A receptacle connector for a cable has an insulating housing, multiple first terminals, multiple second terminals and a shell. The first terminals are mounted on the insulating housing and each first terminal has a first soldering cup formed on the first terminal and extending backward out of the insulating housing. The second terminals are mounted on the insulating housing, are capable of cooperating with the first terminals to implement USB 3.0 protocol and each second terminal has a second soldering cup formed on the second terminal and extending backward out of the rear end of the insulating housing. The shell covers the insulating housing, the first terminals and the second terminals. The receptacle connector may be mounted one end of the cable so that cable is used for high speed data transmission between different electronic devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a receptacle connector for a cable, is capable of implementing USB 3.0 protocol and is mounted on the cable for high frequency signal transmission between electronic devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 connectors are used popularly in various electronic devices. Most of computer peripherals are equipped with USB connectors. Because electronic devices are constantly developed to increase transmission speed thereof, the USB 2.0 protocol does not meet the current transmission speed requirement of new electronic devices. Therefore, the USB Implementers Forum sets forth new USB 3.0 protocol for higher data transmission speed.
The USB 3.0 protocol is compatible with the USB 2.0 protocol and provides theoretical 5 Gbps of data transmission speed.
Furthermore, different electronic devices such desktops and laptops are connected to each other by cables for data transmission. A conventional cable has two ends, a plug connector and a receptacle connector. The plug and receptacle connectors are mounted respectively in the ends and may be connected to different electronic devices.
However, current USB 3.0 receptacle connectors are only mounted on printed circuit boards and are not designed for cables so that conventional cables without USB 3.0 receptacle connectors cannot provide sufficient bandwidth for high speed data transmission between different electronic devices.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a receptacle for a cable to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


A spindle assembly capable of accommodating paper rolls of varying sizes is provided. The spindle assembly comprises a spindle arm adapted to be connected to a printer mechanism. The spindle arm comprises a first flange surrounding an opening. A spindle is provided for accepting a first paper roll. A first end of the spindle is fixed in the opening of the spindle arm. The spindle comprises a second flange arranged at a second end of the spindle. A sleeve is provided which is adapted to slide over the spindle and attach to the spindle arm for accepting a second paper roll. The second paper roll has a different size than the first paper roll. A printer having such a spindle assembly is provided, as is a method for accommodating different sized paper rolls in a printer.

The present invention relates to the field of printers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a spindle assembly for a printer for accommodating paper rolls of different sizes, a printer with a printer mechanism having such a spindle assembly, and methods for accommodating different sized paper rolls in a printer.
Various types of printers that print on paper rolls may be used in different environments that may require different roll widths. For example, printers using paper rolls (e.g., rolls of paper, rolls of label stock, or the like) may include point-of-sale printers, label printers used for inventory control and food preparation, ATM printers, lottery ticket printers, gaming machine printers, and the like. Depending on the environment and application, different width media rolls may be used or required.
Prior art printers may be manufactured with a fixed bucket width for one of several standard-sized paper rolls. Alternatively, prior art printers may accommodate different size paper rolls by using removable screw mounted side guides, manually adjustable side guides, or manually adjustable spindle stops, all which require user adjustment typically using tools before changing roll size.
It would be advantageous to provide a spindle assembly that is easily adapted to accommodate paper rolls of different sizes.
The apparatus and methods of the present invention provide the foregoing and other advantages.

Spindle assembly for a printer for accommodating paper rolls of different sizes


A startup circuit (30) for a power supply (44), has an input (31) for connecting to a source of high voltage thereto, and an output rail (33) for feeding rectified voltage to the power supply. A first energy storage device (35) is coupled to the output rail for storing energy when voltage is first applied to the input, and a second energy storage device (37) is coupled to an output of the power supply for storing energy when a voltage appearing at the output of the power supply reaches substantially steady state. A switching circuit (36, 50) is coupled to the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device and is responsive to the first energy storage device having sufficient energy for transferring the energy to the second energy storage device and disconnecting the first energy storage device from the output rail.

Electrical equipment requiring low voltage DC are frequently energized by mains operated power supplies. FIG. 1 shows schematically a conventional startup circuit 1 in a typical low voltage power supply, wherein mains voltage 2 is rectified typically by a bridge rectifier 3 and then fed via a resistor 4 to a control circuit (not shown) in the power supply. The input voltage to the control circuit is maintained at a required level by a zener diode 5 connected in parallel with a capacitor 6.
During operation, the resistor 4, which will be referred throughout as a "starting resistor", feeds current to the capacitor 6 which therefore charges to a value determined by the zener diode 5, thus ensuring a constant voltage input to the control circuit Typically, the mains voltage is 110 VAC in the USA or 220 VAC in Europe, while the equipment operates on a much lower voltage, such as 30 volts or even less. The startup circuit 1 serves to energize the power supply directly from the mains supply after it is first switched on in a controlled manner. However, once the power supply is operating and has reached a steady state voltage, there is no longer any need to supply energy to the starting circuit, which is now redundant.
A drawback with the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is that even under steady state conditions, when the starting circuit is no longer necessary, the constant flow of current through the starting resistor 4 manifests itself as a constant energy loss, thus reducing the overall efficiency of the power supply. The amount of power dissipated in the starting resistor 4 is a function of the difference between the input voltage and the output voltage, since the closer the output voltage is to the input voltage in the steady state, the less is the voltage dropped across the starting resistor and therefore the lower is the energy loss therethrough. In power supplies designed to operate from a single voltage power supply only, it is possible to optimize the circuit components so as to reduce the constant energy loss through the starting resistor. However, in so-called universal power supplies that are intended to operate over a range of power supply voltages, such as 85-277 VAC so as to be suitable for both the US and European markets, such optimization is difficult to achieve and it becomes impossible to minimize the energy loss through the starting resistor for all supply voltages.
It would therefore be desirable to dispense with the starting resistor once the power supply is operating normally and reaches steady state. The prior art has recognized this need although apparently not in a universal power supply. Thus, reference is made to FIG. 2 showing a prior art power supply 10 disclosed by JP 2001275347 published Oct. 5, 2001 and assigned to Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation. The reference numerals shown in the figure are those that are appear in the abstract of this publication, and only the relevant components will now be described.
The power supply unit 10 includes a starting resistor 17 that feeds the output from a bridge rectifier 13 to a control circuit 16 on startup via a first transistor 18. A startup circuit feeds the output from the bridge rectifier 13 to the first transistor 18, thus maintaining the flirt transistor 18 conducting during starting and feeding power to the control circuit. A second transistor 21 is driven by a potential difference between the input and the output of a voltage regulator 22 and maintains constant voltage generated in a primary auxiliary winding 15b of an output transformer 15 after startup. The second transistor 21 feeds the resulting voltage to the control circuit, which is driven thereby, and inverts the first transistor from conduction to cutoff thereby effectively disconnecting the starting resistor 17.
Thus, the power supply unit saves electricity during standby by separating starting resistance after a startup (of a switching circuit), and driving the control circuit of a main switching element by only power generated in an output transformer.
It will be seen from FIG. 2 that an electrolytic capacitor 23 is connected across the input immediately after the bridge rectifier 13. The purpose of the electrolytic capacitor 23 is to store energy from the mains and serve as an auxiliary supply in the event of a momentary outage or fluctuations in the main voltage. In order to serve this function, the capacitor 23 must have a high capacitance and indeed this is the reason that an electrolytic capacitor is employed. However, the connection of a high capacitance at the input of the circuit militates against the power supply having near unity power factor. This may not matter too much when the power supply is to be used with computers and the like. However, there are many applications where near unity power factor is required and, in such cases, the circuit shown in JP 2001275347 is unsuitable.
In order to achieve near unity power factor, a high capacitance of the order of 200 nF is usually disposed near the output of the power supply. This increases the time that it takes for steady state to be reached and this in turn increases the time before the startup circuit must be disabled. In JP 2001275347 the time taken between the first switch 18 opening and the second switch 14 closing is too fast to allow complete charging of such capacitance. This also indicates that the circuit disclosed in JP 2001275347 is unsuited for use with power supplies having near unity power factor.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a startup circuit for a power supply, particularly a universal power supply having near unity power factor, wherein the starting resistor is disconnected after the power supply has reached steady state, thereby preventing energy loss and improving efficiency.

Energy saving startup circuit for power supply


A bra support cup is made using two layers of foam. The outer layer has grooves along its inner surface. These are used to hold plastic ribs. The inner layer is bonded to the inner surface of the outer layer to hold the plastic ribs in place.

