aqueous resoles or acrylate dispersions. Dispersions based on resoles are thinnable with water, but eliminate formaldehyde on curing and hence fabrication can only be carried out in plant specifically designed for that purpose. Acrylate dispersions can be cured without emission of environmentally harmful substances, but the cured products have a low glass transition temperature and an unfavorable performance in fire.
Resins based on benzoxazines are known from the prior art. DE 23 23936, for instance, states that such compounds are obtainable by a reaction of phenols with primary amines and formaldehyde wherein either the phenols have at least two hydroxyl-substituted aromatic ring systems per molecule or the amines have at least two primary amino groups per molecule. Such resins have the particular advantage that they are crosslinkable without addition of further curing agents, which has the advantage of avoiding environmentally harmful elimination products which can escape. However, coating with resin dispersions based on benzoxazines does require a solvent, resulting in emission problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide resin dispersions whose processing avoids the release of environmentally burdensome materials and at the same time gives rise to products having a high glass transition temperature.

Aqueous resin dispersion, process of making thereof, and product thereof


An integrated, single piece upper fascia support member and bumper energy absorber, wherein the upper fascia support member is structured to provide attachments for various attached parts of a motor vehicle, and wherein the upper fascia support member is integrally connected to the bumper energy absorber of the motor vehicle via a load isolator. The load isolator connects the upper fascia support member to the bumper energy absorber in a fixed position relative to each other (assuming relative loading is below a predetermined threshold) and manages a load applied, relatively, to one of the upper fascia support member and the bumper energy absorber such as to cause relative movement, from adversely affecting the other, as, for example, keeping vehicle damage to a minimum in the event of an untoward impact event.

Motor vehicles include an energy absorber at the front and rear bumper for purposes of crash energy absorption. Additionally, motor vehicles utilize an upper fascia support in the form of brackets, flanges or braces to support and align attached parts such as head/tail lamps, hood/tailgate/trunk lid bumper pads, etc. with the sheet metal body and frame of the vehicle. The energy absorbers and the upper fascia support members are separate components, requiring separate manufacturing, shipping, material handling, and motor vehicle installation.
Motor vehicle manufacturers have long been faced with the challenge of achieving ever tighter fits between components and attached parts, while ever controlling costs and increasing production efficiency. In this regard, it would be very beneficial if somehow the upper fascia support could provide attachment locations for various attached parts so that they would be precisely located relative to the motor vehicle. Further in this regard, it would also be very beneficial if the energy absorber and the upper fascia support could be integrated, provided the problem of load induced deformations, due to, for example, those arising out of impact or thermal origins, could somehow be overcome.

Integrated bumper and upper fascia components of a motor vehicle


An oxygen generator includes a monolithic body having first and second channels extending longitudinally therein. An electrode is operatively disposed in the first channels and a counter-electrode is operatively disposed in the second channels. The second channels are formed in the monolithic body so each second channel is electrically isolated from, yet adjacent to a first channel, resulting in an alternating configuration of first and second channels. The first channels have fluid or oxygen flowing therethrough, while the second channels have the other of oxygen or fluid flowing therethrough. An output manifold, having an oxygen collection area separated from a fluid collection area, operatively engages with the monolithic body. The oxygen collection area receives substantially pure oxygen from one of the second or first channels, and the fluid collection area receives oxygen-depleted fluid from the other of the first or second channels.

The present disclosure relates to an oxygen generator, and in particular, to a device for separating oxygen from air.
It is desirable for portable oxygen generators to be relatively quiet, lightweight, and electrically efficient (particularly if they are battery operated), while providing adequate oxygen production capacity. Current oxygen generator designs may fall short in regard to these desirable characteristics. In particular, current portable oxygen generators are often very loud.
Pressurized cylinders and liquid oxygen coolers are often considered the standard for current portable oxygen generators, but devices based on either method are often expensive and require frequent maintenance, such as refilling. Pressure swing absorption (PSA) may be the most frequently used design for oxygen generators. PSA produces relatively high purity oxygen by using a molecular sieve that removes the nitrogen in pressurized air, leaving oxygen and other gases behind. A drawback of the PSA system is that the molecular sieve often becomes saturated with nitrogen after a certain amount of use, thus requiring purging and/or replacement. In attempts to overcome this obstacle and permit relatively continuous operation, multiple sieves have been used in rotation such that, for instance, one sieve is used while another is recharging and a third is re-pressurizing. However, multiple sieves may become relatively costly. Furthermore, compressors used to accelerate gasses through the sieves may be relatively noisy and may require a substantial amount of energy.
Another design for oxygen generators is the generation of oxygen through electrolysis of water. This method may require more electricity than many oxygen generation methods. Additionally, electrolysis generally does not produce large quantities of oxygen at high rates, unless a larger system is used, the size of which may be undesirable.
As such, it would be desirable to provide an oxygen generator design that is capable of relatively high oxygen production while obviating at least some of the drawbacks mentioned above.


