A combustion turbine component (10) includes a combustion turbine component substrate (16) and an alloy coating (14) on the combustion turbine component substrate. The alloy coating (14) includes nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), and yttrium (Y). Furthermore, the alloy coating includes at least one of titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), and rhenium (Re). The alloy coating also includes at least one rare earth element, and an oxide of at least one of the yttrium (Y) and the at least one rare earth element.

Components of combustion turbines are routinely subjected to harsh environments that include rigorous mechanical loading conditions at high temperatures, high temperature oxidization, and exposure to corrosive media. As demands for combustion turbines with higher operating temperatures and efficiency have increased, demand for coatings and materials which can withstand such higher temperatures has increased accordingly.
The structural stability of turbine components is often provided by nickel or cobalt base superalloys, for example, due to their exemplary high temperature mechanical properties such as creep resistance and fatigue resistance.
Creep is the term used to describe the tendency of a solid material to slowly move or deform permanently to relieve stresses. It occurs as a result of long-term exposure to levels of stress that are below the yield strength or ultimate strength of the material. Creep is more severe in materials that are subjected to heat for long periods and near their melting point, such as alloys out of which combustion turbine components are formed. If a turbine blade, for example, were to deform so that it contacted the turbine cylinder, a catastrophic failure may result. Therefore, a high creep resistance is an advantageous property for a combustion turbine component to possess.
Fatigue is the progressive and localized structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading. Given the numerous fatigue cycles a combustion turbine component may endure, a high fatigue resistance is likewise an advantageous property for a combustion turbine component to possess.
One way to strengthen a material, enhancing both its creep resistance and its fatigue resistance, is known as dispersion strengthening. Dispersion strengthening typically occurs by introducing a fine dispersion of particles into a material, for example, a metallic component. Dispersion strengthening can occur by adding material constituents that form particles when the constituents are added over their solubility limits.
Alternatively, dispersion strengthening may be performed by adding stable particles to a material, in which these particles are not naturally occurring in the material. These particles strengthen the material and may remain unaltered during metallurgical processing. Typically, the closer the spacing of the particles, the stronger the material. The fine dispersion of close particles restricts dislocation movement, which is the mechanism by which creep rupture may occur.
Previous dispersion strengthening methods include the introduction of thoria, alumina, or yttria particles into materials out of which combustion turbine components are formed. Thoria, alumina, and yttria are oxides that possess a higher bond energy than oxides of metals such as iron, nickel, or chromium that are typically used as the base metal of combustion turbine components. These prior approaches, while producing alloys with good high temperature creep resistance, may have poor low temperature performance and oxidation resistance.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,355 to Gennari et al. discloses a process for producing a dispersion strengthened alloy of a base metal. A base metal powder and a powder comprising thoria, alumina, and/or yttria are pressed into a blank form. The pressed blank form is sintered so that the thoria, alumina, and/or yttria are homogenously dispersed throughout the base metal.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,157,151 to Creech et. al. is directed to corrosion-resistant coatings for turbine components. In particular, Creech et al. discloses MCrAl(Y,Hf) type coating compositions. In the MCrAl(Y,Hf) coating, M can be selected from among the metals, Co, Ni, Fe, and combinations thereof. The MCrAl(Y,Hf) coating comprises a nominal composition, in weight percent based upon the total weight of the applied MCrAl(Y,Hf) coating, of chromium in the range of 20%-40%, aluminum in the range 6%-15%; and a metal such as Y, Hf, La, or combinations of these metals, in the range of 0.3%-8%. M (Co, Ni, or Fe) is the balance of the MCrAl(Y, Hf) coating, not considering incidental or trace impurities. The MCrAl(Y, hf) coating is then overlaid with a thermal barrier coating.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20080026242 to Quadakkers et. al. discloses protective coatings for turbine components. In particular, Quadakkers et al. discloses a component having an intermediate NiCoCrAlY layer zone, which comprises (in wt %), 24-26% Co, 16-18% Cr, 9.5-11% Al, 0.3-0.5% Y, 1-1.8% Re, and a Ni balance. Moreover, according to one embodiment, Y is at least partly replaced in the intermediate NiCoCrAlY layer zone by at least one element selected from the group. Si, Hf, Zr, La, Ce or other elements from the Lanthanide group. Furthermore, the outermost layer could be a MCrAlY layer, wherein M can be selected from Co, Ni, or a combination of both. The outermost layer comprises (in wt %), 15-40% Cr, 5-80% Co, 3-6.5% Al, and Ni is the balance of the coating. Moreover, the outermost layer can contain at least one of Hf, Zr, La, Ce, Y, and other Lanthanides.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,807 to Berglund discloses a method of producing a dispersion hardened FeCrAl alloy. A starting powder including iron, chromium, and titanium and/or yttrium is mixed with a chromium nitride powder. The powder mixture is placed into an evacuated container and heat treated. During heat treatment, titanium nitride is formed in a mix of chromium and iron. The nitrided chromium and iron product is then alloyed with aluminum by a conventional process to form a dispersion strengthened FeCrAl alloy.
The pursuit of increased combustion turbine efficiency has led to increased turbine section inlet temperatures, and thus metallic components made from different materials and having increased high temperature creep and fatigue resistance may be desirable. Moreover, materials having these advantageous properties, together with good low temperature performance, improved oxidation resistance, and high temperature particle stability may be desirable.

Combustion turbine component having rare earth NiCrAl coating and associated methods


A method and apparatus for integrating photovoltaic cells into a ground plane of satellite and terrestrial antenna systems is disclosed. The system provides an increase in available surface area for power generation without increasing the overall size. In one embodiment, a substrate has both photovoltaic cells and a conductive spacer formed on one side, where the conductive spacer has a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of the photovoltaic cells. In another embodiment, an antennae element may be formed on the top side of the conductive spacer, where the photovoltaic cells form a ground plane for the antenna element.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to ground planes of antenna systems, and more particularly to a ground plane which comprises photovoltaic cells in one embodiment.
2. Description of Related Art
Solar-powered remote instrumentation packages which communicate by satellite or terrestrial radio links have limitations on their available surface area for the necessary photovoltaic arrays and the associated radio frequency (RF) ground plane required by the radio link electronics. The capability of a photovoltaic array to generate power is a function of the ambient light level and area of the array. It is often the case that the available surface area for mounting photovoltaic cells on a piece of equipment is limited by the operational requirements of the equipment, particularly when the equipment is required to have one or more wireless communication links necessitating an antenna or a series of antennae. Many of these antennae require ground planes to achieve the desired performance. However, the area required by these ground planes reduces the available area for photovoltaic cell coverage. Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus which overcomes this problem.

Method and apparatus for photovoltaic cells of solar powered radiation sensing system antenna


The invention provides a method for detecting the presence of Serpulina hyodysenteriae in a biological sample, an oligonucleotide primer and an S. hyodysenteriae-specific oligonucleotide probe useful in that method, and an article of manufacture that contains the primers and/or probe. Also provided are an about 2.3-kb DNA fragment derived from genomic DNA of S. hyodysenteriae and encoding for an about 56 kDa polypeptide, a recombinant expression vector containing the DNA fragment, the 56 kDa polypeptide and a monoclonal antibody reactive with the peptide, and a method of assaying for antibodies reactive with the 56 kDa peptide.

