The present invention is directed to improved systems, devices, and methods for delivery of a cryogen to the skin of a patient for skin treatment. A cryospray device configured to deliver a cryogen to a patient's skin can include an applicator, a supply channel, and a nozzle assembly. The applicator can include a head portion, and the supply channel can extend through at least a portion of the head portion. The nozzle assembly can be coupled to the head portion and can be fluidly coupled to the supply channel. The nozzle assembly can include a linear array of orifices that are configured to direct a planar spray of the cryogen to cool an area of a skin tissue of the patient in a linear cooling treatment.

Cryotherapy is the local or general use of cold in medical therapy. Cryotherapy can include the controlled freezing of biological tissue, which controlled freezing of biological tissue, such as skin tissue, can produce various effects. Certain tissue freezing procedures and devices, such as conventional cryoprobes, can cause severe freezing of tissue and generate cellular and visible skin damage.
There is a demand for dermatologic products that can lighten the appearance of skin or otherwise controllably affect skin pigmentation. For example, it may be desirable to lighten the overall complexion or color of a region of skin to alter the general appearance for cosmetic reasons. Also, lightening of particular hyperpigmented regions of skin, such as freckles, 'café au lait' spots, melasma, or dark circles under the eyes that may result from excessive local amounts of pigment in the skin, may also be desirable for cosmetic reasons. Hyperpigmentation can result from a variety of factors such as UV exposure, aging, stress, trauma, inflammation, etc. Such factors can lead to an excess production of melanin, or melanogenesis, in the skin by melanocytes, which can lead to formation of hyperpigmented areas. Such hyperpigmented areas may be associated with excess melanin within the epidermis and/or dermal-epidermis junction. However, hyperpigmentation can also result from excess melanin deposited within the dermis.
Hypopigmentation of skin tissue has been observed as a side effect in response to temporary cooling or freezing of the tissue, such as may occur during conventional cryosurgery procedures. Loss of pigmentation following skin cooling or freezing may result from decreased melanin production, decreased melanosome production, destruction of melanocytes, or inhibited transfer or regulation of melanosome into the keratinocytes in the lower region of the epidermal layer. The resultant hypopigmentation may be long-lasting or permanent. However, it has also been observed that some of these freezing procedures can generate regions of hyperpigmentation (or skin darkening) of skin tissue. The level of increase or decrease in pigmentation may be dependent upon certain aspects of the cooling or freezing conditions, including the temperature of the cooling treatment, and the length of time the tissue is maintained in a frozen state.
Improved hypopigmentation treatments, devices, and systems have been developed to improve the consistency of skin freezing and the overall hypopigmentation consistency. For example, it has been observed that moderate degrees of freezing (e.g., −4 to −30 degrees Celsius) at shorter time frames (e.g., 30 to 60 seconds) can produce particular dermatological effects, such as affecting the expression of skin pigmentation (e.g., hypopigmentation). Cryotherapy can be provided using a variety of techniques including the direct application of a cryogen spray to the skin of the patient or the application of a cooled probe or plate to the skin of the patient. Exemplary methods and devices are described in: U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0313411, filed on Aug. 7, 2009, and entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DERMATOLOGICAL HYPOPIGMENTATION"; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0303696, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, and entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CRYOGENIC TREATMENT OF SKIN TISSUE"; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0303697, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, and entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CRYOGENIC TREATMENT OF SKIN TISSUE"; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0223975, filed on Feb. 12, 2015, and entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AFFECTING PIGMENTATION OF TISSUE"; U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0065323, filed on Sep. 6, 2016, and entitled "MEDICAL SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR HYPOPIGMENTATION COOLING TREATMENTS", the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
While the treatment of skin or a localized lesion to affect pigmentation can be accomplished with cryotherapy, it may be desirable to provide improved methods, systems, and devices for cryotherapy. In particular, improved designs, controls and parameters associated with cryogen delivery to achieve consistent and reliable skin freezing and desired skin treatment effect may be of benefit. Accordingly, improved dermatological cryospray methods, systems, and devices are desirable.

Dermatological cryospray devices having linear array of nozzles and methods of use


A wiper arrangement having at least one securing and/or guide unit (34a; 34b; 34c), which has at least one securing element (36a; 36b; 36c) with which a connecting unit (24a; 24b; 24c) can be brought into contact when a wiper blade (14a; 14b; 14c) moves relative to a wiper arm (18a; 18b; 18c), and which has at least one guide element (44a; 44b; 44c), which guides the connecting unit (24a; 24b; 24c) when the wiper blade (14a; 14b; 14c) moves relative to the wiper arm (18a; 18b; 18c).

A wiper arrangement having at least one wiper blade, which has at least one wiper-blade adapter, having at least one wiper arm, which has at least one wiper-arm adapter, having at least one fluid channel, which is arranged on the wiper arm, and having at least one connecting unit for connecting the fluid channel fluidically to the wiper-blade adapter has already been proposed.


The subject invention pertains to tumor cell lines useful for increasing the proliferation potential of any human or animal cell in culture, thereby providing immortalized or continuous cell lines and cultures. The invention also concerns proliferation factors, and compositions containing the factors, which are capable of increasing the proliferation potential of any human or other animal cell in culture. The subject invention further pertains to a method for proliferation cells in culture by contacting cells with the proliferation factors. The proliferated cells can range in plasticity and can include, for example, blast cells, fertilized ova, non-fertilized gametes, embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, precursor or progenitor cells, and highly specialized cells. Optionally, the cells can be induced to cease proliferation. The proliferation cells of the subject invention are useful for cell therapy, cell/gene therapy, biological production of molecules, and as in vitro models for research, toxicity testing, and drug development.