A method for lowering the melt flow rate of flame retardant expanded polystyrene is provided. The method comprises treating the flame retardant expanded polystyrene with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate. In another aspect of the present invention a method for pelletizing recycled flame retardant expanded polystyrene is provided. The method comprises treating ground flame retardant polystyrene in an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate; condensing the treated polystyrene; extruding the polystyrene; and pelletizing the polystyrene. In another aspect of the present invention the electrostatic build-up on polystyrene is reduced by contacting the polystyrene with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recycling expanded polystyrene, especially to the recycling of flame retardant expanded polystyrene.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is in wide use in applications that require enhanced resistance to fire and heat. In these situations, which may account for some 50% of all EPS use, flame retardants are frequently added to the polystyrene resins to modify the combustibility properties of the plastic. The addition of flame retardant materials results in increased ignition temperatures, and a reduction in burning rates and flame spread.
Flame retardant modifiers used include halogenated hydrocarbons. Typically, the flame retardant used in polystyrene resins is a brominated hydrocarbon. Flame retardants that can be used in conjunction with polystyrene are listed in the Modern Plastics Encyclopedia, Vol. 56, No. 10A, 666-670 (Oct. 1979), hereby incorporated by reference. Some of the brominated hydrocarbon flame retardants that can be used with polystyrene include: brominated alicyclic; hexabromocyclododecane; octabromodiphenyl oxide; decabromodiphenyl oxide; brominated organic; and Trisdibromopropyl antimonite.
Besides having the positive, intended effect of modifying the combustibility properties of the polystyrene, the flame retardant also increases the melt flow rate of the polystyrene. Consequently, flame retardant polystyrene flows much more readily than does standard polystyrene. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to recycle flame retardant polystyrene because processing equipment is typically set up for the melt flow rates of untreated polystyrene, not flame retardant polystyrene. In addition, the bromine in the flame retardant additive is corrosive to the molding equipment.
Melt flow rates of polystyrene can be measured using an extrusion plastometer. The extrusion plastometer generally used in the industry to measure melt flow rates of polystyrene is described in ASTM D 1238, hereby incorporated by reference. During normal operation, resin is melted in a cylinder of the instrument for a fixed period of time; a weighted piston is then permitted to push out the resin through an orifice of a specified length and diameter. Pieces of extruded resin are then cut off at timed intervals. Using the extruded specimen weight and the time to extrude, a flow rate is calculated. Flow rates are reported in g/10 min.
Flame retardant expanded polystyrene typically has a melt flow rates substantially above that of untreated expanded polystyrene, which is referred to throughout the specification as expanded polystyrene.
Adding further to the problem of recycling polystyrene is the fact that flame retardant and expanded polystyrene products are often co-mingled in waste streams. These products, however, cannot be separated by sight; thus, the rheological properties of the waste stream are inconsistent and depend on the percentage of flame retardant polystyrene contained in the waste stream. Recycling companies, as a result, have found it difficult and expensive to recycle expanded polystyrene products from a mixed waste stream and, for the most part, have simply not recycled these products.
To recycle expanded polystyrene, the polystyrene is first ground, usually to a fine particle size, and then washed or rinsed with water. After being rinsed, the ground polystyrene is condensed by heating it in an oven to a temperature between approximately 150.degree. C. and 200.degree. C. Following condensing, the polystyrene is extruded into long spaghetti like strands and then pelletized. The polystyrene is pelletized by chopping up the long strands of extruded polystyrene into approximately 1/16 inch pellets. Manufacturers can then use the pellets as feed stock for an extrusion or injection molding process to manufacture new products.
If flame retardant polystyrene is mixed in with the original recycled material, each of the resulting pellets can have different rheological properties depending upon the percentage of flame retardant polystyrene making up each individual pellet. Thus, manufacturers would have a difficult time controlling their injection molding and extrusion processes because they are set up to handle melt flow rates of untreated expanded polystyrene and are not accustomed to handling a feed with inconsistent rheological properties.
Another problem with polystyrene products is that they tend to collect static electricity. This typically limits their use as packaging materials for electronic components and devices that are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). When polystyrene materials are used, the electronic components are often shielded from electrostatic discharge in metallized bags or bags treated with an anti-static agent to prevent ESD damage.
At present, a need exists for a method of treating flame retardant polystyrene to reduce its melt flow rate so that it can be economically recycled. Also, an inexpensive anti-static agent that can be easily applied to polystyrene to dissipate and prevent static build up would be desirable.

