The present invention relates to antigenic preparations comprising polysaccharides and/or glycopeptides preparable from keratinophilic fungi as well as yeasts, process for the preparation of these antigenic preparations, their use as pharmaceutical substances as well as their use as vaccines, including but not limited to, the prophylaxis and treatment of allergy, as well as for modulating the immune response.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to antigenic preparations comprising polysaccharides and/or glycopeptides preparable from keratinophilic fungi as well as yeasts, processes for the preparation of these antigenic preparations, their use as pharmaceutical substances as well as their use as vaccines, including but not limited to, the prophylaxis and treatment of allergy, as well as for modulating the immune response.
2. Description of Related Art
Allergy in one form or another afflicts more than 20 per cent of the human population, and the alarming increase in its prevalence, morbidity and mortality over the past decade has led to its designation as the number one environmental disease (Sutton and Gould, Nature 1993, 366, pp. 421–428). Human and animal populations are afflicted by allergy to a similar extent.
In the development of allergy, immunological reactions play a key role (Paul, William E.(Editor), Fundamental Immunology, Raven Press Books, Ltd., New York, 1984). In principle two different types of allergic reactions have been described. One is immediate type hypersensitivity (ITH), for which the maximum allergic response to the allergen is observed within minutes to hours. The second is delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH). In case of DTH, the allergic response to the allergen usually reaches its maximum after 24 to 48 hours. Most likely ITH is mediated predominantly via the IgE pathway, whereas DTH is more complex. In the development of DTH it is likely that further cell mediated responses (i.e. B- and T-lymphocytes) are involved. For example, after transferring lymphocytes and antibodies from allergic donor animals to non-allergic recipient animals, the recipients developed DTH (Askenase, P. W. (1973), J. exp. Med., 138, pp. 1144–1155).
Because of their direct exposure to environmental antigens, tissues most afflicted by allergies are the epithelial tissues, especially the skin. For example, in the dermatological clinic, acute allergic contact dermatitis and chronic allergic contact eczema account for up to 15% of all dermatoses. Allergic asthma accounts for about 20% of all asthma cases in humans.
Allergic diseases that can be classified as ITH, are for example atopic eczema, allergic bronchial asthma, hay fever, rhinitis, conjunctivitis. These can develop into chronic forms as well and should not be considered exclusively as IgE-dependent reactions. Examples of DTH are acute allergic contact dermatitis and chronic allergic contact eczema, which can further be classified as DTH (type IV) with epidermal involvement. Such a patient would have previously been sensitised through contact with an allergen and has developed hypersensitivity. Renewed contact with the allergen results in acute, sub-acute or chronic inflammatory contact dermatitis.
One example for an allergic dermatitis from the veterinary clinic is Summer Eczema, also called Sweet or Queens land Itch. Summer Eczema is an allergic dermatitis of horses, belonging to the atopic form of allergic diseases (involving Type I and IV reactions). Summer Eczema is provoked by the bite of midges of the families Culicidae and Ceratopgonidae, and characterised by skin lesions with permanent erosions and exudations, mainly in regions of the mane, tail, and abdomen. Afflicted animals display a strong sensitivity of the skin with regard to irritations, i.e. touch, rain, wind etc., impairing their overall health and performance. As with other allergies, it is believed that the development of this disease is also influenced by nutritional factors. The symptoms of this disease are only visible from March to September, whereas the allergen induced sensitivity of the skin is observed during the whole year. Summer Eczema provides an interesting-general model system for the study of allergy and for the development of anti-allergic substances.
Many treatments for allergy have been proposed, depending on the clinical picture. For the treatment of acute allergic contact dermatitis, chronic allergic contact eczema and/or atopic eczema usually lipophilic creams comprising glucocorticosteroids, anti-microbial substances, anti-inflammatory drugs and/or calcium are used. For the treatment of Summer Eczema various compounds have been applied locally or parenterally, for example steroid preparations, insecticides, different galenic formulations, salicylates, oils or peptides isolated from micro-organisms. All of the above treatments only deal with the symptoms and not the causes of allergy.
Impaired immune response or immunodeficiency often play important roles in the development of allergy. Therefore, also immunotherapeutic methods, for example the administration of immune-stimulators like BCG, levamisol and other stimulators, have been used for the treatment of eczema, atopic eczema, skin abscesses, and also auto-immune diseases (A. M. Tschernucha (Editor), Koscha, published by Medicina in 1982, Moscow).
For the treatment of flea-allergic dermatitis, the administration of antibody derived peptides has been successfully used (British patent application No 8913737). For the treatment of atopic eczema, desensitivisation has also been used with relatively good results (A. M. Tschernucha (Editor), Koscha, published by Medicina in 1982, Moscow).
In spite of the various different approaches in treating allergy, to our knowledge, no antigenic compounds preparable from keratinophilic fungi or yeasts have been used for the treatment of allergy.
In the context of the present invention the term "soluble" or "nonsoluble" refers to the solubility in aqueous solution. The term "antigenic preparation" refers to any composition of matter that is able to elicit an antigenic or immunogenic response. The term "modulating the immune response" refers to the ability of the antigenic preparations of the present invention to stimulate or enhance the immune response, for example as demonstrated by their ability to stimulate the proliferation of lymphocytes in cell culture, (a detailed review can be found in Strube et al. (1989) Vet. Med. Rev., 60, pp. 3–15, Büttner M. (1993) Comp. Immun. Microbiol. Infect. Dis., 16, No. 1, pp. 1–10).


A system for an engine torque support is described comprising a support member connected to a vehicle structure at a first end via a bearing comprising a bearing core surrounded by a bearing bush. The bearing bush has a recess, and the bearing core includes a receiving channel for a connector, a notch extending transversely relative to the receiving channel, and a connection web formed in a plane of the notch creating a first core portion, and a second core portion of the bearing core. The second core portion is spaced apart from the first core portion by the notch, and the second core portion is displaced relative to the first core portion via resilient deformation of the connection web and/or via breaking of the connection web.

Drive motors (or engines) may be prone to powerful pitch movements about drive shafts due to sudden changes in torque occurring during drive motor operation. A torque support may reduce pitch movements of the drive motor by coupling the drive motor to the vehicle structure. However, larger openings may be required in the vehicle chassis structure to accommodate pivot bearings used by torque supports (e.g., extruded profile-section). These larger openings may weaken the vehicle structure. Herein, stabilization measures may be used to support the vehicle structure leading to an overall increase in the weight of the vehicle and an increase in production costs.
One example approach to reducing the effect of torque supports on vehicle structure is shown by Schulze et al. in EP 1247678. Therein, a torque support comprising a support member and a bearing with two bearing cores is used. The bearing cores are spaced apart from each other such that each core is surrounded by annular resilient bearing bushes. A bearing unit is composed of each core with its surrounding bearing bush. One end of the support member has a through-hole and is arranged between the two bearing units such that the through-hole is aligned with openings in the bearing cores of the two bearing units. Accordingly, the support member is connected to the two bearing cores via a connector which is introduced through the openings and the through-hole. In this way, the torque support may be arranged in the plane of a connection region on the vehicle structure via the bearing units enabling additional space for surrounding components and reducing the size of openings in the vehicle structure.
However, the inventors herein have identified potential issues with such an approach. For example, since the bearing is composed of two bearing cores and two annular resilient bearing bushes, the number of components involved in manufacturing a torque support is increased. A larger number of components may add to the complexity of production and assembly, and may raise costs. Further, additional time may be needed when attaching the torque support to the vehicle structure to allow correct positioning of the support member between the two, separate bearing cores.
The inventors herein have recognized the above issue and identified an approach to at least partly address the issue. One example approach includes providing a torque support for a drive motor in a vehicle structure comprising a support member connected to the vehicle structure via a bearing comprising a bearing core surrounded by a bearing bush, the bearing bush having a recess, and the bearing core including a receiving channel for a connector, a notch extending transversely relative to the receiving channel, and a connection web formed in a plane of the notch creating a first core portion and a second core portion of the bearing core such that the second core portion is spaced apart from the first core portion by the notch and the second core portion can be displaced relative to the first core portion via resilient deformation of the connection web and/or via breaking of the connection web.
For example, a torque support may include a support member with a first end connected to a vehicle structure via a one-piece bearing, and a second end connected to a drive motor via an inner bearing. The one-piece bearing at the first end of the support member may comprise a resilient bearing bush encompassing a single bearing core. Further, the bearing bush may be configured with a recess on a side surface that provides access for the support member to a notch within the bearing core. Thus, the first end of the support member may be placed within the one-piece bearing through the recess in the bearing bush and into the notch in the bearing core. The notch may subdivide the single piece bearing core into three zones: a lower (or first) core portion, an upper (or second) core portion, and a connection web. The bearing core may also include a receiving channel that may be aligned with a through-hole at the first end of the support member. A connector may be placed in the receiving channel and the through-hole, and may be tightened to clamp the support member within the bearing core. Additionally, the connection web of the bearing core may be deformed, either in an elastic manner or a plastic manner, when the connector is tightened. Resilient deformation of the connection web allows relative displacement of the upper core portion and the lower core portion.
In this way, using a single bearing core fitted within a single bearing bush may reduce the number of components in a torque support providing a reduction in production costs and a decrease in assembly time. Additionally, orientation and alignment of the supporting member within the single bearing core may be achieved in a simpler and easier manner. Further, by creating two core portions (via the notch) that are displaceable relative to each other via resilient (and/or plastic) deformation, an improved clamping action of the support member may be accomplished which in turn may reduce engine roll more effectively.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