Most cells can be cultured in vitro to a limited extent using conventional cell culture technology, provided that suitable nutrients and other conditions for growth are supplied. Such cultures have been used to study genetic, physiological, and other phenomena, as well as to manufacture certain biomolecules using various fermentation techniques. In studies of mammalian cell biology, cell cultures derived from lymph nodes, muscle, connective tissue, kidney, dermis, and other tissue sources have been used, for example. However, most normal cells have a limited growth potential in culture. After a certain number of cell divisions (the Hayflick limit), they can no longer proliferate (Hayflick L., Exp. Cell. Res., 1965, 37:614–636). This limited life span, termed replicative senescence, likely arose as a protective mechanism against unfettered clonal evolution and cancer in long-lived animals. Therefore, while it has long been a goal of scientists to be able to maintain all types of cells in vitro, standard culture conditions do not promote the long-term survival or proliferation of most cells.
"Immortalization" is the escape from the normal limitation on growth of a finite number of division cycles. Therefore, once immortalized, a cell line can be continuously cultured. However, immortal cell lines very rarely emerge spontaneously under usual culture conditions.
In order to increase the life span of cells in culture, published techniques have included the use of embryonic cells. The strategy of starting with embryonic cells is based on the fact that embryonic cells are relatively less differentiated than adult cells, and thus can be expected to go through several cycles of cell division before becoming terminally differentiated. It is an axiom of biology that undifferentiated cells proliferate at a greater rate than differentiated cells. It is generally believed that by the time a cell has developed the necessary intra-cellular machinery for hormone synthesis and secretion, for example, it is no longer able to divide rapidly, if at all.
Another known strategy for establishing cells in culture is to start with tumor cells, due to their greater potential for proliferation. While these types of cell lines are able to generate a large number of cells, the limited number of these types of lines, the limited number of phenotypes that they are able to generate, and their inherent tumorgenicity, make these types of cell lines less than ideal.
Normal cells have been transformed in culture by various means including the use of UV light, chemical carcinogens, and the introduction of oncogenes, which alters the genetic programming of the cell, thereby inducing the cell to proliferate indefinitely. Simian virus 40 (SV40) has been used for some time to immortalize human cells from different tissues in order to gain continuously growing cell lines (Sack, G. H. In vitro, 1981, 17:1–19). Rat granulose cells were transformed by co-transfection with the entire SV40 genome and the activated Ha-ras gene (Baum, G. et al. Develop Biol, 1990, 112:115–128). These cells were reported to retain at least some differentiated characteristics, i.e., they were able to synthesize steroids in response to cAMP. It has also been shown that expression of SV40 large T protein alone is sufficient to induce transformed properties in primary cells (Abcouver, S. Bio/Technology, 1989, 7:939–946). Other cell lines established in culture include UMR cells, derived from normal islets of neonatal rats (NG, K. W. et al., J. Endocrinol., 1987, 113:8–10) and HIT cells, derived by SV40 infection of hamster islets (Santerre, R. F. et al., PNAS, 1981, 78:4339–4343). The insulin secretory output of these cell lines is low, however, and response to glucose is lost with passage in culture. Thus, while the proliferative status of these cell lines may prove useful for studying the decisions that occur during cell determination and differentiation, and for testing the effects of exogenous agents, these immortalization agents may affect other properties of the cell, such as the cell's ability to differentiate and express genes in a physiologically correct manner.
More recent methods of cell line immortalization that are still in the beginning stages of development involve telomeres, the ends of chromosomes composed of non-coding repeat DNA sequences. It has been suggested that the limited reproductive lifespan of normal (diploid) cells in culture may be explained by an inevitable shortening of one or more telomeres. It is known that cancer cells, germ cells, and some eucaryotic microorganisms have the ability to correct this phenomenon with the enzyme telomerase, which catalyzes telomere elongation. Normal cells modified to express telomerase are immortal in culture (Bodnar et al., Science, 1998, 279(5349):349–352), presumably by maintaining a constant telomere length. Furthermore, in vitro-aged fibroblasts treated with telomerase regain dermal function (Funk et al., Exp. Cell. Res., 2000, 258(2):270–278).
Only a few neuronal cell types have been reported to divide in the adult brain and adult neurons do not survive well in vitro. The generation of clonal cell lines from different regions of the brain would greatly facilitate the discovery of new neurotrophic factors and their receptors, and enhance the understanding of their function. The central nervous system contains two major classes of cells known as neurons and glial cells. There are hundreds of different types of neurons and many different neurotrophic factors that influence their growth and differentiation. Depending upon the type of neuron and the region of the brain in which the neuron resides, a different neurotrophic factor or specific combination of factors affect the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of the neuron.
To date, neuropharmacological studies in the central nervous system (CNS) have been delayed by the lack of cell systems needed to investigate potentially useful neuroactive compounds. In live animals, the complexity of the brain makes it difficult to effectively measure which cellular receptors are being targeted by these compounds. Additionally, the expense involved in live animal research and the current controversies stemming from animal rights movements have made in vivo animal studies less acceptable for initial research. Primary cells from neuronal tissue are often used for CNS studies; however, long-term culture of primary neurons has not been achieved. Only a few attempts to achieve long term culture and proliferation of neuronal cells have been reported. In fact, the proliferation of neuronal cells has proven so elusive that it has become ingrained in the scientific community that neuronal cells do not proliferate in vitro. As a consequence, fresh dissections must be performed for each study in order to obtain the necessary neuronal cell types, resulting in costly research with increased variability in the experimental results.
While some neuronal tumor cell lines exist, they are few in number and are not well characterized. In general, these tumor cell lines do not mimic the biology of the primary neurons from which they were originally established. In vitro primary cultures that are more phenotypically representative of primary cells and that could generate continuous cultures of specific neuronal cell lines capable of proliferation would be invaluable.
Similar to neurons, the endocrine cells of the mammalian pancreas have been considered to be post-mitotic, i.e., terminal, essentially non-dividing cells. Recent work has shown that the cells of the mammalian pancreas (including those of humans) are capable of survival in culture, but are not capable of sustained cell division. Hence, a primary culture of the tissue cells can succeed, but due to a lack of sufficient cell divisions of the cultured cells, passaging of the primary culture to form serial cultures has not been possible. Although occasional cells in a metaphase stage, uptake of tritiated thymidine, and other evidence of cell division have been seen in these cultures (Clark et al., Endocrinology, 1990, 126:1895; Brelijie et al., Endocrinology, 1991, 128:45), the overall rate of cell division has been considered to be below the replacement rate (that is, more, or as many, cells die as are produced).
The culture of animal cells in vitro, as "biofactories," for the production of various proteins, peptides, hormones, growth factors, and other biologically active substances has been widely investigated. For example, pituitary cells have been cultured in vitro to produce growth hormone; kidney cells have been cultured to produce plasminogen activator; and hepatitis-A antigen has been produced in cultured liver cells. Other cells have been specifically cultured to produce various viral vaccines and antibodies. Interferon, insulin, angiogenic factor, fibronectin and numerous other biomolecules have been produced by the in vitro culture of various animal cells. Of course, the quantity of biomolecules produced by these biological factories is limited by the numbers of cells and range of cell types available.
Various cell lines have also been used in animal models of transplantation for a variety of purposes. Fetal kidney cells and amniotic cells have been transplanted as sources of trophic factors. Adrenal medullary cells, sympathetic ganglion cells, and carotid body cells have been transplanted as sources of dopamine. Fibroblasts and glial cells have been transplanted as sources of trophic factors, to carry genes through recombinant strategies, or for demyelinating diseases, for example. Corneal endothelial cells have been used for corneal transplants. Myoblasts have been transplanted for the treatment of muscular dystrophy and cardiac disease. Other cell lines include pancreatic islet cells for diabetes; thyroid cells for thyroid disorders; blood cells for AIDS, bone marrow transplant, and inherited disorders; bone and cartilage for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or for fracture repair; skin or fat cells for reconstructive purposes, such as in skin grafts after burns or cosmetic surgery; breast augmentation with fat; hair follicle replacement; liver cells for liver disorders inducing hepatitis; and retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) for retinitis pigmentosa and Parkinson's disease.
Unfortunately, the inability to procure large numbers of primary cells that are genetically stable has impeded the ability of medical science to progress in the area of cell transplant therapy. In addition, current sources for therapeutic donor cells are limited further by the inherent biological variability among the donors.
Stem cells are believed to have immense potential for therapeutic purposes for numerous diseases. Stem cells have been derived from numerous donor sources, including, but not limited to, embryonic, blast, tissue-derived, blood, and cord-blood cells; organ-derived progenitor cells; and bone marrow stromal cells; among others. Such stem cells can be differentiated along numerous pathways to produce virtually any cell type. These cells can be transplanted either before or after differentiation. From a therapeutic perspective alone, such cells may be useful for the treatment of a vast array of disorders. Examples of neurological disorders that can potentially be treated with stem cells include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, ALS, stroke, demyelinating disorders, epilepsy, head trauma, and spinal cord injury. However, stem cells share the same problem with other cells relating to the ability to proliferate the cells in vitro in sufficient quantities for diagnostic, investigational, or therapeutic purposes. Moreover, primary stem cells that have exhibited the most plasticity are embryonic stem cells. Obtaining large quantities of these cells is particularly problematic and raises ethical issues.
The above description of the state-of-the-art makes it apparent that there is a need for methods to maintain any and all cells in long-term cultures at increased proliferation rates, thereby providing a more plentiful and less costly supply of cells. Such long-term cultures could be developed as biological "factories" for the production of therapeutically useful proteins, for example. Well-established cell lines would also offer the possibility of in vitro bioassays based on the cells' responses to drugs and other chemicals (e.g., for toxicity and efficacy studies). There is also a need for the ability to produce a homogenous cell line, particularly a homogenous cell line of human origin. The availability of cells and cell lines that can be cryo-preserved is likewise lacking.
Continuously cultured cell lines would also be invaluable as a source of cells for cell transplant therapy, which has been found effective in correcting many disease states. For instance, diabetics could be stabilized and possibly cured through the implantation of cells that replace the function of insulin-secreting β-cells of the pancreas. Parkinson's patients could be treated with a ready supply of dopaminergic neurons, or stem cells giving rise to dopaminergic neurons. Such cell lines would also provide an endless supply of cells and tissue readily accessible for genetic modulation in vitro prior to transplant, for use in cell-mediated gene therapy. Thus, there exists a need for methods to produce cells and cell lines that would proliferate for extended periods in vitro yet faithfully retain their differentiated functions.

Proliferated cell lines and uses thereof


A package substrate including a circuit board and a heat-dissipating element is provided. The circuit board has a through opening adapted for accommodating an electronic element. The heat-dissipating element is disposed at the circuit board and covers one side of the through opening. The heat-dissipating element includes a heat-dissipating plate, an adhesive layer and an antioxidation layer. The heat-dissipating plate has a first surface facing the through opening and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The adhesive layer is disposed on the first surface and the heat-dissipating plate adheres to the circuit board through the adhesive layer. The antioxidation layer is disposed on the second surface. An electronic assembly including the package substrate is also provided.

In general, a conventional circuit board for carrying and electrically connecting a plurality of electronic components substantially comprises circuit layers and dielectric layers that are stacked alternately. Each of the circuit layers are defined and formed by performing a patterning process on a conductive layer. Each of the dielectric layers is disposed between adjacent ones of the circuit layers in order to space apart the adjacent circuit layers. In addition, each of the stacked circuit layers may be electrically connected to another by a conductive via. Furthermore, various electronic components (such as active components or passive components) can be disposed on a surface of the circuit board, and electrical signal propagation is achieved by means of an internal circuit of the circuit board.
Due to miniaturization of any of electronic products, the application of circuit boards rapidly increases; for example, circuit boards can be applied in mobile phones and notebook computers. However, given the trend toward miniaturized electronic products, it is required to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of an electronic element electrically connected to a circuit board.

Package substrate and electronic assembly


An integrated circuit package system comprising: providing a package die; and connecting a connector lead having a first connector end with a protruded connection surface and a lowered structure over the package die.