Method for reducing the melt flow rate of flame retardant expanded polystyrene


A tire for motor vehicles, having a tread band extending around a rotation axis includes an annular central portion astride an equatorial plane of the tire, two annular shoulder portions arranged on axially opposite sides with respect to the annular central portion and two annular side portions each arranged between the annular central portion and a respective annular shoulder portion, the tread band having at least one module replicated along a circumferential direction of the tire and including at least one plurality of primary grooves inclined with respect to the equatorial plane and arranged at least on the annular portions, and at least one plurality of secondary recesses arranged mainly on the annular central portion and on at least one annular side portion, wherein a substantial disappearance of the secondary recesses determines a difference in the empty/solid ratio on the annular central and side portions between a new tire and a tire that has travelled at least 2000 km greater than 1.7%.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tyres for motor vehicles, i.e. tyres having a high transversal curvature so as to offer an adequate contact surface with the road surface when the motor vehicle is leaning to turn a bend.
2. Description of the Related Art
Preferably, the tyres to which the present invention refers are intended to be used in motor vehicles of the "Sport Touring" type, i.e. sports motor vehicles intended to offer high performance in terms of power, comfort and mileage on motorways and streets, in cities and/or outside cities, with a wet or dry road surface.
"Sport Touring" motor vehicles typically have a large piston displacement (equal to or greater than 800 cm3) and/or high power (equal to or greater than 110 HP). However, on the market there are already motor vehicles having a piston displacement even as much as 1250 cm3 and power equal to 150 HP.
It is known that the tyres for such motor vehicles must ensure high performance on any type of road surface (wet, dry, regular and/or irregular asphalt, slippery ground) and/or route (city streets, motorways, mountain roads with a large number of bends etc.).
Such tyres must also ensure driving stability, controllability, directionality, road-holding, high mileage and regular wear.
Amongst the aforementioned characteristics, of particular importance, in the specific case of tyres for front wheels, is the water drainage. Indeed, it is essential for the tyre of the front wheel of motor vehicles to be able to ensure effective water drainage, so that the tyre of the rear wheel, travelling in a straight line on the drained asphalt, can effectively discharge the power to the ground. On the other hand, in the specific case of tyres for rear wheels, of particular importance is the traction and behavioural stability on any type of road surface and distance covered.
For the aforementioned reasons a plurality of grooves are formed on the tread band of the tyre, which extend substantially from the annular central portion of the tread band up to the opposite annular shoulder portions.
The behaviour of the tyre during travel is greatly influenced by the number, orientation, distribution and shape of such grooves, and thus by the particular pattern of the tread band.
EP 0 906 836 describes a tyre for a motor vehicle the tread band of which comprises a central region astride of an equatorial plane of the tyre and two shoulder regions arranged on axially opposite sides with respect to the central region. In the tread band a plurality of grooves are formed that extend from opposite sides with respect to the equatorial plane starting from the equatorial plane itself up to the shoulder regions and according to a direction that in the central region is substantially circumferential, in the shoulder regions is substantially transversal and in the intermediate regions progressively changes from substantially circumferential to substantially transversal proceeding from the equatorial plane towards the shoulder regions. The grooves formed on one side of the tyre with respect to the equatorial plane thereof are staggered along the circumferential direction with respect to the corresponding grooves formed on the other side of the tyre.


