Various systems and methods are described for controlling a diesel aftertreatment system coupled to an exhaust system of an engine which includes a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst and a diesel particulate filter (PF). In one example, a threshold amount of urea injected to the SCR catalyst is adjusted based on an amount of soot generated by the engine and the total amount of urea injected to the SCR catalyst is limited by the threshold.

Diesel vehicles are equipped with an aftertreatment system which may include, for example, one or more of each of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system and a diesel particulate filter in order to reduce emissions. Such an aftertreatment system may utilize the injection of a reductant such as urea to facilitate the reduction of NOx, for example. An injection amount of urea that is too low may result in a NOx conversion efficiency that is too low to meet regulation standards. On the other hand, an injection amount of urea that is too high may result in urea deposits in the system which may also decrease NOx efficiency and increase urea slip, as well as generate increased white smoke in the exhaust at high temperatures when the deposit is decomposed and released. Further, injection of too much urea may increase urea consumption thereby reducing urea economy.
The inventors herein have recognized the above issues and have devised an approach to at least partially address them. Thus, a method for an aftertreatment system of an engine exhaust, the aftertreatment system including a SCR catalyst and a particulate filter (PF), is disclosed. The method comprises, during decreased soot production, decreasing a total amount of urea injected to the SCR catalyst between a first and second regeneration and, during increased soot production, increasing the total amount of urea injected to the SCR catalyst between the first and second regeneration.
In one example the amount of urea injection is limited below a threshold, the threshold based on engine soot generation in addition to parameters such as exhaust temperatures, exhaust flow rates, and NO emission from the engine. For example, a urea deposit removal rate may be related to that of a burn rate of soot in a PF; thus, it may be beneficial to adjust urea injection to generate a urea deposit formation rate that is related to (e.g., less than) a soot deposit rate in order for a PF regeneration to substantially remove accumulated urea deposits. In other words, as PF regenerations may be triggered by soot storage levels (which in turn are driven by soot deposit rates and thus soot generation rates), if the urea deposit rate is controlled (through limiting urea injection levels) based on the soot levels, the PF regenerations triggered based on soot will be often enough to remove any urea deposits.
As such, during decreased soot production when the average engine out soot amount per unit time is decreased, the amount of urea injected to the SCR catalyst may limited to a reduced level, and the total amount of urea injected during decreased soot production is less than that during an interval of increased soot production when the average engine out soot amount per unit time is increased. In this way, an amount of urea injected to the SCR catalyst may be controlled such that urea economy and/or NOx conversion efficiency may be increased and accumulated soot deposits in the SCR catalyst may be reduced resulting in a reduced amount of white smoke in the exhaust, for example.
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.

Method for reducing urea deposits in an aftertreatment system


An electrical plug includes a housing and a spring clamp to connect a flexible electric conductor to an end piece of a rigid holder. The clamp spring includes a contact leg and a clamp leg. The clamp leg is bent closed in a loop onto the contact leg end providing a clamp opening through which the contact leg end protrudes. The clamp leg and a clamp opening edge positioned opposite to the clamp leg form a clamp location in which the electric conductor passed through the clamp opening is clamped before mounting the plug on the holder. After mounting, the holder extends through the clamp opening displacing the contact leg from the electric conductor. The holder and clamp spring clamp the electric conductor and form an electrical connection between the holder and electric conductor.

There are known connecting clamps having a housing and a spring clamp connection for connecting a flexible electric conductor to current rails, where the spring clamp connection consists of a clamp spring made of flat spring material. The connecting clamps disclosed for example in printed sources DE 3,514,099 C2, DE 198 02 945 A1 or DE 198 17 925 A1 comprise a contact leg and a clamp leg, the clamp leg being bent closed in the manner of a loop onto the end of the contact leg and comprising a clamp opening to which the end of the contact leg extends through. Such connecting clamps are employed to connect a flexible conductor to a current rail already connected to the spring clamp junction, where the flexible conductor is not introduced into the spring clamp connection until after the connection with the rigid current rail has been made.

Electrical plug, holder, system having an electrical plug and a holder, and method of making a connection between an electrical plug and a holder


In a focus controlling method of a laser beam for an optical disk, achieving a stable focus drawing-in, lowering ill influences due to stray lights, detecting an electric signal, which is obtainable upon basis of a reflection light from the optical disk loaded, in advance, while executing a focus sweep operation of gradually approaching the laser to a recoding surface of the optical disk, at an unnecessary light detection gain being higher than a gain of normal operation, thereby counting a number of signals generated due to unnecessary lights; and thereafter, detecting the electric signal, which is obtainable upon basis of the reflection light from the optical disk loaded, and thereby conducting a focus drawing-in, by considering an electric signal, which is generated just after a number detected thereof reaches to the counted number of signals generated due to the unnecessary lights, to be a signal reflected from the recording surface of the optical disk loaded.

The present invention relates to a focus controlling method of a laser beam within an optical disk apparatus for recording/reproducing the optical disk, and in particular, relates to the focus controlling technology of a laser beam for an optical disk, for achieving a stable focus drawing-in with reducing ill influences due to a stray light.
An optical disk apparatus is widely used for enabling an access to a large amount of data at high speed, using an optical disk, i.e., a large-capacitive and low-cost optical information recording medium, but without contact thereon within a personal computer, for example. However, in such an optical disk apparatus, a reflection light entering into an inside of an optical pickup, which is generated when a focus point of the laser beam is coincident with the optical disk surface, comes to be stray lights after being scattered therein, and due to such the stray lights is generated an alias or false signal, other than a focus signal generated due to reflection upon a recording surface of the optical disk.
In recent years, the optical disk apparatus becomes more compact. As such, Work Distance (WD) of the optical pickup comes to be narrow, and further a next-generation DVD (so-called Blu Disc (BD (®)) is put into a practical use thereof, which is very narrow in this WD. Accompanying with this, the optical disk surface and a focus lens come close to each other, and for that reason, the ill influences of the stray lights as mentioned above become more pronounced and cannot be ignored.
Herein, as the conventional art for removing the ill influences of the imitation signal due to the stray lights, Japanese Patent Laid 0pen No. 2002-367193 discloses therein a control in which a position of generating the false signals due to the stray lights is memorized in advance duing manufacturing, and an operation of focus drawing-in will not be started within a time during when the false signals are generated.
In addition, Jananese Patent Laid Open No. 2005-174383 discloses a control of calculating out focus drive signal voltage at a position receiving no ill influence due to the surface reflection on the optical disk, upon basis of the focus drive signal voltage when detecting out so-called S-like signal, so as to move the optical pickup to that position, thereby removing an offset due to the stray lights.
However, with such the conventional arts as was mentioned above, there are still remaining the following drawbacks:
Thus, within the optical disk reproducing apparatus disclosed by JP 2002-367193, since a time for generating the false signals depends on an mount of surface deflection of the disk, it is impossible to determine uniformly. In addition thereto, in particular, with the BD disk being very narrow (for example, in a degree of 0.1 mm), in the distance between the disk surface and the recording surface thereof, as was mentioned above, the time for masking the said false signals also comes to be very narrow, and the control itself is difficult to conduct.
Also, with the later JP 2005-174383, however, in the similar manner to the above, it is difficult to apply it into a high-speed drive, which can be easily affected with the ill influences due to the surface deflection, and in particular, into a BD disk drive.
On the other hand, further for avoiding such the ill influences upon the S-like signal due to the stray lights, a method of achieving the focus drawing-in is provided while directing the focus point from a reverse side of the optical disk to a surface side thereof, for example. With such method, however, within the BD disk drive being very narrow in the WD of the optical pickup, accompanying with thin-sizing of the optical disk apparatus, there is still a possibility that the optical pickup collides on the optical disk, thereby causing damage thereupon.

Laser focus controlling method on an optical disk and an optical disk apparatus with using thereof


An erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) package whose storage information can be erased by irradiating with light of a certain wavelength. A semiconductor device (34) with an erasable programmable read only memory is mounted on a circuit carrying substrate (30). Synthetic resin (37) covers the semiconductor device and portions of the circuit carrying substrate to provide a package. A window (39) is formed in the resin to expose the erasable-programmable-read-only-memory circuit to light. The window is cross-polarized and normally opaque to the light and transmits the light when appropriately energized to remove the cross polarization. The light is typically in the ultraviolet frequency, and the window may be made from a liquid crystal material or a solid crystal material such as PLZT. Applying a voltage to the window causes the liquid crystal material in the window to become transparent and allow the EPROM to be erased.