Modern bras are designed to accommodate both a need for comfort during wear and a need for support. For larger sized breasts, these two purposes can pose design difficulties. Sturdy wired bras provide support, but can be uncomfortable when worn for a long period of time. Softer materials tend not to provide sufficient support.


A side sprayer includes an inactive configuration, a normal active configuration, and a locked active configuration. The side sprayer includes three buttons to allow the user to transition between configurations of the side sprayer.

The present disclosure relates to accessory sprayers for use with a faucet and/or sink assembly. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to accessory sprayers, or side sprayers, having an inactive configuration, a normal active configuration, and a locked active configuration.
Consumers often desire to use sprayers for a variety of reasons, including loosening and removing debris from dishes, loosening and removing dirt from food, cleaning a variety of products, and other reasons. Sprayers may be built into faucets as part of a delivery spout or may be included as an accessory sprayer, such as a side sprayer. Conventional accessory sprayers either lock into place, creating inefficiency for users who wish to use the sprayer in a quick and/or inefficient manner, or require the user to hold down a button to utilize the sprayer. A solution is desired to allow the user to switch quickly and efficiently between a normal sprayer configuration and a locked sprayer configuration.
The illustrative sprayer of the present disclosure offers a sprayer for mounting with or beside a faucet assembly, wherein the sprayer offers an inactive configuration, a normal active configuration, and a locked active configuration. The illustrative side sprayer includes three buttons to allow the user to transition between configurations of the side sprayer.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a sprayer assembly includes a housing, and a waterway insert positioned within the housing and defining a waterway. A first button is supported by at least one of the housing or the waterway insert. A first piston is operably coupled to the first button, and is movable between a first position and a second position. The first piston in the first position prevents fluid flow through the waterway from an inlet to an outlet, and the first piston in the second position permits fluid flow through the waterway from the inlet to the outlet. A second button is supported by at least one of the housing or the waterway insert, and a locker is operably coupled to the second button. The locker is movable to an engaged position to maintain the first piston in the second position. A diverter is disposed within the housing and selectively engages with the locker, the diverter configured to selectively maintain the locker in the engaged position. A third button is supported by at least one of the housing or the waterway insert, and a second piston is operably coupled to the third button and to the diverter. The second piston is movable between a first position and a second position, the second piston in the second position configured to disengage the diverter from the locker.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a sprayer assembly includes a hose and a body fluidly coupled to the hose. The body includes a housing, a waterway insert positioned within the housing, a lever coupled to the waterway insert, and a first button operably coupled to the lever. A first piston is operably coupled with the lever, and a first spring is operably coupled with the first piston to bias the first piston toward the lever. A locker is in selective contact with the lever. A second button is operably coupled to the locker, the locker defining a receiving notch. A diverter is disposed within the waterway insert and is in selective contact with the receiving notch of the locker. The diverter defines a piston opening and a spring operably coupled to the diverter to bias the diverter away from the locker. A second piston is disposed through the piston opening of the diverter, the second piston including a cam surface in selective contact with the diverter. A third button is operably coupled to the second piston.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a sprayer assembly includes a housing, and a waterway extending within the housing. An activation input is supported for movement relative to the housing, and an activation valve member is operably coupled to the activation input. The activation valve member is movable between a closed position and an open position. The activation valve member in the closed position prevents fluid flow through the waterway, and the activation valve member in the open position permits fluid flow through the waterway. A lock input is supported for movement relative to the housing, and a lock device is operably coupled to the lock input. The lock device is movable between a released position and a locked position to maintain the movable valve member in the open position.
According to yet another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operating a side sprayer includes applying force on a first button to place the side sprayer in a first configuration, wherein fluid may flow from an outlet of a body of the side sprayer as long as force is continually applied to the first button. The method further includes applying force on a second button to place the side sprayer in a second configuration, wherein fluid may flow from the outlet of the body of the side sprayer even when force is not continually applied to the first button or the second button. The method illustratively may further include applying force on a third button to place the side sprayer in a third configuration or closing a valve to place the side sprayer in the third configuration, wherein fluid is prevented from flowing from the outlet of the body of the side sprayer.
Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments exemplifying the disclosure as presently perceived.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplification set out herein illustrates an embodiment of the invention, and such an exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.


Analog processing sections (3a to 3b) generate base band analog signal from the received signal. A/D converting sections (4a to 4b) the outputs of the analog processing sections into digital signals. Soft-decision output equalizers (11a to 11b) make soft decisions on the digital signals. A combining section (12) combines the results of the soft decisions to output a soft-decision value. An error correcting section (13) performs error correction processing with respect to the soft-decision value.

A conventional radio communication receiver (hereinafter to be simply referred to as a receiver) will be explained below. In the communication environment of portable telephones or the like, there is risk of distortion in the reception signals due to frequency selective fading which involves intersymbol interference. Persons skilled in the art have used, in order to prevent occurrence of this type of distortion, a method of demodulating a signal by utilizing an intersymbol component with an equalizer.
A receiver which uses diversity reception in the communication environment of the above frequency selective fading has been disclosed in "A Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation Equalizer based on Maximal Ratio Combining" (1996 general meeting of The Institute of Electronic Information Communication Engineers of Japan, B-478), by Denno and Saito ("conventional example (1)"). According to this conventional example (1), signals of two systems are received, and a maximum likelihood sequence is estimated using one equalizer. In the estimation of the maximum likelihood sequence, branch metrics corresponding to respective reception signals are calculated, and the branch metrics of the two systems are combined, thereby to realize the diversity reception.
In the mean time, there is a technique, "Equalizer and Decoder, for Mobile Communication System" that is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-91967 ("conventional example (2)"). According to the conventional example (2), an error correcting section generates reliability information of a reception signal in simultaneous with an error correction processing. This reliability information is fed back to the equalizer, and the equalizer equalizes the signal again. The equalization processing and the error correction processing are repeated.
The conventional radio communication receivers described above have had the following problems.
In the conventional example (1), one equalizer demodulates the reception signals of the two systems. Therefore, at the time of manufacturing devices having different numbers of antennas in order to realize the diversity reception, it is necessary to design and manufacture the equalizers again by matching the numbers of the antennas. This results in high manufacturing cost.
It is possible to realize the equalizers using H/W like LSI's. However, in that case, since the reception signals of the two systems are received and the demodulation processing like Viterbi algorithm is required to be carried out, the wiring becomes complex and the packaging area becomes large.
According to the conventional example (2), it is not possible to implement the diversity reception. Since the diversity reception is not possible, there is a problem that the quality of the communication can not be improved.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a radio communication receiver which can realize the reduction in manufacturing cost and reduction in the packaging area, and which can improve communication quality as compared with the conventional technique even if diversity reception is employed.


