The present invention relates to triazole derivaties, a method for the preparation thereof, and a pharmaceutical composition containing the same as an active ingredient. The inventive triazole derivaties have an excellent antifungal activity against various pathogens.

Patients having reduced immunity such as those undergoing chemical therapy for cancer, recovering from organ transplants, and suffering from AIDS are at a great risk of fungal infection, mostly by opportunistic pathogens such as Candida spp., Aspergillus spp. and Cryptococcus neoformans. The antifungals available in the market are not effective in such cases because of the problems of toxicity and narrow spectrum of activity.
There have been developed a number of antifungal compounds, e.g., orally administrable triazole derivatives represented by fluconazole (GB Patent No. 2099818), itraconazole (U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,179) and voriconazole (EP Patent No. 0440372). None of them, however, show inhibitory activity sufficiently effective for controlling the opportunistic fungi which cause fatal infection in such patients described above.
Many of the conventional antifungals have a structure comprising a triazole having an additional heterocyclic substituent. Disclosed are, for example, triazole derivatives having: a five-membered isoxazole (EP Patent No. 0241232); a triazolone moiety (EP Patent No. 0659751); and a pyrazole ring (Japanese Patent No. 3415865 and International Patent Publication No. WO 2001/79196).
However, the conventional derivatives disclosed in the above-mentioned patents are not completely satisfactory in treating severe fugal infection.

Antifungal triazole derivatives, method for the preparation thereof and pharmaceutical composition containing same


A screw driving device with adjustable countersink depth has a resilient depth adjustment sleeve that permits a depth to which a screw is driven by the device to be adjusted by rotation of the resilient depth adjustment sleeve. Rotation of the resilient depth adjustment sleeve is impeded by engagement of a detent in elongated axial stop grooves in an interior wall of the resilient depth adjustment sleeve so that an adjusted position is not lost during normal use.

Conventional devices for driving screws using a power tool, such as an electric drill or an impact driver, are well known in the art. Such devices have a driveshaft end that is attached to the drive mechanism of the power tool and a screw driving head with a screw bit tip that engages the head of a screw. Screw driving heads now include devices with drive mechanisms that allow a screw to be countersunk at or below the surface of a work piece. For example, a clutch system may disengage the driveshaft to stop the bit from turning when a predetermined countersink depth is achieved. At the predetermined countersink depth, rotation of the screw bit ceases and the driving of the screw stops.
One disadvantage with most prior screw driving heads is that the countersink depth is fixed, or may be adjusted only by changing the screw bit because the countersink depth is determined by the length of the screw bit itself. As understood by those skilled in the art, screw bits are generally not available in small length increments, so countersink depth adjustment in such devices is impractical. Consequently, screw driving devices with depth adjustment have been invented.
One such screw driving device is adjusted by performing a series of steps. First, an outer collar is unscrewed from a nozzle. Next, both the outer collar and nozzle are moved axially by rotating each separately to achieve a desired counter sink depth. Finally, the outer collar is tightened down on the nozzle to lock the screw driving device at the desired counter sink depth. Manufacturers of such tools include Black & Decker, DeWalt, Roby, Milwaukee, etc.
Another such adjustable screw driving device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,260, which teaches a depth-adjusting subassembly connected to a nose portion of a power tool. An incremental rotation of a depth-adjustment collar of the depth-adjusting subassembly form one angular position to another relative to a nose portion of the power tool produces an axial movement of a dept locator to adjust a depth setting of the depth-adjusting subassembly. While simple to adjust, the depth-adjusting subassembly requires a plurality of precision parts.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a screwing device with an adjustable countersink depth that is simple to construct and to operate.

Screw driving device with adjustable countersink depth


An authentication method in a mesh AP including using standard IEEE 802.11i mechanisms between the mesh AP and an authenticator for authenticating the mesh AP to become a child mesh AP with a secure layer-2 link to a first parent mesh AP that has a secure tunnel to a Controller, including, after a layer-2 link between the child mesh AP and the first parent mesh AP is secured, undergoing a join exchange for form a secure tunnel between the child mesh AP and the Controller. Further, a fast roaming method for re-establishing a secure layer-2 link with a new parent mesh AP including, while the mesh AP is a child mesh AP to the first parent mesh AP and has a secure layer-2 link to the first parent mesh AP, caching key information and wireless mesh network identity information, and using the cached information to establish a secure layer-2 link with a new parent mesh AP without having to undergo a 4-way authentication. Further, while the mesh AP is a child mesh AP to the first parent mesh AP, has a secure layer-2 link to the first parent mesh AP, and has a secure tunnel to the Controller, caching session information on the secure tunnel, and using the cached information to re establish the secure tunnel with the Controller, the secure tunnel now via the new mesh AP.

The present invention relates to wireless networks, and in particular, to a system and method for enabling secure and rapid roaming of mesh access points in a wireless mesh network.
Wireless Mesh Networks and the Need for Secure and Rapid Roaming
Wireless mesh networks have recently become popular. In particular, wireless mesh networks that operate under one of the IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) standards have recently become popular. An exemplary wireless mesh network is illustrated in FIG. 6, which shows wireless access points (APs) 603, 605, 607, and 609, e.g., used outdoors. The access points 603, 605, 607, and 609 also each act as mesh points of a wireless mesh network, e.g., using an additional radio transceiver for the mesh backbone connection to route traffic between the mesh points, called mesh APs 603, 605, 607, and 609, to that used for the AP functionality. Such mesh access points may be used, for example, to cover large metropolitan areas. The exemplary system uses the IEEE 802.11a standard for backhaul data transmission between the mesh points, and uses the IEEE 802.11b/g standard for client access. One client 611 of mesh AP 605 is shown. Also shown is an AP, e.g., an indoor AP 613 that connects via the 2.4 GHz link to mesh AP 607.
As shown in FIG. 6, the exemplary wireless mesh network 600 includes of two types of mesh points: a root access point (root AP, RAP) 603, shown here on the roof of a building, and a mesh access point (mesh AP, MAP) 605, 607, and 609 each shown here on a pole-top. Each of these also acts as an access point. A mesh point without the AP capability is simply called a mesh point, and in this description, mesh APs can act as mesh points when there are no client stations, or if the wireless AP capabilities are disabled.
Recently, there has been a move in wireless networks away from autonomous access points towards what are called "light-weight" access points that are centrally controlled by, and work together with an entity in the wired network called an "WLAN Controller" (WLC), or simply a Controller. The general goal has been to move most of the traditional wireless functionality such as access control (user authentication and authorization), mobility and radio management out of the access point into a centralized Controller. The operation of the access point is managed by messages between the WLAN Controller and the AP using a protocol called the Lightweight AP Protocol (LWAPP). See for example, "Lightweight. Access Point Protocol," Draft, IETF Working Group on Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (capwap), available for download on Mar. 3, 2006 from URL <www3.ietf.org/proceedings/05nov/IDs/draft-ohara-capwap-lwapp-03.txt> and elsewhere. In that document, the lightweight AP is referred to as a wireless termination point (WTP). Those in the art will be familiar with the Lightweight. Access Point Protocol, (LWAPP) as described in the above cited and readily available "capwap" IETF draft.
In the examples used herein, the access points 603, 605, 607, and 609 of FIG. 6 are assumed to be lightweight APs operating with a WLAN Controller 615 coupled to the root AP 603 by a network, shown here as a wired wide area network (WAN) 617. The Controller uses LWAPP to communicate with the mesh APs. For operation as an access point, a lightweight access point requires a link to a WLAN Controller such as Controller 615.
It is known to include security in LWAPP. Mesh security includes link-level security ("IEEE 802.11" security, "layer-2" security) for communication between a child mesh AP and a parent mesh AP, and tunnel security ("LWAPP tunnel" security, for communication between a child mesh AP and the Controller 615 via a secure tunnel established using LWAPP. See the above referenced capwap IETF draft. The secure tunnel provided for securely communication between an AP, e.g., a mesh AP and the Controller so that data from any client associated with the AP can securely communicate with the Controller.
There is a need in the art for new methods of securing a mesh network. There further is a need in the art for a method and mechanisms for a child mesh AP of a mesh to rapidly roam from one parent to another.
Note that the need for rapid roaming in wireless networks has long been recognized. For example, the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standards committee has formed a task group (Task Group "r", so called TG-r) to establish a new standard, to be known as the IEEE 802.11r standard for rapid roaming within an IEEE basis service set. The rapid roaming methods being considered by TG-r deal with layer-2 aspects of client roaming. However, there still is a need for rapid mesh roaming to re-establish a secure LWAPP tunnel from a child mesh AP to the Controller. For example, the authorization, e.g. access control may change as a client moves from one AP to the other. Also, the accounting server needs to be appraised of the change that can happen at the time the controller tunnel is "re-established."
Thus, there is a need in the art for extending the roaming capabilities provided by the current TG-r proposal to enable rapid roaming of mesh points, such as mesh APs, including rapidly re-establishing a secure LWAPP tunnel between a child mesh AP and a Controller.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for securing mesh access points in a wireless mesh network, including rapid roaming


A method for synthesising a viewpoint, comprising: capturing a scene using a network of cameras, the cameras defining a system volume of the scene, wherein a sensor of one of the cameras has an output frame rate for the system volume below a predetermined frame rate; selecting a portion of the system volume as an operational volume based on the sensor output frame rate, the predetermined frame rate and a region of interest, the operational volume being a portion of the system volume from which image data for the viewpoint can be synthesised at the predetermined frame rate, wherein a frame rate for synthesising a viewpoint outside the operational volume is limited by the output frame rate; reading, from the sensors at the predetermined frame rate, image data corresponding to the operational volume; and synthesising the viewpoint at the predetermined frame rate using the image data.