Swine dysentery is a highly contagious disease of growing and finishing swine which has a significant economic impact on the United States swine industry. Although the causative agent has been known for nearly 20 years, no effective measures, other than medication of animals and sanitation of premises, are available to prevent the occurrence of the disease or reduce its severity once introduced into a susceptible herd. Recently published data from Iowa State University indicated a projected statewide cost for prevention and control of swine dysentery of approximately $2.4 million per month. Since the Iowa swine population represents one-fourth of the nation's industry, the annual losses due to swine dysentery for the United States may represent as much as $115.2 million. Owen, Iowa State J. Res., 62:293-311 (1987).
Serpulina hyodysenteriae is the primary etiologic agent of swine dysentery. Harris and Lysons, Diseases of Swine, 7th ed., Iowa State University Press (Ames, IA), at pp. 599-616 (1992); and Stanton et al., Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 41:50-58 (1991). Nine serotypes of S. hyodysenteriae have been recognized worldwide, with serotypes 1 and 2 being the most prevalent in the United States. Baum and Joens, Infect. Immun., 25:792-796 (1979); Mapother and Joens, J. Clin. Micro., 22:161-164 (1985); and Li et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 29:2794-2797 (1991). The diagnosis of swine dysentery is based on herd history, clinical signs, observation of characteristic intestinal lesions, and isolation of S. hyodysenteriae from feces or intestine using selective agar medium incubated anaerobically for 2 to 4 days. Chengappa et al., Report of the Committee on Swine Dysentery, American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc. (Columbia, Mo.) (1989). Laboratory confirmation of S. hyodysenteriae by culture is based upon colony morphology, pattern and intensity of hemolysis, and other growth characteristics, all of which are very similar for the non-pathogenic Serpulina innocens, a common inhabitant of the colon of swine. Kinyon and Joens, (1979). As a result, a definitive diagnosis of swine dysentery can be very challenging particularly when the disease occurs on premises where weakly .beta.-hemolytic intestinal spirochetes (WBHIS) are present in the swine population.
An important aspect of swine dysentery is the occurrence of prolonged shedding of S. hyodysenteriae in the feces of some animals following recovery from diarrhea. Songer and Harris, Am. J. Vet. Res., 39:913-916 (1978); and Fisher and Olander, Am. J. Vet. Res., 46:450-455 (1981). Asymptomatic carrier-shedder swine are important reservoirs for maintenance of S. hyodysenteriae on infected premises and transmission of the organism to uninfected premises. The solution to swine dysentery prevention lies in being able to quickly and accurately identify carrier-shedder swine and avoid their entry into uninfected herds. However, identification of asymptomatic carrier-shedders of S. hyodysenteriae, is difficult due to the detection limits of currently available laboratory isolation procedures.
Direct culture of diagnostic specimens is the only method available for laboratory identification of S. hyodysenteriae. However, it is well known that the sensitivity of the direct culture method depends upon the number of organisms present in the sample, which in turn depends on the stage of infection of the animal at the time of collection. Kunkle and Kinyon reported that the numbers of S. hyodysenteriae in porcine colonic contents at the onset of swine dysentery ranged between 2.times.10.sup.6 and 2.times.10.sup.10 CFU/g when cultured using the selective BJ medium. Kunkle et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 26:2357-2360 (1988). In contrast, subclinically affected animals may shed recoverable numbers of spirochetes only sporadically and in much lower numbers than animals with clinical swine dysentery often resulting in false negative culture results. Field cases of swine dysentery also may contain drug residues that adversely affect recovery of viable S. hyodysenteriae by culture.
Identification of S. hyodysenteriae by culture is highly subjective and can lead to false results, particularly when results of cultures are interpreted by inexperienced laboratory workers. For this reason, several biochemical tests have been proposed for rapid differentiation of enteropathogenic and non-pathogenic intestinal spirochetes of swine. Achacha et al., J. Vet. Diag. Invest., 3:211-214 (1991); Belanger et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 29:1727-1729 (1991); Hunter et al., Vet. Rec., 104:383-384 (1979); and Smith et al., Vet. Microbiol., 24:29-41 (1990). Although these biochemical characteristics are highly conserved among field isolates of S. hyodysenteriae, WBHIS have been shown to yield highly variable results making a conclusive identification of S. hyodysenteriae based on biochemical tests alone practically impossible. Achacha et al, cited supra; Belanger et al., cited supra; Burrows et al., Vet. Rec., 108:187-189 (1981); Kinyon et al., Infect. Immun., 15:638-646 (1977); Lymbery et al., Vet. Microbiol., 22:89-99 (1990); Picard et al., Can. J. Microbiol., 26:985-991 (1980); Ramanathan et al., Vet. Microbiol., 37:53-64 (1993); and Torp and Thorensen, Proc. 12th Congr. Int. Pig Vet. Soc., The Hague, The Netherlands, at page 270. (1992). In addition, the biochemical tests require growth of the organism for 2 to 4 days.
Other methods of differentiating S. hyodysenteriae from WBHIS include growth inhibition by discs soaked in antiserum (Lemcke and Burrows, Vet. Rec., 104:548-551 (1979)) and rapid slide agglutination (Burrows and Lemcke, Vet. Rec., 108:187-189 (1981)). In addition to problems of non-specific clumping of spirochetes in the saline control in the slide agglutination test, these tests require large numbers of pure culture of spirochetes which can take up to 3 weeks to grow. Lysons, Vet. Rec., 129:314-315 (1991). Although pre-absorption of reference polyclonal antisera with WBHIS increases the specificity of the serological tests, occasional S. hyodysenteriae isolates continue to be falsely classified as non-pathogenic in these tests. An alternative method using microscopic agglutination under phase contrast or dark field microscopy was recently proposed. However, some isolates of S. hyodysenteriae gave weaker reactions in that assay than with the slide agglutination test (Lysons, cited supra).
Mouse monoclonal antibodies capable of differentiating S. hyodysenteriae from porcine WBHIS have also been proposed as potential diagnostic reagents. Sellwood et al., Proc. 12th Congr. Int. Pig Vet. Soc., The Hague, The Netherlands, at page 264 (1992); and Thomas and Sellwood, J. Med. Microbiol., 37:214-220 (1992). However, other studies, indicate that spirochetes other than S. hyodysenteriae can express antigenic determinants recognized by these reagents and cause false positive results. Taylor et al., Proc. 12th Conqr. Int. Pig Vet. Soc., The Hague, The Netherlands, at page 280 (1992). The fact that no serological reagents are available commercially also limits the applicability of serological techniques to routine diagnosis of swine dysentery.
Certain genes encoding S. hyodysenteriae antigens and capable of eliciting protection against infection in mice have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli using a phage expression system. Boyden et al., Infect. Immun., 57:3808-3815 (1989). However, none of these reagents have been examined for potential application as diagnostic tools. One of the most recent diagnostic applications of recombinant DNA technology to swine dysentery control used oligodeoxynucleotide probes to 16S rRNA of S. hyodysenteriae. Jensen et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 28:2717-2721 (1990). However, the sensitivity of this probe method for detection of spirochetes in feces was equivalent to routine bacteriological culture (10.sup.5 organisms/g of feces), and further studies question the specificity of the 16S rRNA probe to S. hyodysenteriae (Torp and Thoresen, cited supra). Dot blot hybridization with whole-chromosomal probes and DNA probes for identification of S. hyodysenteriae have been reported. Combs and Hampson, Res. Vet. Sci., 50:286-289 (1991); Sotiropoulos et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 31:1746-1752 (1993); and Sotiropoulos et al., J. Clin. Microbiol., 32:1397-1401 (1994). Although the sensitivity of the whole-chromosomal probes was not reported, colony dot blot hybridization with DNA probes was shown to be only slightly better than culture (10.sup.4 organisms/g of feces). These tests are labor intensive, require specialized equipment, and have turn-around times that are incompatible with routine laboratory diagnosis.
A solution to prevention of disease caused by S. hyodysenteriae lies in being able to quickly and accurately identify carrier-shedder animals and avoid their entry into uninfected herds. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method and reagents for detecting S. hyodysenteriae in low numbers specifically, rapidly and directly from diagnostic and environmental samples. There is also a need to develop a sensitive and specific method for rapid detection of S. hyodysenteriae in a biological sample to diagnose and monitor infection in acutely- or subclinically-infected animals before, during and after treatment and in their environment. There is also a need to develop a method for rapid detection of S. hyodysenteriae for monitoring disinfection of the environment in contact with infected animals.

Nucleotide sequences for detection of serpulina hyodysenteriae

Board of Regents, University of Nebraska Lincoln


A system and method of managing power may include determining a power state based on a first power management request from a first operating system executing on a mobile platform and a second power management request from a second operating system executing on the mobile platform. The first operating system and one or more components of the mobile platform can define a first virtual machine, and the second operating system and one or more components of the mobile platform can define a second virtual machine. In addition, the power state may be applied to the mobile platform.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments generally relate to virtualization technology (VT). More particularly, embodiments relate to fine grained power management in virtualized mobile platforms.
2. Discussion
As the popularity of mobile phones increases, the complexity and functionality of these devices may also increase. For example, a given mobile platform might no longer be limited to a single operating system (OS) and could support diverse usage models such as web browsing and telecommunications. While virtualization of devices with multiple operating systems may make it easier for phone vendors, software and service providers to provision the devices in customized ways, a number of challenges remain. For example, power management decisions that are relevant within a single OS may not be relevant or accurate considering a VM (virtual machine)-based device as a whole, since there can be conflicting power management requests/decisions from different operating systems.