A hermetically sealed electronics package in which an electronic element located on a support is hermetically sealed using a cover comprising the top layer of a multilayer flexprint or a separate flexprint. The top layer of the flexprint or the separate flexprint is supported above the electronic element by a frame structure. When the cover comprises the top flexprint layer, the top layer is only partially bonded to the underlying flexprint during fabrication of the package. After circuit placement, the flap portion of the top flexprint layer is bonded to the flexprint to provide hermetic sealing of the underlying electronic elements. The frame structure provides support for the flexprint cover to prevent deformation of the cover and resulting damage to the underlying circuit. A cooling system is also disclosed for use in combination with the hermetic seal configuration to provide an electronic package which is protected from both contaminants and built-up heat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hermetically sealing electronic elements associated with electronic circuitry. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing hermetically sealed packages of flexprints and chips, integrated circuits, and other electronic elements.
2. Description of Related Art
Flexprint electronic blanket packages are widely used to house and interconnect electronic elements including integrated circuit chips. The flexprint package generally includes a support wafer or base onto which the flexprint blanket is placed. The flexprint blanket or body is made up of one or more layers of flexprint. Flexprint is the term commonly used to describe flexible layers of plastic which are laminated with alternating layers of a metal and having an outer metal coating. The most common flexprints are made from polyimide laminated with copper.
The plurality of layers of flexprint which form the blanket package are laminated onto the underlying silicon wafer. Usually between 5 and 15 flexprint layers are used to form the blanket body which generally is on the order of 0.050 inch (0.12 cm) thick. Openings or cavities are made in the blanket body for housing various electronic integrated circuits (IC's) and other elements. The silicon wafer forms the bottom of the well with the electronic element typically being attached to the silicon wafer by eutectic bonding. Electrical connections are made between the chip and the various metallic pads present on the flexprint layers.
A typical problem with any electronic package is the prevention of contamination or corrosion of the integrated circuit chips and electrical connections. In order to avoid premature failure of the electronics package, it is important that the package assembly be hermetically sealed to prevent such corrosion and contamination of the integrated circuit. Accordingly, there is a continuing need to provide flexprint blanket and other flexprint assemblies wherein the cavities in which the electronic elements are located are hermetically sealed. Preferably, the hermetic sealing of the cavities is achieved quickly, simply and efficiently, at a minimum of cost. Although adequate hermetic seals may be obtained utilizing a variety of metallically sealed packages, there is still a continuing need to simplify and reduce the cost, weight and volume of electronic assemblies.
The dissipation of heat from electronic package assemblies is also an important consideration. Without adequate cooling systems, the electronic package will quickly overheat and destroy or shorten the life of the temperature sensitive electronic elements contained therein. This problem is especially critical in devices which operate at power levels of 50 watts and beyond. There is a continuing need to provide systems and methods which efficiently cool and transfer the generated heat away from IC's, to prevent overheating.