An exemplary a display apparatus (2) includes a display panel (21) and a height adjusting device (25). The height adjusting device includes a base (26), a supporting member (27), a locking unit (30), and an elastic member (28). The display panel is fixed to the locking unit. The supporting member is fixed on the base. The supporting member includes two generally vertical friction grooves (2723, 2725). A depth of one of the friction grooves decreases with increasing height above the base, and a depth of the other friction groove increases with increasing height above the base. The locking unit is accommodated in the supporting member. The locking unit includes two sliders (33, 35) corresponding to the two friction grooves of the supporting member respectively. One of the sliders abuts a corresponding one of the friction grooves. The elastic member spans between the locking unit and the base.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus including a display panel whose height can be adjusted through a height adjusting device.
2. General Background
Display apparatuses are used in many types of equipment, such as personal computers, navigation systems, notebooks, and so on. In order to provide a better viewing angle for users, a height adjustable function for a display apparatus used with a personal computer is desired.
Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a typical display apparatus 1 includes a base 11, a support 12, and a display panel 13. The support 12 is fixed on the base 11, and supports the display panel 13. The stand 13 can adjust a height of the display panel 13 relative to the base 11. The base 11 is substantially disc-shaped, and is positioned on a horizontal surface (not shown) to maintain the stability of the display apparatus 1.
The support 12 includes a tubular body 121, a compression spring 123, a slider 125, a magnet set 127, a ring 129, and a nut 130. The tubular body 121 is located at a center portion (not labeled) of the base 11, and defines an accommodating space therein. The compression spring 123 is accommodated in the accommodating space of the tubular body 121. The slider 125 is fixed at one end of the compression spring 123, and is also accommodated in the accommodating space of the tubular body 121. The ring 129 is fitted around the tubular body 121, and can be moved up or down along the tubular body 121. Two parts of the magnet set 127 are disposed in the slider 125 and the ring 129 respectively, and are spaced by a wall (not labeled) of the tubular body 121. The nut 130 covers a top opening of the tubular body 121, so as to prevent the compression spring 123 and the slider 125 from sliding out from the tubular body 121.
The display panel 13 is configured to display, e.g., images or videos. The display panel 13 is fixed to the ring 129 through bolts (not labeled), and can be moved up and down with the ring 129 along the tubular body 121.
The operation principle of the display apparatus 1 is as follows. Because the two parts of the magnet set 127 are attractive to each other and are disposed in the slider 125 and the ring 129 respectively, the slider 125 and the ring 129 clamp the wall of the tubular body 121 due to an attraction force between the two parts of the magnet set 127. Friction forces are generated, between the slider 125 and the wall of the tubular body 121 and between the ring 129 and the wall of the tubular body 121. At the same time, the compression spring 123 generates an elastic force to support the slider 125 and push the slider 125 upward. By adjusting the elastic force and the friction forces, the elastic force, the friction forces, and gravity acting on the display panel 13 can cooperatively keep the display panel 13 steady at a desired height.
When lifting the display panel 13, an upward external force is applied to the display panel 13. If a sum of the external force and the elastic force is greater than a sum of the friction forces and the force of gravity, the display panel 13 can be lifted to a higher position. When the external force is removed, the display panel 13 stays at the higher position because directions of the friction forces are reversed. When lowering the display panel 13, a downward external force is applied to the display panel 13. If a sum of the external force and the force of gravity is greater than a sum of the elastic force and the friction forces, the display panel 13 can be lowered to a lower position. When the external force is removed, the display panel stays at the lower position because directions of the friction forces are reversed.
However, in order to achieve the height adjustable function of the display panel 13, the display apparatus 1 needs the magnet set 127 to generate the friction forces. Therefore the display apparatus 1 has a rather complicated structure. In addition, a process of adjustment and calibration of the magnet set 127 is needed in order to achieve suitable attraction force. This makes a process of fabricating the display apparatus 1 somewhat complicated.
Therefore, a new display apparatus that can overcome the above-described problems is desired.

Display apparatus having height adjusting device


The invention generally relates to a method, apparatus, and system to change one or more communication pathways in a processor without changing a physical component layout in the processor. For example, in an embodiment, the invention generally relates to a routing agent to change one or more communication pathways in a processor without changing the physical component layout in the processor. In an embodiment, the invention generally relates to the following method. The method comprises sending a control signal to one or more components within a processor to change one or more communication pathways in the processor without changing the physical component layout in the processor. In an embodiment, the invention generally relates to a method of changing the bandwidth between a processor and a device exterior to the processor without changing the physical component layout in the processor.

Joining several processors in parallel increases processing capacity. Typically, any number from two to eight processors may be joined in parallel. Generally, multiple parallel processors are joined together on a shared bus. FIG. 1 illustrates a four processor (4P; architecture used in conjunction with a shared bus. Four processors, Processor 1, Processor 2, Processor 3, and Processor 4, connect to a shared bus, which in turn connects to the Northbridge chipset. The Northbridge chipset further connects to the Southbridge chipset and external memory. For example, a Pentium™ processor may employ the shared bus architecture illustrated in FIG. 1. However, a point-to point architecture, typically, provides a higher bandwidth than does a shared bus architecture.
In a shared bus architecture, multiple devices all share the same bus and must follow an order and protocol to use the bus. In contrast, a point-to-point bus architecture provides an uninterrupted connection between two separate devices. Thus, in general, a point-to-point bus creates a higher bandwidth between two separate devices. A higher bandwidth can have the beneficial effect of yielding an increased performance from a single processor or group of processors. For example, if a 48-bit connection exists between two devices, then transactions occur between the two device three times faster than if only a 16-bit connection exists between the two devices. However, a point-to-point bus architecture may have a disadvantage because the architecture provides an uninterrupted connection between two separate devices. Thus, if at any given time, light transfers of information occur between the two devices, then the excess bandwidth capacity is essentially wasted.
For example, if a customer is using his or her computer system to run both a workstation application and a server application, then the customer may not be achieving peak performance from the hardware in his computer system. In a server application a heavy exchange of information occurs between processors. Thus, the manufacturer creates a high bandwidth connection between each processor in the system. Yet, if for example a customer wants to use his computer system for an application, which involves a heavy exchange of information between processors and a chipset, such as a workstation application, then the manufacturer creates a high bandwidth connection between each processor and the chip in the system. However, if the customer has a computer system which has a high bandwidth connection between the processor(s) and the chipset, but chooses to currently run a server application on this system, then the customer may suffer poor performance from the server application and waste the excess bandwidth between the chipset and processor(s).
While the invention is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The invention should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Method and an apparatus for a re-configurable processor


The invention relates to a device and a method for the contactless personalisation of chips integrated into passports within a system for processing, sorting and packaging a large number of passports comprising a straight main transport path with a first transport direction for transporting the passports one behind the other through the system comprising a plurality of system modules for processing, sorting and/or packaging, with a respective straight first auxiliary transport path connected to the main transport path and arranged on either side thereof for leading the passports away from the main transport path in a second transport direction running perpendicular to the first transport direction, a plurality of coding stations arranged along the two first auxiliary transport paths and next to one another with respect to the first transport direction for coding the chips of the passports, and an equal plurality of transport elements which are respectively assigned to the coding stations and can be displaced in the first transport direction for picking up the passports from the auxiliary transport paths, positioning them above the associated coding stations and then depositing them on second auxiliary transport paths running back towards the main transport path with a third transport direction running parallel to the second transport direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device and a method for the contactless personalisation of chips integrated into passports within a system for processing, sorting and packaging a large number of passports comprising a straight main transport path with a first transport direction for transporting the passports one behind the other through the system comprising a plurality of system modules for processing, sorting and/or packaging, according to the preambles of claims 1 and 5.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As security considerations increase, there is an increasing demand for passports which include a chip containing personalisation data comprising passport-specific and person-specific data which can rapidly be read. In a system for processing, sorting and optionally packaging these passports in high numbers, such passports provided with integrated chips, so-called E-passports, must run through inter alia a system module for personalising the chips. In such systems comprising a plurality of modules for processing, sorting and/or packaging the passports, there is a desire not just for a high throughput, i.e. a maximum possible number of passports to be processed per unit time running through the machine, but also for 100% security during coding of the chips in respect of the reliable, in particular contactless, transmission of the coding data.
Systems are known in which passports are arranged one behind the other on a common transport path in order to successively pass through the individual system modules for processing, sorting and packaging the passports. Such systems usually receive the passports in the open condition and have a throughput which depends on the processing times of the coding system module, since the personalisation of the chips and thus of the passports which takes place in this module takes the longest processing time compared to the other system modules.
Since precise alignment of the passport with respect to a coding station carrying out the coding of the chip is necessary for the personalisation process by means of contactless coding, use is made of those single-lane or even multi-lane systems which allow simple handling of the open passports, including with regard to the precise positioning thereof. One example of such a multi-lane system is known from DE 197 09 562 C2, although this is from the field of chip card and/or magnetic strip card processing. In this system, all the system modules are installed next to one another along a suitable number of transport paths running parallel to one another. This leads to high production and maintenance costs of the system.

Device and method for the contactless personalization of chips that are integrated into passports


An apparatus is provided for displaying a user interface (UI). The apparatus includes a head-mountable display (HMD) and at least one processor configured. The processor is configured to generate content for display by the HMD at a default position in a viewable range, the viewable range including a viewed region that is visible to a user while wearing the HMD. The processor is also configured to, responsive to a change in orientation of the HDM, identify a new default position for the content in the viewable range based on the change in the orientation. The processor is also configured to display the content at the new default position in the viewable range when the new default position is within the viewed region.

Although HMD technology has long been in development and wearable technology products are increasingly visible, there is a lack of specialized UI framework for HMD for both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications. Currently HMD technology focuses on situations for VR when the user is sitting in a chair upright. However, the user may sometimes transition to a non-upright position.