Fine grained power management in virtualized mobile platforms


A diversity antenna for use with a portable host device such as a laptop computer, for example as part of a PCMCIA card pluggable into the laptop computer to enable wireless computer by the laptop computer, includes a main antenna and a diversity antenna. Various configurations for these antennas are possible, including the use of a balanced dipole as the main antenna element and a split diversity antenna for the diversity antenna element. The diversity antenna provides high isolation between the antenna elements and isolation from interfering self-noise generated by the host device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to antennas for use with portable and other computing devices, such as laptop computers. More specifically, it relates to antennas that may be part of removable components such as PCMCIA (personal computer memory card international association) cards or the like that provide wireless communication to the computing devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some computing devices, such as laptop computers, may not be manufactured with wireless communication capability. Rather, some of these devices may have slots or similar coupling locations into which wireless communication devices may be mated to provide the host computing device with wireless capability. The wireless communication device can be for example a PCMCIA (personal computer memory card international association) card, and can include a transceiver and other circuitry coupled to an antenna and matable with the host device to provide wireless communication capability thereto. While explained herein in terms of a laptop computer as the host device, and a PCMCIA card as the wireless communication device, it will be appreciated that the invention is not so limited, and other host devices, such as PDAs and desktop computers, and other wireless communication devices for establishing wireless communication through a cellular network or through Bluetooth, WiFi and other types of wireless links and channels are also contemplated.
Diversity antennas used with wireless communication devices, especially portable and mobile devices, are very beneficial in improving the quality of the received signal in a wireless communications receiver. Typical diversity antenna systems consist of a main antenna and a diversity antenna, although there could be more than one diversity antenna. The initial benefit of diversity comes from the de-correlation of the fading between two separate antenna systems. The antennas can be spatially separated and/or use orthogonal polarizations (i.e. vertical and horizontal polarizations, right and left circular polarization, etc.) During a fade, the signal strength is degraded to the point that long error bursts occur in the received signal, severely degrading the overall received radio throughput, amongst other degradations. Diversity helps alleviate this problem by having two antennas separated in space and/or polarization, providing two nearly independent receive signal channels or paths which do not experience fades in the same way (that is, they are de-correlated). Thus while one antenna may experience a deep fade the other antenna may be within 3 dB of its nominal signal level. The result of this is that links with rapid fading that can go −15 dB or more below the average signal strength in a fade on a single channel system (non-diversity) but may be reduced to only −4 dB or −5 dB below the average signal strength with diversity on a statistical basis. In this example, diversity would provide an effective gain of 11 dB to 10 dB. Thus the reduced loss of signal prevents the channel from being dropped far less frequently than it would with a single deep fading channel. Typically the diversity antenna may be separated by as little as one eighth of a wavelength and still experience a significant gain over a single channel non-diversity antenna.
FIG. 1a shows a simple two antenna diversity system used on a PCMCIA (personal computer memory card international association) card 10 in a laptop computer 12, in which two vertical dipoles or monopoles (11 and 13) are employed. In FIG. 1b, an orthogonal dipole/monopole configuration is shown that uses a vertical monopole/dipole 14 with horizontal monopole 15 disposed normal to the side of the laptop case. In FIG. 1c, the horizontal monopole is replaced with a PIFA (Planar Inverted-F Antenna) style antenna 17 and a vertical antenna 16. Both the PIFA and the horizontal monopole use the laptop case as the "counterpoise" for the associated antenna system. An "antenna counterpoise" is a virtual ground for balancing the currents in the antenna by establishing a zero reference potential for feeding the active antenna element. It can be any structure closely associated with (or act as) the ground which is connected to the terminal of the signal receiver or source opposing the active antenna terminal, (that is, the signal receiver or source is interposed between the active antenna and this structure). The "antenna counterpoise" may be directly, capacitively or inductively coupled to the surrounding ground plane if there happens to be one there.
One of the main disadvantages of these sample diversity systems is the generally poor isolation between the antennas, sometimes as low as a few dB but typically only 6 dB. With diversity isolations greater that 10 dB being preferred, consideration may be given to improved orthogonality between these antennas to increase the diversity isolation. Higher diversity isolation essentially means less correlation between the separate antennas and therefore a reduced probability of destructive interference or fading.
Another consideration is the interactions between a dipole like-antenna and an orthogonal dipole/monopole with a substantially symmetrical geometry normal to the main dipole length vector. Small form factor wireless communications devices, such as PCMCIA cards, provide very limited external space to include antennas with high efficiency, wide bandwidth, multiple bands and diversity all at the same time. This tight space constraint results in interaction between the various antenna elements, even if the antennas have good isolation between the selected paths or "ports." This is further complicated by the interaction between the various antenna systems and the computer or platform to which the card is mated.
Thus one consideration is the fabrication of a high performance main and diversity antenna system for use in a PCMCIA card, with the aim of achieving good antenna efficiency with high isolation between the main and diversity antennas and high isolation between the main antenna and the radiated self-noise from the host device (for example lap top computer), while maintaining an acceptable industrial design (ID) appearance. These results are ultimately reflected in the Total Isotropic Sensitivity (TIS) and Total Radiated Power (TRP) performance of the antenna.
Optimum dipole location for minimum laptop self-noise is another consideration. Laptop computers have traditionally been designed primarily for user computer functionality and conformity with FCC part 15 regulations. In more recent times, functionality has been expanded to include wireless network connections such as cellular communications and WiFi. Since the FCC part 15 requires only radiated noise limitations, the issue of self-noise for added or integrated wireless network solutions has not been considered. Consequently, while compliance with FCC part 15 has been achieved, there are high levels of RF surface currents and RF voltage antinodes all over laptop computers. Furthermore, laptop computers now can have prescribed locations at which PCMCIA cards and similar devices can be added after-market, and these locations have become the location for accommodating wireless solutions. The concern is that self-RF noise generated or reaching in these locations de-senses the receiver part of the transceiver. Radiation in the PCMCIA slot regions may be substantially vertically polarized, and conduction currents from the laptop chassis generate conduction noise into antenna structures, such as the traditional monopole, that use the chassis as the substantial counterpoise for the antenna. This latter case can be the main mode of self-noise for PCMCIA-based wireless modems. The lowest noise is generated in the region of the PCMCIA slot in the E-field direction parallel to the long edge of the slot opening in the laptop.
FIGS. 12a-12c show a typical laptop computer with a PCMCIA or other PC card slot 1201 in the side wall of the laptop 1200. The electric fields Ex, Ey and Ez are shown as indicated. FIGS. 12b and 12c show conventional antenna configurations as currently employed. The extension of the PCMCIA card 1206, 1206′ outside of the slot is shown. In FIG. 2b, the antenna 1207 is in the form of a typical monopole antenna that uses the laptop chassis as its counterpoise, and the antenna 1208 is in the form of a vertical antenna that can be a monopole that uses the chassis as its counterpoise, or the antenna could be made longer and configured as an end-fed dipole that is only weakly coupled into the chassis. Antenna 1209 is in the form of a PIFA (Planar Inverted-F Antenna). This style of antenna excites currents and voltage antinodes in the associated ground plane, which acts as a counterpoise to the PIFA. Put simply, the PIFA is a wide monopole that excites the ground plane.
With the exception of the end-fed dipole antenna, all of the antennas of FIG. 12a-12c suffer from conducted RF noise from the chassis or ground plane of the computer. The end-fed dipole operates best when excited at a low impedance point on the ground plane or chassis. Since this dipole antenna is end-fed, it represents a very high impedance to the ground plane and hence reduces the conducted noise to the dipole.
Optimum dipole location and shape for maximum bandwidth in a small volume is another consideration. Almost all laptop computers today have at least one slot available for mating a PCMCIA card or similar device to the laptop computer. The extent of the projection of a PCMCIA card outside the slot in the side of the laptop is primarily limited by aggressively small industrial design (ID) constraints that have little concern for the needs of RF antenna functionality. Additional constraints are imposed by the mechanical enclosure and its requirements for welding line wall thickness and studs and so forth.
The size of an antenna enclosure has the greatest influence on the antenna performance at the lowest required operating frequency. For an ideal fat dipole the optimum length is 0.45λ, with λ being the wavelength of the interest. However, for cell-phone applications, adequate performance can be achieved with top-loaded dipoles or fat dipoles with a length as short as 0.30λ. Antennas as short as 0.125λ require significant top-loading and often require sophisticated matching circuits to achieve the necessary bandwidth.
In addition, the location of a dipole antenna near a significant ground plane also impacts the bandwidth and performance of a dipole antenna. By way of example, a Yagi antenna requires a minimum separation of reflector from the driven element (typically a dipole) of 0.04λ. The optimum separation is 0.15λ to 0.25λ with adequate performance as close as 0.09λ. As the separation decreases below 0.25λ, the front to back ratio decreases to unity and the bandwidth also decreases.
By way of example, Novatel™, in the C110 Type II PCMCIA card, uses a Yagi style antenna with the ground plane of the PCMCIA card as the reflector, a balun-fed dipole, and a director in order to operate above 1.90 GHz in a cellular application. The spacing between elements is nominally at the minimum of 0.04λ as a result of needing to fit within an overall length of 22 mm. This antenna is integral with the main PCB (printed circuit board) and requires no external antenna components. The folded nature of the antenna elements reflect the struggle to achieve a match even at this high frequency, let alone attempting a solution at 0.824 GHz. The very nature of this three-element Yagi design renders a 0.824 GHz solution extremely inefficient and/or limited bandwidth.
Optimum dipole location and style for minimum specific absorption rate (SAR) in a small volume is yet another consideration. SAR is a direct measure of the amount of RF power absorbed into human tissue due to a transmitting device in close proximity to it. This is a particularly important mobile phone issue as the transceivers of the device are employed in close proximity to the operator's head. The required standards and conditions for the measurement of SAR are defined and regulated by the FCC. There are several basic approaches to SAR reduction:                1. Reduce the radiated RF power        2. Place a screen between the radiator and the tissue        3. Place a resonant reflector between the radiator and the tissue        4. Use an antenna design with a significant front-to-back ratio, pointing the null towards the tissue.        5. Increase the separation distance between the radiator and the tissue        6. Spread out the surface current more over the radiator, particularly close to the radiator feed point in the case of a dipole or a monopole.
While these seem like simple remedies they each come with a cost, and a trade-off is required that usually impacts either industrial design (ID) and/or antenna and system performance.
Most traditional PCMCIA or PC cards are designed with a single PCB in mind, with antenna assemblies added to the outside edge of the card. The antenna elements typically comprise monopole antennas, whip antennas or PIFA (planar inverted-F antenna) antennas. Some use a coplanar dipole as the radiator, but this has been the choice of expedience of parts and of having a minimum vertical profile. This latter application, if used at all, has mostly been used at 1.8 GHz and above, due the unacceptable size of the antenna at lower frequencies such as 850 MHz.
The SAR "hot spot" most typically occurs close to, if not directly under, the feed point for the antenna. FIG. 15a shows a normal monopole 1501 used in a PCMCIA card 1520 in a laptop computer 1500. The antenna feed point 1502 is at the intersection point between the laptop 1500 case and the monopole 1501. Directly below this point and in the near surface of the tissue of the operator is where the "hot spot" 1503 will usually be found. The same result occurs for a whip antenna, whether normal or vertical at the feed point. The use of a standard dipole 1504 is shown in FIG. 15b, with its associated SAR "hot spot" at 1505 beneath the dipole. In some cases a Yagi antenna can be used in lieu of the dipole, to achieve some SAR reduction.
Inductive coupling between the antenna assembly and the printed circuit board (PCB) is another consideration. In some situations, it may be desirable to use such inductive coupling. An inductive coupling arrangement can be useful with air core transformers having only a few turns on both primary and secondary sides, for instance. However, such air-cored transformers have significantly more flux leakage than a high Mu ferrite-cored transformer. This flux leakage constitutes the uncoupled magnetic flux that does not pass through both coils. The consequence of this leakage is to produce an uncoupled inductance called leakage inductance. This acts in series with both the primary and secondary sides of the transformer, whereas the common inductance is called the mutual inductance and accounts for the magnetic field that is accepted by both sides of the transformer. While the leakage inductance is often perceived as loss, it is in fact conservative and can be cancelled out by using series capacitance or shunt capacitance. The main issue is that if the leakage (uncoupled) inductance exceeds the mutual inductance, the capacitive tuning required will result in a narrower band coupling.
The simplest design rule to minimize the flux leakage is to widen the trace width and to push the two windings as close together as possible. Once the gap-to-width ratio drops below 0.2, the leakage inductance becomes much less that the mutual inductance.
An advantage of the use of inductive coupling is that it simplifies the interconnection between two RF circuits, which, in the case of an antenna assembly, is between the PCB containing the bulk of the circuitry and the FPCB (flexible printed circuit board) of the antenna element(s). The inductive coupling eliminates the need for direct soldering, coaxial connection, zif sockets or pogo pins, etc. The perceived disadvantage is the leakage inductance and the size of the coupling loops, which is directly related to the maximum operating wavelength.
Reference is first made to FIG. 16a, in which conventional arrangement in which a balun 1601 on a main PCB 1630 is used to drive the antenna (not shown) or other balanced device in a differential manner. Balun 1601 is connected directly to a balanced antenna feed system 1603 via a gap port 1602. This interconnect is typically soldered, RF connected, pogo pinned, zif connected or facilitated by some other mechanical device or means (not shown). Next, in FIG. 16b, there is shown a conventional arrangement in which the connection of a dipole 1606 is via a feed line 1605 to a balun 1604. The balun is disposed on PCB 1630′. The gap exists at the balun-to-feed system transition. This gap can be coupled to the RF system by micro-strip or strip-line across the gap. The balun 1604 is made large enough to establish an adequate amount of inductive reactance so that the system does not become too low in impedance.
Dual band gap split duplexer and/or matching is also a consideration. Balanced RF feed systems are often a consequence of symmetrical RF modules such as antennas, mixers, differential/push pull amplifiers, coplanar waveguides and other such devices. Solutions as described herein are applicable to all these areas, even thought the principle focus is for antenna applications and balun structures including inductive/transformer coupling.
With reference to FIGS. 17a-17e, conventional gap port feed systems are described. In FIG. 17a, it is gap 1702 across a balun 1701; in FIG. 17b, it is in a notch 1704 of a notch antenna 1703; and in FIG. 17c it is across the central region of a closed end slot 1706 of a notch antenna 1705.
The gap port defines the excitation region of the selected balanced RF system. The gap port is the subject of the transition from the balanced to the unbalanced RF circuit that needs to be connected to the antenna/balun. It should be understood that the edge opposite to the gap on the balun may be connected to a large or larger ground plane on which the RF circuits reside and still maintain the balanced/symmetrical condition. The balance remains as long as the attached ground plane is attached symmetrically to the balun even if it connects to the two adjacent sides as well.
FIG. 17d is an isometric view showing how a slot (or gap) 1708 in a ground plane is typically connected into a strip line 1709 feed system in an antenna system 1707. In the system 1707, the strip line 1709 connects to the opposite side of the gap/slot from where the line came from. In the side view of FIG. 17e, it is seen where the slot 1708 is coupled in a short circuit to the strip line 1709 at a point 1713 opposite on the slot. A similar configuration is shown in FIG. 17f, but in this case the strip line 1709′ passes across the slot 1708′ and beyond it by a distance of one quarter of a wavelength, ending in an open circuit. This well-practiced principle in strip line RF design shown in FIG. 17f effectively achieves a short circuit as in the location 1713 in FIG. 17e without the necessity of a direct electrical connection. This methodology finds its greatest use for the excitation of slot or notch antennas and also for the excitation of patch on slot antennas.