The integrated circuit package is the building block used in a high performance electronic system to provide applications for usage in products such as cell phones, surgical equipment, military devices, surveillance devices, space telemetry devices, and a vast line of other high performance products that require small compact. The integrated circuit such as a chip or die contains circuitry that is designed to function in a high performance electronic system. Products having small dimensional requirements rely on limited sized integrated circuit packages with multiple chips or dice to excel in a continually expanding competitive global market.
The integrated circuit package having multiple chips commonly consists of a package base or package substrate, providing a mounting structure on which at least one chip or die is attached and having an enclosure such as an epoxy to protect its contents. The chip or die, a piece of semiconductor material has one side mounted or typically bonded with an electrically insulating and thermally conductive adhesive to the package base or package substrate.
The other side of the chip or die, referred to as an active surface of the chip or die, has electrically conductive areas or bond pads that provide for electrical connections to its circuitry. Leads, consisting of electrically conductive material, attach to the conductive areas or bond pads to provide electrical connection between the circuitry of the chip or die and other circuitry not of the same chip or die.
The other circuitry can be from one of three possible sources. The first possible source can be circuitry resident within the integrated circuit package, such as from another chip, indicative of a multiple chip integrated circuit package. The second possible source can be of circuitry residing outside the integrated circuit package such as from a printed circuit board within the electronic system.
Finally, the third possible source can be circuitry from one or more separate integrated circuit packages having one or more chips or dice within it. The separate integrated circuit packages, connected with the leads, can be enclosed together resulting in a single sealed package structure such as a Package In Package (PIP) or can form individually sealed packages attached by leads, such as a Package On Package (POP).
Clearly, the two most prevalent choices for product designers in need of performance circuitry within a small form factor product require extensive use of PIP or POP. The POP has advantages over the PIP due to reduced manufacturing processing and costs since it does not require an additional step to enclose or cover multiple separate packages into a single package.
The POP also provides the product designer with the capability of exchanging or upgrading one or more individual package during the lifetime of the product, unlike the PIP, which would need to be entirely redesigned.
There exists an industry demand for a POP solution providing lower costs, high manufacturing throughput, small form factor, and design flexibility. Those of ordinary skill in the art are aware of POP benefits, which include component reduction from fewer circuit boards and parts contributing to lower costs and the competitive advantages of responsive time-to-market and continuous flow (build on demand) manufacturing techniques enabled by high manufacturing throughput.
Also, those of ordinary skill in the art are aware of the importance of leverage and flexibility provided with POP through package substitution such as package swapping to improve costs, features, or performance by replacing package components as needed. Attempts have failed to provide a complete solution addressing simplified manufacturing processing, smaller POP dimensions, lower costs due to design flexibility and leveragability, and increased electrical wire connectivity capabilities.
In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Integrated circuit package system for stackable devices


A system for decoding in layers data received from a communication channel, comprising a first adder module adapted to determine an extrinsic estimate using a probability value estimate and a check node value estimate, the probability value estimate and the check node value estimate associated with a parity check matrix. The system also comprises a plurality of parity check update modules (PCUMs) in parallel with each other, coupled to the first adder module and adapted to update the check node value estimate, and a second adder module coupled to the plurality of PCUMs and adapted to update the probability value estimate using the extrinsic estimate and the updated check node value estimate. The PCUMs process at least some columns of at least some rows of the parity check matrix in a serial fashion.

One problem that is common to many data communications technologies is the corruption of data due to noise. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a communications channel is an indication of the quality of the communications carried out over that channel, as it conveys the relative strength of the signal that carries the data (as attenuated over distance and time) to the noise present on that channel. These factors relate directly to the likelihood that a data bit or symbol received over the channel is in error relative to the data bit or symbol as transmitted. This likelihood is reflected by the error probability for the communications over the channel, commonly expressed as the Bit Error Rate (BER) which is a ratio of bits that are received and decoded in error to total bits transmitted. In general, the likelihood of error in data communications should be considered in developing a communications technology. Techniques for detecting and correcting errors in the communicated data should be incorporated for the communications technology to be useful.
To this end, error detection and correction techniques are implemented through the use of redundant coding of the data. In general, redundant coding comprises inserting data bits into the transmitted data stream that do not add any additional information, but that indicate whether an error is present in the received data stream. More complex codes provide the ability to deduce the true transmitted data from a received data stream, despite the presence of errors.
One class of redundant codes is the Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code, described in further detail below. Among others, one technique that may be used to decode LDPC codes is layered decoding, wherein multiple rows of a parity check matrix are grouped together into layers, and these layers are processed in successive order. Various decoding architectures may be used to decode in layers a particular type of LDPC code. However, these decoding architectures are inflexible in that the architectures generally are able to decode only one or a few types of LDPC codes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Layered decoding of low density parity check (LDPC) codes


A method for forming a lens assembly is provided, including: providing a mold substrate, wherein at least a recess is formed from a surface of the mold substrate; providing a transparent substrate; disposing a lens precursor material on the surface of the mold substrate or on a first surface of the transparent substrate; disposing the mold substrate on the transparent substrate such that at least a portion of the lens precursor material is filled in the recess; disposing a mask on a second surface of the transparent substrate to partially cover the transparent substrate; after the mask is disposed, irradiating a light on the second surface of the transparent substrate to transform at least a portion of the lens precursor material on the first surface of the transparent substrate into a lens; and removing the mask and the mold substrate from the transparent substrate and the lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens assembly and method for forming the same, and in particular relates to an island lens assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic imaging devices are used in a wide range of applications, such as digital cameras, digital video recorders, image capture capable mobile phones and monitors. Electronic imaging devices, such as image sensor modules, typically convert light to electrical signals using a photodetector. Typically, an electronic imaging device includes an image sensor chip and a lens assembly, which is used to project an object onto the image sensor chip. Thus, the quality of the image projection of the lens assembly determines the quality of the image signal processed by the image sensor chip. Therefore, the quality and reliability of a lens assembly is important.
Accordingly, a lens assembly having high thermal stability, reliability, and strength is desired. In addition, fabrication time and cost of the manufacturing process of the lens assembly also need to be reduced.

Lens assembly and method for forming the same


A contents distribution apparatus for distributing distribution data, which is converted by a method according to the difference of addressee terminal, is provided. A distribution apparatus 90 for distributing digital contents to an addressee terminal, which includes a contents storage unit 20 for storing digital contents, a data receiving unit 70 for receiving the type of an addressee terminal from a different requester than an addressee which requests to distribute digital contents, a converting unit 40 for converting digital contents into distribution data based on the type, and a distribution unit for connecting to an addressee terminal in a condition that the converting unit 40 has completed converting to distribution data and for distributing the distribution data to an addressee terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for distributing contents. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for distributing contents, which distributes distribution data that is created by converting digital data by different methods depending on the data of an addressee terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, it is widely known that an art for encoding data in order not to refer to other than a desired addressee terminal when digital data (hereinafter referred to as "digital contents"), such as text data, image data, audio data, or program data, is distributed via a communication network. According to the advances in information and communication technologies, digital contents are becoming easier to handle with various equipments, such as cellular phones, Personal Handyphone Systems or PHSs, game machines, or television receivers, as well as computers. However, these communication equipments greatly differ from one another in networking securities and an ability to decode coded data. In order to cope with these various applications in communication technologies, the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H09-18468 discloses an art to encode data by a format depending on an addressee terminal.
However, the conventional art disclosed in the above patent application requires a format selection of encryption at the time of starting communication. Therefore, the operation of authentication has to be undertaken at every communication. This operation can be an annoyance. Also, since a format of encryption is selected based on data from an addressee terminal, communication security is not always confirmed. Further, since digital contents are easily redistributed because of their nature, it is desired that the digital contents is prevented appropriately from being distributed from an addressee terminal to another. Furthermore, since there are various formats for image data and text data, it is bothersome for an addressee terminal to select an appropriate format at the time of starting communication.

Method and apparatus for distributing digital contents to various terminals and recording medium containing same


A mixed numerology OFDM system is presented herein relative to a first OFDM numerology having a first subcarrier spacing and associated with a first signal having a first length. A second signal having a second length and associated with a second OFDM numerology having a second subcarrier spacing greater than the first subcarrier spacing is generated by generating a sub-frame comprising redundant data appended to each of a plurality of OFDM symbols and generating the second signal by appending group redundant data to the sub-frame such that the second length equals the first length. The number of OFDM symbols in the sub-frame is selected such that a length of the sub-frame is as large as possible without exceeding the length of the first OFDM symbol in the first signal. The receiver may extract the first the first and second signals from a received composite signal using a single FFT.