Computer vision systems have been used to generate free viewpoint video (FVV) of objects and activity in a field of view surrounded and imaged by a network of cameras. A free viewpoint video system may be capable of processing video images in real time and generating virtual video footage of the scene suitable for broadcast with a low latency. Alternatively, the processing may be off-line using post processing later viewing. Virtual video images may be generated from a variety of viewpoints and orientations that do not correspond to any of the cameras in the network.
Most free viewpoint video generation techniques work based on camera images captured by a calibrated camera network. A calibrated camera network is a network in which the cameras may be described in terms of a number of parameters. The calibration parameters consist of extrinsic parameters (e.g., orientation and pose) and intrinsic parameters (e.g., focal lengths, principal point offset and axis skew). The parameters may be determined from the analysis of a set of images from the camera network taken at approximately the same time.
There are many different known methods of free viewpoint video generation. One class of methods are model-based methods that reconstruct a full three-dimensional (3D) geometry of the scene, a second class are depth based methods that use depth estimation then generate free viewpoint video from image and depth data, and a third class are image-based methods that use some kind of interpolation of image data to form the free viewpoint video directly. The required density of sampling of an event by a camera network depends on the free viewpoint video generation method, the range of viewpoints that are to be generated, and the desired quality of output. Techniques used to generate a 3D geometry include structure from motion, shape-from-silhouette, visual hull reconstruction, shape from focus or defocus, structure from stereo and depth/disparity estimation algorithms.
The resolution of the virtual video images generated is limited by the resolution of the captured video from the camera network. If the captured event takes place in a large area then the cameras may be optically zoomed to a particular region of interest in order to allow higher resolution free viewpoint video to be generated. For example, in a soccer game the cameras may be zoomed to the penalty area around the goal at one end of the field, in baseball the cameras may be zoomed to one of the bases, or in cricket the cameras may target the area around the wicket. In other events, for example in the arts, the cameras may be directed towards star performers or a soloist. In order to cover multiple areas at high resolution for free viewpoint video it may be necessary to use multiple camera networks, each of which covers a particular region of interest, which may be costly.
Alternatively the cameras may be mounted on pant tilt zoom (PTZ) stages allowing them to be retargeted during an event. The speed of retargeting is limited by the mechanical properties of the PTZ stage. Also, the use of a mechanical stage can lead to instabilities that make it difficult to maintain the accuracy of calibration of the camera network, that may in turn lead to artefacts in the generation of free viewpoint video.
Calibration can be a time consuming process and is generally not performed for each frame of the video sequences separately. Calibration may be per-formed through the analysis of a set of images from each of the network cameras at approximately the same time. Even in the case of a fixed camera network, the accuracy of calibration may deteriorate over time due to physical instability of the system. For example there may be mechanical instability due to vibrations and drift of the physical elements and optical instability due to variation of optical properties (e.g. due to changing temperature).
Various techniques may be used to maintain the accuracy of the calibration data for the network over time so that the calibration data remains valid. Known techniques include mechanical stabilisation techniques, gyroscope based systems, and optical image stabilisation, all of which perform well at damping out high frequency instability such as camera shake but would not be expected to handle lower frequency motion such as drift. Another class of techniques may be referred to as digital image stabilisation methods which analyse the image pixels to determine a suitable correction either in the form of a transform to be applied to the current image frame to compensate for the motion of the camera or an update to the camera calibration parameters. The stabilisation methods can handle drift, however the performance of the methods is limited by the content of the images and they may perform poorly if there is limited texture in a scene. Also, depending on the implementation it may not be possible to achieve digital image stabilisation at the full frame rate of video capture.

Method, system and apparatus for capture of image data for free viewpoint video


The invention provides a control method for sets of series-parallel-connected LEDs via a single wire. Step 1: providing an LED circuit including a control module and a light-emitting module. The light-emitting module includes LED strings connected to one another in parallel. Each of the LED strings includes a plurality of LED units connected in series to one another, and at least one counter comprising a counter start time different from that of another. Step 2: sending a setting signal by the control module, and allocating one identification code obtained sequentially in time to one of the LED string according to the different counter start times of the LED strings. Step 3: sending a designation signal to the light-emitting module by the control module, such that the LED string with the corresponding identification value is selected and independently controlled by the control module.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are maturely and extensively applied in lighting, display and other fields. In order to maximize the performance of LEDs, apart from taking into account the material design of the LEDs, a control circuit driving the LEDs to emit light also plays a critical role.
In the circuit of LEDs, there is a configuration of a plurality of groups of series-connected LEDs connected in parallel by a single wire. With respect to a control circuit for such LEDs, the U.S. Pat. No. 9,854,633 provides an LED array and a light source device using the same. The LED array includes a plurality of LED strings connected in parallel to one another, wherein the LEDs are connected to one another in series. A sum of forward voltages of a plurality of corresponding light emitting devices included in at least one LED string among the plurality of LED strings is less than a sum of forward voltages of a plurality of corresponding light emitting devices included in a different LED string, and the at least one LED string includes a voltage compensation unit configured to compensate for a difference in forward voltage levels between the at least one LED string and the different LED string. Accordingly, with the arrangement of the voltage compensation unit, non-uniform current distribution can be mitigated.
In the described plurality of sets of series-parallel-connected LEDs via a single wire, a microcontroller unit (MCU) is usually connected to input terminals of the plurality of LED strings, such that the plurality of LEDs strings can receive only a signal sent from the MCU. Thus, the MCU can provide only uniform control to the LED strings and has a drawback of being incapable of flexibly providing diversified light emitting effects. Therefore, there is a need for an improvement.

Control method for plurality of sets of series-parallel-connected light-emitting diodes via single wire


A reading device for teaching or learning reading is composed of: (A) a two-layer structure containing a first layer, an opposite second layer, viewing slots formed in corresponding portions of the first and second layers, and a hollow pocket defined between the first and second layers; wherein: the first layer has printed on a front face thereof a letter/image chart, and the second layer has printed on a back face thereof a numerical listing of the names of the objects represented by the images on the letter/image chart; and (B) a flat card having a front face which is blank and a back face which preferably has printed thereon one or more sample words or sentences. The flat card is disposed for insertion into the hollow pocket defined between the first and second layers. Methods for teaching or learning reading using the reading device involves obtaining the reading device; obtaining reading material; and, for each unfamiliar word in the reading material: locating the first letter or single-sound letter combination of the word on the letter/image chart; pronouncing the name of the image proximate to the letter so as to sound out the letter or letter combination; and repeating these two steps for each successive letter or single-sound letter combination in the word so as to pronounce the entire word.