Antenna configurations for compact device wireless communication


A UV irradiation device for the treatment of fluids has an improved device for the cleaning of the surfaces of the jacket tube with a number of lamp units that each have a radiation source and a jacket tube that surrounds the radiation source, whereby the lamp units are essentially cylindrical. A cleaning device has cleaning elements that annularly extend around the jacket tubes 3. Each jacket tube has at least one cleaning element, and the cleaning elements are displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the jacket tubes by at least one drive unit. The cleaning elements have an axially delimited, annular chamber that is open towards the surface of the jacket tubes. At least one elastomeric ring is disposed in the chamber.

The present invention relates to a UV irradiation device.
Such a device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,740.
Microbiologically contaminated liquids, such as, for example, waste water from clarification or sewage-treatment plants, are disinfected in a particularly environmentally protective manner by being treated with ultraviolet radiation. For this purpose, various irradiation devices are known in the state of the art. With numerous applications there is a problem that the lamp units of the irradiation devices become dirty from the outside.
In the aforementioned patent a device is therefore proposed according to which annular chambers surround the lamp ends. These chambers rest against the surface of the jacket tubes where they are sealed via two O-rings. The interior of the chambers is filled via a supply unit with a cleaning liquid, for example phosphoric acid. To clean the surface of the lamp unit, the chamber that is filled with cleaning liquid is now moved back and forth on the surface, as a result of which impurities that loosely adhere are supposed to be pushed away, and deposits that strongly adhere are supposed to be dissolved by the cleaning fluid.
In practice, this device functions only to a limited extent since the O-ring seals of the chamber are very sensitive to mechanical damage or deviations in dimensions relative to the surface of the jacket tube, and furthermore the chemical action of the cleaning fluid on the surface of the jacket tube is not sufficient, without mechanical assistance, to prevent the formation of deposits, or to remove such deposits. The reaction times are too short for this purpose. For mechanically removable deposits, this device is too expensive. The O-rings themselves have no significant cleaning effect since on the one hand their circular cross section forms a very acute contact angle with the jacket tube, and on the other hand with strongly adhering or abrasive deposits the O-rings tend to roll over them.
Cleaning devices that operate entirely mechanically are also known, for example from WO 98/27011. Here a cleaning ring is moved over the surface of the jacket tube in order to remove loosely adhering impurities. Where the impurities adhere much more strongly, the effect of this cleaning device is limited.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a UV irradiation device that has an effective cleaning device that operates without the supply of chemicals.