Erasable-programmable-read-only-memory (hereinafter called EPROM) packages that can be erased by an ultra-violet (UV) light ray consist of an EPROM chip directly mounted on a printed circuit board having conductive interconnection patterns formed on the main surface of the board, or on a lead frame. Referring to FIG. 1, an example of a prior art plastic package, a printed circuit board 10 made of an insulating material, such as glass-filled epoxy resin, has a chip mounting portion 12 and conductive interconnection patterns 13 on a main surface thereof. The chip mounting portion 12 is one portion of the conductive interconnection patterns 13. One end of each of the patterns 13 is adjacent to the chip mounting portion 12 and another end of the patterns connects to individual terminals (not shown). An EPROM chip 14 is mounted on the chip mounting portion 12 by, for example, a conductive adhesive 15, in such a manner that the active surface 4 thereof faces upward. Each of the pad electrodes of the EPROM chip 14 may be connected to one end of each of the patterns 13 with thin metal wires 16. One of the pad electrodes of the EPROM chip 14 connects to the chip mounting portion 12 with a thin metal wire so as to make an ohmic contact with the substrate of the chip 14. Then, the combined portion comprising the thin metal wires 16, the EPROM chip 14, and portions of the conductive patterns 13 are encapsulated by a cap or cover 17. The cap 17 is typically made from an UV opaque material, such as ceramic or black plastic, and contains a window 19 capable of transmitting UV light. The cap 17 is securely fixed to the board 10 with an adhesive 18 such as epoxy. In order to prevent the EPROM 14 from becoming accidentally erased, an opaque, light tight covering 5 is typically placed over the window 19. The covering 5 takes many forms, such as permanent coatings, temporary coatings, adhesive tape dots, removable plugs, removable caps, additional housings for the package, or conformal coatings. Each of these requires that the covering 5 be physically removed whenever the user desires to erase the information contained in the EPROM 14, and then replaced or reassembled prior to reprogramming the EPROM.
Another example of an EPROM package, a dual-in-line package (hereinafter simply called a DIP package), is illustrated in FIG. 2. The EPROM package includes an EPROM chip 24, a lead frame 21, leads 23, and a cap, cover, or housing 27 formed from alumina ceramic (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) or plastic resin. The EPROM chip 24 is bonded or mounted on a chip mounting portion 22 of the lead frame 21, and contains electrode pads which are connected to the lead frame with thin metal wires 26, such as gold or aluminum. A window 29 through which UV light may pass to the EPROM chip 24 is contained in the center of the cap 27. In order to prevent the EPROM 24 from becoming accidentally erased, an opaque, light tight covering 25 is typically placed over the window 29. The covering 25 takes many forms, as described above. The covering 25 must be physically removed whenever the user desires to erase the information contained in the EPROM, and then replaced on the DIP prior to reprogramming the chip.
DIP packages and other conventional EPROM packages suffer from the disadvantage of having to continually remove the window covering 25 when erasing the programmed information, and then replacing the covering 25 to prevent accidental erasure of the chip by stray light. It would be a significant advantage if one were able to erase the chip without having to physically remove the covering 25 and replace it each time.

EPROM package and method of optically erasing


A cosmetic composition containing: (a) at least one tackifier component having a solubility parameter corresponding to δ; (b) at least one liposoluble polymer having at least one segment with a solubility parameter corresponding to δ+2; (c) at least one solvent; and (d) optionally, at least one colorant.

There have been many developments in connection with improving comfort, wear and/or longevity of cosmetic compositions for the face, eye, lips nails or hair. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,258 is directed to eye make-up compositions comprising water insoluble polymeric material in the form of an aqueous emulsion and a water-soluble, film-forming polymer that are intended to improve wear benefits. U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,054 teaches a composition for application to the lips comprising silicone resins and dimethicone gums of high viscosity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,967 teaches the use of specific polyolefin waxes in mascara and eyebrow compositions to improve application, comfort and wear. U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,306 discloses transfer free compositions with block copolymers and additional film formers. Mixtures of waxes have been used to combine properties such as film hardness and adhesion to the lash. See, e.g. WO95/15741.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Cosmetic compositions containing liposoluble polymers and tackifiers


Disclosed is a one piece construction holder or container for irregularly shaped objects such as keys, dimensioned so as to fit within a card compartment of a conventional wallet, whereby said container is substantially rectangular and consists essentially of a rimmed top panel and a rimmed bottom panel integrally hinged together on one side, such that the hinge is thinner than either of the panels to which it is connected, and closure means on the opposite side from the hinge including a plug one one panel aligned with an accomodating hole on the other panel and mutually offset thumb access cutouts; the hinged top and bottom panels are disposed so as to hold the container open or snugly closed as required; the inside distance between the top panel and the bottom panel when the container is closed is defined by the width of the rim on each panel and is sufficient to accomodate from one to three keys placed in the container, and said distance taken together with the thickness of the top panel and the thickness of the bottom panel is no greater than the thickness of an object able to be accomodated within a wallet card compartment.

The inconvenience of carrying loose keys and other irregular shape objects in coat or trouser pockets has long been familiar to nearly everyone. Edges and corners can be sharp enough to wear through cloth, resulting in the loss of the object, and can also cause scratches and cuts on a person's hands. Traditionally, there have been provided a variety of cases and carriers, usually made of leather or plastic with the appearance and feel of leather, with snap or slide fastener closures and interior wire holders or clips to which keys can be attached; such carriers usually provide a degree of visual elegance beyond mere utility, and are priced accordingly.
It has also been proposed to enable a key to be securely carried in a compartment of a wallet. With a loose key this is only marginally better than in a trouser pocket. A variety of holders have been designed, inevitably constrained by the limited space available in a wallet compartment. One automobile manufacturer, who provides a single key having a metal shank portion with two prongs fitted into an elliptical plastic grip to unlock the doors, the trunk, and the ignition, also gives customers a spare key in a thin plastic pouch to fit in a wallet compartment. However, this spare key consists only of the metal shank portion without the plastic grip and hence requires considerable exertion by the user to turn in the lock.
R Mandelbaum U.S. Pat. No. 1,599,480 disclosed a combination flashlight and compartment in which keys are to be stored as an elongated hollow body having semicircular ends, closed at the top by a roof with a threaded sleeve for inserting a flashlight bulb and at the bottom by a door hinged so as to swing downward. A dished out rectangular portion of one side wall serves to hold one or more keys and is accessed from the outside by a door that slides vertically to a closed or open position.
V Powell U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,609 disclosed a container for receiving and retaining a motor vehicle operator's license in assembly with a motor vehicle ignition key, in which the key is attached to the license by a ring passing through the license.
H Thomas U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,368 disclosed a holder for defect cards for railway equipment as a thin elongated container open at one end and closed by a replaceable hinged cover which fits down over the upper edges of the body and is provided with sealling means which prevents moisture from entering, attached to the side of the car body in which defect cards may be inserted and removed as required. The holder is made up two pieces, a body and a cover therefor. The preferred manner of connecting the body and cover is by rabbeting a groove in the top rear edge of the back of the body, with the back of the cover fitting in and filling the rabbet.
J Marks U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,716 disclosed a pocket sized or credit card sized card holder comprised of a thin card having a depressed region therein for receiving and containing the items and a pressure relealable at least partially adhesively coated lid whlichcovers the depressed region and which can be stripped or peeled back to expose the items.
J Watson U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,641 disclosed an enclosure for storing one or more keys in singular compartments, being sized and shaped as a conventional credit card, planar and rectangular, and including a clear plastic face with one or more slits and further including a diagonal heat seal whilch seals two flexible sheets together to form two separate compartments.
D China U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,610 disclosed a card-like holder for keys, coins and the like which is generally rectangular in cross-section, including a tray member and an insert member receivable within the tray member. The tray member includes a rigid frame portion having opposed faces and an aperture for receiving the insert member, and a flexible film disposed over one of the faces of the frame to form a backing. The insert member conforms in configuration to the frame aperture so as to be receivable therein. The insert includes a rigid holder portion having a pair of opposed faces and an aperture for receiving the item to be contained in the holder. The insert also includes a flexible film disposed over one of the faces of the insert holder portion to form a backing for the insert aperture.
R Lederer U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,194 disclosed a portable credit card size holder for keys comprising a laminated assembly having two plies of thermoplastic film sealed together at their marginal edges, a flat card-like insert sandwiched between the plies of film, and the ply of film continuous to the end portions having a pair of slits forming two end pockets accomodating insertion of keys.
T Morita U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,736 disclosed a case having a protective function for a card with magnetically recorded data, which may have a flap closing the top and which includes a strongly magnetic mesh held between the lining and the surface of the case.
E Cartwright U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,917 disclosed a tamperproof key holder comprised of a first plate having a routed region located therein and a second plate superimposed over said first plate, a single pin holding the first and second plate together in a pivotal relationship and a key ring holding the key to the first plate.
J Guridi et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,030 disclosed retaining keys separably within corresponding apertures of the card or hingedly attached such that the keys may pivot into and out of the plane of the card.
R Wentz U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,531 disclosed a carrying case for personal articles to be worn around the neck with a lower part and an upper part or cover hinged to the lower part, the upper and lower parts forming a water tight enclosure when a hasp releasably connects the outer end of the upper part to the lower part.
M. Mah U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,390 disclosed a locket holder for keys comprising a casing being a pair of complementary half-sections with each half section having a recessed chamber and a component formed within each recessed chamber in each half-section for retaining the keys. A structure suspends the casing from about the neck of a person.
The complexity of these devices and the consequent requirement for a multiplicity of steps in the manufacture thereof is evident. To the extent that the disclosed receptacles are closely fitted to the keys or other objects to be retained, their usefulness is limited to the particular fitting object and does not extend to others.
There remains a need for a wallet fitting holder of simplified design and versatility in its ability to hold objects of a variety of shapes.