A piezoelectric actuator with piezoelectric elements, fastened between an actuator head and an actuator foot, and with a plastic sleeve surrounding at least the piezoelectric elements is proposed, which is set in a clamping ring on the actuator head and/or the actuator foot of the piezoelectric actuator. The respective clamping ring may be a metal part or a plastic part, which is equipped with clamping lugs suitable for setting the plastic sleeve and is thrust, pressed, or shrunk onto the respective actuator head and/or actuator foot of the steel piezoelectric actuator.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a piezoelectric actuator sheathed with a sleeve and bathed for instance by liquid media, which can be inserted into a piezoelectric injector for chronologically and quantitatively precise metering of fuel for an internal combustion engine. A piezoelectric injector of this kind substantially comprises a holder body and the piezoelectric actuator disposed in the holder body, the piezoelectric actuator having piezoelectric elements stacked one above the other and disposed in an actuator head and an actuator foot.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known per se that for constructing a piezoelectric actuator of the type described above, the piezoelectric elements can be inserted in such a way that by utilizing the so-called piezoelectric effect, a control of the needle stroke of a valve or the like can be accomplished. Piezoelectric layers of the piezoelectric elements are constructed from a material with a suitable crystalline structure, in such a way that when an external electrical voltage is applied, a mechanical reaction of the piezoelectric element ensues that, depending on the crystalline structure and the contact regions of the electrical voltage represents compression or tension in a predeterminable direction. Such piezoelectric actuators are suitable for instance for applications in which reciprocating motions take place under high actuation forces and at high cycle frequencies.
For example, one such piezoelectric actuator is known as a component of a piezoelectric injector in so-called common rail injection systems (CR injector), from German Patent Disclosure DE 100 26 005 A1. In this piezoelectric actuator, a stack of a plurality of electrically and mechanically coupled-together piezoelectric elements is present, and this stack is retained between two stops under initial tension via an actuator foot and an actuator head. Each piezoelectric layer is set between two inner electrodes, by way of which an electrical voltage can be applied from outside. Because of this electrical voltage, the piezoelectric elements then each execute short reciprocating motions in the direction of the potential drop, and these add up to make the total stroke of the piezoelectric actuator. This total stroke can be varied by way of the magnitude of the applied voltage and can be transmitted to a mechanical final control element.
In these known CR injectors, there is a nozzle needle controlled indirectly by the piezoelectric actuator; via a sleeve and diaphragm arrangement as a sheath, which compensates for stroke and temperature, the piezoelectric actuator is surrounded directly or indirectly by the pressure of the fuel, which in such low-pressure systems is approximately 60 bar.
In CR injectors with direct control of the nozzle needle, however, this known concept cannot readily be adopted, since in this case the piezoelectric actuator is operated in the high-pressure region of the fuel, and a rigid sleeve and diaphragm arrangement as a sheath would not withstand the high system pressures and the longer reciprocating motions of the piezoelectric actuator, under the space conditions available in the piezoelectric injector.
To achieve an electrical and mechanical insulation of the piezoelectric actuator, a flexible sheath of the piezoelectric actuator is often also proposed. From German Patent Disclosure DE 102 30 032 A1, to avoid the above-described disadvantages, an arrangement with a piezoelectric actuator in bathing media is known in which the piezoelectric elements are cast in an amorphous insulation compound, which in turn is placed in a housing jacket that is solidly closed off from the medium laterally and on the upper and lower ends.

Piezoelectric actuator with a sheath, for disposition in a piezoelectric injector


An irradiation device, especially for the cosmetic, diagnostic and therapeutic application of light, having an incoherent light source and a reflector that surrounds the light source and has a slit-like opening defining the direction of the radiation. Arranged in the beam path of the light source is a spectral dispersion element. In the output beam path of the spectral dispersion element, a fiber-optic cross-sectional transformer is disposed in such a way that its circular end is located opposite the spectral dispersion element. The fiber-optic cross-sectional transformer and the spectral dispersion element are movable relative to each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an irradiation device, especially for the cosmetic, diagnostic and therapeutic application of light, comprising an incoherent light source and a reflector which surrounds the light source and has an opening in the radiation direction of the light source, from which opening the radiation emerges.
2. Description of the Related Art
The therapeutic effect of light has long been known. Various devices that operate in selected spectral ranges are known for various medical syndromes.
DE 40 08 098 discloses a rod-shaped luminaire surrounded axially by a reflector, which has a slit-like opening for the output of light. The opening extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the luminaire and is formed by the legs of the reflector running toward each other. At their ends, following the nearest approach of the legs to a radius smaller than the curvature radius of the reflector, these legs are bent counter to this curvature. As a result, increased radiation density is attained.
DE-AS 17 64 685 discloses an electric all-purpose discharge lamp with a light-permeable bulb, an electrode pair connectable to a voltage source, an ionizable filling and a covering of luminous substance applied to the bulb inner wall. This lamp produces an output of 6 to 50 .mu./W per lumen of visible light in the range above 290 nm wave length, particularly for the middle ultraviolet range, and an output of 150 to 700 .mu./W per lumen of visible light for the near ultra violet range. The output in these two ranges is said to be in the ratio of 1:8 to approximately 1:40. It is also stated that the total radiation per lumen is to have roughly the same share as natural daylight of corresponding color temperature. Apart from the fact that the output comparison in 1 m/W is misleading and that non-visible light is being compared to visible light, it can be calculated that a maximum output of 1.5 mW should be emitted for the total range of 290 to 320 nm and a maximum output of 42 mW for the range of 320 to 380. No area reference is given. Further, it is disclosed that lamps of this type can have different maximums into the range of 700 nm, e.g., 570 to 595 or 595 to 625. Overall, the document also discusses prior art related to luminous substance lamps of special wave length, which can have, in contrast to daylight, a sharper maximum at different wave lengths. Suitable luminous substance mixtures are indicated for this purpose, including characteristic metal combinations for different color temperatures. Along with the aforementioned special ratios in the range of UV light, various outputs of natural light compared to selected artificial lamps are shown for lamps with a 40 W rated output and a light output of 2100 to 2300 lm. The goal of that invention is to propose a lamp that, in an 8-hour workday, avoids undesired reddening of the skin (analogous to sunburn) but nonetheless has a desired color reproduction effect. Different biological effects are also mentioned in tabular form, specifically, the effect of light on eye pigmentation, the effect on pineal and gonadal glands of radiation in the wavelength range of 380 to 700 nm, and the bacteria-killing effect of UV light at the 254 nm wavelength. For the UV range, in particular, the formation of vitamins, the de-activation of microorganisms and the cosmetic effect are mentioned. It is also noted that UV radiation can cause changes in the amounts of melanin in the skin. However, this effect is ascribed specifically to the effect of light of the wavelength 290 to 320 nm. It is therefore emphasized that, for this range, less radiation should be provided by the all-purpose lamp with a natural daylight spectrum according to the invention.
DE 31 21 689 C2 proposes a luminous substance lamp that filters by means of the bulb in the UVC and UVB range. The document states that for the UVA range, specifically, a maximum above 350 nm with a spectral width of approximately 320 to 400 nm exists and, in addition, a marked radiation emission in the orange-red range occurs at roughly 650 nm. The intended result is for the luminous substance lamps generally used in solariums (DE OS 26 2B 091) for tanning or for treatment of psoriasis to produce no side effects, such as fatigue or reduced activity. The orange range is meant to have a unilateral influence on nerve tonus and to result in vessel expansion to prevent fatigue. However, the document states that lamps of this type have, in the ranges of 404 and 437 nm (blue), a maximum emission typical of quicksilver and that it is therefore not possible to filter out the blue range as desired according to the description.
DE OS 34 31 692 proposes that a sunlight-like luminous substance lamp with five energy maximums of roughly 320, 380, 450, 550, 650 nm be used. Said energy maximums are to be attained by lamps suitably doped with a mixture of the specified luminous substances. The document notes that cell damage is reparable and eye regeneration is possible in the UVA range, while in the range below 320 nm, long-wave UVB radiation lead to the formation of vitamin D3, calcium resorption, metabolic activation and increased performance of the muscle system and circulatory organs. The document further states that sunburn effects occur only in conjunction with wavelength ranges below 300 nm. For the 300 to 400 nm range, spectral emissions roughly similar to those in the previously cited DE AS 17 64 685 are specified.
In many documents, suitable doping metals are specified for various radiation ranges, e.g., red to dark red (U.S. Pat. No. 3,287,586) or blue (DE OS 19 22 416). Special lamps (DD 201 207 and DD 221 374) have been designed for therapeutic windows around the 325 nm wavelength. DE OS 32 39 417 proposes phosphorous doping for optimized emissions at 340-400 nm for the treatment of skin ailments.
DE 29 10 468 A1 proposes a UV luminous substance radiation source for photobiological and photochemical purposes, particularly for tanning irradiation, wherein the bulb of the radiation source is in contact with a fluid layer, preferably a water layer or water bath. Such a water bath can also be embodied as a water bed with couch, whereby the projection area is a flexible transparent cover of the water bed and the water temperature is set at 30 to 50.degree. C., preferably 35 to 40.degree. C. The document proposes, in detail, an arrangement of the individual radiation sources, which are disposed in gutter-like water containers that surround the luminous substance tubes. The gutter-like elements are equipped with reflectors on the side opposite to the radiation object for the purpose of permitting light reflection from the cooling device toward the projection surface. Also proposed is the use of UV luminous substance lamps in the 300 to 430 nm spectrum with luminous substances that cannot be highly loaded thermally; as applicable, additives are added to the cooling water to influence the spectral transmission grade and/or the reduction in the electrical conductivity. The attainable pigmentation-active radiation output, i.e., the irradiation output, in the aforementioned UV range is put at approximately 140 W/m.sup.2. Optionally, this irradiation device is also suitable for medical applications (diagnoses and therapy), particularly for the treatment of skin diseases and skin damage. However, the device did not succeed because its main purpose, tanning, can be attained more cheaply with solariums of the traditional type and because the device is too cumbersome and expensive for medical practice. A main reason for this may be that very high demands are placed on the lamps, since the lamp surface temperature of 35 to 40.degree. C., particularly at the relatively high rated output of 115 W, reduces lamp useful life.
It is common to all these devices that the radiation density emitted by them is too low. This leads either to unacceptably long treatment times or to no therapeutic effect at all, since in part the therapeutic effect begins only at a certain radiation density.
A further disadvantage is that for certain spectral ranges (e.g., yellow), there are no suitable doping agents with which suitable radiation densities can be attained. If an attempt is made, by means of suitable filters, to have a broadband light source radiate selectively in these ranges, then the radiation density is further reduced by the filter.
In applications that require high radiation density, it therefore continues to be necessary to use expensive and awkward lasers. The use of different wavelengths after one another, in particular, entails great difficulties with lasers.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,368 a generic device with an incoherent light source is known. The light source is sealed by a glass cylinder and a reflector is arranged around the light source. The cross-section of the reflector is shaped like an ellipse, and the light source is arranged in a focal point of the ellipse. On the side opposite the light source, the reflector has an opening. In front of the opening is arranged a set of optical filters and an iris aperture. A photoflash light is suggested, for example, as the light source. When the device is placed on the body part to be treated, this body part is located at the second focal point of the ellipse. Alternatively, it is suggested that the reflector be designed parabolically and round in cross-section. The iris aperture controls the length and width of the irradiated area, and the maximum length is limited by the length of the light source. Given a proposed lamp length of 8 cm, however, only 5 cm in the center of the lamp is used, whereby approximately uniform radiation occurs. By closing the iris aperture, the length of the irradiated surface can be shortened to a length of 1 mm, as can the width. Given a width of b=5 mm, the width can be shortened by as much as 1 mm by closing the iris aperture. This corresponds to a maximum opening width "d" of one fifth of the diameter. As a result, energy densities in the range of 30 to 100 J/cm.sup.2 are attainable. When an optical band pass in the range of 500 to 650 nm is used, the energy density is reduced by 80%, so that energy densities of 6 to 20 J/cm.sup.2 are still achieved on the skin.
It is disadvantageous in the known device that the useful life of the optical filter is very short, due to the energy densities, and that the relevant manufacturers do not guarantee functional ability. At the same time, the maximum energy densities attainable are not great enough for the applications "desiccation of veins" and "destroying tatoo pigments."