Multi-device multicarrier systems with mixed numerology have been recently proposed because a fixed numerology multicarrier system is not flexible enough to accommodate the varied requirements (e.g. throughput, latency, etc.) of the multitude of devices that may need to share the spectrum. For example, Internet of Things (IoT) devices (e.g., a sensor), and broadband devices (e.g., a personal computer), have completely different requirements regarding battery consumption and throughput, and thus cannot be managed by a fixed numerology multicarrier system. Thus, mixed numerology multicarrier systems have been proposed for 5G and for NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) (e.g., 3GPP TSG-RAN #69, RP-151397, 14-16 Sep. 2015), referred to herein as "3GPP NB-IoT."
Filtered Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is one of the candidates for 5G that allows mixing several OFDM numerologies in the same band. Filter Bank Multicarrier represents another candidate for 5G.
The NB-IoT system proposed in 3GPP NB-IoT includes in-band deployment, in which one Physical Resource Block (PRB) belonging to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system is allocated to the LTE-like NB-IoT system, but using a different numerology. The NB-IoT numerology is obtained from the LTE numerology by, e.g., expanding all times by a factor of 6 and shrinking all frequencies by a factor of 6. In particular, the subcarrier spacing for NB-IoT is 2.5 kHz.
Energy efficiency and extended coverage in IoT is a concern. Many IoT devices will be battery operated, e.g., powered by a coin cell battery, and are intended to have very long lifetimes, e.g., up to several years. Extended coverage is another common requirement for IoT devices, because many devices may be located in places where the penetration loss is high, e.g., utility meters. For these reasons, power efficient modulations are desirable, especially when used at the IoT device transmitter. In particular, the use of constant envelope modulations is advantageous in IoT applications. In order to tackle the energy efficiency and coverage extension problems, 3GPP NB-IoT proposes to use a single subcarrier. This achieves constant envelope modulation, and allows boosting of the power for the single tone that is used.
IEEE is currently developing the 802.11ax amendment. This technology is primarily intended for broadband devices. It focuses on high efficiency and introduces the use of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). On the other hand, there is a realization in the WiFi community that it would be useful to multiplex NB-IoT devices together with other devices in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency bands. The task group proposes to enhance the scope of 802.11ax in order to handle IoT devices as well, thus allowing multi-mode Base Station Subsystems (BSSs) (See, e.g., https://mentor.ieee.orq/802.11/documents?is_dcn=shilo&is_group=00ax). As is common in IEEE, the re-use of existing technology components and low complexity receivers is encouraged. Also, the data rates for the IoT devices are not expected to be too low, as relatively high data rates are seen as a competitive advantage with respect to other IoT technologies, e.g., Bluetooth low energy.

Mixed numerology of DMA system for single DFT receiver


An adhesive, which contains olefinic polymers and less than 1% by weight of free monomers, is manufactured via catalytic hydrogenation. It is preferably used in the area of cosmetics, in the foods sector, in medicinal plasters and transdermal systems.

Typically speaking, adhesive tapes, sticking plasters and the like are manufactured by coating films or paper with polymer solutions or suspensions. Subsequently, the organic solvents or the water are removed by drying. Especially suitable are solutions of polyacrylates in organic solvents. These polyacrylate solutions are normally manufactured by polymerizing acrylic acid, its ester and, in some cases, vinyl acetate, while adding free-radical initiators, e.g. azobisisobutyronitrile or others. After the completion of polymerization or copolymerization, organic solvents are added to dilute to a solids content of approximately 40%, after which the solution is ready for coating.
In the recent past it has been recognized that this process has a limitation, especially in cases of copolymerization, which is that the least reactive monomer escapes polymerization. For this reason, in order to arrive at a defined polymer on a reproducible basis, an excess of this least reactive monomer, e.g. vinyl acetate, is used. In principle, vinyl acetate is slower to react than the acrylates as the double bond it contains is not conjugated with a carbonyl group. The disadvantage of adding an excess of vinyl acetate is that the proportion of free vinyl acetate in the solution can amount to up to 7-8% in relation to the solids content. Because of the dilution already referred to above, this residual monomer content can be reduced to approximately 3%.
In general, residual monomer contents of this order of magnitude are undesirable in adhesives, particularly for applications in the medical and cosmetics fields and for packaging in the foods sector. In addition, maximum residual monomer concentrations are prescribed by law in many countries. Therefore, there has been an industry-wide campaign aimed a reducing the content of residual polymers in polymer solutions for the medical and foods sector.
One attempted method is known as stripping distillation. In this, the solvents which originate from the synthesis of polymers are removed almost completely. Since the physical properties of vinyl acetate and ethyl acetate (boiling point, vapor pressure) differ only little, it is necessary either to evaporate to dryness or to constantly supplement the distilled ethyl acetate. Evaporating to dryness may lead to such a high temperature load that the polymer may change. Supplementing the ethyl acetate that has been distilled off leads to a high solvent consumption and to large quantities of solvent waste, an extremely expensive process.
Another method for removing residual monomers is to react the unconverted residual monomers with extremely reactive radical initiators based on organic peroxides, which are known as scavengers. The drawback of this process is that the residual monomers are not removed but react to form oligomers that remain in the polymer.
A desirable process, therefore, should have the following advantages: it should produce a polymer with an extremely low proportion of non-converted monomers or oligomers; the thermal load during polymerization or during the removal of the solvent should be minimized; it should use only small quantities of organic solvents; it should avoid the use of scavengers; and it should be economical.

Adhesives with low level of residual monomers and process for manufacturing same

National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation


An apparatus (10) for separating dirt or dust from an airflow comprising a frustoconical cyclone (12) having a tangential air inlet (16) located at or adjacent the end of the cyclone (12) having the larger diameter and a cone opening (18) located at the end of the cyclone (12) having the smaller diameter is described. A collector (20) is arranged so as to surround the cone opening (18) and has a base surface (24) facing towards the cone opening (18). The distance between the cone opening (18) and the base surface (24) is between 4 and 6 mm or between 45 and 60 mm. The apparatus (10) is reduced in size without substantially affecting the separation efficiency.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for separating dirt or dust particles from an airflow by cyclonic means. The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to cyclonic dust separation apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner.
2. Description of Related Art
Cyclonic dust separation apparatus typically comprises a frusto-conical cyclone having a tangential air inlet at the end having the larger diameter and a cone opening leading to a dirt or dust collector at the end having the smaller diameter. The dust collector is generally cylindrical in shape and is considerably larger in diameter than the cone opening, normally having a diameter of at least three times that of the cone opening. In operation, an airflow carrying dirt and dust with it enters the cyclone via the air inlet and, by virtue of the tangential orientation of the air inlet, is set into a swirling motion over the interior surface of the cyclone. Most of the air of the airflow escapes from the cyclone by passing towards the longitudinal axis of the cyclone and exiting via an exit passage arranged substantially centrally of the end of the cyclone having the larger diameter. The remainder of the airflow spirals towards the cone opening at increasing angular speeds carrying the dirt and dust with it and is ejected into the dust collector, whereupon the dirt and dust particles are flung towards the cylindrical wall of the collector. The dirt and dust particles then collect in the lower regions of the cylindrical wall, whilst the remainder of the airflow exits from the collector via the cone opening and the exit passage. Apparatus of this type is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,976.
It is generally desirable for cyclonic dust separation apparatus to be relatively compact, particularly as regards the overall length of the apparatus, ie, the dimension parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cyclone. If the apparatus is used in a vacuum cleaner, compact dust separation apparatus reduces the overall dimensions of the complete cleaner and lowers the centre of gravity of the cleaner which, in turn, increases its stability. This is particularly advantageous in cylinder-type cleaners as well as upright-type vacuum cleaners.


The present invention provides methods, reagents, and kits for diagnosing and treating cancer in a mammal, e.g., a human. This invention is based upon the discovery that Pellino 1 or 2 is overexpressed and/or amplified in cancer. Methods to detect cancer or a propensity to develop cancer, to monitor the efficacy of a cancer treatment, and to treat cancer, by inhibiting the expression and/or activity of Pellino 1 or 2 in a cancer cell are included.

Cancer is a genetic disease of single cell origin caused by the accumulation of inherited and acquired mutations in specific cancer genes, which have normal cellular functions, but when mutated or present at abnormally high levels contribute to cancer. One type of mutation is gene amplification or overexpression, i.e., where a specific chromosomal region (including the cancer gene) has undergone a relative increase in DNA copy number, such that more copies of the cancer gene are present, or where the level of expression of a gene is increased, such that a correspondingly higher amount of mRNA and protein is produced, causing deleterious effects. Gene amplification is one of the primary genetic alterations in solid tumors, and most of the chromosomal regions that undergo amplification are not well characterized and do not harbor known oncogenes (Knuutila et al., Am. J. Pathol. 152:1107–23 (1998); Knuutila et al., Cancer Genet. Cytogenet. 100:25–30 (1998)). Discovery of these amplified cancer genes will provide novel targets for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
The present invention is based on the discovery that Pellino gene, polynucleotide, and polypeptide sequences are amplified and/or overexpressed in cancer cells in mammals. As described herein, this discovery has provided new diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic methods for the treatment of cancer, in particular for ovarian and lung cancer.