The present invention relates to reading devices. More particularly, this invention relates to a reading device for use in teaching or learning reading. In addition, the present invention relates to methods of learning and teaching reading using the reading device of this invention.
Methods and devices for teaching or learning how to read are known in the art. Reference is made, e.g., to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,007,548; 3,172,214; 4,193,212; 5,336,093; 6,068,487; 3,982,332; and 6,077,080.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,548 to Cytanovich discloses a method of teaching reading by means of an orthography that includes the words written in standard type and pictorial symbols representing the sounds of vowel phonemes and consonant digraphs appearing in the material proximately located to the phonemes and digraphs to assist in pronouncing the sounds. The patent teaches that the words are written in any standard type font at one location on a paper and in the orthography of the invention in a visually separable location on the paper. A disadvantage to the method taught in Cytanovich is that it does not use a standard chart of letters and images which can be used regardless of the particular words to be read. Instead, Cytanovich uses pictorial symbols in each word, the symbols being selected for the specific word. The use of pictorial symbols above or below each word throughout the reading material can be cumbersome and can make the reading material difficult to read.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,214 to Aberge et al. discloses an educational device for teaching reading using question-answer matching. The device has a frame with question-viewing windows, and question and answer slides insertable in the frame for display through the windows. The device is described as useful for rapid training of children of common word-image associations, the meaning of printed words by associating the printed words with visual images such as pictorial representations, and the association of visual images and words by permitting the child to repeatedly view, handle and compare the images and associated words. A disadvantage of the Aberge et al device is that it is limited to teaching reading via word-image associations. It is more desirable to teach reading via letter-image associations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,212 to Al-Kufaishi discloses a set of diacritics, which when applied in the English alphabet in conjunction with the existing or traditional system of diacritical markings, provides through the single combined set, the ability to couple correct pronunciation of words with the correct spelling thereof. A disadvantage of the Al-Kufaishi method is that it does not use pictorial images to assist in learning pronunciation of letters. Pictorial images are helpful to learning the sound of a particular letter, particularly vowel phonemes and consonant digraphs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,093 to Cox discloses a method for instructing and aiding disabled readers by dividing multi-syllabic words in a passage into their single syllable components and placing a dot above the vowel, vowel diphthong, or vowel digraph which contributes to the distinctive sound of that syllable. As with the method disclosed in Al-Kufaishi, the Cox method is disadvantageous in its failure to use pictorial images in assisting the letting of letter sounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,487 to Dionne discloses a method for having a reading machine spell a word which includes retrieving a word to be spelled, displaying the first character of the word on a display while applying a highlighting indicia to the character, synthesizing speech for the character to have the reading machine pronounce the displayed letter of the word, unhighlighting the displayed letter of the word, and retrieving a subsequent letter of the word. A drawback of the Dionne method is that it requires the use of a reading machine to learn pronunciation of letters, rather than a more simple device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,218 to Kapell discloses a word kit for use in creating poetry and as a teaching aid for teaching speech concepts, the word kit being composed of an assemblage of objects, each object presenting a plurality of surfaces. The assemblage includes a first set of objects having a first surface of the plurality of surfaces. A word selected from an interchangeable part of speech is depicted on the first surface and each additional surface of the plurality surfaces depicts another word selected from the interchangeable part of speech. A second set of objects has each of the plurality of surfaces thereof depicting a noninterchangeable series of letters. A drawback to the Kapel device is that it does not teach sounds or pronunciation of individual letters of words.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,332 to Szymczak discloses a speed reading aid for reading down columns of characters of successive greater width or complexity. The device is a hand manipulated packet containing a series of removable opaque cards, each card having one or more characteristic slots therein suitable for viewing a line of characters of a particular overall width. The Szymczak device is not used to teach or learn basic reading but merely to read more quickly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,080 to Rai discloses an education method for aiding the teaching and learning of proper English reading, sounding and spelling, wherein the method uses colors and symbols to represent vowel, consonant, and phonogram sounds and silent sounds. Rai does not teach the use of pictorial images to learn pronunciation of individual letters or consonant digraphs. The pictorial images are used in Rai in conjunction with complete words rather than letters.
Although devices for teaching and learning reading are known, it is continually desirable to provide improved devices which allow reading to be more easily learned and taught, and which are easy to use and carry.
Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a reading device which allows reading to be easily learned and taught.
A further object of this invention is to provide a reading device which uses letter-image associations to teach reading.
Another object of this invention is to provide a reading device which uses pictorial images to assist pronunciation of the sounds of individual letters and letter combinations having a single sound.
Another object of this invention is to provide a reading device for use in teaching or learning to read, wherein the device is compact and does not require expensive equipment, skilled teachers, or extensive time demands.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method for teaching reading using a reading device satisfying the preceding objects.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method for learning reading using a reading device satisfying the preceding objects.
These and other objects are achieved in the present invention.
One aspect of the present invention is directed to a reading device for teaching and learning to read. Broadly, the reading device of this invention is composed of:
(A) a two-layer structure composed of: (a) first layer, (b) an opposite second layer, (c) viewing slots formed in corresponding portions of the first and second layers, and (d) a hollow pocket defined between the first and second layers; wherein:
(1) the first layer has printed on a front face thereof a letter/image chart containing (i) all the letters of the alphabet, (ii) all or substantially all letter combinations composed of successive letters having a single sound (referred to herein as xe2x80x9csingle-sound letter combinationsxe2x80x9d); (iii) proximate to each letter and letter combination, an image of an object the name of which is indicative of the sound of the letter or letter combination; and (iv) a number proximate to each letter and single-sound letter combination on the letter/image chart; and
(2) the second layer has printed on a back face thereof a numerical listing of the names of the objects represented by the images on the letter/image chart; and
(B) a flat card having a front face which is blank and a back face which preferably has printed thereon one or more sample words or sentences, the flat card being disposed for insertion into the hollow pocket defined between the first and second layers. The present invention is further directed to methods of teaching and learning reading using the reading device of this invention.
The method of teaching a person to read using the reading device of this invention involves the following steps:
(1) providing the person with the reading device of this invention;
(2) providing the person with reading material; and
(3) for each word in the reading material which is unfamiliar to the person, having the person: (a) locate the first letter or single-sound letter combination of the word on the letter/image chart; (b) pronounce the name of the image proximate to the letter so as to sound out the letter or letter combination; and (c) repeat steps (3)(a) and (3)(b) for each successive letter or single-sound letter combination in the word so that the person is able to pronounce the entire word.
Preferably, the method further involves, between steps (2) and (3), the additional steps of: (2)(a) having the person place the reading device onto the reading material such that the letter/image chart faces the person and the viewing slots are placed over a portion of the reading material which is to be read first; and (2)(b) having the person insert the card into the pocket defined between the first and second layers such that the blank front face of the card is seen through the viewing slots, wherein step (2)(a) is carried out either before or after step (2)(b). Preferably, step (3) further involves, prior to step (3)(a), moving the card inserted in the pocket such that the blank face of the card blocks off all parts of the portion of the reading material except for the letter or letter combination which the person wishes to pronounce.
The present invention also provides a method of learning to read using the reading device wherein the same steps recited above are performed by the person learning to read.
The presence of the numerical listing of the names of the objects represented by the images on the letter/image chart permits the user to take the further step, if needed, of locating on the numerical listing the names of any objects represented by the images on the letter/image chart which the person cannot identify.
The reading material can be any printing medium on which words or sentences are printed, e.g., books, magazines, etc.
Having the letter-image chart face the reader saves the reader time and effort in locating the image and, therefore, learning the sound of the letter. In other words, having the letter-image chart printed on the side of the device facing the reader saves the reader time and effort in learning to read.
A further advantage provided by the present invention is that the blank side of the card can be inserted into the pocket of the device so as to cover all parts of the reading material except a particular letter or word. This feature allows the reader to focus on the reading material one letter or word at a time.
The methods of this invention may further involve the use of an auditory listening medium, such as a tape, cassette, CD rom, or the like, for confirming pronunciation of the letters or words in the sample words or sentences.
The reading device and methods of this invention are designed to teach and learn reading rapidly with minimal instruction and supervision.
Because the letter/image chart used in the reading device of this invention sets forth all the letters of the alphabet and all or substantially all letter combinations having a single sound, the contents of the letter/image chart will not have to be varied in accordance with the particular word or words to be read. In other words, a single chart can be used for any word or words to be learned. As noted previously, the Cytanovich reading method uses an orthography wherein pictorial symbols are used in the reading material itself; thus, the xe2x80x9cchartxe2x80x9d of pictorial symbols will vary in accordance with the particular word or words to be read.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the pictorial images used therein are located on a chart rather than in the reading material itself. As mentioned previously herein in connection with the Cytanovich patent, the use of pictorial symbols within the reading material can render the material difficult to read. In the present invention, use of diacritical-type markings rather than pictorial symbols in the reading material renders the material much easier to read.
Another advantage of the reading device of this invention is its compactness of structure and, therefore, portability.
Use of the reading device of this invention to teach or learn reading does not require expensive equipment, skilled teachers, or extensive time demands. Thus, the reading device of this invention allows reading to be easily learned and easily taught.
The reading device of this invention also permits the reader to comprehend the progress he or she is making toward learning to read while enjoying it.