Irradiation device, especially for the cosmetic, diagnostic and therapeutic application of light


Systems and methods for determining the composition of a drilling fluid using electro-rheology may be provided. A method for drilling a wellbore may include circulating a drilling fluid in a wellbore. The method may include extending the wellbore into one or more subterranean formations. The method may include measuring one or more rheological properties of at least a portion of the drilling fluid while applying an electric field to the drilling fluid to obtain an electro-rheological profile of the portion of the drilling fluid. The method may include determining an estimate of a concentration of at least one additive of the drilling fluid based on the electro-rheological profile.

During the drilling of a wellbore into a subterranean formation, a drilling fluid, also referred to as a drilling mud, may be continuously circulated from the well surface down to the bottom of the wellbore being drilled and back to the well surface again. The drilling fluid may include a mixture of water, oil, additives (e.g., viscosifiers, weighting materials, emulsifying surfactants, and the like), and combinations thereof, to impart certain properties to the drilling fluid to satisfy different drilling requirements.
The drilling fluid can serve several functions, one of them being to transport wellbore cuttings up to the surface where they are separated from the drilling fluid. Another function of the drilling fluid can include providing hydrostatic pressure against the wall of the drilled wellbore, thereby preventing wellbore collapse and the resulting influx of gas or liquid from the formations being penetrated. For these and other reasons, it can be important to know the characteristics and chemical composition of the drilling fluid during circulation.

Application of electro-rheology in measurements of drilling fluid composition


The present invention provides a compound of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound of the invention, a method for manufacturing compounds of the invention and therapeutic uses thereof.

Ubiquitin is a small protein consisting of 76 amino acids that is important for the regulation of protein function in a cell. Ubiquitylation and deubiquitylation are enzymatically mediated processes by which ubiquitin is covalently bound or cleaved from a target protein by deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs), of which there are approximately 95 DUBs in human cells, divided into sub-families based on sequence homology. The USP family are characterized by their common Cys and His boxes which contain Cys and His residues critical for their DUB activities. The ubiquitylation and deubiquitylation processes have been implicated in the regulation of many cellular functions including cell cycle progression, apoptosis, modification of cell surface receptors, regulation of DNA transcription and DNA repair. Thus, the ubiquitin system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous disease states including inflammation, viral infection, metabolic dysfunction, CNS disorders and oncogenesis.
Ubiquitin is a master regulator of mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondria are dynamic organelles whose biogenesis, fusion and fission events are regulated by the post-translational regulation via ubiquitylation of many key factors such as mitofusins. While ubiquitin ligases such as parkin are known to ubiquitylate a number of mitochondrial proteins, until recently deubiquitylating enzymes remained elusive. USP30 is a 517 amino acid protein which is found on the mitochondrial outer membrane (Nakamura et al., Mol Biol (2008)19:1903-11). It is the sole deubiquitylating enzyme bearing a mitochondrial localization signal and has been shown to debuiquitylate a number of mitochondrial proteins. It has been demonstrated that USP30 opposes parkin-mediated mitophagy and that reduction of USP30 activity can rescue parkin-mediated defects in mitophagy.
Mitochondrial dysfunction may be defined as diminished mitochondrial content (mitophagy or mitochondrial biogenesis), as a decrease in mitochondrial activity and oxidative phosphorylation, but also as modulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Hence a role for mitochondrial dysfunction has been ascribed to a very large number of aging processes and pathologies including but not limited to neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, psychiatric disease and osteoarthritis.
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the etiology of Parkinson's disease. Human genetic evidence for mitochondrial dysfunction has come from studies of familial forms of Parkinson's disease, which have identified the autosomal recessive genes PARK2 and PINK1 encoding Parkin ubiquitin ligase and phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) protein kinase (Hauser, D. N., and Hastings, T. G. (2013). Neurobiol Dis 51, 35-42). These genes have been linked to regulation of mitochondrial quality control by a process called mitophagy (Misgeld, T., and Schwarz, T. L. (2017) Neuron 96, 651-66; Pickrell and Youle, (2015) Neuron 85, 257-273; Trinh and Farrer, (2013) Nat Rev Neurol 9, 445-454). In healthy mitochondria PINK1 is imported and degraded by mitochondrial proteases. However, on mitochondrial damage, PINK1 accumulates on the surface of the outer mitochondrial membrane, where it recruits Parkin. Relocated Parkin subsequently ubiquitylates several mitochondrial proteins, creating a signal for the removal of the damaged mitochondrion by mitophagy. Parkinson's disease-associated mutations in PINK1 or PARK2 impair recruitment of parkin, mitochondrial ubiquitination and mitophagy (Archer, S. L. (2013). N Engl J Med 369, 2236-2251).
Enhancing mitophagy via the PINK1-Parkin pathway is proposed to be a therapeutic target for disease modification in Parkinson's disease. An additional role for the PINK1-Parkin pathway in suppressing mitochondrial antigen presentation and T-cell mediated immune responses has recently been discovered and may also play a role in Parkinson's disease pathology (Matheoud et al., (2016) Cell 166, 314-327).
From a library of 100 deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), Genentech identified USP30 as one of two DUBS significantly preventing mitochondrial loss after administration of the protonophore carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) to Parkin overexpressing HEK293 cells (Bingol et al., (2014) Nature 510, 370-375). USP30 is the only mitochondria-anchored DUB and was further validated as counter player in Parkin-mediated mitophagy in drosophila (Bingol et al., 2014). USP30 hinders the build-up of ubiquitin chains on mitochondrial proteins, thereby preventing inappropriate mitophagy in healthy conditions (Cunningham et al., (2015) Nat Cell Biol 17, 160-169). When mitochondria are damaged, Parkin is recruited to the membrane and highly activated, overwhelming USP30 and shifting the equilibrium to a buildup of ubiquitin chains that activate mitophagic pathways. In the case of pathogenic PARK2 mutations or otherwise compromised Parkin activity, the ligase is unable to overcome USP30 mediated deubiquitination and thus cannot properly activate mitophagy. Therefore, inhibition of USP30 could be a therapeutic treatment for Parkinson's patients that have reduced function of the PINK1-Parkin mitophagy pathway.
A series of cyano-substituted heterocycles are disclosed as deubiquitinating enzyme inhibitors in WO2016/046530, WO2016/156816, WO2017/009650, WO2017/093718, WO2017/103614 and WO2018/060742. It remains desirable to provide additional deubiquitinating enzyme inhibitors which provide selectivity for USP30 over other cysteine proteases such as other DUBs and/or Cathepsins.
Thus, new approaches are needed to modulate USP30 activity in the prevention and/or treatment of mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases. There remains a need for agents that exploit different mechanisms of action and may have better outcomes in terms of relief of symptoms, safety, and patient mortality, both short-term and long-term.