UV-irradiation device for treating fluids, comprising an improved cleaning device


The present invention provides an image forming apparatus for forming an image on printing paper by rolling up the printing paper around a cylindrical or column-shaped member without any fixture, that can measure with a high accuracy the length of the printing paper during transport thereof. The image forming apparatus of the present invention forms an image on printing paper in a state in which the printing paper is rolled up around an outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical or column-shaped member, and includes a sensor for detecting a front end or a rear end of the printing paper on the outer circumferential surface and a controller for calculating a length of the printing paper. The sensor, after having detected the rear end with the printing paper completely rolled up around the member, detects the front end along with rotation of the member. The controller calculates the length of the printing paper based on an operation amount of the member or a mechanism associated with driving of the member during a period from a detection of the rear end by the sensor until a detection of the front end.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for forming images on printing paper such as printers, and more particularly relates to an apparatus for forming images that measures the length of the printing paper while transporting the printing paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printer that is directly connected to an imaging device such as a digital still camera and outputs images taken and recorded with the imaging device on relatively small-size printing paper such as post-card size or L size has become widespread recently. With this type of printer, users execute a process of outputting images of their own shooting without any professional help on the printing paper. The printer is requested to print out images without any white space on all sides, that is, with no margins in the periphery of the printing paper, because professionals often print the images taken with silver salt cameras on the printing paper, leaving no margins.
A heat transfer printer disclosed in JP 2003-39759A is equipped with a structure best suited to form images on printing paper without any white space on all sides. In the printer, a plurality of contact members are equipped around a platen roller and are biased towards the outer circumferential surface of the platen roller, the outer circumferential surface being covered with a material having a high coefficient of friction. In an image forming apparatus in which printing paper is fixed on a platen-roller (or a rotating drum and the like) with a fixture such as a clamper or a chuck, it is very difficult to form images with no white space on all sides, whereas this printer, by employing the above-mentioned structure, can roll up printing paper around a platen roller without a fixture to form images with no margins.
When forming images with no white space on all sides, in an image-forming apparatus such as the heat transfer printer, what is known as "overprinting" occurs on the portions not covered with the printing paper. A large amount of ink on the outer circumferential surface of a platen-roller caused by excessive overprinting results in smearing the back face of the printing paper. Furthermore, the adhesion of an over-coating agent on the outer circumferential surface of the platen roller causes malfunction of a sensor provided inside a printer. This is why a conventional image-forming apparatus is configured to control image forming mechanism such as the thermal head so as to perform overprinting appropriately. Besides dealing with a variety of printing paper sizes, an image forming apparatus is designed to control an image forming mechanism so as to perform overprinting appropriately according to the length of the printing paper measured at the time of being transported to the platen roller for the purpose of handling a little variation seen in printing paper size.
Measuring the length of the printing paper in the process of being transported to the platen roller is not only limited to an image forming apparatus with a function of forming images without any white space on all sides, but is widely found in many other image forming apparatuses (cf. JP H5-69608A and JP 2003-335433A). Generally, the length of the printing paper is measured as follows. First, at least the rear end of the printing paper is detected by a contact or non-contact type sensor. And then the rotation angle of the platen roller or the number of revolutions of a driving motor or the like during a period from the predetermined state until when the rear end of the printing paper is detected, or from when the front end of the printing paper is detected until when the rear end is detected are measured. Finally, the length of the printing paper is calculated based on the obtained rotation angle or the like and several constants (e.g. platen roller diameter, etc.).
However, as a printer disclosed in JP 2003-39759A, in an image forming apparatus that rolls up printing paper around a platen roller without any fixture, when measuring the length of the printing paper by detecting the end of the printing paper, the length of the printing paper may not be obtained with a sufficient accuracy. With this type of image forming apparatus, a slip of the printing paper (or its displacement) can occur on the platen roller during transport, when the contact area is not sufficiently ensured between the outer circumferential surface of the platen roller and the printing paper. When a slip occurs, the rotation angle of the platen roller or the number of revolutions of the driving motor or the like employed in calculating the length of the printing paper become greater than in the case where no slip occurs. As a result, the measured length of the printing paper becomes greater than its real length.


On a substrate materials of different X-ray refractive indexes, for example, silicon (si) and molybdenum (Mo), are alternately deposited to form a multilayer film composed of silicon nd molybdenum layers and a hydrogenated interface layer is formed between each pair of adjacent layers.

The present invention relates to an X-ray reflector which is used in a lens reduction projection aligner for the manufacture of semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to an X-ray multilayer film reflector which exhibits high reflectivity for soft X-rays of wavelengths ranging from several to tens of nanometers.
Conventional soft X-ray multilayer film reflectors usually have a multilayer structure formed by depositing two kinds of materials of different refractive indexes to predetermined thicknesses alternately through use of a vacuum evaporation, sputtering or similar method.
Conventionally, the two materials are chosen mainly by the following three criteria so as to obtain a soft X-ray multilayer film reflector of great reflectivity. First the two kinds of materials do not much absorb X rays; second, they have greatly different refractive indexes; third, they have a definite boundary without any reaction or diffusion between them and the interface remains smooth.
Since the refractive index of each material depends on the wavelength of soft X rays as well, combinations of materials which fulfill the above-noted criteria are limited for each specified wavelength. Some materials, when combined, are liable to react with each other at the mutual interface to form an intermediate product and some materials are also apt to incur interdiffusion. In the case where the multilayer structure is formed using a combination of materials which are liable to interaction or interdiffusion, the interface gets rough or the boundary gets indefinite owing to the interaction or interdiffusion between the materials used. In such an instance, the intended reflectivity cannot be obtained, or the interaction gradually proceeds and the multilayer structure is destroyed, resulting in the performance being impaired. Such combinations of materials do not fulfill the aforementioned third criterion and cannot be employed because of the above-noted defects, even if they are expected to provide a high reflectivity.

Multilayer film reflector for soft X-rays

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited


A measurement system and method combine an audio announcement system with a plurality of spaced apart sensors to evaluate intelligibility of audio output from loudspeakers of the audio announcement system. Processing can take place at some or all of the sensors as well as at a common control element. Evaluations can be based on use of an appropriate speech intelligibility index method.

It has been recognized that speech being projected or transmitted into a region is not necessarily intelligible merely because it is audible. In many instances such as sports stadiums, airports, public buildings and the like, speech delivered into a region may be loud enough to be heard but it may be unintelligible. Such considerations apply to audio announcement systems in general as well as those which are associated with fire safety, building or regional monitoring systems.
Relative to the latter, it has been known to conduct intelligibility testing in connection with such systems by having an installer or technician walk through a building or region being evaluated and listen to output from various speakers of the public address or alarm evacuation system to assess the intelligibility of the instructions or information being output by such devices. In an alternate mode, portable intelligibility analyzers can be carried through the building to each region of interest to provide a quantitative measure of speech intelligibility.
It also has been recognized that testing as described above requires that the installer or technician must literally move through most of the building or region being evaluated to listen or measure the intelligibility of speech signals being delivered in each region. This process is not only time consuming but expensive especially in large buildings. Additionally, when a floor or a portion of the region is being redecorated or built out for a different tenant, that portion of the building or region must be re-evaluated after the construction and/or build out has been completed.
It would be desirable to in some way make use of some or all of the existing equipment of such systems to improve intelligibility testing/evaluation. In such event, more frequent evaluation/testing could be conducted throughout the region or building monitored.
It also has been recognized that there is a benefit in moving from subjective evaluation of the intelligibility of speech in a region toward a more quantitative approach which, at the very least, provides a greater degree of repeatability. A standardized speech transmission index, STI, has been developed for use in evaluating speech intelligibility automatically and without any need for human interpretation of the speech intelligibility.
In STI-type of testing a noise or noise-like signal is amplitude modulated at various rates. The signal is transmitted from a source, such as a loud speaker, into a portion of a region of interest. The signals are detected, for example by a microphone. The received signals are analyzed by comparing the depth of modulation thereof with that of the test signal in each of the frequency bands. Reductions in modulation depth of received signals are associated with loss of intelligibility.
Details of STI-type evaluations have been published and are available for example in "The Modulation Transfer Function In Room Acoustics as a Predictor of Speech Intelligibility" by Steeneken and Houtgast, Acustica V28, PG66-73 (1973) and "A Review of the MTF Concept in Room Acoustics and its Use for Estimating Speech Intelligibility in Auditoria" by Steeneken and Houtgast, Institute for Perception TNO, Soesterberg, the Netherlands (1984).
The above described evaluation process can be carried out by any one of a variety of publicly available analysis programs as would be available to those of skill in the art. One such program has been disclosed and discussed in an article, "The Speech Transmission Index Program is Up and Running", Lexington Center and School for the Deaf, V3.1 (Sep. 9, 2003). Other, earlier programs for evaluating STI are available as would be known to those of skill in the art.
There thus continues to be on ongoing need for improved, more efficient, intelligibility testing in connection with fire safety/evacuation systems. It would be desirable if the recognized benefits of Speech Transmission Index-type processing could be incorporated into such systems to improve intelligibility testing thereof. It would be also desirable to be able to incorporate such functional capability in a way that takes advantage of sensors which are intended to be distributed through a region being monitored so as to minimize additional installation cost and/or equipment needs. Preferably such functionality could not only be incorporated into the sensors being currently installed, but also could be cost effectively incorporated as upgrades in existing systems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Intelligibility measurement of audio announcement systems


A magnetic disk apparatus includes a disk and a controller. The disk includes a plurality of tracks including a first track and a second track that is different from the first track. A plurality of data sectors are located on the tracks. The data sectors include short data sectors and long data sectors, each including a plurality of short data sectors. If the controller accesses a long data sector located at an end of the first track, the controller first accesses a short data sector of the long data sector at the end of the first track, and then accesses a short data sector of the long data sector at the beginning of the second track.

Recently, there has been a trend in which the size of a data sector, which is used to record data on magnetic disks, has increased. Such a data sector is called a long sector. The use of the long sector enhances, for example, the efficiency of formatting.
In general, in magnetic disk apparatuses, the data sector is located so as to fall within one track. Therefore, it is assumed that the data sector is located within one track even though the data sector (i.e., long sector) has a large size. When data sectors are located in such manner, it is possible that an area with no data sector (hereinafter referred to as "an extra area") will occur at, for example, an end portion of a track. It is also possible that the extra area will increase in accordance with an increase in data sector size. In this case, the storage capacity per track decreases.