Diagnosis and treatment of cancer using mammalian pellino polypeptides and polynucleotides


A system which includes not only a microprocessor (or microcontroller), but also an auxiliary chip which monitors the system power supply voltage and performs related functions for the microprocessor, and also provides a watchdog function to monitor the microprocessor's activity. The auxiliary chip uses only two pins for the three functions of:. active-high-reset out, PA1 active-low-reset out, and PA1 pushbutton reset input.

The present invention relates to microprocessor auxiliary circuits, and to systems which include an auxiliary circuit in combination with a complex integrated circuit.
Microprocessor Auxiliary Circuits
The Dec. 9, 1988 parent applications described (among other innovations) a type of system which included not only a microprocessor (or microcontroller), but also an auxiliary chip which provides some important monitoring and overhead functions for the microprocessor. For example, in the primary embodiments described there, the auxiliary chip monitors the system power supply voltage and performs related functions for the microprocessor, and also provides a watchdog function to monitor the microprocessor's activity. The primary auxiliary chip embodiment, as described in these applications, is generally similar to the integrated circuit now sold as part number DS1236. (This integrated circuit and its data sheet are available from Dallas Semiconductor Corporation, 4350 Beltwood Parkway, Dallas TX 75244, and are both hereby incorporated by reference.)
A variety of microprocessor auxiliary chips, with various functionalities, have now been proposed. For example, Dallas Semiconductor also sells a DS1227 chip, which has significantly different functions from the DS1236 chip, and is especially well adapted to systems under stringent power constraints. (This integrated circuit and its data sheet are available from Dallas Semiconductor Corporation, 4350 Beltwood Parkway, Dallas TX 75244, and are both hereby incorporated by reference.)
For another example, Maxim sells auxiliary chips (including at least a "MAX690" chip and a "MAX691" chip) which are also intended for microprocessor supervision. Allen, "Analog supervisor chip keeps microprocessor out of trouble."35 Electronic Design, pages 104-108 Apr. 30, 1987) supposedly contains disclosure as follows (according to the abstract in the INSPEC on-line database): "The goal at Maxim Integrated Products was to sharply reduce the complexity, component count, and space of standard microporcessor supervisory circuits, while improving the accuracy and reliablility of reset and battery-switchover circuits together with a watchdog timer and write protection. The result was the MAX691 and MAX690 micrprocessor supervisory ICs which pack many common housekeeping functions into 16-pin and 8-pin packages." Also, Schwerte, "An analogue supervisory circuit for microcomputers" [in German], 18 Electron. Ind. (West Germany) no. 6, pages 66, 68-70 (1987) supposedly contains disclosure as follows (according to the abstract in the INSPEC on-line database): "The author describes the Maxim MAX691 supervisory chip. It comprises all the necessary functions for the secure operation of a microprocessor system. The design aims for this unit was the improved resolution and reliability of the back-up circuit, and the circuitry for switching between the normal power supply and the battery supply, as well as the realization of such necessary functions as the watchdog timer and the write protection for EEPROMs and CMOS-RAMs." Both of these articles are hereby incorporated by reference.
For another example, Dallas Semiconductor has recently announced a DS1239 chip, which is generally similar to the primary described auxiliary chip embodiment in the Nov. 30, 1989 PCT application. This chip provides additional power management functions, in addition to those of the DS1236 embodiment. (This integrated circuit and its data sheet are available from Dallas Semiconductor Corporation, 4350 Beltwood Parkway, Dallas Tex. 75244, and are both hereby incorporated by reference.)
Active-High and Active-Low Resets
A microprocessor auxiliary chip should be able to reset the attached microprocessor. The "reset" input to a microprocessor forces the microprocessor into a known state-either immediately, or after a certain number of clock cycles have passed. Thus, a reset input can be used ot rescue the microprocessor from any kind of stuck state. Substantially all microprocessors have some kind of reset input. However, different microprocessors require different kinds of reset signals. For example, the Intel 8051 microprocessor requires an active-high reset, and the Motorola 6800 microprocessor requires an active-low reset. That is an active-high reset microprocessor has an RST (not RST pin, and the microprocessor will go into reset if the RST pin is driven to a high logic level. An active-low microprocessor has an RST pin, and will go into reset if the RST pin is driven low.
An advantageous way to deal with this is to provide two reset signal outputs from an auxiliary chip, one active-high (RST) and one active-low (RST ). Thus, the user can wire up the auxiliary chip to match the microprocessor specified for use in his system. However, note that this flexibility in the auxiliary chip requires that two pins, rather than one, be available for the reset signals. (Thus, this functionality has heretofore imposed an added constraint on packaging, which is undesirable.)
Use of Pushbutton to Provide Inputs to Integrated Circuit Logic
In many system configurations, it is helpful if the user can provide a direct input into logic circuits, for example by pushing a button. This capability can provide a very simple and reliable input, which can be used to reliably force a complex logic system into reset. (If a complex programmable logic system hangs up, it may not be possible to interrupt it with the normal inputs, such as keyboard input.)
A pushbutton input must be "debounced." As a mechanical contact actually closes, the voltage across the contacts may go from high to low repeatedly, before stabilizing. This may be due, for example, to physical bouncing of the contacts, or to native oxide on the contacts. An over-sensitive circuit could sense this as several separate actuations. Simple circuits can be used for debouncing, but the need for debouncing circuits limits the other functions of a pushbutton input. Thus, again, this desirable feature places a burden on pinout.
Innovative Microprocessor Auxiliary
Among the innovations disclosed in the present application is a new microprocessor auxiliary chip, in which two pins are used for the three functions of active-high-reset out, active-low-reset out, and pushbutton input. (This chip embodiment will be referred to herein as the "DS1238"; however, it should be noted that the actual DS1238 chip, when it comes to market, may not necessarily correspond to this embodiment in all details.)
In this embodiment, the pushbutton input is combined with an active-low reset output pin. This pin functions to provide both an output RST function for such elements as the watchdog timer or power fail, while also providing a monitor of the state of an external push button tied between the RST pin and ground (see FIG. 3). This combination allows the use of an external push button for a RST function without the need to dedicate a pin on the chip to the push button.
The push button monitor is achieved through the monitoring of the drivers which drive the final output devices on the RST pin. If these drivers indicate that the internal circuits on the DS1238 are not attempting to generate a low on the RST pin, the monitor circuit assumes that the external push button has pulled the RST pin low. This circuit in turn will force the internal DS1238 circuits to complement the low on the RST pin (using pin drivers) for an average of approximately 100 ms. In this manner a less than 100 ms pulse on the push button will translate into a 100 ms pulse on the RST pin. In short the DS1238 will guaranty that the RST pin is always pulsed low for an average of 100 ms, whether the reset is initiated by a watchdog timeout, by detection of power failure, or by actuation of the external push button. The RST pin drivers are composed of a strong n-channel pull down and a very weak p-channel pull up, to allow for a wired-OR RST function. Since the internal functions which produce a RST are clock sampled, the monitor circuit is sampled with an inverse clock to provide a means of testing the drivers of the output RST pin drivers without encountering race condition problems. The enclosed block diagram should give you the basics. This function would also work in general for the RST pin (active high wired OR), as well the NMI output pin.