Disclosed is a wireless transceiver for a vehicle and a method of manufacturing the same. In a wireless transceiver manufacturing process according to the present disclosure and a method of manufacturing the same, both of the top and bottom sides of a circuit board, on which components are mounted, are encapsulated using a resin material in a state where the circuit board floats in a cavity. A pin configured to support the circuit board is installed and a decoration flat member is fixed to the surface of the circuit board opposite to the side where the pin is installed using double-sided tape. As a result, it is possible to prevent the resin case from being warped by heat generated from the circuit board. In addition, it is possible to omit an existing post-processing process for preventing the damage to the circuit board which may be caused when one side of the circuit board is exposed to the outside as it is. Thus, steps of the manufacturing process and the manufacturing costs can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a card type wireless transceiver for a vehicle and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus which are capable of simplifying a manufacturing process of a card type wireless transceiver and securing reliability for a product in order to implement the wireless transceiver for a vehicle in a thin film type.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional wireless transceiver is a portable terminal which executes authentication for a driver and a vehicle through short-distance communication with an immobilizer installed inside the vehicle and, when the authenticated driver exists within a pre-set proper distance based on the authentication, controls driving of a plurality of electric components, including, for example, locking of a vehicle door lock.
However, when the driver gets out of the proper distance, the wireless transceiver controls the driving of the plurality of electric components including the locking of the vehicle door lock by the immobilizer in order to prevent theft and damage to the vehicle.
In addition, when the authenticated driver takes a seat inside the vehicle and then selects a separate engine start button installed inside the vehicle, the wireless transceiver starts the engine.
Such a wireless transceiver typically includes a battery configured to supply power, an emergency key configured to start an engine in an emergency situation, and a circuit board with electronic components embedded therein.
That is, in the conventional wireless transceiver for a vehicle, a circuit hoard, on which electronic components are mounted, is positioned within a molding die, and an epoxy-based thermoset resin material to encapsulate the circuit board in which the electronic components are mounted thereon. At this time, when the molding is performed in a state where the circuit board is attached to a bottom of the molding die, one side of the circuit board is exposed, so that a properly decorated external appearance cannot be provided. Due to this, a treatment process such as a surface painting treatment or a plating treatment is needed so as to form a beautiful appearance after encapsulating molding of the circuit board. Due to such a post treatment process, the defect rate of the entire process is high such that all the molded products may be discarded, which becomes the crucial factor of increasing the prices of entire products.
In addition, very small holes made of a conductive material are present within the circuit board in the thickness direction so as to electrically connect the layers of the circuit board. Since the holes are exposed to the outside as they are, the surface of the conductive material may be easily corroded, thereby causing malfunction of the circuit board.
When the side opposite to the component mounting surface of the circuit board is exposed to the outside, the component mounting surface is exposed to the outside and, thus, the circuit board is exposed to electricity as it is to cause damage to the circuit components. In addition, the exposure of the one side of the circuit board to the outside causes flexure of the body of the circuit board due to the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of the circuit board and the resin sealant. Furthermore, when the circuit board is exposed as it is, there are difficulties in that it is necessary to perform additional processes such as machining for grinding the circuit board using a grinder and painting on the ground surface.

Card-type wireless transceiver for a vehicle, and method for manufacturing same

CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CORPORATION


A rotating joint is provided having a washer with a through-hole, a base, and a shoulder; a rotatable member having a primary hole circumscribing the center hole and sandwiched between the shoulder and base; and a fastener having a shaft that is insertable into the through-hole and connected with a mating threaded receptacle for applying a clamping force on the washer for preventing axial movement of the member while allowing the member to rotate. The shoulder is rolled, and the fastener is non-shouldered and does not use a load distribution washer. The rotatable member includes an opening for connecting a seat belt when the joint is used as a seat belt anchor. The shoulder has a lip overhanging the base, and the rotatable member is positioned therebetween. A method is also provided wherein the joint is captured by the washer separately from the application of the clamping force.

In an automotive interior, aesthetic trim and appearance are often important design considerations. For example, the form, fit, and functionality of seats, seat belts, and other such equipment and accessories found within a vehicle passenger compartment or cabin are carefully evaluated and selected with an eye toward minimizing or eliminating any unattractive trim gaps or openings that may impart an unattractive or unfinished appearance. Vehicle interiors often utilize complex or multi-component rotating joint assemblies, such as seat belt anchors mounted with respect to a side pillar or B-pillar, or other such devices requiring unimpeded rotational movement in more than one rotational direction. Often, such complex rotating joints are difficult to work with during vehicle interior assembly due to the size of the joint and/or the limited space in which an assembly worker has to work on certain vehicle trim panels.
Current methods and devices for achieving a suitable rotating joint typically include the use of shouldered fasteners, i.e., bolts, studs, rivets, load distribution washers and/or spacers, bushings, or other such fasteners having multiple pieces or complex structural features. However, these devices have certain inherent disadvantages, and therefore their use may be less than optimal. For example, the relative complexity of custom shouldered fasteners and associated joint assemblies often carry additional costs, increased size, and/or challenging dimensions that may in some ways inhibit installation of the joint or any devices attached thereto. As noted hereinabove, this may be true in particular when installing automotive interior components within a limited space.

Rotating joint with captured washer assembly and method


A rotor disc and rotor blade assembly in which the rotor blades include curved shear pins to secure the blade to the rotor disc. The blade includes an airfoil portion with an airfoil outline shape at the junction of the airfoil with the platform, and the root extends below the platform and has the general shape of the airfoil at the junction. An opening in the rotor disc also has the shape of the airfoil outline such that the root will fit snuggly within the opening in the rotor disc. Curved slots in both the opening and the root wall are formed on both sides of the opening and the blade root. Shear pins having a rectangular cross sectional shape fit within the slots to secure the blade to the disc. Because the root curvature follows the airfoil shape, the shear pins are located below the airfoil walls and absorb the shear stress caused by bending forces acting on the airfoil from the fluid reaction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid reaction surfaces, and more specifically to attaching a turbine blade to a rotor disk.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
A turbomachine includes a rotor disk with a plurality of rotor blades secured to the disk and spaced circumferentially around the disk. In some turbo-machines, the rotor disk rotates with such a high speed that the centrifugal forces are very high and tend to pull the blade out from the disk. Therefore, the structure in which the blade is secured to the rotor disk is very important.
Another problem with turbo-machines is the replacement of a damaged blade. It is desirable to make the removal and replacement of a damaged blade an easy process in order that the turbomachine can be brought back into operation with a minimal down time.
One prior art blade attachment method is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,786 issued to Gustafson on Jul. 14, 1992 and entitled VARIABLE PITCH FAN BLADE RETENTION ARRANGEMENT which discloses a fan blade attached to a disc arm by circular shaped pins secured within first and second seating grooves formed in the blade root and the disc arm opening. One problem with the Gustafson invention is that the circular retaining pins cannot withstand very high shear stress that would result in a turbomachine such as a compressor that operates at high rotational speeds. Another problem with the Gustafson invention is that the resulting force of the fluid acting on the surface of the blade will cause the blade root portion to bend within the supporting opening in the disc arm. In the Gustafson invention, because the retaining pins do not follow the outline of the airfoil surface, the airfoil bending load does not transfer directly to the shear pin.
Another prior art blade retaining method is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,924 issued to Rankin on Mar. 14, 1961 and entitled TURBINE BUCKET RETAINING MEANS AND SEALING ASSEMBLY which discloses a turbine blade (bucket) attached to the rotor disk by pins fitted within slots on the sides of the blade and the opening of the rotor disk. Four pins for each blade are used, with two pins on each side of the blade root, and where the two pins on the side are angled or offset along a straight line from each other. This offset arrangement of the retaining pins will support the shear loads from the bending force acting on the airfoil surface more than in the above cited Gustafson invention, but still not like the present invention. also, Rankin discloses the retaining pins to be circular or round in cross sectional shape, but also discloses that the pins can have a square cross section (see column 2, line 60).
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a blade retaining method in which the blade can be easily removed and inserted into the rotor disk.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a retaining pin used to secure a rotor blade within a rotor disk that can withstand high shear stress levels and therefore allow for higher rotational speeds for the bladed rotor disk.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a blade retaining method in a rotor disk that will transfer more of the airfoil bending force to the shear pin more than any of the cited prior art references.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide for a rotor blade secured to a rotor disk using the well known fir tree configuration that includes all of the above objectives.