N-cyano-7-azanorbornane derivatives and uses thereof


Tocopherol derivatives having the general formula:

Vitamin E is comprised of eight different antioxidant compounds found in nature; four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. These two families differ from each other in the structure of the side chain, which is saturated in tocopherols and has three double bonds in the tocotrienols. The distinguishing feature within each family is the number and position of methyl groups attached to the chroman ring.
The tocopherols, namely α-tocopherol, β-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol and δ-tocopherol, are understood to be the major lipid soluble compounds in mammalian membranes. They act as chain-breaking inhibitors of free radical peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids. Despite the fact that the diets of most North American individuals contain more γ-tocopherol than α-tocopherol, it is predominantly α-tocopherol that is retained in the body due to actions of a specific binding and transfer protein known as the tocopherol transfer protein (TTP). TTP is expressed mostly in liver tissue and has been shown to specifically bind α-tocopherol. The function of TTP is to aid in the secretion of the vitamin in lipoproteins such as very-low-density-lipoprotein that then carry the vitamin to remote tissues of the body. Interestingly, the other forms of vitamin E, besides α-tocopherol, are poorly retained by the body and are rapidly metabolized to water-soluble compounds for excretion in urine or transported to bile.
The metabolism of non-retained tocopherols (i.e., non-α-tocopherol and tocotrienols) is initiated in human cells by a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase, Cyp4F2, and its orthologs in other species. The enzyme activity is referred to as tocopherol-ω-hydroxylase. This enzyme metabolizes all forms of vitamin E by placing a hydroxyl group at the terminus of the side chain.
Recently it has been noted that γ-tocopherol and the tocotrienols have biological activities that are different from α-tocopherol. γ-tocopherol is known to act as an anti-inflammatory possibly by mechanisms different than α-tocopherol (Samandari E et al., (2006) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 342: 1329-33; Mazlan M et al., (2006) J Neurol Sci., 243(1-2): 5-12; Campbell S E, et al., (2006) BMC Cancer 6:13, Wu J H Y et al., (2005) Free Rad Res 39: S84-S84; Devaraj S et al., (2005) Nutr Rev 63: 290-293; Wagner K H et al. (2004) Annals Nutr Metab 48: 169-188; Jiang Q et al., (2004) Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 101: 17825-30; Grammas P et al., (2004) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 319: 1047-1052; Jiang Q et al., (2001) Am J Clin Nutr 74: 714-22) and to scavenge reactive nitrogen species such as peroxynitrite (Wolf G (1997) Nutr Rev 55: 376-378; Christen S et al., (1997) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94: 3217-22). The tocotrienols have been demonstrated to have significantly different biological activities from the tocopherols (Theriault A et al., (1999) Clin. Biochem. 32: 309-319), including inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis (Parker R A et al., (1993) J Biol Chem 268: 11230-8; Pearce B C et al., (1994) J Med Chem 37: 526-41; Pearce B C et al., (1992) J Med Chem 35: 3595-606), anti-cancer effects (Nesaretnam K et al., (1998) Lipids 33: 461-469; Sylvester P W et al., (2005) Front Biosci 10: 699-709; Sylvester P W et al., (2005) J Plant Physiol 162: 803-810), and more recently for protection against glutamate-induced neurodegeneration in animal models of stroke (Khanna S et al., (2005) Stroke 36: E144-E152; Khanna S et al., (2003) J Biol Chem 278: 43508-15; Sen C K et al., (2004) Vitamin E And Health pp 127-142; Sen C K et al., (2000) J Biol Chem 275: 13049-13055).
To fully realize the promising biological activities of γ-tocopherol and the tocotrienols requires overcoming the poor bioavailability after ingestion. The primary reason for their poor bioavailability and short plasma half-lives is their rapid oxidative metabolism by tocopherol-ω-hydroxylase.
Since it has been discovered that non-α-tocopherols and the tocotrienols have desirable biological activities, there is a need to identify mechanisms that prolong their bioavailability. Based on the foregoing comments, one potential way to increase the bioavailability of non-α-tocopherols and tocotrienols is to develop compounds that decrease tocopherol-ω-hydroxylase activity.

Abstract: wherein n is an integer of 6 to 13, R1 is hydrogen, a silyl ether or acetate, R2 is an optionally substituted nitrogen-containing heterocycle or a polycyclic nitrogen-containing heterocycle; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are provided. A method for synthesizing the compounds is also provided. The tocopherol derivatives are capable of inhibiting the primary enzyme responsible for the metabolism of the tocopherols and tocotrienols compounds of vitamin E, namely tocopherol-ω-hydroxylase, and thus increase the amount and prolong the availability of these compounds in plasma and tissue.


A semiconductor device has a substrate, a first Group III nitride semiconductor layer formed on the substrate, a first oxide layer formed in proximity to the upper portions of defects present in the first Group III nitride semiconductor layer, and a second Group III nitride semiconductor layer including a positive layer and formed over each of the first Group III nitride semiconductor layer and the first oxide layer.