Microprocessor auxiliary with combined pin for reset output and pushbutton input


A control circuit for a DC/DC converter which includes a main switching element, a sub switching element, and a reactor in order to convert a DC input voltage to a DC output voltage. The control circuit comprises a clock signal generator for generating a clock signal during a blank period in which both the main and sub switching elements are off; a comparator for comparing a reference voltage and a voltage at a connection point between the main and sub switching elements and for outputting a comparison signal indicating a relation of magnitude between the reference voltage and the voltage at the connection point; and an operation mode switching section for monitoring the comparison signal at a timing corresponding to the clock signal in order to detect a voltage state at the connection point, and controlling the sub switching element in accordance with the voltage state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control circuit for a DC/DC converter, and more particularly to a control circuit for a DC/DC converter in which main switching means and sub switching means are alternately turned on and off so as to obtain a predetermined DC output voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
DC/DC converters are widely used in applications in which output voltage of a DC power source is stepped down or up so as to obtain a predetermined DC output voltage; e.g., a power supply circuit for a cellular phone. In such a DC/DC converter, a switching element is turned on and off, and the on/off operation of the switching element is controlled in order to convert a DC input voltage to a predetermined DC output voltage. In general, a MOSFET is used as a switching element.
Among DC/DC converters of such a type, a step-down DC/DC converter has a reactor on the output side. Therefore, in periods during which the switching element is off, a closed circuit must be formed in order to discharge electrical energy accumulated in the reactor stemming from load current. Therefore, in the past, such a closed circuit has been realized by use of a recirculation diode.
However, when a recirculation diode is used, because of its relatively large forward voltage drop, the recirculation diode consumes a large amount of electrical power, thereby lowering the efficiency of the DC/DC converter. Such a large electrical power consumption becomes a serious problem when the DC/DC converter is realized in the form of an IC chip in order to reduce the size of the DC/DC converter.
In view of the above, there has been proposed a DC/DC converter in which a MOSFET, which serves as a switching element, is used in place of the above-described recirculation diode; a parasitic diode of the MOSFET is caused to function as a recirculation diode, and the switching function of the MOSFET is utilized so as to reduce the above-mentioned forward voltage drop. Notably, the on resistance of a MOSFET is much smaller than the forward-direction resistance of the recirculation diode, and the loss decreases accordingly.
Incidentally, in a DC/DC converter whose recirculation diode is replaced with a switching element, two switching elements generally formed of MOSFETs are mutually connected in series. Specifically, a first switching element (hereinafter referred to as a "main switching element") for controlling the duty of on periods so as to regulate the output voltage to a desired value is connected in series with a second switching element (hereinafter referred to as a "sub switching element") for discharging accumulated electrical energy from the above-mentioned reactor in periods during which the main switching element is off, and a DC output voltage is extracted from the connection point between the two switching elements via a reactor.
Therefore, in such a DC/DC converter, the main switching element and the sub switching element must be controlled in such a manner that these elements do not enter an on state simultaneously. In view of this, the on-off modes of the main switching element and the sub switching element are alternately switched, while a mode (blank period) in which the two switching elements are off is interposed between the on-off modes.
However, in such a DC/DC converter, when the sub switching element is turned off in a mode in which the main switching element is off and the sub switching element is on, there may occur a harmful reverse flow phenomenon in which current stemming from the electrical energy accumulated in the reactor flows to a DC power source via the parasitic diode of the main switching element. In order to avoid such a harmful reverse flow phenomenon, in a conventional DC/DC converter of the above-mentioned type, load current flowing through the sub switching element is monitored, and the sub switching element is turned off upon detection of a time point at which the load current becomes zero. This is because the reverse flow of load current occurs after the load current becomes zero.
Therefore, in a conventional DC/DC converter which includes a main switching element and a sub switching element that are alternately turned on and off so as to obtain a predetermined DC output voltage, a current detection circuit is provided in order to detect the above-mentioned load current (in particular, its flow direction). Such a current detection circuit includes a resistor which is connected in series to, for example, the sub switching element, and monitors the voltage produced across the resistor through comparison by use of a comparator. That is, the current detection circuit can detect, from the voltage produced across the resistor becoming zero, that the load current to be detected becomes zero.
Notably, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 04-101286 discloses a DC/DC converter in which a main switching element and a sub switching element are alternately turned on and off so as to obtain a predetermined DC output voltage.
Incidentally, the above-described current detection circuit must detect, with high accuracy, a point in time at which the load current becomes zero. Therefore, in the case where the current detection circuit contains a comparator as described above, the comparator must be of high accuracy and is therefore expensive. Further, in the case where the current detection circuit is configured to provide high accuracy, current necessary to drive the current detection circuit increases, thereby hindering reduction in size of the DC/DC converter. Further, in the case where a resistor is connected in series to the switching element in order to form a current detection circuit, power loss is generated at the resistor, thereby hindering improvement in efficiency. These drawbacks become fatal in the case where such a DC/DC converter is fabricated in the form of an IC chip.


A multi-tasking operating system for real-time control of industrial processes integrates ladder type programs and state-type programs by viewing each as a series of instructions with an implicit pointer list pointing to the next instruction. A fixed number of instructions of each program task are executed after which the effective pointer to the next instruction is stored toward the next time that task is invoked. Multiple tasks that need to be coordinated can be linked with subtasks that can be guaranteed complete execution by allocating sufficient instructions to those subtasks.

Industrial controllers are special purpose computers used for controlling industrial processes and manufacturing equipment.
Under the direction of a stored program, the industrial controller examines a series of inputs, reflecting the status of the controlled process, and changes outputs effecting control of the industrial process. The inputs and outputs are most simply binary, that is, ON or OFF, however, analog inputs and outputs, assuming a continuous range of values, are also used.
Industrial controllers are frequently programmed in a "relay ladder" language where instructions are represented graphically by "contacts" and "coils" of virtual relays connected and arranged in ladder-like rungs. This relay ladder language with its input contacts and output coils reflects the emphasis in industrial control on the collection and transmission of large numbers of inputs and outputs. The relay ladder language also reflects the fact that most industrial control is "real-time". That is, an ideal industrial controller behaves as if it were composed of multiple relays connected in parallel ladder rungs to produce outputs in essentially instantaneous response to changing inputs.
While relay ladder language type programming is well suited to the handling of large amounts of input and output data and the logical relationship governing such data, it is not well adapted to programming control systems that are logically viewed as moving between discrete "states" in response to historical input and output data. The multiple states of such systems are more easily visualized in state-diagram type languages in which the program is not represented as a simultaneous execution of parallel rungs of relays but instead as a series of interlinked states with execution of the program being the passing from one state to another. For the purpose of this application, conventional computer languages in which the language describes an execution thread of a processor (such as FORTRAN or C) as well as sequential function charts and state diagram-type programs will also be considered state-type languages.
These different programming languages, ladder- and state-type, differ primarily in the way they present the programming tasks to the human programmer, that is prior to actual execution, each programming language is normally compiled to a common set of machine instructions for execution on a conventional Von Neumann-type computer.
Thus, the parallel relay-like structure of a ladder diagram is, in fact, executed sequentially one step at a time and the appearance of parallel operation is obtained by employing extremely fast processors in the execution of the sequential control program. Similarly, the appearance of residing at a given state in a state-type program is obtained by repeated execution of tests and loops by the computer for each given state.
This ability to implement a wide variety of different languages on a single processor platform allows the programmer to select between state-type and ladder-type programming languages, at will, in confronting a particular industrial control problem. Depending on the type of language selected, a different compiler will be used to produce machine executable code.
Often, a single industrial control task will have portions best suited to different types of languages. For example, a programmer might wish to program the part of the control task that collects and disseminates data in a ladder-type language, but wish to program the remainder of the control task in using a state-type language which better reflects the fundamental logic of the control process.
In addition, for large control programs, it would be desirable to write the programs in separate modules or tasks that could be independently run and checked. For example, if the I/O handling were undertaken by a ladder-type program separate from a state-type control program, the ladder program might be separately debugged to evaluate its data handling and generation of Boolean combinations of the inputs and outputs.
Generally, however, integrating different program types in a single application is a difficult task. For example, integrating a ladder-type and state-type language in a single program is complicated by the fact that the ladder language contemplates essentially continuous execution (simulating parallel execution) whereas a state-type program is frequently in one state for an indefinite period of time. Switching between programs on a time basis can detrimentally affect the assumption of simultaneous execution of the ladder rungs, causing adjacent rungs to be executed at significantly different times. If one simply embeds the ladder program as one state in the state-type program, it is difficult to guarantee that the ladder will be executed on a regular basis. Yet forcing the state-type program to periodically go to a particular state (for the execution of the ladder type program) undermines the intent that the state-type program logically represent the states of the actual control process.

Multi-tasking operation system for industrial controller


The present invention comprises an apparatus for making a selectively-coated web. The apparatus comprises a coating means for applying a coating to a web in a plurality of coated regions, the coated regions being in spaced, parallel relationship to a plurality of uncoated regions. The present invention further comprises support means for supporting the web after coating, the support means comprising a plurality of support members, each of the support members being in registry with an uncoated region. In a preferred embodiment the coating of a beneficial emulsion is applied in selected regions by extrusion. A method of forming a coated web without producing buildup of coating material on idler rollers is also disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: (a) coating a web in a plurality of coated regions, the coated regions being in parallel spaced apart relationship to uncoated regions; (b) providing support members, each of the support members being aligned in registry with an uncoated region; and (c) guiding the coated web in contact with the support members such that each support member is in registry with an uncoated region of said web.