Magnetic disk apparatus and method for accessing data sector


A compliant pin fin heat sink includes a flexible base plate having a thickness of from about 0.2 mm to about 0.5 mm. A plurality of pins extends from the flexible base plate and is formed integral with the flexible base plate by forging. A flexible top plate is connected to and spaced from the flexible base plate. The plurality of pins is disposed between the flexible base plate and the flexible top plate.

In order to compensate for deviations from flat contact surfaces, conventional devices for cooling semiconductor components use a relatively thick Thermal Interface Material (TIM) between the surface of the semiconductor component and the rigid heat sink. However, TIM increases thermal resistance and decreases system reliability. Compliant Thermal Interface (CTI) heat sinks have been developed to obviate the need for TIM by providing a heat sink capable of conforming to the existing surface of the semiconductor component. Conventional CTI heat sinks utilize a metal spring layer and have a high associated cost.
As an alternative to CTI heat singe, Compliant Pin Fin (CPF) heat sinks have been proposed and have been demonstrated as effective for direct die attach liquid cooling of high power semiconductor devices. These CPF heat sinks include a relatively thin base plate and a relatively thin top plate, both thin enough to be flexible under the loads applied in a system. These two plates are coupled by an array of pins that conduct heat to a coolant flowing between the two plates. The pins also connect the two plates mechanically.
A construction of the pin fin compliant cold plate is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2013/0199767 A1, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, the disclosed construction has a high associated cost as assembling such heat sinks out of multiple linked sheets is a relatively expensive process. Similar approaches of connecting the pin structure to the bottom plate incur a thermal penalty due to either the material used to connect the pins or voids in the connecting material. The previous constructions also utilize relatively thick sidewalls in the containing structure and function best without intervening structures between and above areas needing to be cooled. Therefore, arrangements of pin fin compliant heat seeks are needed that have a lower associated cost of manufacture and provide improved connection between the flexible base plate and the pin fins

Compliant Pin Fin heat sink with base integral pins

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to novel antithrombotic variants of thrombin or fragments thereof that are capable of proteolytically activating protein C, but which are substantially free of fibrinogen cleavage activity. The present invention further relates to variant polypeptides that may be cleaved to yield active thrombin variants. The present invention also relates to methods of inhibiting thrombus formation in an animal or human subject by delivering an antithrombotic variant thrombin of the present invention to the blood of the subject. The present invention relates also to methods that use the novel variant thrombins for determining the level of protein C activation in a blood sample, or the thrombogenic potential of a patient.

Thrombosis is caused by fibrin and platelet deposits that occlude blood vessels in various organs. The role of thrombosis in morbidity and mortality has been documented in many diseases, including, among others, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary thrombo-embolism, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, anthrax and meningococcal sepsis, and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Macrovascular thrombosis can be prevented or successfully treated with anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, and/or profibrinolytic agents. The antithrombotic therapy for microvascular thrombosis, however, presents a greater medical challenge. Pharmacological use of activated protein C (APC), a naturally circulating anticoagulant enzyme (Gruber et al. Blood 79: 2340-2348 (1992)) has been shown to reduce the mortality of severe sepsis (Bernard et al. New Eng. J. Med. 344: 699-709 (2001)). Clinical use of APC is now medically justifiable. However, manufacturing of injectable dosage forms of natural or recombinant APC for therapeutic use is expensive, especially in view of the large doses, such as, for example, administering 0.024 mg/kg/hour of recombinant human APC for the several days required for effective treatment.
The activation of naturally occurring physiologic systems leading to the production of endogenous therapeutic proteins can be as efficacious and more economical than administering the directly acting agent itself. For example, relatively inexpensive plasminogen activators, such as streptokinase, are valuable in the systemic treatment of thrombosis, while the directly acting enzyme, plasmin, is suitable for topical therapy only (Marder et al. Thromb. Haemost. 86: 739-745 (2001)). An affordable alternative modality is needed to make APC-therapy accessible to a broader patient population, including those who suffer from septic disseminated intravascular coagulation due to sepsis.
Low dose wild-type human thrombin (WT) is a relatively safe antithrombotic agent in baboons (Hanson et al. J. Clin. Invest. 92: 2003-2012 (1993)) that is capable of binding to thrombomodulin and generating endogenous APC. However, the low-grade fibrin formation and platelet activation that accompany the infusion of WT have potentially adverse side-effects. WT not complexed with thrombomodulin can cause potentially fatal disseminated intravascular coagulation (Gresele et al. J. Clin. Invest. 101: 667-676 (1998)). Thrombomodulin deficiency or poor microcirculation in a patient pose additional safety risks. The use of guanidinobenzoyl thrombin for protein C activation has addressed several of these problems of WT because acyl-thrombin yields active thrombin by delayed deacylation after binding to endothelial thrombomodulin (McBane et al. Thromb. Haemost. 74: 879-885 (1995)). Acyl-thrombin is effective with a wider safety margin than WT in a pig model of thrombosis. The acylation approach, however, reduces, but does not eliminate, the potentially disastrous consequences of an inadvertent overdose, when simultaneous deacylation of unbound acyl-thrombin would suddenly clot all circulating blood.
Activation of the circulating protein C pool by a suitable snake venom activator has also been shown to produce antithrombotic effects in an arterio-venous (AV) shunt model (Kogan et al. Thromb. Res. 70: 385-393 (1993)). There are several potential advantages to snake enzymes, such as high specificity, long half-life, and stability. Immunogenecity, however, does present a problem if used repeatedly. Also, these enzymes are not readily available. In search for newer, specific, and safe protein C activators, a number of thrombin mutations have been reported to compromise cleavage of fibrinogen more than the activation of protein C (Cantwell et al. J. Biol. Chem. 275:39827-39830 (2000); Wu et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:6775-6779 (1991); Gibbs et al. Nature 378: 413-416 (1995); Arosie et al. Biochemistry 39: 8095-8101 (2000)).
What is still needed, however, is an antithrombotic thrombin with a substantially reduced procoagulant activity and a compromised platelet activation activity, but having an effective capability to activate protein C.
What is also needed, therefore, is a variant thrombin that is practically devoid of activity towards fibrinogen and the platelet receptor PAR-1, but retains a significant capability to activate protein C in the presence of thrombomodulin.
What is still further needed are methods of administering to a patient variant thrombins capable of activating protein C but not of inducing thrombus formation.
What are also needed are methods to determine the antithrombotic potential and the status of activated protein C in the blood of an animal or human that do not necessitate the use of expensive protein C activators or the use of a protein C activator capable of inducing thrombus formation.


A bill box used in the bill receiver of a coin exchanger for accommodating banknotes received by the bill receiver is disclosed to have a gate installed in the first chamber thereof and a driving mechanism controllable to move the gate between two positions to close/open the first chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bill box for use in the bill acceptor of a coin exchanger and more particularly, to such a bill box that has a security arrangement that automatically close the first chamber to prevent others from stealing received banknotes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Following fast development of technology, our mode of living has been changed. Various automatic vending machines (card dispensers, ticket vending machines, coin exchanging machines, etc.) are used everywhere to sell any of a variety of products without the service of any serviceman. After installation of an automatic vending machine, the provider does not send any person to take care of the machine unless a new supply or repair work is needed. During the vulnerable period where no guard is in presence to protect the machine, criminals may try different measures or use different tools to steal banknotes from the machine. Further, because several machines may be installed in one spot and because the bill box of a conventional automatic vending machine is not provided with a security system, workers who entrusted to safeguard may pilfer banknotes from the machines.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show a bill receiver according to the prior art. This design of bill receiver comprises a receiver main unit A and a bill box B fastened to one side of the receiver main unit A for holding banknotes received by the receiver main unit A. The bill box B has a back door B1 that can be opened by the user, spring members B2 connected between the back door B1 and a front pressure board B3 and adapted to push the front pressure board B3 toward the receiver main unit A. Further, the bill box B has a plurality of coupling blocks B4 respectively coupled to respective L-shaped coupling grooves A1 of the receiver main unit A, and a sliding locking member B5 for moving into a lock hole A2 of the receiver main unit A to lock the bill box B to the receiver main unit A. When wishing to remove the bill box B from the receiver main unit A, move the sliding locking member B5 away from the lock hole A2 to unlock the bill box B, and then push the bill box B outwards to disengage the coupling blocks B4 from the respective L-shaped coupling grooves A1. This design of bill receiver still has drawbacks as outlined hereinafter.
When the receiver main unit A carried a banknote into the inside of the bill box B, the bill box B is kept in an open status. Therefore, an evil person can use fasten a steel wire or adhesive means to a banknote, and then insert the banknote into the bill receiver to purchase the desired product or service, and then pull the steel wire or adhesive means to carry the inserted banknote out of the bill box B for a repeat application.
After removal of the bill box B from the receiver main unit A, the bill box B is not well protected, and an intentional person can easily take storage banknotes out of the bill box B.
Therefore, it is important to provide a bill box for bill receiver/acceptor that has a security structure to protect received banknotes against thieves.