Reading device and methods of using same to teach and learn reading


Each of a plurality of transducers comprising a transducer array of an ultrasonic probe are sequentially driven, and the echo signals obtained from each of the transducers are stored in memory as complex data, following A/D conversion, quadrature detection, and the like. These complex data are read following a wave-front locus which converges on the focal point set as an observation point, and further the vector directions of each of the complex data are subjected to phase correction and synthesized, thus obtaining an ultrasonic image with high resolution.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which performs complex vector phase correction to echo signals obtained in time sequence from each ultrasonic transducer thereof, with regard to an organism, thereby obtaining an ultrasonic tomography image with high resolution.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses which emit ultrasounds into an organism, receive the waves reflected from within the organism tissue and process the received signals so as to obtain an ultrasonic tomography image of the organism. Such an apparatus is capable of obtaining an ultrasonic tomography image without exposing the subject to X-rays as with an X-ray diagnostic apparatus which must use X-rays to obtain an X-ray photograph, and for this reason is widely used for examinations and the like in obstetrics and gynecology.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the block configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses 51 of prior art which employs the aperture synthesis method. The ultrasonic probe 52 has an array of piezoelectric transducers 53-1 through 53-5.
The signal generating circuit 54 is connected to the piezoelectric transducers 53-1 through 53-5 via transmitting amplifiers 56-1 through 56-5 connected to a transmission drive circuit 55, whereby driving signals are applied to each of the piezoelectric transducers 53-1 through 53-5, thus emitting ultrasonic pulses into the object under inspection.
Further, the ultrasonic transducers 53-1 through 53-5 each connected to a multiplexer 57 via signal lines, and one ultrasonic transducer 53-i ("i" denotes one of 1 through 5) is selected. The same ultrasonic transducer 53-i which was used for transmission is selected by the multiplexer 57 to receive the ultrasounds reflected from the object under inspection. The received ultrasounds are converted into electrical signals, and fed to a receiving amplification circuit 58. This receiving amplification circuit 58 is controlled by a STC (sensitivity time control) circuit or STC control circuit 59, and amplification to a certain amplitude is performed.
The output signals of this receiving amplification circuit 58 are input to a band pass filter 60, and following removal of unnecessary noise, are converted to digital signals by an A/D converter 61, and subsequently are stored to a wave-front memory 62 which stores wave-front data.
This operation is performed through the transducer 53-5 by switching with the multiplexer 57. After switching has been performed through the transducer 56-5 and the data has been stored in the wave-front memory 62, data corresponding with the focal point to be synthesized from the wave-front memory 62 is extracted, based on an address generated by the wave-front locus look-up table (LUT) 63, addition processing is conducted by the adding circuits 64-1 and 64-2, and squared by the squarers 65-1 and 65-2.
Since the property of wave is defined by both its amplitude and phase, the precise synthesis of a certain wave-front requires both real and imaginary components of each point of the wave-front. For this reason, both real and imaginary components are read out of the wave-front memory 62 separately, using two types of addresses generated from the wave-front locus LUT 63, namely real wave-front locus and imaginary wave-front locus. Real and imaginary components are summed and squared by the adding circuits 64-1, 64-2 and the squarers 65-1, 65-2 respectively, to produce squared real and imaginary amplitudes corresponding to the reflection from the focal point where the wave-front converges. The obtained real amplitude and imaginary amplitudes are added by the adder 66 and then output to a digital scan converter (DCS) 67.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration regarding the example of prior art illustrated in FIG. 1, of the state of data stored in the wave-front memory 62, the data being received echo signals quantized by the A/D converter 61 by means of quadrature sampling. Here, the blank circles indicated in FIG. 2 by a1, a2, and so forth denote sample points of quantized data, the solid circles denote sample points on the real wave-front locus, and the double circles denote sample points on the imaginary wave-front locus which of which the phase is 90.degree. offset from the real wave-front locus denoted by the solid circles.
For example, in the event that an echo signal with a center frequency of 7.5 MHz is sampled with sampling frequency of 60 MHz, the number of samples of each cycle T of the echo signal is 60/7.5=8. The time t during this sampling being converted to phase is 360.degree./8 samples=45.degree..
With the method of the prior art, data of sample points on real and imaginary wave-front locus is extracted, which is separated by respective adding circuits for real components and imaginary components and then squared, and then obtaining the synthesized output of the focal point by adding these.
This wave-front locus is a type of address information which is determined by the relative relationship regarding ultrasonic wave propagation between the focal point which is to be imaged and each transducer. By means of changing this wave-front locus, the focal point position is changed in a two-dimensional manner so as to cover the display area, and a B-mode ultrasonic tomography image which corresponds to the display area is obtained.
According to the above-described method, the echo signals are quantized by the A/D converter 61, the data obtained is extracted as complex data along wave-front locus for real component and imaginary component, synthesizing a B-mode image. According to literature ("Ultrasonic Beam Formation by Discrete Processing and the Method Thereof", Katakura et al, Japan Acoustic Institute Journal Volume 44, No. 7) which describes a beam forming method wherein signal synthesis processing is performed by using quadrature sampling technique, high time precision (i.e., phase precision) is required with synthesis according to quadrature sampling technique, in order to decrease unnecessary components in synthesized results.
However, with the above-described example of prior art, there are limitations to the conversion speed of the A/D converter 61 used in actual practice, so that the A/D converted echo signals for one cycle are of coarse quantization, i.e., 8 samples, which converted into phase precision is 45.degree.. In the event that synthesis is performed with such low phase precision, there is a problem wherein side lobes are formed by the unnecessary components, which degrade the final B-mode image, and accordingly, the B-mode image or ultrasonic tomography image with high resolution cannot be obtained.
In order to suppress such side lobes, quantizing of the echo signals to a finer degree to realize high time precision is sufficient. However, in order to realize such, a high-speed A/D converter and large capacity memory become necessary, resulting in problems such as excessive costs and complex construction.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which performs complex vector phase correction to echo signals obtained in time sequence from each ultrasonic transducer


Exhaust gas from an engine passes through a lower unit, and passes through a propeller boss coupled to a propeller shaft to be discharged into water. An outside diameter of a front end portion of the propeller boss is set to be equal to or larger than an outside diameter of a rear end portion of a gear case in the lower unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust structure for discharging exhaust gas after combustion to the outside in an outboard motor on which an internal combustion engine is mounted as a power source.
2. Description of the Related Art
In this type of outboard motor, an engine output torque is transmitted from a drive shaft to a propeller shaft, and a propeller disposed at a rear part of the outboard motor is rotated, to thereby obtain a thrust. The propeller has a cylindrical boss, and is attached to the propeller shaft with this boss portion. Exhaust gas from an engine passes through the boss to be discharged into water.
Generally, a gap between an outside diameter of a front end portion of a propeller boss and an inside diameter of a rear end portion of a gear case cannot be set to a value equal to or less than a certain value for avoiding a contact due to a swing of the propeller. In this case, there is a possibility that exhaust gas passing through an inside of the propeller boss is leaked from the gap. When the leaked exhaust gas is led into the propeller, and if this state continues, a propulsion efficiency of the propeller is decreased.
Accordingly, an outboard motor disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, employs a structure in which a rear end portion of a gear case or a cover of the gear case is protruded so that an inner periphery and an outer periphery of a front end portion of a propeller boss are overlapped. With such a structure, a leakage of exhaust gas is prevented.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 55-085999
In the outboard motor disclosed in Patent Document 1, although a labyrinth structure is formed between the front end portion of the propeller boss and the rear end portion of the gear case, even in this case, there is required a gap, to no small extent, to prevent a contact between the both due to a swing of a propeller shaft. Accordingly, it was not always possible to achieve a sufficient effect of preventing a leakage of exhaust gas.


A coil energizing apparatus has a superconducting energization power supply having an output port. The power supply is arranged to generate, when in use, a pulsed output current signal at the output port.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coil energization apparatus of the type that, for example, is used to provide a superconductive coil with electrical current in order to achieve generation of a magnetic field, such as a static magnetic field. The present invention also relates to a method of energizing a superconductive coil of the type that, for example, is used to provide the superconductive coil with electrical current in order to achieve generation of a magnetic field, such as a static magnetic field.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a magnetic resonance imaging system typically comprises a superconducting magnet, a gradient coil system, field coils, shim coils and a patient table. The superconducting magnet is provided in order to generate a strong uniform static magnetic field, known as the B0 field, in order to polarize nuclear spins in an object under test.
Presently, it is known to make the coils forming the superconducting magnet from metals that exhibit the property of superconduction at very low temperatures. To achieve superconduction, the superconducting magnet is therefore cooled to the very low temperatures. One known cryogen-cooled superconducting magnet unit includes a cryostat including a cryogen vessel. A cooled superconducting magnet is provided within the cryogen vessel, the cryogen vessel being retained within an outer vacuum chamber (OVC). One or more thermal radiation shields are provided in a vacuum space between the cryogen vessel and the OVC. In some known arrangements, a refrigerator is mounted in a refrigerator sock located in a turret towards the side of the cryostat, the refrigerator being provided for the purpose of maintaining the temperature of a cryogen provided in the cryogen vessel. The refrigerator also serves sometimes to cool one of the radiation shields. The refrigerator can be a two-stage refrigerator, a first cooling stage being thermally linked to the radiation shield in order to provide cooling to a first temperature, typically in the region of 80-100K. A second cooling stage provides cooling of the cryogen gas to a much lower temperature, typically in the region of 4-10K.
During manufacture of the superconducting magnet, at maintenance intervals and/or when installing the superconducting magnet, it is necessary to energize the superconducting magnet to generate the static magnetic field mentioned above, typically using a Direct Current (DC) power supply. The power supply is therefore connected to the magnet coils forming the superconducting magnet via a so-called "Current Lead". The Current Lead is a pair of conductors, approximately 1 meter long, one end of which is at room temperature while the other is at about 4.2K. The design of the Current Lead is constrained by mutually exclusive properties of the Current Lead: electrical resistance and thermal conductivity. Consequently, design of the superconducting magnet is constrained by limitations associated with the Current Lead in the following ways.
Firstly, the Current Lead limits the maximum current at which the superconducting magnet can operate. In this respect, as the static magnetic field generated by the superconducting magnet is a function of the operating current of the superconducting magnet and/or the number of turns of superconducting wire used to form the coils, it therefore follows that if the superconducting magnet is energized using the maximum current allowed by the Current Lead, the number of turns of superconducting wire used must be relied upon in order to achieve a desired static field strength from the superconducting magnet. Reliance on the number of turns of superconducting wire used is, however, undesirable because the superconducting wire is costly and manufacturing process time is, in part, a function of the number of turns of the coils of the superconducting magnet that has to be provided during manufacture.
Furthermore, when the Current Lead is a so-called fixed Current Lead, i.e. a Current Lead that remains in place after the superconducting magnet has been energized, heat leak is known to occur through the persistent Current Leads. Since the maximum allowable heat leak from the superconducting magnet unit is limited by the refrigeration power of the refrigerator, the more heat leak that occurs through the fixed Current Lead, the less heat leak margin that is available for other parts of the superconducting magnet unit. From a design perspective, the amount of heat leak that can therefore be tolerated from other parts of the superconducting magnet unit, for example suspension components of the superconducting magnet unit, is limited. The use of more thermally efficient materials for the other parts of the superconducting magnet unit is therefore necessitated and this is costly, because whilst, in some cases, the cost of the materials is low, complexity of fitting the materials can be high.
It is also known to use a so-called demountable Current Lead, i.e. a Current Lead that is only connected to the superconducting magnet during charging. An advantage of using the demountable Current Lead is that heat leak is minimized. However, the minimization of the heat leak is at the expense of providing access to a connector arrangement to connect the demountable Current Leads to the superconducting magnet and hence the need to expose the superconducting magnet to atmosphere. Consequently, problems arise when trying to connect the demountable Current Lead to the superconducting magnet due to formation of ice in the connector arrangement provided. Formation of ice within the superconducting magnet unit as a result of the superconducting magnet being exposed to atmosphere is an even greater and particularly costly problem associated with the use of the demountable Current Lead, because the ice formed influences interaction between the coils of the superconductive magnet and a supporting former of the coils resulting in the superconductive magnet being unable to achieve a desired operating field. In more extreme cases, the ice can block the exit of the cryogen with undesirable effects.
Use of High-Temperature Superconductor (HTS) Current Leads has also been suggested as an alternative solution for providing leads to enable the superconducting magnet to be energized, the HTS Current Lead remaining in place after charging the superconducting magnet. In this respect, the cross-sectional area of an HTS Current Lead is less than the respective cross-sectional areas of the conventional fixed and demountable Current Leads described above. Consequently, the HTS Current Leads exhibit less heat leak when in use. However, as the HTS Current Leads are formed from a superconducting material, the use of the HTS Current Leads introduces a risk of the HTS material forming the Current Lead "quenching", if the current flowing through the HTS Current Leads results in the so-called "critical surface" (characterizing the superconducting material from which the HTS Current Leads are formed) being reached or exceeded. When quenching occurs in one or both of the HTS Current Leads, the energy used to energize the superconducting magnet is dissipated as heat.
In this respect, any heating in the HTS Current Lead (or indeed the non-superconductive leads described above) can result in heating of the superconductive magnet and so part of the superconductive magnet can cease to exhibit the property of superconduction and ohmic heating in the superconducting magnet takes place. The ohmic heating causes so-called "boil-off" of the cryogen used. Boil-off is undesirable as the cryogen is wasted if no recovery system is in place, the cryogen being an expensive commodity.