Nonwoven webs or sheets made of paper find extensive use in modern society. Paper webs are commonly processed as tissues, wipes, and other disposable absorbent articles. Paper towels, for example, are a staple item of commerce which have long been used to wipe up liquid spills and to remove stains and/or soil from hard surfaces such as window glass, countertops, sinks, porcelain and metal fixtures, walls and the like, and from other surfaces such as carpeting or furniture.
Nonwoven web substrates having lotions and other coatings are well known in the art. Lotions are often used in conjunction with substrates to soften the substrate. Lotions can also be used to soothe the skin when the substrate is used, for example, as a facial tissue. Examples of substrates having lotion and useful in the facial tissue art are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,418, issued Jan. 17, 1984 to Coleman et al. and commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,243, issued Nov. 6, 1984 to Allen, the disclosure of which Allen patent is incorporated herein by reference. Products, such as wipes, have been developed. Certain wipes have a significant advantage over earlier prior art cleaning products for removing soiling, particularly from the perianal region. Such wipes comprise a substrate (e.g., a nonwoven or tissue) treated with a water-in-lipid emulsion. The water-in-lipid emulsion provides water in a solid external wax phase that avoids water loss until use. In use the wax phase is ruptured by pressure, releasing the internal water phase. Therefore, these wipes release significant quantities of water during use for comfortable, more effective cleaning. Such wipes are particularly advantageous for cleaning, especially when provided in the form of wet-like cleansing wipes used to remove perianal soils. An example of such wipes and their manufacture is found in commonly assigned World Patent Application WO 96/14835, published May 23, 1996, in the names of Mackey et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The mechanism to transfer the water from the emulsion to the surface to be cleaned involves several steps. First, the water is released or expressed from the emulsion due to pressure imparted by the user. The pressure ruptures the emulsion's external phase, freeing the internal water phase. The water then saturates the substrate. Upon saturation, the water penetrates the substrate in the Z-direction. Excess water, which is that water in excess of the local absorbent capacity of the substrate, is then transferred from the wipe to the surface.
One potential approach to the problem of providing sufficient quantities of water to saturate the substrate and transfer the water to the surface is to dispose a continuous layer of emulsion on the substrate. A continuous layer of emulsion may contain a greater quantity of water than a discontinuous layer of the emulsion. This potential approach has several drawbacks. First, a thin continuous layer of emulsion may not exceed the local capacity of the substrate. Second, excessive lipid phase in the emulsion causes a build up and may not be well received by the user and contribute to manufacturing difficulties. Third, if the amount of the emulsion becomes too great, it can be difficult to rupture the emulsion and release the water therefrom. Such difficulty occurs due to a greater quantity of the lipid phase being present. As the amount of lipid phase increases, slippage of the emulsion relative to itself occurs, rather than rupture of the emulsion. Fourth, the surface area to volume ratio is far from optimal. Finally, the cost of the wipe increases directly with the amount of emulsion provided.
In addition to the aforementioned drawbacks, it has unexpectedly been found that a continuous coating of the emulsion on the substrate does not provide the most efficacious cleaning, particularly when it is desired to clean human skin. Rather, a discontinuous pattern of emulsion on the substrate provides a more effective cleaning mechanism. One such discontinuous pattern of the emulsion on the substrate is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 08/909,449 filed Aug. 11, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,177, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
During cleaning, water is released from the emulsion to remove dirt from the skin. The area of the skin wetted by the water and from which dirt is removed is then wiped dry with the regions of the substrate free of the emulsion. Similar benefits occur when the wipe is used to clean other surfaces, such as window glass, countertops, sinks, porcelain and metal fixtures, walls and the like, and from other surfaces, such as carpeting or furniture.
One drawback to coating nonwoven or cellulosic substrates with materials such as emulsions is that the emulsion, once applied to the substrate, may be wiped, or scraped off by the downstream web processing elements. For example, the emulsion may collect on rollers, such as idler rollers, as the web is guided during processing. Emulsion collected on idler rollers represents waste and the buildup on rollers must eventually be cleaned off, resulting in undesirable equipment downtime and production disruption.
In addition to producing waste and production inefficiencies, roller contact disturbs the emulsion on the substrate. This is particularly undesirable if the emulsion is required to remain a certain thickness on the surface of the substrate. Likewise, if the emulsion is required to remain in a certain pattern on the substrate, any rubbing or abrasion due to contact with a guide roller in the process should be minimized. For example, if the coating also serves a decorative or aesthetic purpose, smearing or removal of the coating is undesirable. Further, if a water-in-lipid emulsion is applied to the web, rubbing or scraping during web processing will likely cause rupturing of the solid wax phase, resulting in premature water release.
While these drawbacks are particularly undesirable in the context of application of emulsion onto webs, they may be equally undesirable in the context of coatings in general, including liquid inks and dyes, extruded polymers, liquid adhesives, and the like. Once applied as a liquid coating to a web, such materials are susceptible to being wiped or rubbed off, or otherwise disturbed by further processing over guide rollers, driven rollers, idler rollers, and the like. As a result, the original placement of material on the web is altered, and an unwanted buildup of material forms on the downstream rollers of the coating apparatus.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to apply a coating to a web substrate and further process the web in a manner that avoids disruption of the coating.
Additionally, it would be desirable to apply a coating to a web substrate in predetermined patterns without the coating or pattern being disturbed during subsequent processing of the substrate.
Further, it would be desirable to apply an emulsion to a cellulosic web substrate in a predetermined pattern or amount, without the predetermined pattern or amount being altered during subsequent processing of the web.

Method and apparatus for processing a discontinuous coating on a substrate


A monolithic semiconductor component has a first thyristor having a gate, an anode and a cathode. The gate is connected to the cathode through a first resistor and to the anode through the series connection of a zener diode and a second thyristor. The thyristors are of the vertical type and the zener diode is of the lateral type. The cathode of the zener diode is connected to the cathode of the second thyristor through a metallization forming an output terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to solid-state switches and more particularly to solid-state switches whose operation is controllable by an integrated circuit.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A controllable switch may be designed for connection in a circuit in series with a load whose current will be adjusted. A practical problem of such an arrangement is that the control integrated circuit should be supplied with a specific low voltage supply (in some examples 5 to 15 volts). Thus, it may be desired to form units which each include the switch and a power supply for the integrated circuit, which significantly simplifies the mounting of these switches and of their control integrated circuit.
FIG. 1 illustrates a circuit which includes a voltage source S supplying a load L in series with a switching unit 1. The switching unit 1 is controlled by an integrated circuit IC, and includes the switch SW connected between terminals A1 and A2, and output terminals 2 and 3 to supply the integrated circuit. A specific problem raised by such an arrangement is that, when switch SW is turned-on, the voltage between the terminals of switch SW is low or zero and therefore the voltage across terminals 2 and 3 may be too low to provide power to the integrated circuit IC. To avoid this drawback, it has been devised to connect a storing capacitor C between terminals 2 and 3.
Such devices satisfactorily operate but require a high-value capacitor C for long-lasting switching-on of the switch SW. Indeed, if source S corresponds to the a.c. voltage of the mains or to the rectified mains voltage, the case in which the control of the switch causes its closing during several periods of the mains voltage must be provided for.
To solve this problem, a switch has been associated with a low-voltage supply circuit designed so that, when a switch-on order is transmitted to the switch, this order is inhibited as long as the voltage across the switch has not reached the desired threshold supply voltage. Thus, a storing capacitor can be charged again at the beginning of each half-period of the voltage applied and thus can be a small size capacitor.
Such a circuit is disclosed in French patent 2222801. However the implementation of such a circuit implies the use and the connection of a large number of components.

Monolithic semiconductor switch and supply circuit component


A device for extracting film from a cartridge having a gripper composed of two interacting elements and imparted with translational movement in the plane of the film cartridge. The two interacting elements of the gripper include a first stationary elements consisting of a disk section and a second rotating element capable of being imparted with rotational movement. The second rotating element also consists of a disk section of complementary shape to the first element. A cradle is provided to receive and hold the film cartridge in a stationary position. A mandrel positioned in one end of the cradle is provided to rotate the film spindle contained in the cartridge so that the end of the negative film can be grasped by the gripper and extracted from the cartridge.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an original device for automatically extracting the end of a negative film from the cartridge which contains it, with a view to proceeding to develop it.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In a known manner, and most often, the negatives are stored in cartridges of generally cylindrical shape, comprising a rotation spindle along the axis of revolution of the cylinder, in the region of which spindle one of the ends of the negative is fixed. When the reel or the cartridge is ready for use, the free end of the negative film leaves the cartridge via a gate, extending a slot formed along the entire cartridge in the region of one of the generatrices of the cylinder.
Once all the negative film has been used, that is to say once the negative has arrived at the end of its travel, the cartridge is re-reeled in the conventional manner, the film then being entirely inside the cartridge. The abovementioned gate is partially closed off so as to make the inside of the cartridge tight especially to light.
In the context of negative film automatic developing and printing devices, there is the problem of extracting the end of this negative film from the cartridge. Currently, the procedure is most often carried out manually by means of a blade equipped with an adhesive, which is introduced through the gate, then by the intermediary of the slot inside the cartridge, to stick to the negative film and thus to pull it out.
Attempts have thus been made to automate this principle of a blade equipped with an adhesive, however, it was found that the reliability of this device was far from being compatible with industrial-scale use. Furthermore, such a device uses consumables, namely the adhesive, which is in the form of a film which unrolls after each use, the blade simply pushing this adhesive film inside the gate then the slot.
Another device is also known, which calls for a member equipped with two flexible tabs, which enable, after various operations, the end of the film to be gripped, and thus to be extracted. Once again, automation proves tricky, because one of these operations involved the noise generated by the clicking of the film being released from a tab.

Device for extracting the end of a negative film from a cartridge


A system to extend an operating bandwidth of a signal generator comprises a signal generator, an output port, a first transmission line extending between the signal generator and the output port, a mixer adapted to receive a first signal from the signal generator, a local oscillator adapted to provide a second signal to the mixer to beat against the first signal, a second transmission line extending from the mixer to transmit a plurality of output signals of the mixer, and one or more channels couplable between the first transmission line and the second transmission line. The one or more channels include a first coupler having a length adapted to couple one or more of the output signals within a band of frequencies from the second transmission line to the channel, a second coupler having a length adapted to couple the one or more of the output signals from the channel to the first transmission line, and a filter arranged between the first coupler and the second coupler.