Turbine blade with attachment shear inserts


The present invention relates to the treatment of tumors with a novel water soluble trans-platinum coordination compound having the general structural formula [PtBX.sub.m (NR*.sub.3)] where B is a planar, heterocyclic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom, and a pendant chelating group; and X is an anionic ligand; and R* is hydrogen or a lower alkyl.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to water soluble trans-Pt (II) complexes, their synthesis routes, and their methods of use as anti-cancer agents.
2. Background Description
The use of cisplatin, cis-[PtCl.sub.2 (NH.sub.3).sub.2 ], and carboplatin, [Pt(CBDCA)(NH.sub.3).sub.2 ] (CBDCA=1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylate), in the treatment of certain cancers is well-established. Nevertheless, there is a continued interest in the design of structurally novel platinum compounds that show antitumor activity complementary to that of the clinical drugs. The fact that transplatin, trans-[PtCl.sub.2 (NH.sub.3).sub.2 ], ##STR1## was found to be therapeutically inactive, has been considered a paradigm for the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of platinum(II) antitumor compounds; trans-Pt compounds have been dismissed as ineffective in vivo agents.
However, the presence of a planar ligand such as pyridine or quinoline, e.g., in trans-[PtCl.sub.2 (NH.sub.3)(quinoline)], ##STR2## dramatically enhances the in vitro cytotoxicity of the trans geometry. The cytotoxic activity of such "nonclassical" trans-platinum complexes has been discussed in terms of both an overall altered affinity toward biologically relevant (N and S) nucleophiles and unique DNA binding modes.
The above "nonclassical" trans-platinum species has, however, been found to have limited bioavailability and, consequently, low in vivo activity. One possible explanation is lack of solubility. It would be clearly desirable to design a trans-platinum species that retains the property of cytotoxicity and yet is water-soluble, thereby enhancing its bioavailability and potential in vivo usefulness for the treatment of tumors.

Water soluble transplatinum complexes with anti-cancer activity and method of using same


A method and system for selecting scanning rates in a multi-mode communication device is disclosed herein. The method can include the step of—at a multi-mode communication device—measuring at least one parameter associated with an interaction between a first network and the multi-mode communication device. The method can further include the step of—in response to measuring the parameter—selecting a scanning rate of the multi-mode communication device for a second, different network that interacts with the multi-mode communication device. In the method, the first network and the second network can have independent synchronization procedures.

1. Field of the Invention
The claimed subject matter concerns scanning of wireless networks, and more particularly, methods for adaptively scanning multiple networks to facilitate vertical handover.
2. Description of the Related Art
As wireless technology continues to evolve, mobile devices will be able to support an increased number of applications, which may be offered by different service providers. In such an environment, multi-mode devices may be capable of simultaneously supporting multiple applications provided by different, independent networks with overlapping geographical coverage. The devices may also be capable of handing off a service between networks in a manner that appears to be seamless to users of the devices.
A challenge in the realization of this seamless mobility experience is maintaining acceptable battery life for the multi-mode devices, which can suffer when the devices scan for several networks simultaneously. The problem is exacerbated as the number of networks increases, particularly when the synchronization procedures of the networks operate independently. An efficient method of scanning for multiple networks simultaneously is needed.

Method and apparatus for selecting scanning rates in a multi-mode communication device


An omnidirectional camera performs image sensing of a panoramic object 6 surrounding it, and sends the video signal to an image capturing device 1, then the image capturing device 1 extracts a video signal of a partial object 61 and sends the extracted video signal to a camera-equipped portable terminal 3 carried in user's hand at a place distant from the omnidirectional camera 2 to display the image of the video signal on a display surface 32a of the portable terminal, and the user shoots a surrounding object 8 with the portable terminal 3 and sends the surrounding video signal to the device 1. When the shooting direction of the portable terminal 3 is turned as indicated by the broken line, the device 1 detects a change in the shooting direction of he portable terminal 3 from a difference between the surrounding video signals generated before and after the turning of the portable terminal, and extracts, from a panorama video signal, a video signal of a partial object 62 turned from the partial object 61 in correspondence to the difference and sends the extracted video signal to the portable terminal 3 to display the image of the video signal.

For the purpose of observing the traffic on the road, it is now a general practice to set a panhead camera to monitor the traffic conditions; video signals obtained by shooting with the camera are sent over a communication line to a monitor set placed at a remote location, where the received video signal are played back to display the traffic conditions on a display. The watcher manipulates, while watching the display, an operating button or lever of a remote controller to send a control signal for changing the shooting direction (horizontal and vertical directions) of the monitor camera, or/and a control signal for changing the zoom amount of a zoom lens of the camera over the communication line to a control mechanism of the monitor camera to control it for changing its shooting direction and shooting condition (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Koukai publication No. 205775/99 (published on Jul. 30, 1999).
There is offered a service what is called video live through a panhead camera set on the roof of a high-rise building; a user accesses the camera from his personal computer via the Internet or similar communication network to occupy the camera for a predetermined time, receives shooting video signals of the camera by the personal computer to play back the video signals to provide a display their images on the display, and while watching the image on the display, the user operates the personal computer to remotely control the camera shooting direction or the zoom amount of the lens to enjoy seeing respective parts of a wide-range panoramic object.
It is possible for a parent to control a personal computer at his home or office to access a camera set up in kindergarten to play back video signal from the camera for display on the personal computer and to remotely control the shooting direction or zoom amount of the camera to observe his child's movements under various circumstances.
Further, when video signals from a security camera set up in a convenience store are played back to display the images on a display at a remote place, it is possible for a watchman to remotely control the shooting direction or zoom amount of the security camera while watching the images being displayed.
Such remote control of a camera to display video signals therefrom can be used for various purposes. In the prior art, the shooting direction of the camera itself is changed by mechanical control, or the control for mechanically moving the zoom lens is effected by a button (key) operation or level operation using a personal computer. Moreover, while one user remotely controls the camera, other users cannot controls the camera; that is, the camera is occupied by one user for a predetermined time, for instance.
Since the control for obtaining a desired image by a conventional remote image display scheme is remote control of the camera itself by operating a button (key) or lever, the operability of the camera is poorer than in the case of manually operating the camera in one's hand or on the panhead to obtain a desired image, that is, the image thus obtained becomes a little different from the desired one in some cases.
An object of the present invention is to provide a remote image display method that permits displaying a desired remote image in the same way a user directly operates the camera by his hand, and an image capturing device and method therefor, and an image capturing program.

Remote image display method, image capturing device, and method and program therefor

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


This invention relates to the bioproduction of substituted or unsubstituted phenylacetaldehyde, 2-phenylethanol, phenylacetic acid or phenylethylamine by subjecting a starting material comprising glucose, L-phenylalanine, substituted L-phenylalanine, styrene or substituted styrene to a plurality of enzyme catalyzed chemical transformations in a one-pot reaction system, using recombinant microbial cells overexpressing the enzymes. To produce phenylacetaldehyde from styrene, the cells are modified to overexpress styrene monooxygenase (SMO) and styrene oxide isomerase (SOI). To produce phenylacetic acid from styrene, SMO, SOI and aldehyde dehydrogenase are overexpressed. Alternatively, to produce 2-phenylethanol, SMO, SOI and aldehyde reductase or alcohol dehydrogenase are overexpressed, while to produce phenylethylamine, SMO, SOI and transaminase are overexpressed.