Coil energization apparatus and method of energizing a superconductive coil


A valved cannula assembly having a gasket retaining collar positioned internally within a gasket receiving member, the gasket retaining collar having a recess to receive and retain in a fixed position an annular gasket, which acts in conjunction with either a flapper valve assembly or an inserted instrument to seal the axial bore of the cannula and prevent escape of fluids or gases. A plugging member forces the retaining collar against the gasket receiving member. The recess of the gasket retaining collar is preferably provided with annular ridges to secure the gasket and a conical shoulder to allow some deflection.

The present invention relates generally to the field of cannulas used to provide a conduit and channel through the skin of a patient for performing internal medical procedures. More specifically, the invention relates to such cannulas, both regular and insufflation types, having a valve mechanism to seal off the conduit to prevent fluids or gases from escaping out the exterior end of the cannula. The valve mechanism is of an improved construction and assembly, whereby the integrity of the valve seal is maintained over repeated uses and replacement of the sealing gasket within the valve mechanism is a simple procedure.
Cannulas in combination with trocars are well known in the art. The cannula and trocar combination is used to penetrate the skin of a patient so that medical procedures may be performed internally without recourse to a relatively large incision, the trocar creating only a small puncture site. The internal trocar is removed after penetration and the cannula provides the conduit through which instruments may be inserted and manipulated, or if the cannula is of the insufflation type, gases inserted to expand the internal cavity.
Valved cannulas are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,280 to Lander, U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,982 to Bauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,635 to Kontos and U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,051 to Harris all show valved cannulas. The known devices all suffer from various drawbacks and problems which are not present in the cannula of the invention. To provide a gas-tight and fluid-tight seal, a typical valve mechanism comprises a pivoting plug in combination with a resilient gasket, the plug being adapted to be pushed open by the inserted instruments and the gasket forming a seal with either the plug or the inserted instrument. The integrity of the seal depends upon the gasket continuing to perform its function over many repeated usages. The known devices fall into two main categories--those with an exposed gasket, as in Bauer et al., and those with intricately shaped gaskets, as in Lander.
A cannula is typically used with pointed or hooked instruments, and it is important that the sharp portions of the instruments not contact the sealing gasket. Some cannulas have the gasket positioned on the pivoting plug member. This is a poor design, in that it exposes the gasket to contact with the trocar or other instruments every time they are inserted to force open the valve, since the gasket is not stationary about the central axis of the cannula shaft. This often results in slicing or tearing of the gasket. Using a fixed gasket alleviates this problem, but the current assemblies require complicated gaskets which can wear out from fatigue or have large exposed surfaces allowing shifting or stretching of the gasket.
The valve mechanism of the invention solves these problems by providing a simple annular gasket which is maintained in a fixed position relative to the central a is. The retaining means for the gasket provide for an improved seal with the valve plug and allow for easy removal and replacement of the gasket when necessary.


A multiple content message (MCM) base apparatus configured to generate a composite base data stream is proposed. A multiple content message (MCM) rover apparatus configured to generate a set of fast frequency baseline data is proposed.

Different Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are widely available nowadays for a user. Most professional receivers generate observation data for a multitude of GNSS and their signals. These observable are presented in proprietary formats, so compatibility between different vendors can be achieved only through Receiver Independent Exchange Format (RINEX) conversion. However, even the latest version of the RINEX-3 conversion does not support effective real time operations.
What is needed is to utilize a Multiple Signal Message (MSM) RTCM-3 concept (and respective format) to present all GNSS observation data in such generic form that supports both a real time and a post processing navigation systems.

Multiple content message base-rover architecture


A transaction record linked to photos taken within geographic or temporal proximity to the various transactions of the record may create a visual way for consumers to interact with their transaction data. Payment transaction data including a customer identifier, a first geo-location of a point-of-sale terminal, and a transaction time stamp may be compared against a second geo-location of a user device associated with the customer identifier. In response to the first geo-location being within a predetermined distance of the second geo-location, an image may be retrieved or created. Transaction records may then show the payment transaction data and the image.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Payment devices such as credit cards, mobile-devices that are linked to credit accounts, fobs with wireless payment technology, and others are tied to an account that, among other functions, tracks the use of that account. For example, a typical transaction record includes payment device information and particulars about each transaction that was completed with the payment device during a given period of time. Particulars have traditionally included a payment amount, date and time of the transaction, and textual information to allow the account holder to identify the recipient of the payment through the user's account. However, traditional transaction records include only text information to convey particulars with no way to interact with the transaction record data or to facilitate other tasks that are related to the data.


A method for characterizing at least one joined connection between at least two components, whereby an eddy-current sensor is consecutively moved several times over the at least one weld, thereby generating a plurality of data sets of the detected measuring signals in various parallel sectional planes of the weld, and whereby, on the basis of the plurality of data sets, a projection data set is subsequently determined as the measure of the spatial distribution of the measuring signals along the at least one joined connection.

Motor vehicles that can be or are powered electrically such as, for instance, electric or hybrid vehicles, typically have an electric motor as the drive machine which is coupled to an electric (high-voltage) energy-storage means that is installed in the vehicle in order to supply the electric energy. Such energy-storage means are configured, for example, in the form of (vehicle) batteries.
In this context, the term electrochemical battery refers especially to a so-called secondary battery of the motor vehicle in which the consumed chemical energy can be restored by means of an electric (re)charging process. Such batteries are particularly configured as electrochemical accumulators, for example, as lithium-ion batteries. In order to generate or provide a sufficiently high operating voltage, such batteries typically have several individual battery cells that are modularly interconnected.
The batteries or battery cells are made, for instance, of foil-like battery electrodes. As a rule, the battery electrodes have an active-material coating onto which a foil material, especially a copper or aluminum foil, has been applied.
Within the scope of the production, the battery electrodes or the coated foil materials of a battery cell or of a battery have to be electrically conductively connected to a current arrester or to an arrester lug (busbar, arrester tab). In this context, the connection is typically established in the form of one or more welds by means of a welding process, for instance, a laser or ultrasound welding process.
The grade and quality of the welded connection or of the weld on the battery components is relevant for the quality of the battery or battery cell thus produced. Consequently, with an eye towards reducing the number of rejects and improving understanding of the process, it is desirable for the generated welded connections or welds on the battery components to be examined and/or tested, non-destructively if at all possible, and preferably inline, in other words, during the production process in the production or manufacturing line.
Characterization, in other words, an inspection and examination and/or testing of welded connections is possible, for example, by means of an x-ray analysis, especially employing computer tomography (CT), or else by means of ultrasound measurement. A drawback of x-ray measurements is that they are relatively time-consuming and costly, so that they cannot be carried out inline. When it comes to ultrasound measurements, the need for a coupling medium is particularly problematic so that inline use is basically not possible. Moreover, electric resistance measurements over the weld are also conceivable in order to examine and/or test the welded connections. However, the sensitivity of electric resistance measurements is too low to examine welds on battery components. Besides, such resistance measurements say very little about the mechanical strength of the weld.
Tensile tests, for example, can be carried out in order to evaluate the mechanical stability of the welded connections. Such a tensile test ascertains, for instance, the (tensile) strength and the deformation behavior of the weld up to a breaking point. This, however, destroys the welded connection and thus the battery cell or the battery, as a result of which the battery cells or the batteries become rejects and cannot be utilized.
For the reasons outlined above, welds are typically not characterized inline during the production of battery elements. Consequently, during the configuration of the welds, a safety factor is usually dimensioned sufficiently large so that the quality of the weld is ensured, even in the case of merely sporadic inspection or characterization. This normally entails accepting financial disadvantages as well as a higher number of rejects after the production or manufacture of the battery elements.