Personal holder for irregular shape objects


A film sensor includes a polarizing film, an antistatic layer and a capacitive sensor that are laminated in this order, the capacitive sensor having a transparent film, a transparent electrode pattern formed on one side of the transparent film, and an adhesive layer formed on the one side of the transparent film to embed the transparent electrode pattern. The transparent film is disposed between the antistatic layer and the transparent electrode pattern. The antistatic layer has a surface resistance value of 1.0×109 to 1.0×1011Ω/□.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film sensor that is applied to an input display device capable of inputting information by a touch with a finger, a stylus pen or the like.
2. Background of the Invention
In the related art, a film sensor provided with a capacitive sensor on one side of a polarizing film is known (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application (Kokai) No. 2011-081810). Such a film sensor includes a conductive film provided with a conductive layer on an upper surface thereof, an adhesive agent layer provided on the conductive layer, and a polarizing film provided on the adhesive agent layer. By affixing such a film sensor to, for example, a surface of a liquid crystal panel, an input display device with an improved viewability can be obtained.
However, with the film sensor of the related art, a polarizing film or the like is charged with static electricity, malfunctioning may occur in the capacitive sensor.


Compositions and methods comprising “lymphotoxin-β receptor blocking agents” which block lymphotoxin-β receptor signaling and are useful for altering immunological diseases, and particularly antibody mediated immune responses.

There are two arms of acquired immunity, which, while able to collaborate to achieve the common goal of eliminating antigen, are mediated by distinct participants of the immune system with different effects. One arm of acquired immune response, humoral immunity, is mediated primarily by B cells and circulating antibodies. The other arm, referred to as cellular or cell-mediated immunity, is mediated by T cells that synthesize and elaborate cytokines which affect other cells.
Activation and differentiation of B cells in response to most antigens requires that (1) B cells receive an antigen signal via their antigen specific receptor, membrane Ig, and (2) B cells receive contact dependent and independent signals 30 from activated T cells. The contact dependent costimulatory signal results from ligation of the CD40 receptor on B cells to the CD40 ligand expressed on activated T helper cells. (Laman et al., Crit. Rev, Immunol., 16, pp. 59-108 (1996); Van Kooten and Banchereau, Adv. Immunol., 61, pp. 1-77 (1996)). Contact independent signaling is mediated by cytokines synthesized and elaborated by activated T cells. Together these contact dependent and independent signals drive B cells to differentiate to either (1) memory B cells poised to mediate a more rapid response upon secondary exposure to antigen, or (2) antibody secreting plasma cells. Plasma cells, which are the terminal differentiation stage of B cells, synthesize and secrete antibodies.
T helper cells ("Th") play several significant roles in the immune system. Cytokines elaborated by Th cells at the onset of an immune challenge have been shown to affect which immune effector pathways are subsequently activated. Th cells are activated by the interaction of their antigen specific receptor with antigen-presenting cells (APCs) displaying on their surfaces peptide fragments of processed foreign antigen in association with MHC class II molecules. Activated Th cells, in turn, secrete cytokines (lymphokines) which activate the appropriate immune effector mechanisms.
Th cells can be divided into three subgroups Th0, Th1 and Th2, based upon their cytokine secretion patterns. (Fitch et al., Ann. Rev. Immunol., 11, pp. 29-48 (1993)). In mice, non-stimulated "naive" T helper cells produce IL-2. Short term stimulation of Th cells leads to Th0 precursor cells, which produce a wide range of cytokines including IFN-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10. Chronically-stimulated Th0 cells can differentiate into either Th1 or Th2 cell types, whereupon the cytokine expression pattern changes. Certain cytokines, for example IL-3, GM-CSF and TNF, are released by both Th1 and Th2 cells. Other cytokines are made exclusively by only one Th cell subgroup. (Romagnani et al., Ann. Rev. Immunol., 12, pp. 227-57 (1994)). Th1 cells produce LTα IL-2 and IFN-γ which activate macrophages and inflammatory responses associated with cellular immunity and resistance to intracellular infections.
Th2 cells produce the cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10 which increase eosinophil and mast cell production and promote the full expansion and maturation of B cells. (Howard et al., "T cell-derived cytokines and their receptors", Fundamental Immunology, 3d ed., Raven Press, New York (1993)). Th2 cells also participate in generating B cell memory, somatic mutation and thus affinity maturation, and in regulating de novo immunoglobulin isotype switching. For example, the Th2 cytokine IL-4 switches activated B cells to the IgG1 isotype while suppressing other isotypes. IL-4 also stimulates the overproduction of IgE in type I hypersensitivity reactions. The Th2 cytokine IL-5 induces the IgA isotype important in mucosal immunity.
The secondary lymphoid tissues, such as the lymph nodes (LN), spleen and mucosal lymphoid tissues, are highly efficient in trapping and concentrating foreign substances, and are the main sites of antigen driven activation and differentiation of T and B lymphocytes. These processes are dependent upon the diversity and organization of cells in these tissues, providing a framework for many aspects of humoral immune responses, such as T/B cell interactions, germinal center (GC) formation, affinity maturation, immunoglobulin class switching and cell trafficking. (Klein, J., Immunology, John Wiley and sons, (1982)). The molecular mechanisms responsible for the development, structural maintenance and function of peripheral lymphoid tissues are not fully understood.
Although the general structure of the secondary lymphoid tissues differs markedly and shows variations between species of mammalia, the fine structure of these secondary lymphoid tissues shares certain features, such as, for example: (1) antigen accessibility, (2) structural features ensuring continued contact of antigen with lymphocytes, (3) T cell rich areas surrounded by B cells, (4) B cell rich follicles, (5) marginal zone type sites, (6) specialized endothelial cells, and (7) antibody production sites, as discussed in further detail below.
The secondary lymphoid tissues are accessible to antigen in the system. For example, antigen accesses the spleen via the sinusoidal blood supply, the LN via the afferent lymphatic vessels, and is transported across specialized epithelium into the mucosal lymphoid tissue.
The secondary lymphoid tissues in various species also share certain structural features such as follicular dendritic cells (FDC) and interdigitating cells (IDC), which ensure the continued presence of antigen in the lymphocyte rich areas of the tissues.
Another common feature is the presence of T cell rich areas surrounded by B cells. T cell rich areas include, for example, the periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths in the white pulp of the spleen, and the paracortical region of LN, which contain large numbers of recirculating T cells and IDC, which in turn function as accessory cells for T and B cells.
Additionally, lymphoid tissues typically have B cell rich primary and secondary follicles in the white pulp of the spleen, and in the cortex of the LN. Secondary follicles in such lymphoid tissues are also called germinal centers (GC) and have a dense FDC network to capture and present antigens.
Marginal—zone type areas are also noted as defined histologic areas in the murine spleen and more diffuse sites in human secondary lymphoid organs. These areas are comprised primarily of marginal zone macrophages (MZM), metallophilic macrophages (MM), marginal zone B cells and reticular cells, but may also include T cells and dendritic cells. (Kraal, Int. Rev. Cytol. 132, pp. 31-74 (1992)). The opening of the arterial blood stream into the marginal zone areas gives antigens direct access to these cells and promotes cellular reactions to antigens at this site. (Kraal, Int. Rev. Cytol. 132, pp. 31-74 (1992)). The presence of MZM are also required for optimal trafficking of B cells in the splenic white pulp. (Kraal, 1992; Kraal, et al, Immunology, 68, pp. 227-232(1989)).
Typically, blood lymphocytes enter the secondary lymphoid tissues by crossing specialized endothelium, for example the endothelial lining of the venules of LN (high endothelial venules—HEV) and the endothelial lining of splenic blood sinusoids in the marginal zone—like structures. This endothelium expresses adhesion molecules and addressins which function in the trafficking of cells to secondary lymphoid tissues. For example, peripheral LN addressins (PNAd) are distinct from the mucosal LN addressin, MAdCAM-1, which is involved in trafficking of lymphocytes to mucosal lymphoid tissues, including tissues such as the mesenteric LN, Peyer's patches and lamina propria.
Not all addressins are clearly defined, for example, the addressin for lymphocyte homing to spleen remains undefined. The physiological roles of these addressins include enhancing recruitment of appropriate sets of antigen specific lymphocytes into an immune response, and subsequent dissemination of the immune response throughout the body.
Finally, the plasma cells, which are the antibody producing plasma cells, are detected at different locations from where the progenitor B cells are activated by antigen. For example, antibody produced by plasma cells in splenic red pulp mainly results from B cell activation in T cell zones, and plasma cells in the medulla of LN are derived from B cells activated in T cell zones of the same node. Similarly, antibody produced by plasma cells in bone marrow are derivatives of B cells activated in spleen and lymph node, and plasma cells in the lamina propria of gut mainly derive from B cells activated in mesenteric LN or gut associated lymphoid tissue.
See e.g., ICM MacLennan, "The Structure and Function of Secondary Lymphoid Tissues" in Clinical Aspects of Immunology 5th edition, eds. P. J. Lachman, Sir D. K. Peters, F. S. Rosen, M. J. Walport, Blackwell Scientific Publications pp 13-30 (1993).
In general, the cellular/histologic events underlying a humoral immune response to T dependent antigens are as follows (Toellner, et al., J. Exp. Med., 183, pp. 2303-2312 (1996)):
In the Inductive phase, naive B and T cells are activated and recruited into the immune response in the days immediately after antigen enters the body. In the spleen, for example, within 12 hours of immunization for a secondary response, memory B cells encounter blood-borne antigen in the marginal zone and leave the marginal zone to go to the T cell zones. B cells can be detected in the T cell zones within 24 hours. Immunoglobulin switch transcripts can be detected within 12 hours of secondary antigen exposure, thus indicating that the T-B cell interaction has already occurred. The B cells then migrate to the exit zones and red pulp where they proliferate to form foci of B cell blasts and differentiate into plasma cells. The B cells also continue to proliferate in the IDC rich T cell zone. Within 4 days after immunization, and after proliferation in the GC, B memory cell production will start. In a primary response, well developed GC are apparent by day 10 and reach peak size by day 14 post-immunization
T cell proliferation in the T cell zones becomes evident 48-72 hours and peaks on day 7 after immunization. This T cell proliferation contributes to T cell dependent B cell activation. Proliferative levels in the T cell zone decrease as GC forms. T cell proliferation also occurs in the GC where centrocytes (B cells) in the dark zone pick up antigen from IDC, and present antigen to T cells in light zone.
T cell dependent antigen can activate marginal zone B cells, newly produced naive B cells and recirculating lymphocytes attracted to and retained in secondary lymphoid organs by addressins and adhesion molecules. Naive B cells show the same kinetics for going to T cell zone, etc. as do the activated B cells.
Established Phase of T Cell Dependent Responses
The established phase of T cell dependent responses is maintained by the continued activation of memory B cells in the follicles of secondary lymphoid organs. There is very little recruiting of naive B cells at this stage, and the response is primarily driven by antigen retained on FDC. GC are required for optimal memory generation, isotype switching, somatic mutation and thus affinity maturation of immunoglobulin.
The mounting of such lymphocyte responses results in the production of antibodies able to circulate throughout the body by various routes, for example, antibodies leave the spleen via the blood, and exit LN via the efferent lymphatics. The antibodies thus encounter and directly bind to the invading pathogen. This recognition event sets off a cascade of immune effector mechanisms, including activation of the complement cascade and cellular reactions to mediate protection of the host from the pathogen.
Antibodies also play a role in some pathologic responses such as hypersensitivity responses—inappropriate or disproportionate immune responses evoked upon contact with a previously encountered antigen. There are four recognized types of hypersensitivity.
Type I "immediate hypersensitivity" involves allergen-induced Th2 cell activation and Th2 cytokine release. The Th2 cytokine IL-4 stimulates B cells to undergo isotype switching to produce IgE, which in turn activates mast cells to produce acute inflammatory reactions such as those which lead to eczema, asthma and rhinitis.
Types II and III hypersensitivity are caused by IgG and IgM antibodies directed against cell surface antigens or specific tissue antigens (Type II) or soluble serum antigens to form circulating immune complexes (Type III).
Type IV "delayed type" hypersensitivity (DTH) is a Th1 cell mediated response and can be transferred between mice by transferring Th1 cells, but not by transferring serum alone. This feature distinguishes Type IV DTH from the other three types of hypersensitivity, which require humoral immune responses caused primarily by antibodies which can be transferred in cell-free serum. (Roitt et al., Immunology, pp. 19.1-22.12 (Mosby-Year Book Europe Ltd., 3d ed. 1993))
Pathological humoral immune responses are associated with a number of organ-specific and systemic autoimmune conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Wegener's Granulomatosis, Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN), Rapidly Progressive Crescentic Glomerulonephritis and Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura, as well as chronic inflammatory diseases such as the Graves' and Chagas' disease. Humoral immune responses may also contribute to grafted tissue and transplanted organ rejection.
The treatment of these various immunological conditions to date has generally employed immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive agents. Three general immunosuppressive agents currently used are steroids, cyclophosphamide and azathioprine.
Steroids are pleiotropic anti-inflammatory agents which suppress activated macrophages and inhibit the activity of antigen presenting cells in ways which reverse many pathologic T cell effects. Cyclophosphamide, an alkylating agent, mediates cell death by inhibiting DNA replication and repair. Azathioprine is an anti-proliferative agent which inhibits DNA synthesis. These non-specific immunosuppressive agents are generally required in high doses which increase their toxicity (e.g. nephro-and hepatotoxicity) and cause adverse side effects. They are thus unsuitable for long term therapies.
Thus, there is an unmet need for additional agents and therapies which overcome the problems caused by conventional treatments.