2-Phenylethanol (2-PE), phenylacetaldehyde (PA), phenylacetic acid (PAA), and phenylethylamine (PEA) are widely used in cosmetic, perfume, and food industries. The current industrial methods to produce these compounds depend on traditional chemocatalysis of toxic and "dirty" petro-based chemicals, such as benzene. For food and cosmetic applications, natural 2-PE, PA, PAA, and PEA are preferred by customers. For instance, the natural 2-PE sells at about USD 1000/kg, while the traditional chemical synthesized 2-PE sells at only about USD 5/kg. However, the production process of natural 2-PE, PA, PAA, and PEA, extraction from botanical sources cannot meet the large market demand. Bioproduction of 2-PE, PA, PAA, and PEA from natural bioresources is regarded as a promising alternative way, yet the efficiency of existing bioproduction is limited due to the low efficiency of natural synthesis pathway and the toxicity of products.
2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) is a rose-like fragrance (FEMA-GRAS 2858) with an annual production of 10,000 tonnes and is mainly produced by chemical synthesis from benzene or styrene [Etschmann, M., Bluemke, W., et al., J. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 59: 1-8; (2002); Hua, D., Xu, P. Biotechnol. Adv. 29: 654-660 (2011)]. Phenylacetaldehyde (PA) (FEMA-GRAS 2874) is a valuable aroma for food and cosmetic application, and the natural PA is more preferred in these applications. Phenylacetic acid (PAA) (FEMA-GRAS 2878) possesses a honey-like odor in low concentration and thus is used in some perfumes. Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a natural monoamine alkaloid with psychoactive and stimulant effects. It has been widely used as food supplement and nutrition supplement to boost mood and mental performance.
To provide enough supply of natural 2-PE or other related compounds, biotechnological methods from natural origin were developed and the products can be considered natural. Microbial production of 2-PE has been very attractive for producing a "natural" product with high value. The natural Ehrlich pathway in some yeast was employed for microbial production (e.g., by some yeasts, fungi, and very few bacteria) of these natural compounds [Etschmann, M., Bluemke, W., et al., J. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 59: 1-8; (2002); Hua, D., Xu, P. Biotechnol. Adv. 29: 654-660 (2011)]. However, these methods only produced the desired products in low to moderate concentration. For example, baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was recently engineered to produce 4.8 g/L of 2-PE from 10 g/L of Phe via the traditional Ehrlich pathway [Kim, B., Cho, B. R., Hahn, J. S. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 111: 115-124 (2014)].
There is a need for improved methods to produce useful and valuable "natural" phenethyl alcohol, aldehyde, acid, amine, and related compounds.

Bioproduction of phenethyl alcohol, aldehyde, acid, amine, and related compounds


An explosive and narcotics detection system using an ion mobility spectrometer detects the presence of vapor or trace particles of target chemicals. The calibration of the spectrometer depends in part on the stability of a calibrant chemical that may be periodically injected together with sample gas into the ionization region of the spectrometer. The calibrant chemical produces a signal with a drift time that is known relative to target chemicals and may be used to calibrate the expected target chemical drift times. A new calibrant chemical, 5-nitrovanillin, is disclosed for this purpose.

1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to detection of explosives, and more particularly, to calibrating the ion mobility drift time scale of an ion mobility spectrometer for the detection of explosives.
2. Description of Related Art
Ion mobility spectrometers (IMS) are used for the identification of chemicals based on the time required for the chemical ion to traverse a drift space to a charge collecting surface under the influence of an electric field. The resultant drift time is dependent on the field strength, the distance traversed, the density, type, and flow vector of the gas within the drift space, and the physical characteristics of size and mass of the chemical species. In practice, usually the gas within the drift space is temperature-controlled dry air, and the drift distance, electric field strength, and electric field uniformity are fixed or controlled. This leaves ambient pressure, subtle irregularities in temperature, and ambient chemical species as the primary uncontrolled variables affecting the drift time. The physical properties of the chemical species together with that of the drift gas are combined into a single parameter known as the reduced mobility constant, usually written as Ko. In general, a large value of reduced mobility equates to rapid motion of an ion in an electric field. The reduced mobility is the mobility corresponding to standard conditions of temperature and pressure, 273 Kelvin and 760 mm.
In order to further compensate for subtle variations in temperature and pressure, a calibrant chemical may be introduced into the ion generating region of the system. Since this chemical is known, the expected drift time can be estimated if the ambient pressure is measured. For a system that is open to the atmosphere, it is sufficient to measure the pressure external to the ion drift region. The actual calibrant drift time may then be used to predict the observed drift times of any other desired ion species by reference to a table of the ratio of the reduced ion mobility of the calibrant to the target chemical. Relying on the assumption that the environment seen by the calibrant ion and the target ion is similar through the ion source and drift region, any imperfections, non-uniform electric fields, temperature variations, and the like are equally compensated for in the calibrant and target ion drift times, and the ratio should be a constant.
One variable that is species-dependent is the level of ambient humidity in the drift region. It is well-known that water molecules form clusters that attach metastabily to certain chemical species, thus changing their mass and cross section, and thus ion mobility in the drift region. In order to minimize this phenomenon, the air within the drift region is typically both heated in excess of 100 degrees Centigrade as well as dried using a drying agent, such as molecular sieve material.
In a system that is open to the atmosphere, the calibrant chemical is typically admitted along the same path that is employed for the external air sample entry into the ion generation region. Therefore, the calibrant encounters potentially humid external air and may be compromised in some manner by its presence.
In practice, the charge peak of the calibrant chemical is first identified in the spectrum of charge amplitude versus drift time after the calibrant has been introduced into the ion mobility spectrometer. The specific drift time is determined, and the expected drift times of target chemicals are calculated from a pre-measured table of the target chemical/calibrant ratios of reduced mobilities.
A "window" is generally provided around the expected drift times of the target chemicals because of effects related to instantaneous drift gas pressure and flow speed, metastable chemical adducts, gas concentration, as well as many other subtle effects.
A commonly employed calibrant is butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), which is a food additive normally used for its anti-oxidant properties. This chemical is fairly sensitive to the level of ambient humidity and contamination chemicals in the environment. It is characterized by two chemical constituents in the gas phase, BHT and BHT+2O. These species have ion mobilities with almost, but not the same, value. The resultant charge peak in the ion mobility spectrum is thus the sum of two Gaussian-like peaks, which is in turn also a Gaussian-like peak. Each of the two chemical species has an ion transmission amplitude that varies independently with humidity and the presence of contamination chemicals from the environment. When the relative amplitudes of the two peaks vary, the apparent drift time of the sum of the two peaks will shift over the range between the mobility of each of the constituent species. Common contamination chemicals, including water vapor, are known that almost completely block ion formation of BHT ions. As such, its unstable ion transmission amplitude and variable drift time means that BHT is not a reliable calibrant for a system that is open to the atmosphere.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system and method using a calibrant chemical having a drift time and transmission amplitude that are only weakly affected by ambient environmental chemicals, including humidity, in order to ensure the stability of the calibration of the IMS.


The present invention is directed to a pyrimidine derivative of the following formula (1) or a salt of the derivative: ##STR1## [wherein R.sup.1 represents a lower alkyl group; each of R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 represents H, alkyl, or alkoxy; each of R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 represents H or alkyl; R.sup.6 represents alkyl, --OR.sup.7, or --NR.sup.8 R.sup.9 ; and n is a number between 0 and 3 inclusive (wherein each of R.sup.7, R.sup.8, and R.sup.9 represents H, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, amino, a heterocyclic ring, etc.)], as well as to a medicine containing the derivative or salt as the active ingredient. The present compounds exhibit strong binding inhibitory activity against endothelin having potent vasoconstrictive effect and cell proliferation effect. Therefore, the compounds are effective as remedies for various diseases including circulatory diseases.

Endothelin, having potent vasoconstrictive effect, blood pressure elevating effect, and cell proliferation effect, is considered to be a substance that contributes to various diseases and disorders including heart diseases such as ischemic heart infarction, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, and unstable angina; airway diseases such as asthma; hypertonia such as pulmonary hypertension, renal hypertension, and hypertension accompanying organ transplantation; circulatory diseases such as subarachnoid hemorrhage and post-PTCA reconstriction or vasospasm; kidney diseases such as acute and chronic renal failure; diabetes, hyperlipemia, and other diseases that are accompanied by vascular lesion, as well as arteriosclerosis; liver diseases such as alcohol-induced liver disorders; gastrointestinal disorders such as those of gastric mucosa; bone diseases; prostatic hypertrophy and urinary disorders; cancer; and skin diseases concurrent with proliferation of melanocytes [Saishin-Igaku (may be translated to "Medicine Up-to-date"), 94, 335-431(1994), Igaku-no-Ayumi (may be translated to "Progress of Medicine"), 168, 675-692(1994), Igaku-no-Ayumi, 170, 357(1994), Pharmac. Rev., 46, 325(1994), and Gendai-Iryo (may be translated to "Modern Remedies"), 27, 1 (1995)].
It has come to be elucidated that a variety of actions of endothelin are triggered upon binding of endothelin to its receptors in organs of the body, and that the vasoconstriction caused by endothelin is induced by the mediation of at least two different receptors (ET.sub.A receptor and ET.sub.B receptor). Therefore, a compound that prevents endothelin from binding to these two receptors should be useful as a preventive and therapeutic agent for the above-mentioned diseases in which endothelin participates. Heretofore, a number of compounds have been reported as exhibiting endothelin antagonism [J. Med. Chem., 36, 2585 (1993), Nature, 365, 759(1993), Circulation, 88, 1-316 (1994), Saishin-Igaku, 94, 424-431(1994), J. Med. Chem. 37, 1553(1994), and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 5-222003)].
However, there have not yet been found compounds that exhibit satisfactory endothelin antagonism.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to the discovery of a compound that has potent endothelin antagonism, as well as to the provision of pharmaceuticals containing such a compound as the active ingredient.