A diffusion transfer silver halide photographic material containing a color developing agent represented by the following formula (I) in a hydrophilic colloid layer provided on a support: ##STR1## wherein C.sub..alpha. represents a carbon atom; Z represents a carbamoyl group, an acyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, or an aryloxycarbonyl group; and Q represents an atomic group for forming a unsaturated ring together with C.sub..alpha., whereby a color diffusion transfer silver halide photographic material containing a novel color developing agent from which a diffusible dye can be formed is provided.

In the field of silver halide photographic materials, the so-called color diffusion transfer process in which diffusible dyes are imagewise formed followed by fixing them on an image receiving material is well known, and many proposals have been made for the process. In these processes, diffusible dyes are generally formed upon development of silver halides from compounds enhanced in nondiffusibility which are derived from image forming dyes colored beforehand (preformed dyes) (The compounds enhanced in nondiffusibility are hereinafter referred to as "coloring materials"). In such processes, addition of the coloring materials to silver halide emulsion layers causes undesirable sensitivity decrease to exposure, because of the filter effect due to the dye moieties of the coloring materials. As a means of avoiding this problem, the coloring materials for forming images are therefore added to layers far from the surfaces of the silver halide emulsion layers to be exposed to light in general. Although the sensitivity decrease due to the above-mentioned filter effect can be avoided by this means, long physical distances between the silver halide emulsions and the coloring materials from which diffusible dyes are formed result in nonefficient development information transfer to develop a defect in this process.
To overcome these problems, a so-called coupling system has been proposed, in which image formation is performed by a coupling reaction of couplers with oxidation products of developing agents which are formed as results of the development of silver halides. An advantage of this system is that both the developing agents and the couplers are colorless to overcome the defect in the system utilizing the preformed dyes, and accordingly, the above system is preferable to the coloring materials utilizing the preformed dyes. Examples of this process are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,773, JP-B-63-36487 (The term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication"), etc.
Incorporation of the above-mentioned color developing agents of the coupling system into the photographic materials, however, brings about insufficient compatibility of expected storage stability with activity in the coupling reaction. In this system, both the color developing agents and couplers are desired to be nondiffusive in view of prevention of color amalgamation between silver halide emulsion layers having different spectral sensitivities. In the processes known previously, it has been difficult, however, to form diffusible dyes from the couplers and color developing agents both of which are nondiffusive.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned processes also have the disadvantage of developing undesirable stains with time, because the color developing agents unused on development spread throughout the receiving material owing to large diffusibility thereof.

Color diffusion transfer silver halide photographic materials and process for forming images


A multi-channel line microscope for single molecule Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) imaging of a sample. A microscope stage moves a sample across two or more reflected excitation lines positioned relative to each other so that each excitation line excites a spatially distinct horizontal line in the image plane of the sample. A sample is imaged by moving the microscope stage across two or more reflected excitation lines positioned relative to each other so that each excitation line excites a spatially distinct horizontal line in the image plane of the sample. The apparatus and methods of use are suitable for a broad range of applications.

Using microscopy, cellular imaging has provided valuable information regarding the abundance of cellular proteins, DNA, and RNA. Cellular imaging has also provided valuable information regarding protein-protein interactions.
There are various types of microscopy including phase contrast, electron, and fluorescence. Fluorescence microscopy is a popular method in biological research and utilizes fluorescence and phosphorescence to study various cellular properties. Fluorescence microscopy makes use of a vast array of fluorochromes that makes it possible to identify cellular components with high specificity amid non-fluorescing material. These fluorochromes are capable of incorporation into molecules that bind selectively to nucleic acids, proteins, or other cellular components. Alternatively, fluorochromes may also be selectively incorporated within nucleic acids, proteins, or other cellular components directly.

Multi-channel line scanner for fast large field and confocal imaging


A method for producing predetermined shapes in a crystalline Si-containing material that have substantially uniform straight sides or edges and well-defined inside and outside corners is provided together with the structure that is formed utilizing the method of the present invention. The inventive method utilizes conventional photolithography and etching to transfer a pattern, i.e., shape, to a crystalline Si-containing material. Since conventional processing is used, the patterns have the inherent limitations of rounded corners. A selective etching process utilizing a solution of diluted ammonium hydroxide is used to eliminate the rounded corners providing a final shape that has substantially straight sides or edges and substantially rounded corners.

Photolithography (which may also be referred to as just 'lithography') is a well-known technique used in semiconductor device fabrication to provide three-dimensional patterns (or shapes or features) to a semiconductor structure. The terms "patterns", "shapes" and "features" are interchangeably used in the present application. The three-dimensional patterns may be located within a semiconductor substrate itself or they can be formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate. Photolithography generally includes the steps of applying a photoresist material to a surface of a structure having at least one material layer that needs patterning, exposing the applied photoresist material to a pattern of radiation and developing the pattern into the photoresist material utilizing a resist developer. The pattern in the photoresist is then transferred to the underlying material layer(s) of the semiconductor structure utilizing an etching process such as reactive-ion etching, ion beam etching, plasma etching or laser ablation. Depending on the material layer(s) being etched, the remaining photoresist can be removed prior to or after the etching process.
The patterns provided by photolithography are three-dimensional in that they have a width, height and length associated therewith. Examples of three-dimensional patterns that can be formed utilizing photolithography include, but are not limited to: trenches for isolation regions, vias and lines for device metallization, and gate stacks for field effect transistor fabrication.
One major drawback with conventional photolithographic processes in patterning crystalline materials is that the patterning of features that are comparable in scale to the wavelength of exposure radiation in such crystalline materials is limited by diffraction and interference effects. Optical proximity constraint (OPC) techniques can help to mitigate these effects, but fundamental limitations remain in how sharply these features can be defined. In particular, the corners of such features tend to be rounded with a radius on the order of the light wavelength. This rounding can limit circuit density since key material layers must be overlaid in a way that avoids these corners.
FIG. 1 shows a fragment of a typical pattern that is formed into a crystalline Si-containing material. As shown, prior art photolithographic processes provide a patterned region 100 that has rounded internal and external corners 102A and 102B, respectively. When polygates 104A and 104B are formed over the patterned region 100, the channel widths of these devices vary. In particular, polygate 104A has a wider channel width 106A at the internal corner 102A than the channel width of polygate 104B at the external corner 102B.
In view of the above, a method is needed which overcomes the problems with prior art photolithographic processes, particularly corner rounding. In particular, a method is provided in which the ideal structure shown in FIG. 2 is provided. The ideal structure shown in FIG. 2, which is achieved utilizing the method of the present invention, includes a crystalline Si-containing material that has shapes which have uniformly straight sides or edges and well-defined corners, i.e., corners that are substantially square, i.e., orthogonal. By 'substantially square', it is meant that the shapes provided in the crystalline Si-containing material by the present invention have wall portions that are at 90° to each other, as seen in a top view, for example, the view illustrated in FIG. 2.