The present invention relates to a nitride semiconductor device for use as a blue light-emitting diode, a blue-violet laser, a high-speed transistor, or the like and to a method for fabricating the same.
A Group III nitride semiconductor (BzAlxGa1-x-y-zInyN (where 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, and 0≦z≦1 are satisfied)) (hereinafter simply referred to as a nitride semiconductor) is a semiconductor having an extremely large band gap energy. For example, GaN has a band gap energy as large as 3.4 eV (at a room temperature). For this reason, a nitride semiconductor is considered to be promising as a material capable of emitting visible light ranging widely from blue to ultraviolet.
A nitride semiconductor is also considered to be promising as a transistor material capable of high-temperature and high-output operation because it has a high electron speed in a high electric field. Thus far, it has been impossible to provide a nitride semiconductor having an excellent crystal property since a growth temperature for a nitride semiconductor is generally high and there is no substrate material that can be lattice-matched thereto.
Ever since the development of a technology which grows, by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (hereinafter referred to as MOCVD), a nitride semiconductor on a sapphire substrate with a low-temperature buffer layer interposed therebetween, however, the crystal property of a nitride semiconductor has been improved and a light-emitting diode or a semiconductor laser has been produced on a commercial basis.
In general, crystal defects such as lattice defects on the order of 1×109 cm−2 are present in a GaN crystal formed on a sapphire substrate as a factor causing the degradation of the characteristics and reliability of a light-emitting element or an electronic device. To solve the problem, a lower-defect technology using epitaxial lateral overgrowth (hereinafter referred to as ELO) has been developed. By epitaxially laterally overgrowing GaN on, e.g., a mask composed of an SiO2 film or the like, the density of crystal defects has been reduced to the level of 1×107 cm−2.
A description will be given herein below to a semiconductor device according to a first conventional embodiment with reference to FIG. 15. Specifically, the description will be given to a structure of a nitride semiconductor layer device formed by using the epitaxial lateral overgrowth technology mentioned above (see, e.g., O. H. Nam et. al., Applied Physics Letters 71 (1997) p.2638)
As shown in FIG. 15, a first GaN layer 3 is formed on a sapphire substrate 1 with a buffer layer 2 made of GaN interposed therebetween. An SiO2 film 4 patterned in stripes and having a thickness of 100 nm is formed on the first GaN layer 3. A second GaN layer 5 containing crystal defects at a low density is formed on the SiO2 film 4 by epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) using MOCVD. Since the region of the second GaN layer 5 located on the SiO2 film 4 is formed by epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO), it has crystal defects at a reduced density.
A laser structure is formed on the low-defect region of the second GaN layer 5 which is formed on the SiO2 film 4. Specifically, an n-type clad layer 6, an active layer 7, a p-type clad layer 8, and a p-type contact layer 9 each made of a nitride semiconductor are formed and an insulating film 10 composed of, e.g., an SiO2 film and having an opening is formed on the p-type clad layer 8. A p-type electrode 11 is formed over the insulating film 10 and the portion of the p-type contact layer 9 exposed in the opening 10a of the insulating film 10, while an electrode pad 12 is formed on the p-type electrode 11. On the other hand, a metal electrode 13 is formed on the n-type clad layer 6. In FIG. 15, the vertical lines extending in the first GaN layer 3, the second GaN layer 5, and the n-type clad layer 6 indicate crystal defects such as lattice defects and the number of the vertical lines indicates the number of the crystal defects. For example, the crystal defects are reduced in the region overlying the SiO2 film 4 as described above and a smaller number of crystal defects are indicated by the vertical lines which are smaller in number than in the other region.
In terms of enhancing the performance of a nitride semiconductor device in addition to reducing defects described above, a technology which selectively oxidizes a surface of a GaN layer has also drawn attention as a second conventional embodiment (See, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-267555).
Specifically, a heat treatment is performed with respect to a GaN layer in an oxygen atmosphere by using an Si thin film or the like as a mask material to oxidize the surface of the GaN layer, followed by the removal of the mask material. If a field effect transistor is produced on the surface of the GaN layer thus formed, the oxide film formed on the surface of the GaN layer allows the isolation of the device and increases the breakdown voltage of the device. Such a selective oxidation technology is also applicable to current confinement in a semiconductor laser or the like and the wide application thereof is expected.
In the case of producing a nitride semiconductor laser device by using the lower-defect technology shown above in the first conventional embodiment, however, mask alignment is difficult since a waveguide structure with a width of, e.g., 2 μm should be formed in the low-crystal-defect region formed on the mask with a width of about 5 μm. To enlarge the low-crystal-defect region formed on the mask, it is necessary to increase the film thickness of the GaN layer formed on the mask. In that case, however, a crack is formed in the GaN layer due to the different thermal expansion coefficients thereof. This causes the problem of low characteristic reproducibility or low production yield in, e.g., a semiconductor laser device. To reduce crystal defects, the foregoing mask composed of the SiO2 film may be formed a plurality of times but the problem is encountered that the cost for device production using a photolithographic step is increased.
According to the selective oxidation technology in the second conventional embodiment, on the other hand, the roughened surface of the GaN layer causes the following problem in the steps subsequent to the surface oxidation, which is, e.g., low reproducibility in a photolithographic step, the risk of a broken line when a metal wire is formed on the roughened surface, or the like. In the case of applying the oxide film formed by using the selective oxidation technology to a metal-oxide-semiconductor (hereinafter referred to as MOS) field effect transistor, the thickness of the gate oxide film varies under an electrode so that the reproducibility of device characteristics is degraded.

Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Disclosed herein is an instrument panel assembly affording for installment in a motor vehicle as one unit even though the assembly has a final width that is greater than a predetermined maximum width criterion for passing the assembly through a doorframe. The instrument panel assembly includes an instrument panel having a front side and a rear side, the front side having a temporary attachment structure and a permanent attachment structure. The assembly also includes an electronic panel with a temporary attachment structure and a permanent attachment structure, the electronic panel being operable to temporarily attach to the instrument panel in a position that affords for a reduced width of the instrument panel assembly. A process is also disclosed for installing an instrument panel assembly having an overall width that is greater than a predetermined maximum width criterion.

Motor vehicles have included dashboards, also known as instrument panels, within the interior of the vehicle for decades. During much of this time, instrument panels such as the one shown in FIG. 1 generally at reference numeral 5, have included standard items such as a dash board 9, a panel 6 that included a speedometer, an oil gauge and the like, a heater, venting and air-conditioning (HVAC) control panel 7 and a radio panel 8. Such prior art panels have typically had a relatively narrow width W1 as shown in FIG. 2 relative to the width D1 of a front door opening, such that the instrument panel assembly 5 could be installed as one unit within the motor vehicle.
As motor vehicles, and in particular their electronic control systems become ever more complex, the components attached to an instrument panel continue to increase in size and number. In addition, the design or style of motor vehicles continues to change, with instrument panels incorporated with center consoles creating evermore complex and larger panels to be installed within the motor vehicle. An illustrative example of such an instrument panel assembly is shown generally at reference numeral 10 in FIG. 3. As shown in this figure, an instrument panel 100 can have a first electronic panel 110, and a second electronic panel 120 attached thereto. In addition, the instrument panel 100 can be designed such that a center console 200 having a variety of components—such as a storage compartment 210, a gear shifter lever 220, etc.—is attached to the instrument pane 100.
Although newer styled instrument panels provide for aesthetically pleasing interiors and new features such as navigation systems, such instrument panels have an increased width as shown by the dimension W2 in FIG. 4. The increase in the width of the instrument panel assembly 10 reduces free space e1 between the instrument panel assembly 10 and a doorframe 12 which the assembly 10 must pass through during installation.
A minimum spacing between the instrument panel assembly 10 and the doorframe 12 is typically demanded by production line standards in order to ensure that the instrument panel 100 and any components attached thereto are not be impacted, scraped, etc. during their installment through the doorframe 12. As one would expect, the stylistic design of some instrument panel assemblies do not meet this minimum space requirement and thus the motor vehicle manufacturer heretofore has been forced to redesign the instrument panel in order to reduce its width. In the alternative, the second electronic panel 120 has been installed or attached to the instrument panel 100 after the instrument panel 100 has been attached within the motor vehicle. However, the installation of the second electronic panel 120 after the instrument panel 100 has been installed within the motor vehicle can result in the entire instrument panel assembly 10 having to be removed from the motor vehicle if the second electronic panel 120 fails to operate during subsequent testing.
In summary, the complexity of new motor vehicles continues to require ever increasing complex instrument panels which continue to push their overall width dimension to greater values. In addition, if an electronic panel is installed as part of the instrument panel assembly after the instrument panel has been installed within the motor vehicle, if a function of the electronic panel fails to work during initial quality control testing, then the entire instrument panel assembly may have to be removed from the motor vehicle, thereby increasing costs and reducing productivity for the production of the motor vehicles. Therefore, an instrument panel and a method for installing an instrument panel assembly as one unit within the motor vehicle when the overall width of the instrument panel assembly is too wide to fit within the doorframe, would be desirable.

Instrument panel with temporary attachment structure

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


A semiconductor device is composed of a first IC chip having a data processing function and a second IC chip having a non-volatile memory for storing confidential reference data. Both of the IC chips are provided with connection pads on the facing sides of the two chips, so that they can be bonded in a chip-on-chip configuration. Each of the connection pads of the second IC chip is located at the position of a corresponding connection pad of the first IC chip. An externally input data is compared with the reference data for verification. The input data is authenticated based on the result of the verification.