An engine ECU executes a program including: the step of outputting a fuel-cut instruction when conditions that an accelerator position PA is not higher than a threshold value and a rate of increase DNE of engine speed NE is not lower than a determination value DNE(0) are satisfied; the step of fully closing throttle opening; and the step of suspending ignition of air-fuel mixture by a spark plug.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine controller and, more specifically, to a control technique reducing the number of rotations of an output shaft of the internal combustion engine at the time of gear shifting.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, a vehicle having manual transmission has been known, in which gear shifting is done manually while the clutch is disengaged by a driver operation on a clutch pedal. In such a vehicle, a shock comes when the clutch is engaged again after gear shifting, if the number of rotations of an output shaft of the engine does not match the number of rotations of an input shaft of the transmission. Therefore, a technique of attaining synchronization between the number of rotations of an output shaft of the engine and the number of rotations of an input shaft of the transmission at the time of gear shifting has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-74135 discloses a transmission control device capable of suppressing generation of the shock experienced at the time of shift change, that is, the shift shock. The transmission control device described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-74135 includes, in a manual transmission vehicle including an engine and a manual transmission connected to the engine through a clutch, a transmission input shaft rotation number detecting unit for detecting the number of rotations of the input shaft of the manual transmission, on the input shaft side of the manual transmission, and a control unit controlling engine speed (number of rotations) of the engine such that it is synchronized with the number of rotations of the input shaft of manual transmission in accordance with a detection signal from the transmission input shaft rotation number detecting unit, regardless of an accelerator position, when the clutch is disengaged (released). The control unit determines an amount of control reflecting the difference between the number of rotations of the input shaft of the manual transmission and the engine speed at the time of an up-shifting from a preset map, and controls the engine speed based on the amount of control, so that the engine speed decreases. Further, when the difference between the number of rotations of the input shaft of the manual transmission and the engine speed is not larger than a prescribed value, the control unit determines an amount of control found from the preset map to be zero, so that engine speed control is not performed.
According to the transmission control device in accordance with this laid-open application, the control unit has a function of controlling the engine speed such that it is synchronized with the number of rotations of the input shaft of manual transmission in accordance with a detection signal from the transmission input shaft rotation number detecting unit, regardless of an accelerator position when the clutch is disengaged, and therefore, the shock at the time of shift change, that is, the shift shock, can be suppressed. Further, the control unit additionally has a function of determining the amount of control reflecting the difference between the number of rotations of the input shaft of the manual transmission and the engine speed at the time of an up-shifting from a preset map and controlling the engine speed based on the amount of control, so that the engine speed decreases. Therefore, even when the driver shifts the gear up (up-shift) while continuously pressing the acceleration pedal, the difference between the engine speed and the number of rotations of the input shaft of the manual transmission can automatically be absorbed, and efficient transmission control is possible. Further, the control unit additionally has a function of determining the amount of control found from a preset map to be zero, so as not to perform engine speed control. Therefore, engine speed control is not performed when the difference between the number of rotations of the input shaft of the manual transmission and the engine speed is not larger than a prescribed value, that is, when the vehicle is started from the stopped state, and therefore, a factor that may hinder the half-clutch starting operation can be avoided.
In an engine having inertia mass of a flywheel or intake volume enlarged in order to increase engine output, even when the accelerator is set to the full close position for an up-shift, sometimes the engine speed still continues to increase for a while. Therefore, if engine speed control is not performed when the difference between the number of rotations of the input shaft of the manual transmission and the engine speed is not larger than a prescribed value, as in the transmission control device described in the laid-open application mentioned above, the difference in the number of rotations would be considerably large by the time the clutch is re-engaged, even if the difference is small at the start of gear shifting. If the clutch is re-engaged in this state, a shift shock is likely.


A communication system controls a Long Term Evolution (LTE) media session with an Internet Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). An LTE Packet Gateway (P-GW) establishes an IMS bearer between User Equipment (UE) and an IMS server. The IMS server receives a media session request over the IMS bearer and processes the media session request to establish the media session including transferring a media session instruction for delivery to an LTE Policy, Charging, and Rules Function (PCRF) system. The IMS server detects a PCRF bypass condition for the media session, and in response, transfers a UE session instruction for delivery to the UE to use the IMS bearer for the media session. The UE and IMS server exchange media data for the media session over the IMS bearer through the LTE P-GW.

Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems supply User Equipment (UE) with wireless access to communication services, such as Internet access and Voice over LTE (VoLTE) calling. The LTE systems include Packet Gateways (P-GWs) that interface with external systems, such as the Internet and an Internet Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). The LTE systems also include Policy, Charging, and Rules Functions (PCRFs) to control Quality-of-Service (QoS) and bandwidth allocations at the P-GWs. The P-GWs and PCRFs interact to establish media bearers between UEs and P-GWs. The P-GWs and PCRFs also interact to establish IMS bearers between UEs and IMS servers.
To place a VoLTE call, a UE exchanges Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages with an IMS Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) over its IMS bearer. In response, the IMS CSCF systems exchange SIP messages with other systems to establish the voice session. If the voice session is accepted, the P-CSCF instructs the LTE PCRF to add a voice bearer for the VoLTE call. In response, the LTE PCRF supplements the voice bearer instruction with QoS and bandwidth allocation data and forwards the supplemented voice bearer instruction to the LTE P-GW. The LTE P-GW then establishes the voice bearer, and the P-CSCF transfers a SIP message to the UE over the IMS bearer to use the voice bearer for the VoLTE call. The UE then exchanges voice packets with the LTE P-GW over the voice bearer, and the P-GW exchanges the voice packets with the other systems to extend the voice path for the call.
A key aspect of this VoLTE process is the IMS P-CSCF instruction to the LTE PCRF to add the voice bearer for the call. The LTE PCRF supplements the voice bearer instruction with QoS and bandwidth data, and transfers the supplemented voice bearer instruction to the LTE P-GW. If the LTE PCRF is not available due to an outage, then the P-CSCF may provide an alarm or notice, but the media session may not occur. Current techniques to handle PCRF outages on VoLTE sessions are not efficient and effective.

Internet multimedia subsystem (IMS) bypass of a long term evolution (LTE) policy, charging, and rules function (PCRF)


A filtration system for a toilet including a fan assembly having an air flow channel in fluid communication with a toilet bowl, a housing interposing the toilet bowl and the fan assembly to receive a filter unit therein such that the filter unit is in fluid communication with the air flow channel. A controller can selectively activate the fan assembly in response to various signals.

1. Field of Inventive Concept
The present general inventive concept relates to the field of toilet ventilation. More specifically, the present general inventive concept relates to a filtration system for removing odors, bacteria, and/or particulate matter from air drawn from a toilet bowl.
2. Description of the Related Art
The benefit of ventilating a toilet bowl has long been recognized. Accordingly, many devices have been developed to provide such a function. Of interest in the present disclosure is a filtration system that is used to remove odors, bacteria, and/or particulate matter from the air in and around the toilet bowl.