Hermetic sealing of flexprint electronic packages


A high chair features various modes of adjustability and enhanced utility. The height of the chair can be adjusted using a single hand that engages a rear handle. The height of a seat platform of the chair can be adjusted separately relative to the tray. The tray itself is ergonomically designed for the benefit of the caregiver. A removable tray liner facilitates after-meal clean-up. Wheels on the underside of the tray ease fore/aft adjustment. A pivoting back rest of the chair minimizes rearward shift of the center of gravity of the occupied chair, thus requiring a smaller chair footprint. Further, an accessory bar pivoted to a seat back portion of the chair provides readily accessible entertainment.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to seating for children and, in particular, to high chairs.
2. Description of Related Art
High chairs have been provided with a myriad of features designed to enhance their comfort, safety and convenience. There is room for improvement, however, as to several aspects of high chair design. This invention addresses these needs.
During the course of attending to a child in a highchair, it is common practice for the caregiver to sit in front of the highchair and rest his or her arms on the high chair tray. High chair trays typically are made of a relatively hard, unforgiving material and do not provide a comfortable resting place for the caregiver's arms.
The tray of a high chair can become extremely soiled by an infant while eating. Often relatively large food chunks remain on the surface of the tray. The effective and controlled removal of this debris is not adequately addressed in the prior art.
The position of a high chair tray often requires adjustment. Often the tray sticks, or does not slide easily on the surface of the highchair on which it bears.
High chairs that allow the height of the chair to be adjusted require the use of two hands to make the adjustment. Busy caregivers often find that only one hand is free for making a height adjustment. This requires the caregiver first to free up one hand before the adjustment can be made.
Stringent stability (tipping) regulations have a direct impact on the footprint geometry of a high chair. Generally speaking, consumers prefer to have a high chair with a small footprint so that it can be integrated into the kitchen or table setting more conveniently. The footprint size, which is governed by stability concerns, is necessarily larger in high chairs that have a recline feature. Because a child's head comprises a significant proportion of his or her body weight, in reclining high chairs the center of gravity can move substantially to the rear as the child is moved from a full upright to a reclining position. Thus it is highly desirable to minimize the shift of the center of gravity when the seat back is reclined, whereby the footprint of the high chair can be minimized.
Recline mechanisms that allow the seat back to pivot at the bight portion of the seat usually cause a change in the distance between the seat back and the crotch support of the armbar as the seat is moved through various recline positions. This distance is regulated by industry standards, and it is highly desirable to be able to vary the angle of the seat back without significantly altering the distance between the seat back and the crotch support.
Children typically utilize high chairs throughout a relatively large age span. The wide range of physical development that a child undergoes during this time presents a formidable challenge to designing a high chair that ideally accommodates all of the physical needs of the child. This situation is exacerbated by high chairs that have recline features, enabling the unit to be used for very young infants, and removable arm bars, which when removed allow the chair to be pulled right up to a table for use by an older child. One aspect of available high chairs that does not adequately address this need is the seat height relative to the tray. Most high chairs are designed to accommodate the older child, which means that the tray is usually higher than optimal for an infant or a toddler.
Finally, a consumer-preferred feature is to have entertainment value readily available for a child in a high chair. Often after a meal it is desirable to keep the child in the high chair and quickly occupy the child with interesting objects that cannot be thrown to the floor.


A device for interferometric detection of surface structures by measurement of the phase difference in laser speckle pairs in the measuring points of this surface is proposed. This device comprises at least two laser sources (10-12), the frequency or wavelength of which is modulated, a splitter device (16) splitting the respectively generated laser beam into two partial beams, means for frequency shifting of the two partial beams in relation to each other, and a beam guide device, by means of which one of the partial beams can be supplied as a reference beam and the other as a measuring beam, guided to the measuring point and reflected there, both interferometrically superimposed, to a photodetector device (25), downstream of which an evaluating device (27) for determining the phase shift is placed. The splitter device is connected on the input side with at least two laser sources (10-12) via an optical fiber line (13-15), and the two partial beams emanating from the splitter device (16) also pass at least for a partial distance through the optical fiber lines (17 and 18) and one of these fiber lines (17) has a lengthening (19) in respect to the other. In this way, it is possible to generate a measuring beam and a reference beam with slight frequency differences in a simple and cost-saving manner, where a compact structure is possible with the least adjustment efforts is possible.

Such a device and a corresponding method are extensively described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,131, FERCHER/CARL ZEISS, and corresponding German Published, Non-Examined Patent Application DE-OS 33 18 678 or in the reference book "Laser Speckle". J. C. Dainty, Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1975. In the known device, the light emitted by a laser is split into a reference and a measuring beam, and a device shifts the frequency of the reference beam. The measuring beam is reflected on the rough surface which is to be measured and is then shown in the interferogram plane, together with the reference beam. With rough surfaces of this kind, a speckle pattern is obtained in the interferogram plane, instead of the customary interferogram. It is then possible to draw interferences as to the geometric shape of the rough surface by determining the phase difference such as described in more detail in the aforementioned prior art.
A complicated optical system with lenses, mirrors and prisms, as well as a frequency converter, not further described, is used for generating the different wavelengths or frequencies of the two beams. However, not only is such a system complicated and expensive to manufacture, but also hard to adjust to the required exactness. Furthermore, this arrangement requires such a large space that it is hard to contain it in a small and handy device.

Device for interferometric detection of surface structures