International Currency Technology Corporation


Problems in shutting down the compressor in a vapor compression air conditioner in response to high pressure, low pressure and frozen refrigerant conditions are eliminated in a protection circuit that includes a contactor coil to control the power supply to the compressor. The use of a semiconductor switching configuration in the protection circuit provides for disconnecting the power to the compressor under fault conditions and for ensuring that the power connection to the compressor remains disabled until the conditions which initially triggered the protection circuit are corrected.

A schematic diagram of a prior art protection circuit for a vapor compression air conditioning system 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. When a vapor compression air conditioner 10 experiences fault conditions, including high pressure, low pressure or frozen refrigerant, it is necessary to shut down the compressor 12 to prevent damage to the compressor 12 and/or other components of the air conditioner.
In order to turn off the compressor 12 in response to these fault conditions, industry has typically employed a lockout mechanism known as a "Lockout Relay" or an impedance relay 14. The lockout circuitry generally includes a relatively low impedance contactor coil 16 that is used to open and close the main normally open contacts 18 of the air conditioner compressor power circuit. A small control circuit transformer is typically used to supply the control voltage 20 to power the lockout circuitry. In one current path, normally closed lockout relay contacts 22 and conventional sensing switches 24, 26 and 28 designed to respond to high pressure, low pressure and frozen refrigerant conditions respectively within the air conditioner 10, are placed in series with the compressor contactor coil 16. In an alternate path, the compressor contactor coil 16 is placed in series with a relatively high impedance lockout relay coil 30. The lockout relay coil 30 opens the lockout relay contacts 22 under the predefined fault conditions. The lockout relay contacts 22 and sensor switches 24, 26 and 28 are positioned parallel to the lockout relay coil 30.
Under normal operating conditions, the current flows through the compressor contactor coil 16, the closed relay contacts 22 and the closed sensor switches 24, 26 and 28. Sufficient current flows through the compressor contactor coil 16 to maintain the compressor contacts 18 in a closed state and the compressor 12 remains on. In the alternate path, since the lockout relay coil 30 has a relatively high impedance, only minimal current flows through the lockout relay coil 30 and the lockout relay contacts 22 remain closed.
In the event that one of the sensing switches 24, 26 or 28 opens in response to one of the predefined fault conditions within the air conditioner 10, current can only flow through the lockout relay coil 30 and the compressor contactor coil 16. As the impedance of the contactor coil 16 is relatively low, the lockout relay coil 30 now receives sufficient power to open the normally closed lockout relay contacts 22. At the same time, because of the relatively high impedance of the lockout relay coil 30, the compressor contactor coil 16 no longer receives sufficient power to maintain the compressor contacts 18 in a closed state resulting in the compressor 12 being shut down. Even if the open sensing switch 24, 26 or 28 subsequently closes, the lockout relay contacts 22 remain open so that the current continues to flow through the high impedance lockout relay coil 30. The lockout relay coil 30 continues to hold the lockout relay contacts 22 open until the system is reset manually by the opening and then closing of a power supply switch 32.
There are a number of factors that may affect the reliability of the lockout relay circuit. The impedances of the compressor contactor coil 16 and the lockout relay coil 30 must be carefully matched to ensure that when a switch 24, 26 or 28 senses a predefined fault condition, the lockout relay coil 30 has sufficient power to open the lockout relay contacts 22, and at the same time, the compressor contactor coil 16 is deprived of sufficient power to close the compressor contacts 18. Significant impedance variations due to tolerances on the lockout relay coil 30 and the compressor contactor coil 16 components make impedance balancing difficult. Also, since contactors are conventionally used as on/off devices with either a rated voltage or zero voltage across the associated coil, manufacturers do not generally publish sufficient coil operating information, making special inquiries or additional testing of the coils necessary to ascertain the voltage drop values that will assure system operation.
In addition, if the control voltage 20 is not maintained within a narrow operating range, the lockout circuitry may also malfunction. Small circuit control transformers with high secondary voltages often have poor regulation. If the control voltage 20 is too high, there will be sufficient current available to pull in both the lockout relay coil 30 and the compressor contactor coil 16. This will cause the lockout relay coil 30 to open the relay lockout contacts 22, but it will also enable the compressor contactor coil 16 to close the contacts 18 so that the compressor 12 remains on. If the control voltage 20 is too low, there will be insufficient current for the lockout relay coil 30 to maintain the contacts 22 in an open position and the lockout circuit will have the possibility of resetting itself, even if the fault conditions within the air conditioner 10 have not been corrected.
Clearly, it would be desirable to use a lockout mechanism that would eliminate the need for coil impedance balancing, that would not be as susceptible to control voltage fluctuations, and that would ensure that the power to the compressor would remained "locked out" until the fault conditions which initially triggered the lockout circuit had been corrected and the system reset manually. It would also be desirable to use a contactor with a built in lockout mechanism in order to reduce the number of components mounted and the amount of interwiring between components. The present invention seeks to achieve these objectives.

Contactor with solid state protection circuit for a vapor compression air conditioner


A loop of cord, projecting out from one end of an elongate sleeve is placed around the base of a tooth and closed. In one preferred form, the cord includes elastic material so that, as the loop is closed around the tooth, the contractile force exerted by the stretched elastic cord around the circumference of the tooth at a part of the tooth which tapers toward the root tends to seat the cord apically (toward the apex of the root). The self-seating tendency of this loop of elastic cord as it is tightened around the base of a tooth more effectively separates the gingival tissues from the base of the tooth. As a result, good clean dry access to the margins of a crown or inlay is provided. In one form, the sleeve is of a heat shrinkable material and is heat shrunk to frictionally engage the cord.

One of the most important and most difficult procedures in the process of a dentist making a crown or inlay is retracting the gingival tissues in order to be able to obtain an accurate impression of the margins of the crown or inlay which often lie in the sulcus, the narrow groove between the base of the tooth and the surrounding gingival tissues. In taking the impression for a crown or inlay, the dentist must record not only the margin but also the area beyond the margin so that the laboratory can assess the angle of emergence of the tooth from the root and can continue that angle in the contour of the crown or inlay for optimal smoothness of the margin and health of the tissues near the margin. The area beyond the margin often lies at the bottom of the sulcus, a location which is particularly narrow and difficult to record accurately with impression material.
In order to better record the area of the tooth bordering the bottom of the gingival sulcus with impression material, dentists have traditionally used a length of string, called retraction cord or thread, which they push down into the sulcus. The pressure of the cord in the sulcus on the tissues lining the sulcus as well as the hemostatic or astringent medicaments which may be carried by the cord aid in stopping bleeding, shrinking the tissues of the gingival sulcus, and mechanically widening the gingival sulcus in order to allow the dentist to more accurately record the base of the tooth bordered by the gingival sulcus.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,321,038; 4,522,593; 4,465,462; 4,871,311; 4,892,482; and 5,540,588 are examples of prior art relating to retraction of gingival tissues.
One disadvantage of all these prior art retraction cords, as these references are presently understood, is that they are supplied in lengths which have to be wrapped around a tooth and then mechanically seated into the base of the sulcus one area at a time with gingival packing instruments. The mechanical seating is time consuming and often traumatic to the tissues under the area of cord which is being packed as well as painful to the patient. The gingival packing instrument often slips off the cord and injures the gingival tissue. Furthermore, dentists frequently have difficulty getting the cord to stay down in the bottom of the sulcus after it has been packed down.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,358,403 and 5,480,303 to Groth illustrate devices for applying gingival retraction cord to a tooth. In the '403 patent, a loop of gingival retraction cord is formed with the free ends of the cord being held, as by a threaded plug, in the end of an elongated handle. The loop is placed around the tooth and the handle is twisted to, in turn, twist the gingival retraction cord and tighten the loop around the tooth. A packing tool is then used to urge the retraction cord into the base of the sulcus. In the '303 patent, the retraction cord has a loop extending outwardly from one end of a barrel shaped applicator, with the free ends of the retraction cord projecting outwardly from the opposite end of the applicator. The loop is placed around a tooth, with the free ends of the cord being pulled to reduce the size of the loop. The free end of the loop also passes through a lock which is pivoted to the barrel. The lock is twisted to engage the retraction cord at the location where the retraction cord passes from the barrel to the lock to prevent sliding of the retraction cord. Thereafter, the applicator is twisted so as to twist the loop of the retraction cord and tighten the loop against the tooth. A packing tool is then used to force or pack the gingival cord into the base of the sulcus.
These retraction cord applicators suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, the pressure applied to the tooth and gingival tissues arising from twisting the cord is difficult to control. The difference between having the retraction cord in a closed but untightened state which applies no pressure around the circumference of the tooth and having the retraction cord in a twisted, tightened state to apply pressure around the circumference of the tooth may be only a millimeter or two. Further twisting the cord another millimeter or two may create too much pressure on the cord and against the gingival tissues. In addition, the applicators of these two Groth patents are relatively bulky, making them inconvenient to use during dental procedures. Moreover, packing tools which can traumatize the gums are still required to pack the retraction cord into the base of the sulcus.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved gingival retraction apparatus and method.