Pattern enhancement by crystallographic etching

International Business Machines Corporation


A porous silicon structure is stabilized by anodically oxidizing the structure and then subjecting it to chemical functionalization to protect non-oxidized surface regions, preferably in the presence of 1-decene under thermal conditions. This process creates a protective organic monolayer on the surface of the structure, rendering it highly stable.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of optoelectronics, and in particular to a method of stabilizing porous silicon structures suitable for use in photoluminescent and electroluminescent applications.
2. Description of Related Art
Porous silicon (PSi) formed by chemical or electrochemical etching of crystalline silicon in HF-based solutions is of considerable interest in the optoelectronics field because of its ability to produce bright photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature. While the origin of the PL was uncertain, it is now believed that the PL results from the quantum confinement of carriers within the silicon nanocrystals composing the porous layer even though there are contributions from the surface species.
Due to the fabrication process used, freshly prepared PSi surfaces are covered with silicon-hydrogen bonds (Si—Hx). This termination offers good electronic properties to the surface. However, the Si—Hx bonds are prone to hydrolysis when exposed to ambient air. A slow oxidation of the surface takes place and leads to the formation of surface defects, which are responsible for PL quenching and degradation of electronic properties of the material.
In any practical use of PSi layers for building optical devices, high PL and electroluminescence (EL) yields are required (external quantum efficiency (EQE)>1%). Typically, luminescent devices made from PSi are not stable and degrade with time due to oxidation of silicon-hydrogen bonds present on the surface. The luminescent intensity and electronic conduction properties diminish with time. There is therefore a need to stabilize such devices to prevent degradation of their properties over time. This can be achieved by passivation of the surface.
Thermal oxidation of the PSi surface is one of the most widely studied reactions to achieve a high PL stability, but this method destroys the porous layer integrity. A. Bsiesy et al. Surf Sci. 254, 195 (1991) have found that post-anodization of freshly prepared PSi layers in KNO3 or H2SO4 followed by chemical dissolution in HF solutions can be used for thinning the PSi walls. They have also shown that partially oxidized porous layers exhibit a large increase in the PL and EL intensities. The electrochemical oxidation of PSi surfaces is a very convenient and cheap method and can easily be used for mass production. The rate of the oxidation can be readily controlled because the amount of the oxide formed on the surface is proportional to the exchanged charge.
Electrochemical anodization of the freshly prepared PSi surface is a method of passivation that retains the porous integrity of the layer. This approach has been successfiully used for building electroluminescent devices with a high external efficiency (>1%). The electrochemical reaction requires hole consumption. Upon anodic polarization, a supply of holes from the substrate allows the electrochemical oxidation to occur at both the PSi walls and the bottom of the porous layer. Oxidation of the bottom part of the porous layer, however, breaks the electrical contact with the substrate and causes the end of the oxidation reaction. During this process, only the Si—Si back-bonds are oxidized and the Si—H bonds are not affected. This reaction leads to a surface that contains oxidized regions and non-oxidized ones. Even though growing an oxide film on the PSi layer offers a good surface passivation, PL quenching still occurs over time.
Recently, much effort has been devoted towards PSi passivation using chemical derivatization of the freshly prepared surfaces by replacing silicon-hydrogen (Si—Hx) bonds with Si—C or Si—O—C bonds, under various conditions, see, for example, J. M. Buriak, J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1051 (1999); R. Boukherroub et al. Chem. Mater. 13, 2002 (2001). The organic modified PSi surfaces have shown good stability in different aqueous solutions of HF and KOH.
Such thermally or anodically oxidized products do not, however, fully satisfy the needs of industry, including high stability, the ability to retain the porous integrity of the material (no chemical etching during the thermal treatment), a low concentration of surface defects, the preservation of the PSi PL and EL, the possibility of controlling the wetting properties of the material by varying the nature of the end group, the availability of a wide range of functional groups compatible with the Si—Hx bonds, the possibility of introducing several functional groups on the surface in one step by reacting the freshly prepared PSi surface with a mixture of organic molecules, and the spatial control of the distribution of molecules on the surface (patterning).

Luminescence stabilization of anodically oxidized porous silicon layers


A paper based particulate absorbent material and method of manufacture using shredded paper along with water and a binder mixture. In the first step of the process the waste paper is subjected to a size reduction treatment. In the second step, the paper is mixed with water and optionally a binder. The material exits the mixing apparatus which can be fully dried to produce a particulate absorbent material. This material can be used for litter material, box packing material, caulking filler and floor sweep. The product can be made to be similar in appearance to commercially available litter materials but is lighter, dust-free, biodegradable and extremely absorbent. The packing material can be made to bend but not crease. Further, the product is extremely economical since it is made out of waste paper.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of making a biodegradable particulate absorbent material which is especially adapted for use as animal litter, caulking filler material, packaging material or floor sweep and to the products of the method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several types of litter material are known. For example, litter materials made from clay, alfalfa, wood chips or sawdust and paper are known. Some of these materials have serious disadvantages when used as litter.
Clay, because of its high density, is very heavy and thus cannot be carried in large quantities by the consumer. Clay litter typically has a density of about 0.6 g/cc. Further, clay cannot be disposed of directly on a lawn or in the garden.
Alfalfa pellets also have serious deficiencies because these types of litter are edible by bacteria and thus tend to mold and develop unpleasant odors. U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,797 (Brewer) discloses a cat litter product prepared from an alfalfa base.
Litter made from sawdust or wood chips is ineffective because it has a wood odor that is unpleasant to many animals. In addition, these pellets are not very absorbent because they include lignin, wood tars and turpentines. An example of litter made from bark and fiber crumbs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,050 (Neubauer).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,873 (Christianson) relates to an animal litter including a cellulose litter material which contains a pheromone attractant substance which makes the litter attractive to animals. The cellulose material is made from pelletized ground paper having a sufficient moisture content to hold the particles together. A significant disadvantage of this animal litter is that it requires many steps to produce as can be seen from FIG. 1 of this patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,011 (Fleischer et al) discloses a cellulosic particle especially useful as cat litter which is manufactured by agglomerating a fibrous cellulosic feed material in the presence of water, compacting the surface of the agglomerated particles and drying the particles. A significant disadvantage of this cat litter is that it also requires several steps to produce including fiberization by attrition, hydration, agglomeration and compaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,527 relates to a method of making agglomerated cellulosic particles which are useful as cat litters. The process comprises agglomerating a moist blend of fibers, aggregates of fibers and/or fiber-size pieces of fibrous cellulosic material in a substantially horizontal rotating drum to form agglomerated particles, compacting the surfaces of the particles and drying the particles. Again, this process requires numerous steps which render it costly and inefficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,573 relates to a cat litter composition which is absorbent, odorless, trackless and biodegradable. The cat litter composition comprises 60-94% by weight of a paper, 1-35% by weight gypsum and about 3-12% by weight of water. The composition is pelletized so that it may easily be disposed of by flushing it down the toilet. One disadvantage of this product is that it employs gypsum which tends to adhere to the cat who then leaves paw prints around the house. As a result, this cat litter must also be pelletized in order to prevent dusting.
Compacted and pelletized products are disadvantageous because they are costly to produce and, because they lack mechanical entanglement, these products tend to expand and fall apart when they are wet.
Other uses for the waste paper product of the invention are for making packaging material and floor sweep. A disadvantage of commercially available packaging material is that it easily creases or bends thus making it poor for packaging items such as art prints.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the deficiencies in the prior art, providing a very simple and easy way to produce inexpensive, biodegradable animal litter, packing material, floor sweep, and caulking filler material for wood, wallboard and plaster from waste paper products. Further, the present invention will help dispose of the glut of waste paper currently being collected by municipalities in successful recycling programs.

Particulate absorbent material from waste paper


A multimedia console incorporating an alphanumeric keyboard, and a musical key-bed is described for generating multimedia work product conveniently when coupled with a digital personal computer or optionally as a stand alone music equipment. The musical key-bed is optionally detachably coupled with a protective cover for providing ergonomic support when said musical key-bed is not being used.

Input devices such the keyboard and mouse are well known in the personal computer industry for providing text and command to the digital computer for generating multimedia work products. Although the industry initially marketed such input devices as discrete accessories, the advent of the internet and the requirement for multimedia information have prompted input device manufacturers to extend the capability of stand alone input devices to cater to the needs of authors of multimedia work products.
At the same time, the music industry evolved from a mainly analogue world to a digital one: music synthesizers and music composition programs contributed significantly to the origination of musical output from the music industry. The popularity and acceptance of internet no doubt hastens this process.