Soluble lymphotoxin-beta receptors and anti-lymphotoxin receptor and ligand antibodies as therapeutic agents for the treatment of immunological diseases


A pseudo arthrosis device may be placed in a disc space to provide support for adjacent vertebrae. The device may have an enclosure formed from a flexible, permeable material. A plurality of elongated members may be packed longitudinally in the enclosure. The elongated members may be compressible and/or flexible. In certain embodiments, elongated members may be solid rods and/or hollow tubes. A plurality of spaced-apart perforations may be formed in solid and hollow elongated members. The enclosure may be placed in an intervertebral space between the adjacent vertebrae such that the elongated members are disposed longitudinally between the adjacent vertebrae. The pseudo arthrosis device may include a tab designed to couple the enclosure to an adjacent vertebrae.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to spinal implants for alleviating problems in human spines. More particularly, an embodiment of the invention relates to a device that replaces a damaged spinal disc and promotes fibrous ingrowth.
2. Description of Related Art
A spinal disc is a shock-absorbing structure located in a space between two adjacent vertebrae in a spine. A spinal disc may deteriorate due to trauma, disease, and/or aging. A deteriorated spinal disc may have diminished shock-absorbing capacity. A deteriorated disc may allow adjacent vertebrae to contact each other. Contact of adjacent vertebrae may result in wear and tear of the vertebrae. Wear and tear of the vertebrae may result in pain (e.g., neck and/or back pain).
Non-surgical treatments to reduce neck and/or back pain may include rest, heat, medication, physical therapy, and chiropractic manipulation. Non-surgical treatments may be ineffective for some patients.
Surgical treatment of a deteriorated spinal disc may include spinal fusion. A spinal fusion treatment may not be successful in some patients. When successful, spinal fusion treatments may result in stiffness and decreased mobility of the patient. Spinal fusion may cause stress on the spine at adjacent vertebral levels. The stress on the spine may create new spinal problems. New spinal problems may result in additional neck and/or back pain.
Surgical alternatives to spinal fusion may include spinal disc replacement. U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,728 to Stubstad et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,437 to Steffee; U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,644 to Baumgartner; U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,899 to Michelson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,554 to Janson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,186 to Bao et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,252 to Kuras et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,924 to Timm; U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,049 to Gayer et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,205 to McLeod et al., each of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describe devices for surgical treatment of deteriorated and/or damaged spinal discs.


The invention relates to polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl acetals which contain silane and can be obtained by means of a) radical polymerization of at least one vinyl ester of unbranched or branched alkyl carboxylic acids comprising between 1 and 18 C atoms, in the presence of aldehydes containing silane or the hemiacetals or full acetals thereof, b) saponification of the vinyl ester polymers obtained thereby, and optionally c) acetalation of the partially saponified or fully saponified vinyl ester polymers.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to silane-containing polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl acetals, to processes for their preparation and to their use.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art discloses a series of processes for preparing silane-containing polymers. The preparation may be effected, for example, by means of polymer-like reaction of functional polymers with silylating agents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,137, for example, describes the preparation of silylated polyvinyl alcohol by reacting polyvinyl alcohol with 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane or vinyltrimethoxysilane. EP-A 581576 discloses the reaction of OH-functional polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol with alkylorthosilicates or alkyltrialkoxysilanes.
Silane-containing polymers may also be prepared by means of copolymerization of silane-functional, ethylenically unsaturated monomers. EP-A 123927 relates to silyl-modified polyvinyl alcohols which are obtainable, among other routes, by copolymerization of vinyl esters with silyl-functional comonomers and subsequent hydrolysis.
A further route is the introduction of silane groups into the polymer by terminating the polymer chain with thio compounds containing Si groups, for example mercaptosilanes, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,346,570; or termination by means of Michael addition of functional silanes, as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,994. WO-A 01/09249 discloses the preparation of silane-functional copolymers by means of copolymerization with vinyl-silane and termination of the polymer chain with mercaptosilane. A disadvantage in the termination of polymer chains with mercaptosilanes is their toxicity and their tendency to add to double bonds. Furthermore, these mercaptosilanes have an excessively strong tendency to control the molecular weight, which is manifested in too great a reduction in the molecular weight. In addition, the reaction rate in the polymerization is frequently reduced. Further disadvantages in the use of mercaptosilanes are their tendency to yellowing and their unpleasant odor.
Silane-modified polyvinyl acetals are disclosed by four Japanese publications. JP-A 06-247760 and JP-A 06-248247 disclose polyvinyl acetals modified with silane-functional monomer units, which are used as binder for cement compositions or for inorganic fiber materials. These Si-modified polyvinyl acetals are obtained by copolymerizing vinyl acetate with vinylalkoxysilanes, subsequently hydrolyzing the vinyl ester-vinylsilane copolymers and finally acetalizing with aldehyde. JP-A 10-237259 relates to a mixture of silane-modified polyvinyl acetal with unmodified polyvinyl acetal for coating materials for printing with inkjet printers, for which vinyl ester-vinylsilane copolymers are initially hydrolyzed and subsequently mixed with unmodified polyvinyl alcohol in order to be acetalized with aldehyde. JP-A 62-181305 finally discloses a polyvinyl butyral modified with triethoxyisocyanato-propylsilane. In this case, the alkoxysilane group is linked to the polymer structure by polymer-like reaction via a urethane bond (by reaction of the isocyanate group of the silane with free hydroxyl groups on the polyvinyl butyral).
DE-A 10140129 discloses the acetalization of partly hydrolyzed or fully hydrolyzed vinyl ester polymers with silane-containing aldehydes.