Gingival retraction apparatus and method


Disclosed is an electrolysis method, whereby sodium chloride concentration of an aqueous caustic soda solution formed through electrolysis in a two-chamber ion-exchange membrane sodium chloride electrolytic cell, which is equipped with a gas diffusion electrode as a cathode and divided into an anode chamber containing an anode and a cathode gas chamber containing the cathode that are partitioned by an ion-exchange membrane, is lowered. In a two-chamber ion-exchange membrane electrolytic cell (1) using a gas diffusion electrode (7), electrolysis is performed while reducing the pressure difference between the liquid pressure in the anode chamber and the gas pressure in the cathode gas chamber, i.e., the pressure calculated by subtracting [oxygen-containing gas pressure in cathode chamber (measured by manometer (18))] or [gas pressure at oxygen-containing gas inlet (14)] from [(liquid pressure in anode chamber applied to ion-exchange membrane when anode chamber is filled up with aqueous sodium chloride solution) being equal to (depth of aqueous sodium chloride solution)(density of aqueous sodium chloride solution)/2].

An ion exchange membrane method is well-known which produces chlorine and a caustic soda aqueous solution by electrolyzing saturated brine by means of a gas diffusion electrode. In this method, an electrolytic cell is divided, by an ion exchange membrane, into an anode chamber equipped with an anode and filled with brine, and a cathode chamber equipped with a cathode and filled with a caustic soda aqueous solution. The electrolysis is carried out by feeding current between the above two electrodes while oxygen-containing gas (oxygen concentration is 100% to 20%) is supplied into the cathode chamber to produce the caustic soda aqueous solution and the chorine in the cathode chamber and the anode chamber, respectively.
The electrolyzing method using the gas diffusion electrode as the cathode enables the reductions of the theoretical decomposition voltage by about 1 V and of the power cost by about 30% compared with those of an ordinary hydrogen-evolving electrolyzing method because no hydrogen evolves on the cathode in the former. Various studies are conducted for bringing the above brine electrolysis using the gas diffusion electrode to the practical use. In this regard, Patent Publications 1 and 2 propose, as a means of further reducing the electrolysis voltage, a method in which a cathode liquid chamber is substantially removed by intimately adhering the gas diffusion electrode to an ion exchange membrane, or the cathode chamber is configured as a gas chamber (this method is referred to as a two-chamber method because the electrolytic cell consists of the anode chamber and the cathode gas chamber). This method advantageously reduces the electric resistance to the lowest limit to maintain the electrolysis voltage minimum because no gap for catholyte exists between the ion exchange membrane and the cathode.
Patent Publication 3 discloses a brine electrolytic cell equipped with a gas diffusion electrode in a cathode chamber in which the electrolysis is conducted while the cathode chamber containing catholyte and oxygen-containing gas is pressurized (three-chamber ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell). In Patent Publication 3, the cathode chamber is pressurized for realizing the intimate contact between the gas diffusion electrode and the ion exchange membrane.

Method of electrolysis employing two-chamber ion exchange membrane electrolytic cell having gas diffusion electrode


A method for operating a system for handling containers, wherein said system for handling containers has a first handling device which handles the containers in a first predetermined manner, and at least one second handling device which handles the containers in a second predetermined manner, and a transport device which transports the containers from the first handling device to the second handling device. A control device controls the handling of the containers by at least one of the two handling devices using at least one first physical parameter which is characteristic of environmental conditions at an operating site of the system and/or using at least one second physical parameter which is characteristic of a physical property of the containers to be handled, wherein at least one of these physical parameters is determined and an operating recipe is determined independently of the system and taking this parameter as a basis, which operating recipe is used by the control device to control at least one handling device.

The present invention relates to a method for handling containers and, in particular, to a method for operating corresponding systems for handling containers. Such systems for handling containers are known from the prior art in a variety of forms. For example, molding devices are known which mold plastic preforms into plastic containers. In addition, ovens are known which heat such plastic preforms in preparation for a molding process, such as in particular a blow molding process.
In addition, however, other systems are also known, which are used for handling such containers and in particular such plastic containers, for example filling machines, labelling machines, printing machines and the like. In the operation of such machines, however, it may occur that the operation is heavily influenced by different environmental conditions, for example different ambient temperatures, pressures, or moisture levels. The operating conditions of the system can be markedly different depending on its installation site. Thus, for example, the ambient pressures at an installation site at sea level differ significantly from an installation site at high altitude, for example at a height of more than 4000 m. For example, the air requirement for a stretch blow-molding machine operated at sea level is much lower than the air requirement of a system operated at high altitude. Also, the significantly lower boiling point of a system operated at high altitude can significantly affect the operation of this system.
Also, in practice it is not possible to detect from the resulting product, i.e., for example the finished filled and labelled bottle, which machine was the source of, for example, a deviation from a nominal value.
In all, or in a plurality of handling stations the containers are under pressure, so that, for example, a diameter deviation can be caused in all three machines or only in one. This makes control difficult, and so far, no standard procedures have been defined.
The object of the present invention therefore is to create a means of also allowing for environmental factors before (and/or during) the operation or during or prior to the initial installation of such machines, and of creating an operating recipe on the basis of these on-site operating conditions.

Method for operating a handling system for handling containers with recipe creation for the control


An end structure for a pipe is provided, through which air is drawn from a lower position to an upper position relative to a vertical direction of a vehicle. An area of an opening at an end of the pipe is adapted to be greater than a cross section area of the pipe.

The present invention relates to an end structure for a pipe, which draws air from a lower position to an upper position relative to a vertical direction of a vehicle, such as a drain pipe for a canister.
A canister, which is located between a fuel tank and an engine, temporarily reserves evaporated fuel coming from the fuel tank and begins to supply the fuel to the engine after its start. Adsorbent such as activated carbon adsorbing the evaporated fuel is filled in the canister. Supply of the evaporated fuel to the engine is conducted by utilizing negative pressure produced by the engine in operation. It is carried out in such a manner that the canister draws air from the atmosphere through a drain pipe and desorbs the evaporated fuel so as to supply it to the engine.
An end plane of the drain pipe, which is an opening serving as an intake, is perpendicular to an axis of the drain pipe and located under a vehicle, normally under a floor panel, being directed downward. The drain pipe is once extended upward and routed so as to be connected to the canister. An example of conventional end structure for a drain pipe is disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application H10-246158.
Normally, it is unlikely that drops of water intrude into the drain pipe because the opening is directed downward as described above. As the volume of a canister has been increased of late years aiming at an improvement in its performance, an amount of air for desorbing the evaporated fuel has been increasingly demanded. In this connection, it is likely that the drops of water, especially those which fall along the outer surface of the drain pipe and ought to drip from a periphery of the opening, are drawn into the drain pipe.


Disclosed is a shallow trench isolation structure having an air gap for suppressing the dark currents and cross-talk which occur in CMOS image sensors. The shallow trench isolation structure suppresses photons injected from neighboring pixels and dark current, so that high-quality images are obtained. Since impurities are removed from a p type ion implantation region for a photodiode when an inner wall oxide layer is etched to form the air gap, the p type ion implantation region has a uniform doping profile, thereby suppressing the diffusion of electrons towards the surface and achieving an image having a high quality.

With the development of semiconductor manufacturing technology, the application fields for semiconductor devices have increased, so various studies and research have been extensively performed to increase the integration degree of the semiconductor devices. As the integration degree of semiconductor devices has increased, studies have been increasingly pursued to fabricate semiconductor devices in a micro-size based on micro-fabrication processes. In micro-fabrication technology for semiconductor devices, isolation layer diminishing technology for isolating devices from each other to integrate devices is very important.
As a conventional isolation technology, the LOCOS (local oxidation of silicon) technology forms an isolation layer by selectively growing a thick oxide layer on a semiconductor substrate. However, according to the LOCOS technology, an oxide layer is formed in a region where a lateral diffusion is not required, so that there is limitation to reduce the width of an isolation layer.
Therefore, the LOCOS technology is not applicable for a semiconductor device having a scale of submicron, so a new isolation technology is required.
In this regard, a shallow trench isolation technology has been suggested. According to the shallow trench isolation technology, a shallow trench is formed in a semiconductor device through an etching process, and an insulating material is filled in the shallow trench, thereby reducing the width of the isolation region more than the LOCOS technology.
Such a shallow trench isolation technology is applied to a CMOS image sensor, which is a semiconductor device for converting an optical image into an electric signal. As a photo device is highly integrated, the size of a photodiode used in the CMOS image sensor is also reduced. In this case, the photons injected into neighboring pixels may generate electrons and holes in other pixels while passing through the shallow trench isolation structure, so that the optical device characteristic may be degraded. That is, the dark current and crosstalk may occur in the CMOS image sensor, so there is an endeavor to improve the characteristics of the optical device by solving the dark current and crosstalk.

Shallow trench isolation structure having air gap, CMOS image sensor using the same and method of manufacturing CMOS image sensor