A charging device charging a photosensitive medium of an image formation apparatus while being in contact with the photosensitive medium, supports both ends of a charging member having a plate-shaped elastic member by a support member, so that the charging member has a semicircular section. A curved surface of the charging member contacts a surface of the photosensitive medium to maintain a predetermined contact nip and a contact linear pressure. The charging device controls a total resistance by adjusting a material, a thickness, a contact area, and a radius of the charging member, and maintains the contact linear pressure and the contact nip from the photosensitive medium. As a result, the charging device can easily adjust an electric resistance, minimizing variations of the contact linear pressure and the contact nip, material and processing expenses can be cut down, and productivity of the charging device is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charging device for an image formation apparatus such as a duplicator, printer and facsimile telegraph, and more particularly, to a charging device having a simple structure which can uniformly charge a photosensitive medium, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a charging device for a photosensitive medium receives a predetermined current and generates a surface potential on the photosensitive medium using a current according to a corona method, a contactable roller method or a contactable board method.
In the corona method, a corona discharger is used as a charging unit uniformly charging a surface of the photosensitive medium. The corona discharger efficiently uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive medium to a predetermined potential. However, the corona discharger requires a high voltage power, and generates ozone during a discharging operation. The ozone contaminates an environment, and the photosensitive medium drum and a charging member deteriorate.
In order to solve the foregoing problem, the contactable roller method employs a charging roller instead of the corona discharger. Referring to FIG. 1, a contactable roller type charging device includes a charging roller 20 driven in contact with the photosensitive medium 30. The charging roller 20 has a shaft 21. When a power supply unit 10 supplies a voltage to the shaft 21 of the charging roller 20, the charging roller 20 charges a surface of a dielectric substance. In the contactable roller method, the charging roller 20 is disposed to contact the photosensitive medium 30 to generate the surface potential on the photosensitive medium 30. That is, when the voltage of about −1 to −2 kV is applied to the shaft 21 of the charging roller 20, the charging roller 20 having a resistance of about '1×104Ω˜9×107Ω' generates an electric discharge on a contact portion of the photosensitive medium 30 and the charging roller 20. The voltage is transmitted from the power supply unit 10.
When the photosensitive medium 30 receives the predetermined current, the surface potential is generated thereon according to a property of a surface dielectric layer of the photosensitive medium 30. The surface potential generated on the photosensitive medium 30 is in proportion to the voltage applied to the charging roller 20. When the shaft 21 of the charging roller 20 receives a direct current power, the surface potential of the photosensitive medium 30 is generated from an electric discharge start voltage, and increased in proportion to the voltage to a predetermined voltage level.
In the contactable board method, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a conductive elastic member 40 is installed to contact the photosensitive medium 30 to generate the surface potential on the photosensitive medium 30. In order to maintain a predetermined contact nip, the conductive elastic member 40 is positioned to contact the photosensitive medium 30 with a predetermined contact linear pressure. In addition, the conductive elastic member 40 has a transformation (deflection) amount of 'δ' with the photosensitive medium 30 due to the contact linear pressure. When the power supply unit 10 transmits power to a high voltage unit terminal 11, the conductive elastic member 40 having a resistance of about '1×104Ω˜9×107Ω' generates an electric discharge on the contact portion of the photosensitive medium 30 and the conductive elastic member 40 according to a resistance property.
When the predetermined current is transmitted to the photosensitive medium 30 due to the electric discharge, the surface potential is generated according to the property of the surface dielectric layer of the photosensitive medium 30. The surface potential generated on the photosensitive medium 30 is in proportion to the voltage applied to the conductive elastic member 40. A length and thickness of the conductive elastic member 40 are set up by a relational expression of Cantilever load and deflection, so that the conductive elastic member 40 and the photosensitive medium 30 can maintain the contact linear pressure constant.
The contactable roller method has been widely used to solve the problems of the corona method having a low energy efficiency, an ozone generation, and an irregular charging. That is, the contactable roller method lowers the voltage for charging the photosensitive medium and limits and reduces the ozone generation during the charging operation. Moreover, the contactable roller method prevents dust particles from being electrostatically deposited on a corona wire, and does not require the high voltage power.
However, the contactable roller method has disadvantages in that charging distribution is not uniform and a charging potential is very sensitive to the environment. As compared with the corona method using the corona discharger, the contactable roller method is not preferable in uniformity of the charging distribution. When the charging roller is left at a low temperature, an electric resistance of the charging roller is increased to reduce the charging potential of the photosensitive medium more than at a normal temperature and humidity by about 200V. Therefore, a reverse phenomenon causing ink blots on print matters may be generated.
In addition, the contactable roller method must perform complicated processes, such as extrusion and polishing process, in manufacturing the charging roller and uses special conductive materials to increase raw material expenses and process expenses. When the charging roller is maintained at a high temperature for an extended period of time, a low molecular weight material of the charging roller is migrated to the contact portion of the charging roller and the photosensitive medium, and thus, a horizontal band phenomenon is generated near the contact portion of the photosensitive medium. In order to minimize the migration of the low molecular weight material, the charging roller must be formed of a special resin, or an outer layer of the charging roller must be coated or tubed, which results in high prime cost. In the polishing process, the surface of the charging roller may be caved, and spot defects may be generated due to a pinhole of the surface of the charging roller. Moreover, the polishing, processing and coating processes of the charging roller must be precisely performed to prevent foreign materials from being introduced into the charging roller. Accordingly, the prime cost is increased, and mass production is hardly achieved.
As compared with the contactable roller method, the contactable board method is highly advantageous in cost. However, the contactable board method has difficulty in maintaining elasticity for the contact linear pressure between the conductive elastic member and the photosensitive medium and it is impossible to keep the contact nip between the conductive elastic member and the photosensitive medium. It is therefore difficult to uniformly maintain the surface potential of the photosensitive medium. In addition, the contact nip is hardly maintained in contacting and charging the surface of the photosensitive medium, especially a board using a cantilever method. Accordingly, the contactable board method is not stabilized in motion and rotation and needs improvements of the contact nip.

Contactable charging type charging device for image formation apparatus, and method of manufacturing the same


An inflator 10 of the present invention contains: a housing 12, a cold gas chamber 16 within the housing 12 for storage of a stored gas supply, a pyrotechnic chamber 18 within the housing 12, a pyrotechnic charge 20 within the pyrotechnic chamber 18, a wall 22 adjoining the cold gas and the pyrotechnic chambers 16, 18, a first orifice 24 defined in the wall 22 for passage of gas between the chambers, and a perforated flexible member 28 contained within the cold gas chamber 16, wherein the flexible member 28 is fixed about the orifice 24 for modulation or controlled variation of gas flow through the orifice 24.

Inflatable restraint systems or "airbag" systems have become a standard feature in many new vehicles. These systems have made significant contributions to automobile safety, however, as with the addition of any standard feature, they increase the cost, manufacturing complexity and weight of most vehicles. Technological advances addressing these concerns are therefore welcomed by the industry. In particular, the quality of the gaseous effluent from the gas generators has led to the investigation of the use of non-cryogenic gases, such as di-nitrogen monoxide (nitrous oxide or NO2) and carbon dioxide. In turn, the use of these gases sometimes implicates the issues of low temperature performance and low gas pressure output. Accordingly, improving the output by heating and pressurizing the gas or gas source while maintaining a low gas exit flow area for sustained gas release would be an improvement in the art, thereby increasing the utility of these non-cryogenic gases.


The present invention relates to a degenerative disease model Drosophila. More particularly, a technique is disclosed for alleviating the phenotypes of a degenerative disorder symptom of Drosophila. Using this technique, illumination with low dose radiation on a degenerative disease model Drosophila alleviates symptoms of the degenerative disease.

Alzheimer's disease is the disease with the highest rate of incidence among neurodegenerative diseases, and thorough research is ongoing into onset mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and therapies therefor, but complete treatment thereof is still impossible.
Alzheimer's disease is well known as a neurodegenerative disease caused by blocking neurotransmissions due to accumulation, in the brain, of amyloid beta 42 (Aβ42) protein abnormally produced in vivo.
Currently, methods of treating Alzheimer's disease mainly include administration of drugs for inhibiting the accumulation of Aβ42, but have a long administration period and merely decrease the rate of progression of degenerative disease, rather than provide a cure. Recently, radiation therapy has emerged as new neurological therapeutic methods for treating Alzheimer's disease, and low-dose radiation has already been actively used for cancer treatment.
However, there is currently controversy about the therapeutic effect of low-dose radiation on Alzheimer's disease. Although there are prior studies that suggest the therapeutic effect of low-dose radiation on Alzheimer's disease through a mouse model (Wei et al., 2012, Curr. Alzheimer Res.; Lowe et al., 2009, Radiat. Res.), only a series of gene groups is checked, and the effect of alleviating symptoms has not been verified. On the contrary, the scientific basis for proving the therapeutic effect on Alzheimer's disease using low-dose radiation of 100 mSv or less is insufficient, as reported in a paper (Wang et al., Journal of Radiation research, 2014) that suggests that there is no therapeutic effect of radiation. Therefore, it is necessary to construct an in-vivo model that is able to test the therapeutic effect of low-dose radiation before clinical study.
Drosophila is well established as an in-vivo model for Alzheimer's disease, and may induce tissue-specific overexpression of Aβ42, a representative protein of Alzheimer's disease pathology, in neurons and eyes via elav-GAL4 and GMR-GAL4, respectively, using the UAS-GAL4 system, and has been used as an in-vivo model in place of humans in studies on the onset mechanism of Alzheimer's disease and the therapeutic effect thereon (Ijima et al., 2004, PNAS; Hong et al., 2012, BBRC; Lee et al., 2016, Dis Model Mech; Park et al., 2013 Biol Pharm Bull).

Method for alleviating phenotype of degenerative disease


A new cultivar of Laurus plant named ‘Pride of Provence’ that is characterized by a compact habit, a rounded shape and dark green leaves.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Laurus plant botanically known as Laurus nobilis and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Pride of Provence'.
The new cultivar is the product of a crossing of the female parent plant an unnamed Laurus nobilis plant (not patented) and the male parent plant an unnamed Laurus nobilis plant (not patented). 'Pride of Provence' was selected by the inventor as a single plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a cultivated area of Hamilton, New Zealand in 2001.
Asexual reproduction by tip cuttings of the new cultivar 'Pride of Provence' was first performed in 2001 in Auckland, New Zealand. Since that time, under careful observation, the unique characteristics of the new cultivar have been uniform, stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.