Polyvinyl alcohols and polyvinyl acetals containing silane


A composition includes a first cylcoolefin substituted with at least one epoxy group and an aromatic amine. The composition is capable of bonding to a filler having a corresponding binding site. The composition is compatible with a metathesis catalyst capable of catalyzing a ring-opening metathesis polymerization reaction when contacted with the first cycloolefin. An associated method is also provided.

1. Technical Field
The invention includes embodiments that relate to a coupling agent composition. The invention includes embodiments that relate to a method of making and using the coupling agent composition.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Metathesis polymerization reactions (for example, ring opening metathesis polymerization of cycloolefins) may provide for synthesis of polycycloolefins by controlled polymerization reaction. Polymers synthesized by ring opening metathesis polymerization may be reinforced with reinforcing materials (for example, fibers) to provide composites for high performance applications.
Performance properties of the composites may be affected by fiber loading, adhesion between the fibers and the polymer, polymer properties, and the like. Poor adhesion between the fibers and the polymer may affect the performance characteristics of the composites. Adhesion between the fibers and the polymer may be enhanced by employing coupling agents, sizing agents for the fibers, or both coupling agents and sizing agents. Coupling agents or sizing agents may adversely affect the catalytic efficiency of metathesis catalysts employed in ring opening metathesis polymerizations.
It may be desirable to have coupling agent compositions and methods of using the coupling agent compositions in composites that have characteristics that are different from those currently available. It may be desirable to have composites and methods of making the composites that have characteristics that are different from those currently available.

Composition comprising a coupling agent and a cycloolefin, the coupling agent comprising a reaction product of an epoxy-substituted cycloolefin and an aromatic amine


A system and method for detecting a functional signal in retinal images. An optical imaging device comprises a stimulation light source, an interrogating light source, and a detector. The retina is stimulated by the stimulation light source. The retina is then illuminated by an interrogation light, and the reflected intensity from the retina is measured at an interrogating spectral band that indicates the state of hemoglobin saturation before and after visual stimulation. The optical changes that result from retinal neuronal activity are captured by the detector. The signal representing the state of hemoglobin saturation before and after visual stimulation is isolated. In an embodiment of the present invention, this signal is isolated using principle components analysis (PCA). In another embodiment of the present invention, blind source separation (BSS) and independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms such as extended spatial decorrelation and fast-ICA are used to isolate the functional signal from the retinal videos.

Visual field testing (perimetry) is the most widely used method for detecting and monitoring progression of diseases of the optic nerve (i.e. glaucoma, ischemic optic neuropathy, compressive optic neuropathy) and retina. Perimetry is a functional test of the subject's vision. The shape and extent of the defect on the visual field map allows the clinician to confirm the presence of damage, helps to localize where the damage is along the visual pathway (retina, optic nerve, chiasm, optic tract, postgeniculate fibers), and is essential in monitoring progression or improvement over time.
However, perimetry remains a subjective test that requires the subject to make important judgments during the test that can be clouded by anxiety, fatigue, or lack of concentration. A second problem with the current perimetry tests is that almost 40-50% of the optic nerve may be damaged before a significant perceptual change can be detected on the visual field test, making it relatively insensitive for detecting early damage when intervention may still save vision. A third problem is that the visual field test is highly variable in areas of defects where damage has occurred, making it difficult to monitor changes.
New methods are needed to improve the sensitivity for detection of damage and change over time. Objective methods would also provide more reliable determination of the status of the visual system. A number of new technologies have emerged in recent years in an attempt to fill this need and have included multifocal electroretinography (MERG), pattern electroretinography (PERG), visual evoked potential (VEP), multifocal visual evoked potentials (MVEP), and pupil perimetry.
Traditionally, neuronal activity in the central nervous system including the retina has been recorded electrically. Recently however, noninvasive optical recording of neuronal signals from the brain has been demonstrated. Intrinsic changes in the optical properties of active brain tissue (referred to as "intrinsic signals") permit visualization of neuronal activity when the surface of brain tissue is directly imaged using sensitive CCD cameras. Intrinsic signals refer to the change in the percent reflectance of illuminating (or interrogating) light occurring as a result of the change in the absorption coefficient due to the conversion of oxyhemoglobin to deoxyhemoglobin in response to the metabolic demands of active neurons. The interrogating light is band-restricted to wavelength(s) where the difference in absorption spectra between the oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin molecule is the greatest, for example, typically in the region of 580-700 nm. Other sources of the intrinsic signals include changes in the microcirculation and light scattering that are also dependent on neuronal activity.
The intrinsic signals from the brain are usually very small (0.1 to 1.0% of the overall reflected light intensity). However, when appropriately imaged, they can have high spatial resolution (50 microns) corresponding to the areas of active neuronal activity. The small intrinsic signals are isolated from the noise using image subtraction techniques. By subtracting baseline (neuronally less active) images of the brain tissue from stimulated (neuronally active) images, small intrinsic functional signals can be isolated. With the use of optical techniques, it has been possible to record neuronal activities of the primate cortex in vivo.
Visual cortical neurons that are driven preferentially by one eye are grouped into a strip of cortex referred to as an ocular dominance column for that eye. The next strip of cortical cells is driven preferentially by the other eye and forms an adjoining ocular dominance column. These strips of ocular dominance columns alternate between the right and left eye and form a prominent part of the functional architecture of the primate visual cortex. The optical recording of intrinsic signals has allowed the ocular dominance columns to be directly visualized across the cortex in vivo. This was achieved by imaging the cortex with interrogating light, while providing visual stimuli to one eye and then the other. Ocular dominance column images are then constructed by subtracting right eye-stimulated images from the left eye-stimulated images. Optical recording of the temporal lobe of human patients undergoing neurosurgery has also been reported.
Optical recording of the retinal function is noninvasive and ideal for clinical application. The retina is a direct extension of the brain and part of the central nervous system. Neuronal activity of the retina is fundamentally similar to that of the brain. Like the brain, appropriate metabolic changes (changes in hemoglobin oxygen saturation and state of tissue cytochrome for example) can be detected in the retina in response to changes in corresponding reduction of oxyhemoglobin levels. However, the measured changes in reflectance in response to the visual stimulus are on the order of 0.1% to 1.0% of the total reflected intensity level that makes the functional signal difficult to detect by standard methods since it is masked by the other signals (noise) that are present.
What is needed is a practical, non-invasive system and method for revealing retinal function to aid in early detection of retinal and optic nerve diseases such as glaucoma and to monitor for progression of damage. Such a system and method would provide objective, quantitative, and localizing information in the form of a functional image of neuronal-activity across the retina thereby complementing and/or augmenting conventional perimetry. Finally, such a system and method would be instrumental in evaluating animal models of retinal and optic nerve disease and the response to treatment, where perimetry is impractical.