A variety of authentication systems has been implemented. Such authentication systems have become increasingly important with the prolificacy of IT technologies in society, and with growing need for high-level security in social activities involving IT technologies.
FIG. 1 illustrates a semiconductor unit used in conventional authentication systems. This semiconductor unit comprises a semiconductor device 11 including a first IC chip CH1 having data processing functions, all packaged in a plastic mold, and a semiconductor device 12 including a second IC chip CH2 which contains confidential data like personal code, fingerprint data, and an encryption key, all packaged in a plastic mold. These semiconductor devices 11 and 12 are electrically connected by connecting the lead pins L1 of the semiconductor device 11 with the corresponding lead pins L2 of the semiconductor device 12 using a printed pattern W1.
In this way the semiconductor unit has a two-package structure and data are transferred between them through the printed pattern W1. This type of semiconductor units have a drawback that the confidential data may be easily retrieved from the second IC hip CH2 of the semiconductor device 12 for illegitimate analysis by use of a memory accessing technology. For example, the data can be analyzed by detecting signals passing through the lead pins L1 and L2 across the printed pattern W1.
Improvements have been made by the inventor of the present invention to circumvent the problem pertinent to the conventional authentication system as shown in FIG. 1. In one improvement, a semiconductor device 13 for use in authentication system includes an IC chip having an embedded memory as shown in FIG. 2, and in another improvement a semiconductor has a multi-chip structure 14 as shown in FIG. 3.
The semiconductor device 13 shown in FIG. 2 has a non-volatile memory MA, as indicated by a broken line, for storing confidential data embedded in an IC chip CH1 that has data processing function. The semiconductor device 13 is packaged by sealing it with a molding resin.
The semiconductor device 14 shown in FIG. 3 includes a first IC chip CH1 having a data processing function, and a second IC chip CH2 having a memory for storing confidential data. These IC chips are electrically connected together by connecting the corresponding connection pads P1 and P2 of the respective IC chips by means of bonding wires W2. The entire device is then packaged by sealing it with a molding resin. L1 represents lead pins of the package.
As such, the confidential data stored in the non-volatile memory MA and in the second IC chip CH2 of these semiconductor devices 13 and 14 are not accessible for illegitimate analysis. However, one can open the resin package if he has a technique to open a molded package and can probe the lead wires and/or pads connected to the non-volatile memory MA or the IC chip to read the confidential data. After all therefore, like any other conventional semiconductors as shown in FIG. 1, even improved semiconductor devices 13 and 14 can be attacked by illegitimate accesses for the confidential data, although the data are stored in the sealed non-volatile memory MA and/or sealed IC chip CH2.

Authentication system having a semiconductor device containing data which are difficult to analyze through illegitimate access, and semiconductor device therefor


A purse having interchangeable inner bags includes an outer casing, a plurality of inner bags, and a shoulder strap. A first chosen bag and a second chosen bag of the plurality of inner bags are removably attached to the outer casing, where the outer casing encloses the first chosen bag and the second chosen bag. The shoulder strap is removably attached to the outer casing through a pair of connecting rings. Each of the plurality of inner bags includes a front transparent panel which opens up to the users when the outer casing is unfolded. The users can store items within each of the plurality of bags and access the stored items through a bag zipper. A back panel of the plurality of inner bags magnetically attached the first chosen bag and the second chosen bag with outer casing.

Handbags have their origin traced back to ancient ages. The ancient Egyptians used bags to carry their collected crops or seeds. In 14th century Europe, small bags became something that women would only carry for their makeup. However, when social status became prominent in the traditional society, the handbag design became more elaborate and new varieties of handbags were introduced. In the modern period, there are many different kinds of handbags that exist in the market with many different brands to choose from. Consumers purchase these commodities based on their needs and popularity of brands or styles. The purpose of handbags has changed from carrying seeds for farming to carrying anything that can be fitted. For example, women now usually carry their makeup, cell phone, keys, medicine, and other items which make their handbag become full or even heavy.
In the modern era, the primary use of the handbag is to provide convenient storage for items while also making a fashion statement. But in recent years handbags are overfilled with consumer products, such as cell phones, car keys, medicine, etc. Due to the unorganized storage within the handbags, users tend to carry more and more items within the handbags. These extra stored items can cause health problems due to the added weight. The user also has to spend more time sorting through the stored items to find the desired item. Today's society is extremely fashion and style conscious as designers only consider the uniqueness of their designs but neglect comfort. Women and men tend to carry too many items in their bags which weigh more than 10 percent of their bodyweight. This can cause improper body balance and interference with human motion. As a solution for these problems, manufactures tend to add more compartments and different configurations to the handbags so that the users can organize their belongings within their handbags.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an easy way to carry items and have them placed in an easy to access fashion within interchangeable inner bags, where the interchangeable inner bags are enclosed by an outer cover. The present invention would allow the users to spend less time sorting through their handbags and carry less if they desire.


A device includes a plurality of imaging pixels in a spatial pattern with a formation of features disposed over the pixels. A first and a second feature of the formation of features are disposed over a first pixel. A first luminophore is disposed within or over the first feature. A second luminophore is disposed within or over the second feature. A structured illumination source is to direct at least a portion of first photons in an illumination pattern to the first feature at a first time, and to direct at least a portion of second photons in the illumination pattern to the second feature at a second time. The structured illumination source includes an illumination pattern generator having an illumination pattern generator actuator connected to the illumination pattern generator to cause the illumination pattern to translate or rotate relative to the formation of features.

Certain sequencing tools rely on various "sequencing by synthesis" (SBS) chemistries to determine a polynucleotide sequence, such as a DNA or RNA sequence. Sequencing can involve using luminescent imaging, such as a fluorescent microscopy system, to identify nucleotides or localized clusters of identical nucleotides by emission wavelength of their respective fluorescent markers. Although some SBS chemistries under development may use a single dye, multiple fluorescent dyes (up to four) are generally used in commercial systems so as to uniquely identify the nucleotides in a polynucleotide, such as A, G, C, and T nucleotides in DNA.


Data packet processing is described. A set of first data packets is accessed. A number of the first data packets are identified as candidate data packets to be potentially transmitted over a network to a receiver. The number of candidate data packets is then reduced so that a number of second data packets comprising error correction information for one or more of the first data packets can be increased.

Media delivery over wired and wireless networks is continuing to grow in importance. A variety of techniques have been developed to increase the reliability of media delivery over a lossy packet network. These techniques include forward error correction (FEC), retransmission, error-resilient coding, and error concealment, as well as various combinations of these approaches.
A number of FEC-based strategies have been developed to increase the reliability of media delivery. In perhaps the most popular approach, sufficient FEC packets are added to the media stream so that a receiver (or client) can recover all transmitted data (media) packets if any of the media packets are lost in transit, as long as the total number of lost packets is less than a threshold. This approach treats all media packets equally and provides equal error protection across all packets. Such an approach can be referred to as a "protect all" approach to signify that all of the packets are protected.
Another FEC-based approach protects the more important data while the less important data is not protected. This approach can be referred to as a "protect subset" approach to signify that only a subset of the packets is protected while the remaining packets are not protected. For example, when the amount of packet loss is greater than the amount of protection that can be applied using the "protect all" approach, then the "protect subset" approach is used so that the redundancy is allocated to protect the more important data. For example, when media is encoded (compressed) using a Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) compression scheme, media packets carrying data for I-frames are generally considered to be more important than media packets carrying data for P-frames or B-frames. Thus, for example, the available redundancy may be allocated to the media packets carrying data for the I-frames.
In the "protect subset" approach, the redundancy may be allocated equally to each of the more important media packets. A variant on that approach is to apply different levels of protection to different subsets of media packets. That is, the available redundancy is not allocated exclusively to the more important media packets, but instead is shared with media packets of lesser importance, with some media packets receiving a higher level of protection and other media packets a lower level of protection. Providing different levels of protection to different data is referred to as unequal error protection (UEP). In the MPEG example above, a greater proportion of the available redundancy can be allocated to protect media packets associated with I-frames and a lesser proportion to protect media packets associated with P-frames, while B-frames may not be protected (no redundancy applied). This approach can be referred to as a "protect different subsets with UEP" approach.
If there is sufficient bandwidth to accommodate the number of FEC packets necessary to overcome the expected packet loss, then the "protect all" approach is generally the best strategy to employ. However, in situations where there is not enough bandwidth available for FEC for the "protect all" approach to enable the recovery of all the lost packets, it is unclear which of the remaining strategies should be selected and implemented in order to decrease or even minimize the expected distortion of the reconstructed media at the receiver/client.
Accordingly, there is value to a data protection strategy that can be employed when a "protect all" approach is not a viable alternative.

Reducing a number of data packets to increase a number of error correcting packets

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L. P.