This invention provides a cell frame for a redox flow battery that prevents leakage of electrolyte out of the cell frame and also provides a good workability in assembling the redox flow battery. Also, this invention provides a redox flow battery using the cell frame. In the cell frame 30 for the redox flow battery 30 comprising a bipolar plate 21 and a frame 31 fitted around a periphery of the bipolar plate 21, the frame 31 has, on each side thereof, an inner seal and an outer seal to press-contact with a membrane and also seal electrolyte. The frame 31 has, on each side thereof, an inner seal groove 34 and an outer seal groove 35 for placing therein the inner seal and the outer seal, respectively, to prevent the electrolyte from leaking out, and O-rings are placed in the respective seal grooves.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown an explanatory view showing an operating principle of a conventional redox flow secondary battery. The redox flow battery has a cell 1 separated into a positive electrode cell 1A and a negative electrode cell 1B by a membrane 4 that can allow ions to pass through. The positive electrode cell 1A and the negative electrode cell 1B include a positive electrode 5 and a negative electrode 6, respectively. A positive electrode tank 2 for feeding and discharging positive electrolytic solution to and from the positive electrode cell 1A is connected to the positive electrode cell 1A through conduit pipes 7, 8. Similarly, a negative electrode tank 3 for feeding and discharging negative electrolytic solution to and from the negative electrode cell 1B is connected to the negative electrode cell 1B through conduit pipes 10, 11. Aqueous solution containing ions that change in valence, such as vanadium ion, is used for the positive and negative electrolytes. The electrolyte containing the ions is circulated by using pumps 9, 12, to charge and discharge with the change in ionic valence at the positive electrodes 5 and negative electrodes 6.
Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown a diagrammatic illustration of construction of a cell stack used for the redox flow battery mentioned above. This type of battery usually uses the construction which is called a cell stack 100 comprising a plurality of cell frames 20 stacked in layers.
The cell stack 100 comprises a stack body formed by a cell frame 20, a positive electrode 5 made of carbon felt, a membrane 4, a negative electrode 6 made of carbon felt and the cell frame 20 being repeatedly stacked in this sequence. End plates are arranged at both sides of the stack body and are clamped onto the both sides of the stack body by tightening nuts screwably engaged with long bolts 101 piercing the both end plates, to thereby produce the cell stack 100.
The cell frame 20 comprises a bipolar plate 21 made of plastic carbon and a frame 22 formed around a periphery of the bipolar plate. The cell frame 22 usually has, in lower and upper sides thereof, holes which are called manifolds 23A, 23B for feeding and discharging the electrolytes to and from their respective cells and guide grooves 24 extending continuously from the manifolds for guiding the electrolyte to the electrodes 5, 6.
Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown a partially enlarged view schematically showing a section around a frame when conventional cell frames are stacked in layer. A seal using an O-ring (FIG. 10(a)-(c)) disclosed by Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. 2000-260460 and a seal using a flat packing (FIG. 10(d)) disclosed by Japanese Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 8-7913 are known as a mechanism for preventing leakage of electrolyte from between the cell frames.
Cell frames 20a shown in FIG. 10(a) each have O-ring grooves 25 formed at locations opposite to each other on both sides thereof, one for each side, and O-rings 26 are fitted in the O-ring grooves 25.
Cell frames 20b shown in FIG. 10(b) each have an inner O-ring groove 25a formed on one side thereof and an outer O-ring groove 25b formed on the other side, both grooves being provided at locations staggered with respect to each other, and an inner O-ring 26a and an outer O-ring 26b are fitted in the grooves 25a, 25b, respectively.
Cell frames 20c shown in FIG. 10(c) each have the inner O-ring groove 25a and the outer O-ring groove 25b, different in size from each other, which are formed on one side thereof, so that one pair of the grooves 25a, 25b is arranged in parallel with each other, and the inner O-ring 26a and the outer O-ring 26b are fitted in the grooves 25a, 25b, respectively, as is the case with the above.
Cell frames 20d shown in FIG. 10(d) each have a flat packing 27, corresponding in shape to the cell frame 20d, which is arranged on each side.
For a redox flow battery of a relatively small size, a seal using a heat fusion bonding method listed in "provisions for power storage battery system" is also known.
The cell stacks using the conventional cell frames described above have the following problems, however.
(1) It is difficult to prevent leakage of electrolyte from between the cell frames effectively,
{circle around (1)} In the cell stack using the cell frames 20a-20c shown in FIG. 10(a)-(c), part of the membrane 4 projected outwardly of the O-ring 26, 26a is not kept in its wet condition due to dryness and thus is sometimes broken. When the break in the membrane progresses inwardly with respect to the O-ring 26, 26a, there is a possibility that the electrolyte may leak out of the cell frames 20a-20c through that break.
{circle around (2)} The flat packing 27 shown in FIG. 10(d) is desirable for the cell frame of a large area to produce a high capacity. However, when the cell frames 20d are stacked in layers, with the flat packing 27 interposed therebetween, the flat packing 27 must be positioned precisely with respect to the cell frames and also the cell frames 20d stacked in layers must be clamped uniformly by a number of long bolts 101, in order to prevent the leakage of electrolyte.
(2) Workability in a Cell Stack Assembly is Poor
{circle around (1)} In the cell stack using the cell frames 20b, 20c shown in FIGS. 10(b) and (c), since the membrane 4 between the cell frames is set so that its periphery is positioned to be above the inner O-ring 26a but inside of the outer O-ring 26b, the membrane 4 must be cut to extremely close tolerance. In addition, the membrane 4 cut with a very high degree of precision must be aligned to the cell frames precisely, thus involving very poor workability in producing the cell stack.
{circle around (2)} In the cell stack using the flat packing 27 shown in FIG. 10(d), the flat packing 27 must be also aligned to the cell frames 20d precisely, thus involving very poor workability in assembling the cell stack.
{circle around (3)} In the seal using a heat fusion bonding method, as a size of the cell frame increases, the fusion bonding work becomes complicated, involving difficulties in the application of the seal. Also, the use of this type of seal causes cost increase.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a cell frame for a redox flow battery that effectively prevents leakage of electrolyte out of the cell frame and also provides a good workability in assembling the redox flow battery.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a redox flow battery using that cell frame.

Cell stack for redox flow battery, and redox flow battery


A first virtual machine (VM) in a processing system may emulate a first server blade, and a second VM in the processing system may emulate a second server blade. The emulated server blades may be referred to as virtual server blades. A virtual machine monitor (VMM) in the processing system may provide a communication channel to at least one of the virtual server blades. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Server blades, also known as blade servers, are data processing systems that are built on cards and that plug into slots in a rack, also known as a chassis. For example, a chassis may feature numerous vertical slots, and multiple server blades for handling application workloads may be plugged into those slots like books on a bookshelf. Server blades may therefore be referred to as modular computing components or platforms. International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, for example, sells a line of server blades under the BladeCenter trademark. Such a server blade may use two processors, such as the processors referred to by Intel Corporation as Xeon processors. Other types of server blades may use different types and numbers of processors.
The chassis may contain a backplane and/or an interconnect module with buses or communication lines interconnecting the slots in the rack. In addition, a chassis management module (CMM) may be plugged into the rack, for monitoring the resources within the chassis, for providing management warning or alerts, for receiving management directives, and for performing other administrative functions associated with the server blades. The chassis may also contain many other types of components or modules, such as shared power modules, storage blades containing hard disk drives, input/output (I/O) blades for optical or other types of I/O, etc. For purposes of this disclosure, the term server blade includes I/O blades and similar modules.
Server blades are typically small, and it is typically relatively easy to install additional server blades into a chassis. Server blades therefore typically provide better density and scalability than standalone servers. Consequently, a significant amount of software has been developed to provision, configure, manage, and support such modular, scalable components, including software for remotely managing the hardware, and software for apportioning different sets of blades for use by different software applications. For instance, the management software may group multiple server blades together to cooperate in handling the processing workload of a software application such as a web server, for example. Thus, multiple blades may operate more or less as a virtual unified processing system.
The software for apportioning blades for different applications may also provide for automatic reapportionment in response to changing conditions. For example, blades may be reapportioned in response to changes in the workload being handled by one or more applications, or in response to hardware or software errors in one or more blades. In some instances, blades and chassis may include hardware and/or software to support autonomous monitoring and recovery features, in accordance with a specification such as the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) Specification, Second Generation, v2.0, Revision 1.0, dated Feb. 12, 2004.
A different approach to data processing is to partition a single platform or server into multiple virtual machines, with an independent operating system (OS) and independent software applications running in each virtual machine. For instance, a company named VMWare provides software that supports partitioning a single physical processing system into multiple virtual machines. The software provided under the name Connectix Virtual PC by Microsoft Corporations also supports partitioning a single platform into multiple virtual machines.

Method and apparatus for providing virtual server blades


A Supplemental Automotive Restraint System for Pregnant Women has a protective shell structure with integral “Pelvic Yoke and Crotch Post”, “Breast Plate”, structural “Abdominal Bridge/Shell” over the abdomen between the “Pelvic Yoke” and the “Breast Plate”, “Shoulder Belt Retainer”, and appropriate padding and fill material, all of which work in conjunction with the standard automotive Type II lap and shoulder belt restraint system as required to be installed in all new passenger cars manufactured for sale in the United States by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208 (FMVSS 208). The purpose of the “Supplemental Automotive Restraint System for Pregnant Women” is to reduce the likelihood of injury to a pregnant mother and her unborn child during maneuvering, crash, or other non-impact event of a motor vehicle while the mother is driving or riding in the vehicle.