Method for detecting a functional signal in retinal images


A semiconductor device has a semiconductor substrate including a light receiving element, a silicon oxide film formed on the semiconductor substrate, a plurality of wiring interlayer films formed on the silicon oxide film, and each including a wiring layer formed as the result of the fact that copper is buried, and a silicon nitride film formed on the wiring interlayer film of the uppermost layer wherein Si—H concentration is smaller than N—H concentration.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same.
Miniaturization of semiconductor devices including solid-state image pickup device such as CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor is required. Followed by this, a light receiving area including microlens and light receiving element (photodiode), and a peripheral circuit area including plural layers for performing read-out operation, etc. of photoelectrically converted signal electrons are formed in one-chip.
In the case where interlayer insulating films of the light receiving area and the peripheral circuit area are formed by the same film structure, there was the problem that the distance between the microlens and the light receiving element is elongated, and an unnecessary layer or layers exist on the light receiving element so that quantity of light attenuation takes place, and the sensitivity at the light receiving element is thus lowered.
In order to solve such a problem, there is proposed an image sensor in which plural interlayer insulating films of active pixel area on the light receiving element are removed so that the distance between the lens and the light conversion element is caused to be shorter than the distance from the uppermost part of the interlayer insulating film formed on the peripheral circuit area to the substrate.
However, such image sensor has the problem that planarization film having high water permeability is only provided below the lens, but passivation film is not formed. For this reason, there is the problem that resistance with respect to water or stress from the outside is low so that the reliability is lowered.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


In one aspect, a first region that includes a first Group IV semiconductor that has a bandgap and is doped with a first dopant of a first electrical conductivity type is formed. A pattern is created. The pattern controls formation of local crystal modifications in the first Group IV semiconductor in an array. An array of local crystal modifications is formed in the first Group IV semiconductor in accordance with the pattern. The local crystal modifications induce overlapping strain fields that increase the bandgap of the first Group IV semiconductor, create an energy band barrier against transport of minority carriers across the first region. A second region that includes a second Group IV semiconductor that has a bandgap and is doped with a second dopant of a second electrical conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type is formed. Semiconductor devices formed in accordance with this method also are described.

Group IV semiconductors, such as silicon, germanium, and their alloys, have indirect energy bandgaps, which inhibit band-to-band radiative recombination of electrons and holes. As a result, the predominant recombination mechanism for holes and electrons in these types of semiconductors typically is non-radiative recombination at, for example, defect sites in bulk regions and at surfaces. For this reason, most devices that are formed of these types of semiconductors are inefficient emitters of light.
Silicon is the semiconductor of choice for fabricating electronic devices. It is inexpensive to work with and has a native oxide that provides superior performance and readily may be incorporated in electronic devices wherever it is needed. The significant advantages of using silicon to fabricate electronic devices have spurred many efforts to integrate light emitting devices with silicon electronics.
One approach for integrating light emitting devices with silicon involves forming light-emitting devices from direct bandgap compound semiconductors that are grown on silicon substrates. This approach, however, is not compatible with most silicon device fabrication processes (e.g., CMOS fabrication processes) due to the different thermal requirements of these processes and the processes that are used to fabricate compound semiconductor devices. This approach also may be cost-prohibitive.
Other approaches for integrating light emitting devices with silicon have focused on improving the emission efficiency of silicon. Among the approaches that have shown some promise in this regard are: use of silicon nanostructures, such as porous silicon, to form electroluminescent devices; use of silicon doped with rare-earth metals, such as erbium and cerium, which exhibit luminescent transitions in silicon and porous silicon; use of dislocations that increase the silicon bandgap by introducing local tensile strain to prevent electrons from reaching non-radiative defect sites; and the incorporation of erbium-doped silicon nanocrystals into a silicon dioxide matrix to achieve radiative recombination of carriers with reduced problems from thermal quenching, which is typical of erbium-doping in bulk silicon.
The above-described approaches have demonstrated some success in generating light from silicon devices. The light-emission efficiencies achieved by these approaches, however, are typically insufficient to displace compound semiconductors in optoelectronics applications.

Carrier confinement in light-emitting group IV semiconductor devices

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Ltd. Pte.


The present disclosure relates to a method of applying a wear-resistant copper-nickel-tin coating to a substrate using a thermal spray process. Briefly, a copper-nickel-tin alloy feedstock is converted into a powder or droplet form, then sprayed onto a substrate to form a coating thereon.

The present disclosure relates to methods for coating a substrate. In particular, the coating methods are directed to a thermal spray using a copper-nickel-tin (Cu—Ni—Sn) alloy as a feedstock material that results in improved coating characteristics from known techniques, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present disclosure is also amenable to other like applications.
It would be desirable to develop new methods of thermal spray processing that use a wear resistant copper based alloy to build up a coating on the surface of an object/substrate.


The present invention provides a hybrid material and a method for forming a hybrid material comprising actuator made from a stimuli responsive polymer mounted in a porous framework. The present invention also provides devices employing the actuator of the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to microdevices and more particularly to microscopic and nanoscopic actuators.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Stimuli responsive polymers (SRPs) comprise a class of synthetic, naturally occurring and semi-synthetic polymers, which exhibit discrete rapid and reversible changes in conformation as a response to environmental stimuli. These stimuli may include temperature, pH, ionic strength, electrical potential and light. Some of the most studied of these so-called smart polymers are hydrogels which change their water content and excluded volume, in response to temperature. Various types of stimuli responsive polymers in ensembles to control the permeability of solutes and fluids through membranes or through bulk materials have been described. In recent years, these types of polymers have been developed for a variety of different applications including drug delivery, control of protein activity and most interestingly, systems that mimic natural cellular components, such as cellular membranes and secretory granules. Smart polymers that have found use in biotechnology and medicine have been described by I Yu Galaev in Russian Chemical Reviews 64: 471-489 (1995) and A. S. Hoffman in Clinical Chemistry 46:1478-1486 (2000).
In recent years with the advent of high throughput technologies in use in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, a need for microscopic and nanoscopic molecular actuators has arisen. However, to date there is no stimuli responsive polymer described which can individually serve as microscopic and or nanoscopic molecular actuator to control the transport of other chemical species through molecular-sized pores in a porous material. Hence there is a current unmet need for materials that are able to provide nanoscopic actuation of individual stimuli responsive polymers within or on the framework material. Such materials would ideally be able to address the current needs of: (1) new, inexpensive valving and pumping strategies for control of liquid flow in nanofluidic systems; (2) rapid, energy-efficient, inexpensive chemical separation strategies; based on and (3) reversible affinity matrices for chemical sensing and chemical separations; (4) micropatterning of chemical and biological species; (5) prevention and release of biofouling; (6) optical switching; and (7) tissue engineering.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new class of valves made of hybrid materials that use dispersed molecular switches as nanoscopic actuators that individually control the transport of other chemical species through molecular-sized pores in a porous material.
It is a further object to provide a very sensitive mechanism of control of transport through valves by using the individual, molecular actuators to control the permeation and or absorption, by limiting pore size and chemistry of a membrane, thin film or particle constructed from the hybrid material.
It is yet another object to provide a means for selective transport and or adsorption of different molecular species through valves by using size exclusion and/or polarity differences.
It is yet another object to provide a specificity of transport through a molecular actuator that is based on a reversible size, shape or chemical change in the active component of the hybrid material or materials that are used to make the molecular actuator.
In a first broad aspect the present invention provides a hybrid material comprising: at least one actuator, the at least one actuator comprising a stimuli responsive polymer that has first conformation in a first environment and a second conformation in a second environment; and a porous framework material for supporting the at least one actuator.
In a second broad aspect, the present invention provides a method for forming a hybrid material comprising: providing at least one actuator, the at least one actuator comprising an stimuli responsive polymer that has first conformation in a first environment and a second conformation in a second environment; and immobilizing the actuator on a framework material.
In a third broad aspect the present invention provides a valve comprising: at least one channel; and a hybrid material located in the channel comprising: at least one actuator, the at least one actuator comprising a stimuli responsive polymer that has first conformation in a first environment and a second conformation in a second environment; and a porous framework material for supporting the at least one actuator.
In a fourth broad aspect the present invention provides a differential sieve comprising: at least one channel; at least two actuators mounted in sequence in the channel, each of the actuators comprising different stimuli responsive polymer; and means for actuating each of the at least two actuators to form at least two different sized passageways through the channel.
In a fifth broad aspect the present invention provides a peristaltic pump comprising: at least one channel; at least two actuators mounted in sequence in the channel, each of the actuators comprising at least one stimuli responsive polymer; and means for actuating each of the at least two actuators in sequence to pump a liquid present in the channel through the channel.
Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment.

Stimuli responsive hybrid materials containing molecular actuators and their applications


A power plant having a fluidized bed steam boiler for supplying steam for powering a turbine generator comprises low pressure and high pressure feed water heaters, and combustion air heater is provided with a gas turbine for burning sulfur containing fuels, with heat recovery economizers for reducing the exhaust temperature of the gas turbine and directing the exhaust gas from the gas turbine into the fluidized bed for reducing the emissions therein.