Instruments based on current broadband signal-generator architectures make use of switched filters along a transmission line in order to implement frequency-band filtering of the output, thereby extending the operating frequency bandwidth of a low-frequency signal generator (LFSG). Frequency-dependent radio-frequency (RF) switch limitations such as loss and limited frequency bandwidth begin to take their toll on signal-generator performance as an operating frequency range of an instrument implementing such current architectures extends into the millimeter-wave spectrum. Consequences can include a decrease in the dynamic range of the instrument, and a severe bound on the instrument's operating bandwidth.
There is a need for alternative architectures that extend an operating bandwidth of a signal generator while removing or reducing limitations imposed by the presence of switches along the transmission line.

Method and system to extend a useable bandwidth of a signal generator


A spraying gun includes a gun body, a handle, a sealing gasket, a connecting member, a control valve, a control handle, an outer control tube, a control shaft, a catch block, an inner control tube, a control ring, a drive ring, and a nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly includes a nozzle head, a first mounting ring, a second mounting ring, and a rotation ring. Thus, the spraying gun has a three-stage control effect to provide different water output functions so as to fit a user's practical requirements, thereby enhancing the versatility of the spraying gun.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spraying gun, and more particularly to a spraying gun having multiple water output functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional spraying gun comprises a gun body having an inside formed with a water channel having a first end connected to a water inlet pipe and a second end connected to a nozzle having a plurality of water outlet holes. The water from the water inlet pipe is introduced into the water channel and is injected outward from the water outlet holes of the nozzle. However, the water from the water inlet pipe is injected outward from the water outlet holes of the nozzle constantly, so that the sprinkling manner of the conventional spraying gun is fixed and cannot be adjusted, thereby limiting the versatility of the conventional spraying gun.
Another conventional spraying gun comprises a gun body having an inside formed with a water channel having a first end connected to a water inlet pipe and a second end connected to a nozzle, a water control unit mounted in the water channel to open or close the water channel and having a distal end protruding outward from the gun body, and a press lever pivotally mounted on the gun body and connected to the distal end of the water control unit. When the press lever is pressed toward the gun body, the water control unit is moved by pivot of the press lever to open the water channel, so that water contained in the water channel is injected outward from the nozzle. However, the water flow rate injected outward from the nozzle cannot be controlled and regulated to satisfy the user's requirement, so that the water output easily exceeds the practical requirement, thereby greatly causing a water consumption.

Shin Tai Spurt Water of the Garden Tools Co., Ltd.


This application describes optical monitoring devices and applications in optical systems for monitoring various optical parameters of light, including the signal to noise ratio, the degree of polarization, and the differential group delay (DGD).

This application relates to optical monitoring in optical devices and systems.
Optical properties or parameters of light in an optical device or system may be measured for various purposes. As an example, such an optical measurement may be used to determine the performance or an operating condition of the device or system. An optical property or parameter of light under measurement may include the optical polarization, the signal to noise ratio, the differential group delay between two orthogonal polarization states, and others.
The optical polarization is an important parameter of an optical signal in various optical systems. For example, in fiber optic communication systems, polarization-dependent effects in fibers and other devices, such as polarization-dependent loss (PDL) and polarization-mode dispersion (PMD), can have significant impacts on performance and normal operations of optical devices or systems. Hence, it may be desirable to measure and monitor the degree of polarization (DOP) of an optical signal in these and others systems.
Similarly, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the differential group delay (DGD) of an optical signal are also important parameters and hence monitoring of these parameters may be desirable under certain circumstances.

Monitoring mechanisms for optical systems


The present invention relates to amino acid sequence variants of human DNase I that have increased DNA-hydrolytic activity. The invention provides nucleic acid sequences encoding such hyperactive variants, thereby enabling the production of these variants in quantities sufficient for clinical use. The invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions and therapeutic uses of hyperactive-variants of human DNase I.

DNase I is a phosphodiesterase capable of hydrolyzing polydeoxyribonucleic acid. DNase I has been purified from various species to various degrees.
Bovine DNase I has been extensively studied biochemically. See e.g., Moore, in The Enzymes (Boyer, P. D., ed), pp. 281-296, Academic press, New York (1981). The complete amino acid sequence for bovine DNase I is known (Liao, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 248:1489-1495 (1973); Oefner, et al., J. Mol. Biol. 192:605-632 (1986); Lahm, et al., J. Mol. Biol. 221:645-667 (1991)), and DNA encoding bovine DNase I has been cloned and expressed (Worrall, et al., J. Biol. Chem 265:21889-21895 (1990)). The structure of bovine DNase I has been determined by X-ray crystallography. Suck, et al., EMBO J. 3:2423-2430 (1984); Suck, et al., Nature 321:620-625 (1986); Oefner, et al., J. Mol. Biol. 192:605-632 (1986); Weston, et al., J. Mol. Biol. 226:1237-1256 (1992).
DNA encoding human DNase I has been isolated and sequenced and that DNA has been expressed in recombinant host cells, thereby enabling the production of human DNase I in commercially useful quantities. Shak, et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 87:9188-9192 (1990).
DNase I has a number of known utilities and has been used for therapeutic purposes. Its principal therapeutic use has been to reduce the viscoelasticity of pulmonary secretions (mucus) in such diseases as pneumonia and cystic fibrosis (CF), thereby aiding in the clearing of respiratory airways. See e.g., Lourenco, et al., Arch. Intern. Med. 142:2299-2308 (1982); Shak, et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 87:9188-9192 (1990); Hubbard, et al., New Engl. J. Med. 326:812-815 (1992); Fuchs, et al., New Engl. J. Med. 331:637-642 (1994); Bryson, et al., Drugs 48:894-906 (1994). Mucus also contributes to the morbidity of chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, emphysema, acute and chronic sinusitis, and even the common cold.
The pulmonary secretions of persons having such diseases are complex materials, that include mucus glycoproteins, mucopolysaccharides, proteases, actin, and DNA. Some of the materials in pulmonary secretions are released from leukocytes (neutrophils) that infiltrate pulmonary tissue in response to the presence of microbes (e.g., strains of Pseudomonas, Pneumococcus, or Staphylococcus bacteria) or other irritants (e.g., tobacco smoke, pollen). In the course of reacting with such microbes or irritants, the leukocytes may degenerate and release their contents, which contribute to the viscoelasticity of the pulmonary secretions.
The ability of DNase I to reduce the viscoelasticity of pulmonary secretions has been ascribed to its enzymatic degradation of the large amounts of DNA released by neutrophils. Shak, et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 87:9188-9192 (1990); Aitken, et al., J. Am. Med. Assoc. 267:1947-1951 (1992).
The present invention is based in part on research by the inventors to study the enzymatic activity of human DNase I. This research involved the design and synthesis of various human DNase I variants, and the assay of these variants to assess their ability to hydrolyze DNA in vitro. The inventors have identified for the first time a class of human DNase I variants, termed. hyperactive variants, that have increased DNA-hydrolytic activity and that are less susceptible to inhibition by sodium chloride, as compared to native human DNase I.
Because of their increased DNA-hydrolytic activity, the hyperactive variants also have increased mucolytic activity and are more effective than native human DNase I in degrading (digesting) DNA generally. Because they are less susceptible to inhibition by sodium chloride, the hyperactive variants are more effective than native human DNase I under physiological saline conditions, such as occur in pulmonary secretions and other biological fluids. Accordingly, hyperactive variants of human DNase I should be especially useful in treating patients having pulmonary secretions that comprise relatively large amounts of DNA.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide human DNase I variants that have greater DNA-hydrolytic activity than native human DNase I.
It is another object of the invention to provide nucleic acids encoding such hyperactive variants of human DNase I, recombinant vectors comprising such nucleic acids, recombinant host cells transformed with those nucleic acids. or vectors, and processes for producing the human DNase I variants by means of recombinant DNA technology. The invention includes the use of such nucleic acids and vectors for in vivo or ex vivo gene therapy.
The invention also is directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the hyperactive variants of human DNase I, optionally together with a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, as well as substantially purified antibodies that are capable of binding to such hyperactive variants.
The invention also is directed to methods of use of the hyperactive variants. Included are methods for reducing the viscoelasticity or viscous consistency of DNA-containing material in a patient, and for reducing or preventing formation of DNA-containing immune complexes in a patient, comprising administering a therapeutically effective dose of a hyperactive variant of human DNase I to the patient.
The invention is particularly directed to a method of treating a patient having a disease such as cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, emphysema, asthma, or systemic lupus erythematosus, that comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of a hyperactive variant of human DNase I to the patient.
These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to the ordinary artisan upon consideration of the specification as a whole.