When a motor vehicle is involved in an accident, the standard automotive lap and shoulder belt restraint system, if properly used, provides a minimum level of protection from crash injury to the passengers or driver as required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208—Occupant Crash Protection. This minimum level of protection is currently required for adult passengers and drivers who are either a 5.sup.th percentile adult female or a 50.sup.th percentile adult male. For persons who are smaller than a 5.sup.th percentile adult female, supplemental restraint devices are required to provide a minimum level of protection pursuant to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. There are currently no motor vehicle safety standards relating to adults larger than a 50.sup.th percentile male adult, or to a pregnant woman of any size and her unborn child(ren).
The purpose of the "Method For Supplemental Automotive Restraint For Pregnant Women" (Method/Device) is to provide enhanced protection for the pregnant mother and her unborn child(ren).
There are several categories of injuries that occur to lap and shoulder belted occupants in motor vehicle crashes. One category results from violent contact with the steering wheel, the inner door surfaces and related components, the dashboard area and related components, the windshield, side windows and their related frames, and other objects. A second category involves injuries caused by inflating air bags, and a third category involves injuries caused by the lap and shoulder belts. These belt-induced injuries are commonly referred as "Seat Belt Syndrome". "Seat Belt Syndrome" injuries are signified by skin abrasions of the neck, chest, and abdomen, which indicate internal injury in approximately 30% of cases. Neck abrasions are associated with injuries to the carotid artery, larynx, and cervical spine. Chest abrasions are associated with fractures of the sternum, ribs, and clavicles, and injuries to the lungs, heart and thoracic aorta. Abdominal abrasions are associated with mesenteric tears, bowel perforation and hematoma, injuries to the abdominal aorta and injuries to the spine, spinal cord, and pelvis..sup.i These injuries are exacerbated when the lap belt slips up over the pelvis and into the lower abdominal cavity. This is commonly referred to as "submarining", and it is the natural tendency and a frequent occurrence in motor vehicle crashes and at other times. .sup.iHayes, Conway, Walsh, Coppage, & Gervin, "Seat Belt Injuries: Radiologic and Clinical Correlation", Department of Radiology, Medical College of Virginia, Radiographics, January 1991, 11(1):23-36
There are two categories of forces between the seat belts and the body of the person. The first involves the static forces that are intended to hold the belts in place during normal vehicle operations. These static forces are typically provided by a seat belt retractor or similar device. These forces are minimal in the absence of a crash or other abrupt motion change (acceleration) of the vehicle, and are associated primarily with the comfort of the passenger. They are inconsequential in causing injury to the passenger provided that they maintain the belts in the proper position prior to the crash.
The second category of force between the seat belts and the body of the person involves the dynamic forces between the surface of the body and the lap and shoulder belts as required to restrain the body in the vehicle during the abrupt motions of crash or other event. These forces exist only when the vehicle is undergoing a crash or other abrupt motion change (acceleration).
Seat Belt Syndrome injuries result from this second category of dynamic forces. These forces are applied to the limited area of direct contact between the belts and the surface of the body. The application of these high dynamic forces to the limited area of contact between the belts and the person's body causes high stresses and strains in various parts of the body, which are the root causes of Seat Belt Syndrome injuries.
The mechanisms of injury to the fetus are less well documented, but the risk of injury is clearly extended to the unborn child. Of pregnant women who are treated for injury in hospital emergency departments, "Motor Vehicle occupant injuries were the leading mechanism of emergency department injury-related visits . . . . Pregnant women with an injury-related emergency department visit were more likely than non-injured pregnant women to experience pre-term labor, placental abruption, and cesarean delivery..sup.ii .sup.iiWeiss, Sauber-Schatz and Cook, "The Epidemiology of Pregnancy-Associated Emergency Department Injury Visits and their Impact on Birth Outcomes", Accident Analysis and Prevention, Volume 40, Issue 3, May, 2008, pp. 1088-1095.
The unborn child is at risk because the mother's abdomen provides limited protection against objects that impinge on the abdomen, such as the steering wheel, lap and shoulder belts, air bag restraints, door handles and other objects and surfaces within the vehicle that are likely to contact and apply force to the mother's body in both accident and non-accident situations. In particular, the lap and shoulder belts, steering wheel and air bags are designed to protect the mother. They also provide some protection to the fetus, but in addition, all three pose additional side effect risks of injury to the fetus.

Supplemental automotive restraint for pregnant women


A primary coil is configured by series connection of a first coil element (L1a), a second coil element (L1b) and a fifth coil element (L1c), and a secondary coil is configured by series connection of a third coil element (L2a), a fourth coil element (L2b) and a sixth coil element (L2c). The coil elements (L1a, L2b, L1c) are disposed coaxially and the coil elements (L2a, L1b, L2c) are also disposed coaxially. The respective coil elements (L1a, L1b, L1c) of the primary coil and the respective coil elements (L2a, L2b, L2c) of the secondary coil are disposed adjacently in a layer direction of a base material layer, respectively. The coil elements (L1a, L1b, L1c, L2a, L2b, L2c) are connected in such a manner that a magnetic field in the same direction is generated in all of the coil elements (L1a, L1b, L1c, L2a, L2b, L2c) when common mode current flows.

For example, a high speed interface such as a USB or an HDMI uses a "differential transmission system" for transmitting signals having different phases by 180° through a pair of signal lines. Since radiation noises or external noises are offset in a balanced line, the differential transmission system is hardly influenced by these noises. However, in actuality, noise current in a common mode based on asymmetry of a signal line for a high speed interface is generated particularly in the signal line. For this reason, a common mode choke coil is used in order to control the common mode noise.
Usually, the common mode choke coil is configured as a small-sized laminated chip component including two coils (a primary coil and a secondary coil) wound in the same direction as is disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Literature 1, FIG. 2 of Patent Literature 2 and the like. The primary coil and the secondary coil are arranged symmetrically in a lamination direction in a laminated element body.
FIG. 20 is a sectional view showing the common mode choke coil described in the Patent Literature 1. The common mode choke coil has a structure including two coils (laminated coils) 2 and 3 wound coaxially and arranged separately from each other in an axial direction in a laminated element 1, and starting ends and terminating ends of the respective coils 2 and 3 are led to end faces at both sides of the laminated element 1 and are connected to predetermined external electrodes.

Laminated common mode choke coil and high frequency component


Methods and devices for purification of different cell components from the same sample are provided.

Current isoelectric focusing based protein, peptide, nucleic acid, organelle and cell fractionation technologies suffer from two main shortcomings. First, samples are separated over a fixed or limited pH range resulting in non-optimal fractionation of various samples. Second, pH gradients required for sample fractionation are established via chemicals (ampholytes) resulting in contamination of fractionated samples with chemicals and (potential) interference of downstream analysis.

Simultaneous purification of cell components

TECHNION RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION LTD.


Described herein are photovoltaic devices including self-assembling fullerene derivatives. In one embodiment, a photovoltaic device includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and an active layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. The active layer is configured to absorb incident light to produce a first type of charge carrier that is transported to the first electrode layer and a second type of charge carrier that is transported to the second electrode layer. The active layer includes self-assembled molecules of a fullerene derivative to provide a conductive path through at least a portion of the active layer.

The increasing cost of fossil fuels has generated a strong interest in renewable solar energy sources. Although relatively efficient, inorganic photovoltaic devices can be costly. Advances in organic bulk heterojunction ("BHJ") photovoltaic devices have opened prospects for the development of less expensive, easily produced alternatives. To date, solar conversion efficiencies of organic BHJ devices have reached about 5-6 percent, still short of the desired 10 percent for commercialization and widespread adoption.
The more efficient organic BHJ devices have been based on a conjugated semiconducting polymer blended or mixed with a fullerene derivative. The fullerene derivative serves as an electron acceptor material to split excitons formed when the polymer absorbs light. The polymer and fullerene components should be mixed together on a length scale that is shorter than an exciton diffusion length, typically about 10 nm, to ensure that most excitons are harvested. It is also desirable that the polymer and fullerene components form bicontinuous interpenetrating networks for efficient transport of separated charge carriers to respective electrodes. Forming an optimal BHJ device is a difficult balancing act: having the components mixed too well can impede the formation of separate polymer and fullerene networks, but too much component separation can lead to the formation of unconnected islands that serve as charge carrier traps. In view of the difficulty of achieving this balance, low performance in BHJ devices remain a significant obstacle.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop the photovoltaic devices and related systems and methods described herein.

Photovoltaic devices including self-assembling fullerene derivatives for improved efficiencies

The Regents of the University of California


A high impedance output driver stage (16) for reducing loading on a gain stage (18) which drives an output stage (19). The output stage (19) is responsive to an input current. A current sense circuit (21) senses current of output stage (19). The current sense circuit (21) outputs a current proportional to the current sensed in the output stage (19). A current source circuit (22) is responsive to the current output by the current sense circuit (21) and outputs a current substantially equal to the input current of the output stage (19) thereby reducing loading on the gain stage (18).

This invention relates, in general, to amplifiers, and more particularly to circuits for buffering a gain stage from an output stage.
A common form of an amplifier comprises an input gain stage (or first gain stage), a second gain stage, and an output stage. Those skilled in the art will also know that the second gain stage is often combined with the output stage. For this case, the output stage is defined as the circuitry which drives a load external to the amplifier. Each amplifier stage interacts with the other amplifier stages. This interaction affects performance of each amplifier stage as well as the overall performance of the amplifier. Design of an amplifier, in part, is the melding of each amplifier stage, which in some cases means compromising performance of a particular stage for the benefit of amplifier performance in total. Of particular concern is the effect of the output stage on the second gain stage, or more generally, a gain stage coupled to a high drive stage.
For example, the second gain stage provides an amplified voltage signal which is coupled to the output stage. The output stage generally does not have voltage gain but provides current drive to a load external to the amplifier. The output stage may be required to sink or source a current of significant magnitude depending on the external load. Under high drive conditions the output stage may present a low impedance load to the second gain stage. The second gain stage performance may be severely degraded by the low impedance load presented by the output stage for some circuit configurations. One approach to solve this problem is to add a buffer stage between the second gain stage and the output stage. Ideally, the buffer stage presents a high impedance load to the second gain stage while having the capability to drive a low impedance load (such as the input of an output stage).
A first circuit configuration of a buffer stage used between the second gain stage and an output stage is a bipolar transistor Darlington configuration. Those skilled in the art know that Darlington configured bipolar transistors have high current gain and high input impedance, both parameters are critical for the design of a good buffer stage. The Darlington configured buffer stage has been used successfully in an operational amplifier such as the MC33077 manufactured by Motorola Inc. The Darlington configured buffer stage is not without problems which limit its applications in many amplifier designs. The main problem with the Darlington configured buffer stage is that it affects the frequency response of the amplifier by adding phase shift which can cause amplifier instability when using feedback. The added phase shift contributed by the Darlington configured buffer stage is enough to limit amplifier performance or complicate the amplifier compensation scheme to the point where alternative circuit approaches are preferential to the Darlington configuration.
A second circuit configuration commonly used throughout the industry is a PNP bipolar transistor coupled to a current source. The PNP bipolar transistor is coupled to a gain stage in a voltage follower configuration for buffering the gain stage from a high drive stage. An example of this type of stage is in a MC33174 operational amplifier manufactured by Motorola Inc. PNP transistors in many semiconductor process flows have inferior performance characteristics than NPN transistors fabricated in the same process. This is the case for the MC33174 operational amplifier which must add additional circuitry to account for the performance deficiencies of using PNP transistors. Like the Darlington configured transistors a PNP based buffer stage adds phase shift to the amplifier loop, thus complicating amplifier compensation. Feed-forward capacitors are sometimes used to bypass the PNP transistor for high frequency signals due to the slow response time of the PNP transistor (adding more components to the amplifier design). If the PNP buffer stage is coupled to a differential gain stage, base current from the PNP buffer must be taken into account, otherwise, an offset could be induced into the amplifier. This is resolved by adding a dummy stage which mimics the base current from the PNP buffer but at the cost of more circuitry.
It would be of great benefit if a buffer stage could be developed which buffers a gain stage from an output stage (or high drive stage). The buffer stage should present a high impedance load to the gain stage, have the capability to drive a low impedance high drive stage, add minimal phase shift to the circuit, and keep component counts low.

High impedance output driver stage and method therefor


A cooling device is provided for cooling at least one computer component device in a main frame. The cooling device comprises a case and at least one fan assembly. The case is mounted adjacent to the computer component device, and is provided with at least one first opening communicating with air outside the main frame and at least one second opening facing the computer component device. The fan assembly is mounted in the case to suck the air outside the main frame through the first opening and directly ventilate the computer component device through the second opening.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention in general relates to a cooling device for dissipating heat generated by computer component devices in a main frame.
2. Description of Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, the main frame of a conventional computer has a cooling fan mounted on its back to discharge hot air, thereby lowering the temperature inside.
The CPU in the main frame easily generates a large quantity of heat and is further cooled by another cooling fan mounted thereon to help ensure stable CPU operation. However, the other component devices such as hard disk drives and CD ROM drives in the main frame are provided with no special cooling fans and therefore cannot be efficiently cooled. High temperature may cause them to become unstable or even fail. This problem has not received attention.


A reference model simulates a desired response characteristic of the variable valve timing apparatus and is constructed by using a dynamic characteristic in a region of the maximum changing speed of the valve timing of the variable valve timing apparatus. The variable valve timing apparatus is constructed of the control system with two degrees of freedom in which in the controller, the feedback duty is calculated so that the deviation between the output obtained by applying the time delay to the output of the quickest response model and the valve timing is small, and in the reverse VCT model, the feed forward duty is calculated so that the target advance amount is realized based upon the output of the quickest response model, and the control duty of the variable valve timing apparatus is obtained by addition of the feedback duty and the feed forward duty.

There has been recently increasing an in-vehicle internal combustion engine using a variable valve apparatus which changes valve opening/closing characteristics such as valve timing or a valve lift amount of an intake valve or an exhaust valve for the purpose of a power output improvement, a fuel economy improvement, reduction of exhaust emissions and the like. There is, however, a problem with an occurrence of variations in responsiveness of variable valve control caused by variations in the manufacture of the variable valve apparatus or variations in performance of the variable valve apparatus due to aging.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-256878 has, for solving this problem, disclosed a variable valve timing apparatus which calculates a changing speed of valve timing at the time of maintaining a control input (control duty of a hydraulic control valve) of the variable valve timing apparatus at a predetermined value and corrects the control input of the variable valve timing apparatus so as to reduce a difference between the changing speed of the valve timing and a predetermined speed.
In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-155766(U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,158B1) has disclosed a variable valve timing apparatus which sets a reference model which simulates characteristics as a reference of the variable valve timing apparatus and calculates a control input of the variable valve timing apparatus so that a difference between an output of the reference model and an actual valve timing of the variable valve timing apparatus is reduced.
In general, as shown in FIG. 4, in a variable valve timing apparatus of a hydraulically driven type, a changing speed (advance speed or retard speed) of valve timing changes with a control input (control duty of a hydraulic control valve). It is found out, however, according to the recent experimental result of the inventors, that the variable valve timing apparatus is characterized in that in a region where the changing speed of the valve timing becomes substantially a maximum, variations in the changing speed of the valve timing get small and in a region other than the above region, variations in the changing speed of the valve timing get relatively large.
However, since, in the variable valve controls as described above, the characteristic as a reference thereof is uniformly without consideration of the feature in regard to variations in performance of the variable valve timing apparatus, the characteristic as the reference is required to be set for adaptation to a variable valve apparatus as a lower limit product on variations in performance for realization of the characteristic as the reference even in the variable valve apparatus which is the lower limit product on the variations in the performance. As a result, there occurs the problem that responsiveness of the variable valve control is sacrificed for compensation for the variations in performance of the variable valve apparatus.

Variable valve control apparatus for internal combustion engine


The disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for producing an image in light deficient environments having cancelled fixed pattern noise.

Advances in technology have provided advances in imaging capabilities for medical use. One area that has enjoyed some of the most beneficial advances is that of endoscopic surgical procedures because of the advances in the components that make up an endoscope.
The disclosure relates generally to reducing the fixed pattern noise in video streams generated by electromagnetic sensors in order to enhance image quality, to render the data more natural looking in low-light and to improve the color accuracy. The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure without undue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Comprehensive fixed pattern noise cancellation


Methods, devices and arrays for measuring a change in zeta-potential of a surface indicative of a binding event are provided. Pharmacologically active compounds and delivery systems for active pharmaceutical ingredients determined to be pharmacologically active or optimized for pharmacological activity or determined to be useful for delivery of the active pharmaceutical ingredient to a target via measurement of a change in zeta-potential of the compound, ingredient or delivery system are also provided.

The generation of a streaming potential induced by changes in the zeta-potential has been used to build a general affinity sensor which measures protein interactions (Koch et al. Biosensors & Bioelectronics 1999 14:413-421). The capture agents in this set-up are immobilized on the inside of a capillary in connection with two ISFET sensors on each side of the capillary. The zeta-potential induced streaming potential difference between the two ISFETS is measured. Also see Wallin et al. Cancer Lett. 1984 March; 22(2):163-70 and Glad et al. Biosensors 1986; 2(2): 89-100.

Methods and devices for detecting binding events via zeta-potential and pharmacologically active compounds and delivery systems identified thereby


A case for portable electronic device has a set of substantially rigid opposing faces mounted on a hinge that fold together to enclose the device. An internal electrical connection between the device and the case is used to provide an electrical access point on the exterior of the case. The external electrical connection is accomplished through a passive electrical connector positioned on the hinge that holds the opposing faces together. Additional active electronics and batteries may also be positioned in the hinge such that the case can be operationally linked with the device contained in the case. Since many portable electronic devices are dimensioned to be carried in pockets or purses, limiting the size of a protective carrying case can be crucial to gaining consumer acceptance. The case is particularly well adapted for use with a digital music player.

A wide variety of cases and holders have been developed for portable electronic devices such as digital music players and cellular telephones. Many of these cases are constructed from flexible materials such as silicone or leather. These cases may have openings that provide access to the user inputs and displays of the device that is being held in the case. Unfortunately, these openings may allow the controls and displays of the device to be inadvertently activated or damaged due to their exposure. In addition, these soft cases may provide little protection for the device if it is dropped or impacted by a hard object. Hard protective cases constructed from substantially rigid metal or plastic that can withstand impacts are also known in the prior art. While these types of cases are better at protecting electronic devices from impacts, they do not provide access to the functions of the device when it is enclosed in the case. They also tend to be bulky and undesirably increase the combined weight and size of the case and portable electronic device. Therefore, what is needed is an improved case for a portable electronic device that provides protection for the device as well as access to the device's functions without substantially increasing the weight or size of the device.

Case for portable electronic device having external access port