The present invention relates to power plants and pertains particularly to a CFB boiler plant, with gas turbine utilizing sulfur containing fuels with emissions controlled by the CFB boiler.
There exists in the power generating industry a need for more efficient power plants for converting fossil fuels to electrical power. The most commonly used gas turbine power generation systems are fueled by premium fuels, like natural gas. However, the cost and uncertainty of the availability of premium fuels make premium fuel gas turbine power generating plants less desirable. The most efficient overall plant system is the combined cycle (gas and steam) system. Therefore, there also exists an even greater need for power plants capable of operating efficiently on lower grades of fuels that exist in abundance in many regions of the world.
Atmospheric pollution is of great concern throughout the world today. One of the major causes of atmospheric pollution is the burning of various fossil fuels for the generation of heat and power. Many fuels contain impurities, such as sulfur that is particularly noxious and polluting. Systems, including scrubbers, have been developed for removing these pollutants from exhaust gases of power plants. However, these systems are very expensive and frequently not cost effective, particularly for gas turbine power plants.
Circulating fluidized bed boilers have been developed for burning low quality coals for powering steam turbines. The circulating fluidized bed contains sorbents like limestone or dolomite, which remove sulfur compounds from the exhaust gases and provide a somewhat economical system.
Sulfur containing fuels can be used in powering gas turbine engines if cost effective means is available to reduce Sulfur Oxide (SOx) emissions from the exhaust. In gas turbine applications, the air quantity used is four to five times higher than conventional coal fired boilers. Therefore, the scrubber costs are also four to five times higher per KW output of the gas turbine. This makes the use of sulfur containing fuels in gas turbines uneconomical with present systems.
Applicant has discovered an arrangement whereby a gas turbine for burning sulfur containing fuels can be added to or combined with a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler plant, with the CFB serving as a scrubber for the gas turbine exhaust and makes the combined system more efficient and cost effective.

Circulating fluidized bed power plant with turbine fueled with sulfur containing fuel and using CFB to control emissions


In each control node connected to an optical multiplex transmission path, a light receiving portion operates due to supply of a power source and receives an optical signal from another control node. A mode changing-over portion alternately changes over a multiplex communication mode and a sleep mode every prescribed period of time. A light receiving power source control portion and a first switch have alternately repeated therein a power source supply time length corresponding substantially to the multiplex communication mode during which a power source is supplied and a power source non-supply time length corresponding substantially to the sleep mode during which no power source is supplied, and thereby produces a power source supply pulse signal in which the duty ratio between the power source supply time length and the power source non-supply time length is preset and supplies this power source supply pulse signal to the light receiving portion. When the mode changing-over portion changes over the mode of the control node from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode and the light receiving portion has received the light signal, the mode changing-over portion causes the multiplex communication mode to be maintained during a time period in which the light signal is being received, and the light reception control portion causes the power source to continue to be supplied to the light receiving portion during a time period in which the light signal is being received.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical multiplex transmission apparatus and an optical multiplex transmission method, which enable each of a plurality of control nodes connected to a common optical multiplex transmission path to have its operation mode changed over to a multiplex communication mode wherein the control node performs multiplex communication through an interface for use on multiplex transmission, that is provided to this control node, and to a sleep mode wherein this interface is kept inoperative. More particularly, the invention concerns an optical multiplex transmission apparatus and an optical multiplex transmission method, which can be simplified by changing over the control node from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode without providing a wake-up signal electric wire.
2. Related Art
An optical multiplex transmission apparatus for performing multiplex communication has recently been loaded on a vehicle. This optical multiplex transmission apparatus is constructed by a plurality of control nodes being connected to a common optical multiplex transmission path such as an optical fiber.
Each control node has provided therein a multiplex communication interface for performing multiplexing of data and thereby performing transmission and reception thereof, whereby transmission and reception of data are done between microcontrollers provided in the respective control nodes through the multiplex interface and optical multiplex transmission path.
Also, in order to suppress the power consumption maximally, each control node has a change-over function for changing over the mode thereof to a multiplex communication mode for performing multiplex communication through the multiplex transmission interface and to a sleep mode for causing the multiplex transmission interface to be kept inoperative and thereby causing a decrease in the current consumption.
At an ordinary time, the control node is operated in the sleep mode to thereby suppress useless power consumption. When prescribed starting conditions have been satisfied, the mode of the control node is changed over, by a wake-up signal, to the multiplex communication mode in which the operational condition of the microcontroller is made xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d through the multiplex transmission interface.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of a type of conventional optical multiplex transmission apparatus. In the optical multiplex transmission apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, it is arranged that a master node 101 serving as a control node and a plurality of slave nodes 102a to 102n controlled by this master node 101 are connected in the form of a ring by an optical multiplex transmission path 103 (103a to 103n) such as an optical fiber, whereby a multiplex communication signal is transmitted in the direction indicated by the arrows.
It is to be noted that in each node Rx represents the reception of a multiplex communication signal and Tx represents the transmission of a multiplex communication signal. Also, a wake-up signal electric wire 104 for transmitting a wake-up signal from the master node 101 to the slave nodes 102a to 102n is provided.
As described above, the wake-up signal electric wire 104 is provided separately from the optical multiplex transmission path 103 that is a data transmission line. At the time of activation after turning on a main power source, a given node, for example, a master node 101, transmits a wake-up signal to all the slave nodes 102a to 102n through the wake-up signal electric wire 104. Upon receipt of the wake-up signal, each slave node 102a to 102n changes over the interface portion from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode.
In this way, every one of the slave nodes 102a to 102n is transferred from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode, and then bi-directional communication can be made between each node through the optical multiplex transmission path 103.
However, in the conventional optical multiplex transmission apparatus, although the slave nodes can be stably activated by using a wake-up signal, the wake-up signal electric wire had to be provided separately from the optical multiplex transmission path that is a data transmission line.
Providing this wake-up signal electric wire is due to the following reason. In the sleep mode, the current consumption is appreciably limited. Therefore, in a case where having used the optical multiplex transmission path, the power source of a light receiving portion must be made xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d in order that the apparatus may be in sleep mode.
For this reason, in order to activate from the sleep mode, as illustrated in FIG. 2, separately from optical interfaces (optical IFs) 106a, 106b of, for example, a light receiving portion, etc., the wake-up signal electric wire, i.e., electric interfaces (electric IFs) 107a, 107b were provided, whereby the apparatus was activated from the sleep mode by using a wake-up signal which is a kind of electric signal. Therefore, there was the problem that the wire reduction effect resulting from the multiplex communication was impaired. In addition, the wiring or distribution of the wake-up signal electric wire became complex or costly.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical multiplex transmission apparatus and optical multiplex transmission method which enable the system to be simplified, and enable each control node to be activated and commence its communication, without providing any wake-up signal electric wire separately from a data transmission line.
To attain the above object, there is provided an optical multiplex transmission apparatus wherein a plurality of control nodes are connected to an optical multiplex transmission path; and each control node performs communication, through a multiplex communication portion for use in multiplex transmission that has been provided therein, with another control node, the each control node comprising: a light receiving portion that operates by having a power source signal supplied thereto and receives an optical signal from the another control node; a mode changing-over portion that alternately changes over the mode of the control node between a multiplex communication mode for performing multiplex communication and a sleep mode in which the multiplex communication portion is kept inoperative every prescribed period of time; and a light reception control portion that has alternately repeated therein a power source supply time length corresponding to the multiplex communication mode during which the power source is supplied and a power source non-supply time length corresponding to the sleep mode during which the power source is not supplied, and that produces a power source supply pulse signal wherein a duty ratio between the power source supply time length and the power source non-supply time length is preset and supplies the power source supply pulse signal to the light receiving portion, whereby when the mode changing-over portion changes over the mode of the control node from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode and the light receiving portion has received a light signal, the mode changing-over portion causes the multiplex communication mode to be maintained while the light signal is being received, and the light reception control portion causes the power source to continue to be supplied to the light receiving portion while the light signal is being received.
According to this invention, the multiplex communication mode and sleep mode are alternately repeated every prescribed period of time and the power source supply pulse signal having a preset duty ratio is supplied to the light receiving portion. Therefore, the current consumption that is made during the sleep mode is suppressed to a value that falls within a permissible range. Further, when the mode of the control node has been changed over from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode and the light signal has been received, the multiplex communication mode is caused to continue to be as is and the supply of the power source to the light receiving portion is caused to continue to be made, whereby it is possible to activate the control node from the sleep mode. This makes it unnecessary to provide a wake-up signal electric wire separately from the optical multiplex transmission path and therefore makes it possible to simplify the system.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the mode changing-over portion has changed over the mode of the control node from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode, the light reception control portion supplies the power source to the light receiving portion during, and by, the power source supply time length according to the power source supply pulse signal.
According to this embodiment, the light reception control portion supplies, after the mode has been changed over from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode, the power source to the light receiving portion during, and by, the power source supply time length according to the power source signal, with the result that it is possible to make the duty ratio low and so to decrease the current consumption.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, upon receiving no light signal from the other control node, the light reception control portion, before change-over from the multiplex communication mode to the sleep mode, stops the supply of the power source to the light receiving portion during, and by, the power source non-supply time length according to the power source supply pulse signal.
According to this embodiment, upon receiving no light signal from the another control node, the light reception control portion, before change-over from the multiplex communication mode to the sleep mode, stops the supply of the power source to the light receiving portion during, and by, the power non-supply time length according to the power source supply pulse signal. Therefore, the duty ratio can be made low and so the current consumption can be decreased.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the optical multiplex transmission apparatus further comprises a multiplex communication control portion which determines whether the light receiving portion has received the light signal and, when the light signal has been received thereby, causes the supply of the power source to the multiplex communication portion and, when no light signal has been received thereby, stops the supply of the power source to the multiplex communication portion.
According to this embodiment, the multiplex communication control portion, when the light signal has been received thereby, causes the supply of the power source to the multiplex communication portion and, when no light signal has been received thereby, stops the supply of the power source to the multiplex communication portion. Therefore, since no current is caused to flow into the multiplex communication portion, it is possible to largely decrease the current consumption in a state prior to the start made from the sleep mode. As a result, since the duty ratio can be made high by the extent to which the current consumption of the multiplex communication portion has been able to be decreased, the activation responsivity becomes high.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multiplex communication control portion comprises: a reception determining portion for determining whether the light receiving portion has received the light signal; a switch for, when the light receiving portion has received the light signal, permitting the supply of the power source to the multiplex communication portion according to a control signal from the reception determining portion; and a gate for, when the light receiving portion has received the light signal, permitting the light signal output from the light receiving portion to be input to the multiplex communication portion according to the control signal from the reception determining portion.
According to this embodiment, when the light receiving portion has received the light signal, the power source is supplied to the multiplex communication portion and the light signal output from the light receiving portion is input to the multiplex communication portion. Therefore, since the duty ratio can be made high by the extent to which the current consumption of the multiplex communication portion has been able to be decreased, the activation responsivity becomes high.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of the control nodes are connected to one another by the optical multiplex transmission path in the form of a ring.
According to this embodiment, the plurality of the control nodes are connected to one another in the form of a ring by the optical multiplex transmission path. Therefore, even when a part of the optical multiplex transmission path is broken, all of the control nodes can be activated if transmitting a wake-up signal in an opposite direction. Also, since in a ring type network each control node is sequentially activated from the sleep mode, there is the merit that if the activation responsivity in each of the individual control nodes becomes high, the activation responsivity in the entire network becomes also high.
Further, to attain the above object, there is provided an optical multiplex transmission method wherein a plurality of control nodes are connected to an optical multiplex transmission path; and each control node performs communication, through a multiplex communication portion for use in multiplex transmission that has been provided therein, with another control node, the method comprising the steps of: alternately changing over the mode of the control node between a multiplex communication mode for performing multiplex communication and a sleep mode in which the multiplex communication portion is kept inoperative every prescribed period of time; alternately repeating a power source supply time length corresponding to the multiplex communication mode during which the power source is supplied and a power source non-supply time length corresponding to the sleep mode during which the power source is not supplied, and producing a power source supply pulse signal wherein the duty ratio between the power source supply time length and the power source non-supply time length is preset and supplying the power source supply pulse signal to a light receiving portion; and causing a continuation of the multiplex communication mode during a reception of the light signal and causing a continuation of the supply of the power source to the light receiving portion during the reception of the light signal, when the mode of the control node has been changed over from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode and the light receiving portion has received the light signal.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the mode changing-over portion has changed over the mode of the control node from the sleep mode to the multiplex communication mode, the power source is supplied to the light receiving portion during, and by, the power source supply time length according to the power source supply pulse signal.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the light receiving portion receives no light signal from the other control node, the supply of the power source to the light receiving portion is stopped during, and by, the power source non-supply time length according to the power source supply pulse signal before change-over from the multiplex communication mode to the sleep mode.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a determination is made of whether the light receiving portion has received the light signal and, when the light signal has been received thereby, the supply of the power source to the multiplex communication portion is made and, when no light signal has been received thereby, the supply of the power source to the multiplex communication portion is stopped.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the light signal has been received, the light signal output from the light receiving portion is input to the multiplex communication portion.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of the control nodes are connected to one another by the optical multiplex transmission path in the form of a ring.
The nature, principle and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Optical multiplex transmission apparatus and optical multiplex transmission method


Disclosed is a novel autonomous excavating apparatus capable of solving conventional problems. The autonomous excavating apparatus comprises an apparatus body including a lower body 101 formed in a cylindrical shape and combined with a conical-shaped lower end, and a spiral blade 102 provided on an outer peripheral surface of the lower body 101 in the form of a right-handed screw. The lower body 101 has an internal space provided with a wheel 103 which has a rotary shaft 104 rotatably supported relative to the lower body 101 through bearings 105, 106. A motor 108 is fixed to the lower body 101 at a position above the wheel 103, and an output shaft of the motor is coaxially connected to the rotary shaft 104. Thus, the motor 108 can drivingly rotate the wheel 103 relative to the lower body 101.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an autonomous excavating apparatus for autonomously excavating a surface of the earth or other celestial body.
2. Description of the Background Art
In future unmanned lunar missions, it will be necessary to install a measurement unit, such as a lunar seismometer (i.e., a seismometer for measuring moonquakes), on the lunar surface. The moon has substantially no atmosphere, and undergoes extremes of heat and cold, which is a severe environment for such a measurement unit. On the other hand, the lunar surface is covered with sand-like particles (called "regolith") having a heat-insulating effect. Thus, if the measurement unit is buried at an excavation depth of about 1 m, the external temperature variations can be suppressed to ease the severity of the environment. Therefore, there is a need for a technique of autonomously burying a measurement unit or the like in regolith without human intervention.
Mizuno, et al., Tohoku University, Japan, proposes an excavating apparatus adapted to rotate, by motors, blades provided on an apparatus body to scrape out regolith lying beneath the apparatus body while introducing the scraped soil inside the apparatus body, and discharge the introduced regolith outside the apparatus body by a bucket elevator, while rotating the blades (the following Non-Patent Document 1). According to this article, it is reported that a prototype apparatus sank down by 126 mm in 120 minutes.
FIG. 12 shows the excavating apparatus proposed by Mizuno, et al., wherein the upper figure is a side view thereof, and the lower figure is a bottom view thereof. Two blades 1002a, 1002b are disposed on respective opposite transverse sides of a space beneath a bottom surface of an apparatus body 1001 having an oval shape in transverse section, and adapted to be driven by respective motors 1003a, 1003b. The two motors 1003a, 1003b are rotationally synchronized to prevent interference between the blades 1002a, 1002b. The two motors are adapted to be rotated in opposite directions so as to cancel out torques thereof to prevent rotation of the apparatus body 1001. According to the rotation of the blades 1002a, 1002b, regolith is introduced inside the apparatus body 1001 through an inlet opening 1005. Then, the introduced regolith is carried upwardly by a bucket elevator 1004, and discharged outside the apparatus body.    [Non-Patent Document 1] "Development of a Robot Prototype for Excavation and Exploration of the Moon and Planet", 199th Workshop, The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers Tohoku Chapter (Dec. 15, 2001)
However, it is considered that the above excavating apparatus involves the following problems.
(1) Due to the structure employing the bucket elevator to discharge regolith outside the apparatus body, it is unable to excavate regolith to a depth greater than a height dimension of the apparatus body.
(2) Due to the blades arranged to be moved relative to the apparatus body, regolith is likely to block a clearance between the apparatus body and each of the blades to preclude the movement of the blades.
(3) Due to a need for providing a regolith-discharging space (i.e., installation space for the bucket elevator) penetrating through the apparatus body, a loading space for payloads, such as a measurement unit, is narrowed.
(4) It is necessary to provide two mechanisms for the rotation of the blades and the discharge of regolith.
(5) The need for rotating the two blades in opposite directions in order to cancel out torques thereof causes complexity in structure and increase in cost and weight.
(6) Due to incapability to move backwardly within regolith, once starting evacuation, it is unable to redo evacuation.
(7) If an excavated hole is cured, the curved region can avoid exposure to solar light to provide enhanced temperature environment. However, the above excavating apparatus is capable of only excavation in a vertical direction.


The present invention attempts to reduce an amount of a contrast medium or a patient dose and improve diagnostic efficiency. The conditions for a main scan are designated so that a first scan of scanning a subject with a tube current of a first tube current value fed to an X-ray tube will be performed in order to examine the blood flow in a subject's blood vessel into which a contrast medium is injected. Moreover, the conditions for a main scan are designated so that a second scan of scanning the subject with a tube current of a second tube current value fed to the X-ray tube will be performed in order to image the subject's blood vessel into which the contrast medium is injected. Images of the subject are constructed based on projection data items produced by scanning the subject under the sets of conditions for a main scan.

The present invention relates to a radiography apparatus and a radiography method. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a radiography apparatus and a radiography method which construct images of a subject according to projection data items of the subject produced by performing a main scan in which radiation is irradiated from a radiation tube to the subject and radiation transmitted by the subject is detected.
A radiography apparatus including an X-ray computed tomography (CT) apparatus reconstructs images of a subject's tomographic layer according to projection data items produced by scanning a subject with radiation. The radiography apparatus is widely adopted for medical application and industrial application.
In the radiography apparatus, for example, a blood flow examination called CT perfusion or angiography called CT angiography is performed using a contrast medium for the purpose of diagnosis of an ischemic disease in an encephalic region (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-159983
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-6772
For CT perfusion or CT angiography, a scan is performed exclusively to each of CT perfusion and CT angiography in order to acquire data concerning a blood flow examination or data concerning images constructed through angiography.
Therefore, it may be hard to minimize an amount of a contrast medium or a patient dose. Moreover, since an examination lasts over a long period of time, it may be hard to improve diagnostic efficiency.

Radiography apparatus and radiography method

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC