A gas separation composite membrane, containing a gas-permeable supporting layer and a gas separating layer containing a crosslinked polyimide resin over the gas-permeable supporting layer, in which the crosslinked polyimide resin has structure in which a polyimide compound is crosslinked through a specific crosslinking chain, the specific crosslinking chain has at least one kind of linking group selected from the group consisting of —NRaC(═O)—, —NRbC(═O)O—, —CH2OCH2—, —CH2SCH2—, —OC(═O)O—, —C(═O)O−N+(Rc)3—, —SO3−N+(Rd)3— and —PO3−N+(Re)3—, and Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd and Re each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent.

A raw material comprising a polymer compound has characteristic gas permeability for each raw material. Capability of separation of a desired gas component is known, based on properties thereof, by a membrane constituted of a specific polymer raw material. As an industrial application embodiment of this gas separation membrane, study has been conducted for separating and recovering carbon dioxide with energy saving from a large-scale carbon dioxide generation source in a thermal power station, a cement plant, a blast furnace in a steel plant or the like in relation to a global warming issue, and attracts attention as a solution to an environmental issue. Meanwhile, natural gas or bio gas (gases generated by fermentation and anaerobic digestion of excreta of organisms, organic fertilizers, biodegradable substances, polluted water, garbage's, energy crops, and the like) is mainly a mixed gas of methane and carbon dioxide. Study has been made so far for a membrane separation method as a means for removing an impurity such as carbon dioxide therein (see Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2). In particular, study has been made for cellulose or polyimide as a raw material in purification of a natural gas. However, the membrane is plasticized under high pressure conditions and high carbon dioxide concentration in an actual plant, and a decrease of separation selectivity due to the plasticization has become a problem (see Non-Patent Literature 1, and Non-Patent Literatures 2 and 3). Moreover, an impurity such as a trace amount of water, hydrogen sulfide, long-chain hydrocarbon, an aromatic compound such as benzene and xylem is contained in the natural gas. Accordingly, these impurities stagnate in a separation membrane module as use is continued, and may occasionally damage a membrane raw material. From this respect also, improvement has been required for chemical stability (see Patent Literature 8).
In order to suppress plasticization of the membrane, introduction of crosslinked structure into a polymer compound constituting the membrane is known to be effective, and research has been continued for improvement in a polyimide or cellulose membrane (see Non-Patent Literature 1, and Patent Literature 4). In addition thereto, specific examples of arts utilizing a membrane having a crosslinked structure of polymide for the gas separation membrane include arts described in Patent Literature 3, and Non-Patent Literatures 4, 5 and 6.

Gas separation composite membrane and gas separating module, gas separation apparatus and gas separation method using the same


This device is a covering that can be easily removed and installed with the use of tie strips. A piece of elastic insures that the device will fit on all shaped heads.

A. Field of the Invention
This device relates to headgear and specifically headgear folded and unfolded on an individual's head.
B. Prior Art
This device is related to headgear and there are many references in the prior art. An example of one of those devices is Henegan U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,613, which is a hair drying towel turban. The Henegan device is similar to the device in this case, but different in two essential features: the lack of an elastic strap to size the device and the lack of tie straps to secure it to the person's head.


Disclosed are a composition comprising a mixture of at least one iridium organometallic compound and an electrically conductive polymer, an organic active layer comprising the same, an organic memory device comprising the organic active layer and methods for fabricating the same. The organic memory device may include a first electrode, a second electrode and the organic active layer between the first and second electrodes. The organic memory device possesses the advantages of rapid switching time, decreased operating voltage, decreased fabrication costs, increased reliability and improved non-volatility.

1. Field
Example embodiments include a composition comprising a mixture of at least one iridium organometallic compound and an electrically conductive polymer, an organic active layer comprising the same, an organic memory device comprising the organic active layer and methods for fabricating the same. Other example embodiments include a composition comprising a mixture of at least one iridium organometallic compound and an electrically conductive polymer, an organic active layer comprising the same, an organic memory device comprising the organic active layer with improved operating characteristics and improved non-volatility, which comprises a first electrode, a second electrode and the organic active layer between the first and second electrodes, and methods for fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent developments in digital communication technology, demand for a variety of memory devices has been increasing. For example, portable electronic devices suitable for use in applications including, for example, mobile terminals, smart cards, electronic money, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, digital audio players, multimedia players and others, are required for retaining data in memory even when no power is being applied to the memory device, thereby tending to reduce the memory-related power consumption of the device.
In view of the known limitations of conventional flash memory devices and the processes for fabricating such devices, efforts have continued toward developing next-generation nonvolatile memory devices that overcome at least certain of the limitations associated with conventional silicon-based memory devices and provide one or more advantages over the conventional devices including, for example, increased operating speeds, increased density and/or capacity, reduced power consumption and/or reduced fabrication costs.
Some of these next-generation memories may be generally categorized as, for example, ferroelectric RAMs, magnetic RAMs, phase change RAMs, nanotube memories, holographic memories, organic memories, and/or other groupings that tend to reflect the particular constituent materials used in forming the primary memory cells, and/or the particular configuration of the materials and/or structures within the memory cells utilized in the semiconductor memory devices.
Organic memories, for example, may include an organic active layer formed from an organic material positioned between an upper electrode and a lower electrode to utilize the bistability of resistance values obtained when a voltage may be applied to the devices for storing data. Such organic memories have attracted attention as next-generation memories because they provide the desired non-volatility, which may be an advantage associated with conventional flash memories, while also providing improved processability, reducing fabrication costs and/or improving the degree of integration.
Examples of such an organic memory may utilize a 7,7,8,8-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (CuTCNQ), which may be an organometallic charge transfer complex compound, as the organic material. Another example includes semiconductor devices comprising an upper electrode, a lower electrode and an intermediate layer between the upper and lower electrodes, wherein the intermediate layer may be formed from a mixture of an ionic salt (e.g., NaCl or CsCl) and a conductive polymer. Other work has suggested organic memory devices comprising organic active layers and a metal nanocluster applied between the organic active layers, but efforts in this area have been hampered by low yields, difficulties in forming suitable metal nanoclusters, and reset voltages of about 0 V, rendering such devices generally unsuitable for widespread use as a nonvolatile organic memory.

Organic memory device using iridium organometallic compound and fabrication method thereof


A method and a system applying data mining techniques and artificial intelligence algorithms, namely neural networks, operating via an Internet data exchange site, allowing portfolio management companies to access an on-line, standardized questionnaire (Request for Proposal) and present their capabilities. The method then analyses a large number of these questionnaires and classifies managers, categorizing them and ranking their capabilities. In addition, sponsors such as pension funds, endowments, and private clients can submit their offer for the management of their assets. The site provides a Request for Proposal that is modular and continuously adapted to new financial market conditions, legal considerations and Sponsors needs. Once completed by each manager, the questionnaire is maintained in a central database allowing each manager to have an up-to-date and on-line version of questionnaire. The site allows the manager to have access to offers for new mandates in an easier and more efficient way than the old approach that involves approaching each potential Sponsor individually in a time and money consuming manner. The site provides Sponsors the opportunity to request proposals for their mandate from a much higher number of management companies, thus increasing dramatically the efficiency and rationality of their final choice of managers.

The invention relates to an evaluation method, in particular, to a method of selecting an investment manager.
Traditionally, the process of selecting an investment manager includes several steps. In a first step, a "long list" of Managers invited to bid for the mandate is established. The length of the list is limited because of the cost involved in processing even superficially. In a second step, questionnaires are sent to each potential manager. Questionnaires are not standardized and the risk of misinterpretation is high. In a third step, the numerical and textual answers to the questionnaire are analyzed to identify a short list of finalist managers. The analysis is partly computerized and partly performed by human analysts and thus influenced by subjective interpretations. Therefore, it is often not clear exactly why some managers do not appear on the short list. In a fourth step, the shortlisted managers are interviewed. In a fifth step, the decision is made as to which Manager is the most appropriate given all the particularities of the Sponsor.
Investorforce, a company based in Wayne, Pa., operates a website (investorforce.com) which offers the state of the art in manager search. It is one of a number of new providers that use Internet technology to streamline the process and enhance some aspect of the search process. According to their website, through InvestorForce's service called SEARCH EXCHANGE™, institutional investors can "submit customized RFPs online to which investment managers can respond . . . . The institutional investor then narrows the candidates to a group of finalists . . . . Throughout the process, the investor can compare performance data through side-by-side charts and graphs and can analyze responses to customized inquiries from investment managers to reach a decision."
Thanks to these new providers, the cost of due diligence (applying the above-mentioned points) in the search for managers (in particular, the analysis of answers phase) has been considerably reduced. At the same time, a much larger number of potential managers can compete for a given mandate, and thus the likelihood of selecting better managers has improved. Furthermore, from the standpoint of the investment management industry, the cost of searching for new clients has been reduced. Although it is not yet used universally, this type of Internet-based manager search is growing rapidly.
In order to decide which manager(s) is the most appropriate, the investor still needs to go beyond the analysis offered by the new providers. For example, let's assume that "CalPERS", the largest US pension find, decides to utilize the search exchange capability of Wayne, Pa.'s InvestorForce.com to complete the competitive search process online in early January. A selection is not expected to be made final before late March. Thus, in order to appoint 5 to 10 managers in such a case, 3 further months of analysis are necessary to complete the search.
The new providers have been able to improve the manager selection process each time numerical data was involved. However, as experts familiar with this industry well know, the selection of investment managers cannot solely depend on the analysis of pure data.
Recognizing this fact, several new providers also provide non-numerical information in a somewhat standardized format. But the information still has to be screened, analysed and compared by traditional mostly human approaches. The drawbacks of this approach are, among others, the limited number of managers that can be analyzed and compare, the high cost of human analysis, the time it takes to perform the analysis and the risks associated with the subjectivity of the process. What is needed therefore is a method that can reveal the similarities between a large sample of competing firms in a more scientific, objective manner.

Process of selecting portfolio managers based on automated artificial intelligence techniques


Disclosed is an apparatus and a method for signal transmission and reception according to a pre-processing scheme in a MIMO mobile communication system. The method includes: inputting a symbol; and pre-processing the input symbol according to a pre-processing matrix corresponding to pre-processing matrix information and transmitting the pre-processed symbol through a corresponding transmission antenna, wherein the pre-processing matrix is determined in accordance with a number of transmission antennas and a rate used in the MIMO mobile communication system.

In general, next-generation communication systems are developing in pursuit of a system capable of providing a service allowing high-speed large-capacity data transmission and reception to Mobile Stations (MSs). However, different from wire channel environments, wireless channel environments of mobile communication systems undergo occurrence of inevitable errors, which cause loss of information, due to various factors, such as multi-path interference, shadowing, electric wave attenuation, time-varying noise, and interference and fading.
The loss of information may cause severe distortion of an actual transmission signal, thereby degrading the entire mobile communication system performance. Therefore, a diversity scheme is used in order to eliminate the instability of communication due to the fading. In large, the diversity scheme can be classified into a time diversity scheme, a frequency diversity scheme, and an antenna diversity scheme, that is, a space diversity scheme.
The antenna diversity scheme is a scheme using multiple antennas and can be classified into a reception antenna diversity scheme using multiple reception antennas, a transmission antenna diversity scheme using multiple transmission antennas, and a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) diversity scheme using multiple reception antennas and multiple transmission antennas. The MIMO scheme is a kind of Space-Time Coding (STC) scheme. According to the STC scheme, signals encoded according to a predetermined encoding scheme are transmitted through multiple transmission antennas, so that an encoding scheme of a time domain is expanded to a space domain, so as to achieve a lower error rate.
A representative of such MIMO schemes is a Double Space Time Transmit Diversity (DSTTD) scheme. In a mobile communication system using the DSTTD scheme (DSTTD mobile communication system), two independent data streams are encoded by using two Space Time Block Coding (STBC) encoders before transmission, so as to simultaneously acquire both multiplexing and diversity gain. In the DSTTD mobile communication system, because multiple antennas are used, the spatial correlation between antennas has an influence on the entire system performance. Therefore, in the DSTTD mobile communication system, antenna grouping is performed by using an antenna grouping matrix in order to solve the problem of spatial correlation. Hereinafter, a method for antenna grouping using an antenna grouping matrix will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a signal transmission apparatus of a typical DSTTD mobile communication system.
Referring to FIG. 1, the signal transmission apparatus includes a serial to parallel (S/P) converter 111, STBC encoders 113-1 and 113-2, an antenna grouping unit 115, and transmission antennas 117-1, 117-2, 117-3, and 117-4.
First, when a transmission data stream X to be transmitted occurs, the transmission data stream X is input to the S/P converter 111. Then, the S/P converter 111 converts the transmission data stream X into two parallel sub-transmission data streams x1x2 and x3x4, and then outputs the sub-transmission data stream x1x2 to the STBC encoder #1 113-1 and the sub-transmission data stream x3x4 to the STBC encoder #2 113-2.
The STBC encoder #1 113-1 encodes the sub-transmission data stream x1x2 according to the STBC scheme and then outputs the encoded sub-transmission data stream x1x2 to the antenna grouping unit 115. Further, the STBC encoder #1 113-2 encodes the sub-transmission data stream x3x4 according to the STBC scheme and then outputs the encoded sub-transmission data stream x3x4 to the antenna grouping unit 115. Then, the antenna grouping unit 115 receives the signals output from the STBC encoder #1 113-1 and the STBC encoder #2 113-2, performs antenna grouping based on antenna grouping matrix information, and transmits the antenna-grouped signals through corresponding transmission antennas during two symbol periods.
Since FIG. 1 corresponds to an example using the STBC scheme, the antenna grouping unit 115 performs antenna grouping and then transmits the antenna-grouped signals through corresponding transmission antennas during two symbol periods. However, in the case where the signal transmission apparatus uses a Space Frequency Block Coding (SFBC) scheme as well as the STBC scheme, the antenna grouping unit 115 may perform antenna grouping and then transmit the antenna-grouped signals through corresponding transmission antennas during one symbol period. For example, when the signal transmission apparatus uses an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) scheme, the antenna grouping unit 115 may, after performing the antenna grouping, transmit the antenna-grouped signals through corresponding transmission antennas and through two adjacent sub-carriers during one symbol period. Here, the antenna grouping matrix information is received through a receiver (not shown) from a signal reception apparatus corresponding to the signal transmission apparatus. The antenna grouping matrix information will be described below with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a signal reception apparatus of a typical DSTTD mobile communication system.
Referring to FIG. 2, the signal reception apparatus includes reception antennas 211-1 and 211-2, a DSTTD receiver 213, and an antenna grouping matrix information generator 215. First, a signal received through the reception antennas 211-1 and 211-2 is input to the DSTTD receiver 213. Then, the DSTTD receiver 213 estimates the signal received through the reception antennas 211-1 and 211-2 as a transmission data stream {circumflex over (X)} by using a Vertical Bell Laboratories lAyered Space Time (V-BLAST) scheme based on a Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) scheme or a Zero Forcing (ZF) scheme.
Further, the DSTTD receiver 213 performs channel estimation for the signal received through the reception antennas 211-1 and 211-2, and then outputs a result of the channel estimation to the antenna grouping matrix information generator 215. The antenna grouping matrix information generator 215 generates antenna grouping matrix information in accordance with the channel estimation result output from the DSTTD receiver 213, and then transmits the generated antenna grouping matrix information to the signal transmission apparatus. Hereinafter, an operation of generating the antenna grouping matrix information by the antenna grouping matrix information generator 215 will be described.
The antenna grouping matrix information generated by the antenna grouping matrix information generator 215 include three bits, because the DSTTD mobile communication systems uses six antenna grouping matrixes. The antenna grouping matrix information generator 215 may select an antenna grouping matrix for minimizing the spatial correlation in accordance with the channel estimation result, an antenna grouping matrix for minimizing the Mean Square Error (MSE), or an antenna grouping matrix for maximizing the smaller Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) from among the SNRs of the two sub-transmission data streams. The antenna grouping matrix can be defined by equation (1) below.
                              χ          0                =                  {                                                                                [                                                                                1                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                1                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                1                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                0                                                                                1                                                                                k                        =                        1                                                              ]                                    [                                                                                1                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                                0                                                                          1                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                                0                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                          1                                                                                0                                                                          0                                                                          1                                                                          0                                                                                k                      =                      2                                                        ]                                [                                                                                1                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                                0                                                                    0                                                                    1                                                                    0                                                                                0                                                                    1                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                                0                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                    1                                                                                k                    =                    3                                                  ]                            [                                                                                1                                                              0                                                              0                                                              0                                                                                0                                                              0                                                              0                                                              1                                                                                0                                                              1                                                              0                                                              0                                                                                0                                                              0                                                              1                                                              0                                                                                k                  =                  4                                            ]                                                                                [                                                                                1                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                                0                                                                          0                                                                          1                                                                          0                                                                                0                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                          1                                                                                0                                                                          1                                                                          0                                                                          0                                                                                k                      =                      5                                                        ]                                [                                                                                1                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                                0                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                    1                                                                                0                                                                    0                                                                    1                                                                    0                                                                                0                                                                    1                                                                    0                                                                    0                                                                                k                    =                    6                                                  ]                            }                                                          (        1        )
In equation (1), χ0 refers to an antenna grouping matrix set, and k denotes an antenna grouping matrix index. Further, each row of each antenna grouping matrix is mapped to the transmission antenna index, and each column thereof is mapped to an input index of the antenna grouping unit 115. As noted from equation (1), each antenna grouping matrix included in the antenna grouping matrix set χ0 has a configuration in which every transmission antenna transmits one data stream. However, such a configuration of the antenna grouping matrix in which every transmission antenna transmits one data stream cannot solve the problem of spatial correlation of the transmission antennas.

Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving a signal in a multiple input multiple output mobile communication system

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


Systems and methods are provided for facilitating computer vision tasks (e.g., simultaneous location and mapping) and pass-through imaging include a head-mounted display (HMD) that includes a first set of one or more cameras configured for performing computer vision tasks and a second set of one or more cameras configured for capturing image data of an environment for projection to a user of the HMD. The first set of one or more cameras is configured to detect at least a visible spectrum light and at least a particular band of wavelengths of infrared (IR) light. The second set of one or more cameras includes one or more detachable IR filters configured to attenuate IR light, including at least a portion of the particular band of wavelengths of IR light.

Mixed-reality (MR) systems, including virtual-reality and augmented-reality systems, have received significant attention because of their ability to create truly unique experiences for their users. For reference, conventional virtual-reality (VR) systems create a completely immersive experience by restricting their users' views to only a virtual environment. This is often achieved through the use of a head-mounted device (HMD) that completely blocks any view of the real world. As a result, a user is entirely immersed within the virtual environment. In contrast, conventional augmented-reality (AR) systems create an augmented-reality experience by visually presenting virtual objects that are placed in or that interact with the real world.
As used herein, VR and AR systems are described and referenced interchangeably. Unless stated otherwise, the descriptions herein apply equally to all types of mixed-reality systems, which (as detailed above) includes AR systems, VR reality systems, and/or any other similar system capable of displaying virtual objects.
Many MR systems include one or more sensors configured for performing computer vision tasks. For example, some MR systems include one or more environment-facing cameras used for performing pose detection. MR systems often rely on pose data to accurately display virtual content (e.g., holograms) within a mixed-reality environment with respect to the perspective of the viewer (e.g., the user of the MR system).
MR systems often include one or more sensors configured for performing image capture tasks. For example, some MR systems include one or more environment-facing cameras used for capturing video frames of a user's environment and/or for providing a pass-through view of the user's environment. In some instances, an MR system includes stereo cameras of various modalities to provide parallax-corrected pass-through views of a user's environment that enhance the user's understanding of their real-world environment. For example, an MR system that includes long wavelength thermal imaging cameras may allow a user (e.g., a first responder) to see through smoke, haze, fog, and/or dust. In another example, an MR system that includes low light imaging cameras may allow a user (e.g., a first responder) to see in low light environments where the ambient light level is below the level required for human vision.
In some instances, the sensor(s) of an MR system for performing computer vision tasks and the sensor(s) of an MR system for performing image capture tasks are configured to operate under different environment lighting conditions. In such circumstances, and particularly in low light conditions, it has been found that the sensors of existing MR systems fail to achieve acceptable performance for both computer vision tasks and image capture tasks.
By way of example, in some instances, although a low light camera of an MR system may capture images of an environment under low light conditions (e.g., at about or below 10 lux for a typical commercial low light camera), a pose detection camera system of an MR system may fail for accurately detecting pose data under low light conditions (e.g., at about or below 10 lux for a typical commercial low light camera). Accordingly, performing computer vision tasks (such as pose detection) while performing image capture tasks (e.g., providing parallax-corrected pass-through images) under low light conditions is associated with many challenges.
For at least the foregoing reasons, there is an ongoing need and desire for techniques and systems for performing computer vision tasks and image capture tasks under the same environment lighting conditions (e.g., low light conditions), particularly for providing mixed-reality experiences under low light conditions.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

Systems and methods for providing mixed-reality experiences under low light conditions


A buffer layer manufacturing method, including: a preparation step for preparing a reaction solution which includes a component (Z) of at least one kind of zinc source, a component (S) of at least one kind of sulfur source, a component (C) of at least one kind of citrate compound, a component (N) of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of ammonia and ammonium salt, and water, in which the concentration of the component (C) is 0.001 to 0.25M, the concentration of the component (N) is 0.001 to 0.40M, and the pH of the reaction solution before the start of reaction is 9.0 to 12.0; and a film forming step for forming a Zn compound layer consisting primarily of Zn(S, O) and/or Zn(S, O, OH) by a liquid phase method with a reaction temperature of 70 to 95° C.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buffer layer included in a photoelectric conversion device and a manufacturing method thereof, a reaction solution for use in manufacturing the buffer layer included in a photoelectric conversion device, a photoelectric conversion device having the buffer layer, and a solar cell using the photoelectric conversion device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photoelectric conversion devices having a photoelectric conversion layer and electrodes conducting to the photoelectric conversion layer are used in various applications, including solar cells and the like. Most of the conventional solar cells are Si-based cells using bulk single-crystalline Si, polycrystalline Si, or thin film amorphous Si. Recently, however, research and development of compound semiconductor-based solar cells that do not depend on Si has been carried out. Two types of compound semiconductor-based solar cells are known, one of which is a bulk system, such as GaAs system and the like, and the other of which is a thin film system, such as CIS system formed of a group. Ib element, a group IIIb element, and a group VIb element, CIGS, or the like. The CI(G)S system is a compound semiconductor represented by a general formula, Cu1-zIn1-xGaxSe2-ySy (where, 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦2, 0≦z≦1), and when x=0 the formula represents a CIS system, while when x>0 it represents a CIGS system. The CIS and CIGS are herein collectively denoted as "CI(G)S".
Conventional thin film photoelectric conversion devices, such as CI(G)S systems and the like, generally include a CdS buffer layer between a photoelectric conversion layer and a translucent conductive layer (transparent electrode) formed thereon. In such a system, the buffer layer is normally formed by CBD (chemical bath deposition) method.
Roles of the buffer layer may include (1) prevention of recombination of photogenerated carriers (2) band discontinuity alignment (3) lattice matching (4) coverage of surface unevenness of the photoelectric conversion layer, and the like. For CI(G)S systems and the like, the CBD method, which is a liquid phase method, is preferably used in order to satisfy, in particular, the condition of (4) above, since the photoelectric conversion layer has relatively large surface unevenness.
In view of the environmental burden, Cd-free buffer layers are under study, and as a major component of Cd-free buffer layers, use of zinc systems, such as ZnO systems, ZnS systems, and the like is also under study.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-332280 (Patent Document 1) discloses a method of producing a Zn(O, OH, S) buffer layer using a reaction solution that includes a zinc-containing compound, a sulfur-containing compound, and an ammonium salt (claim 1). Patent Document 1 also describes that a reaction solution that includes 0.5 mol/l or less of ammonia is preferably used (claim 2). Patent Document 1 further describes that a reaction temperature of 10 to 100° C. and a pH of 9.0 to 11.0 are preferable (claims 6 and 7).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-196611 (Patent Document 2) discloses a method of producing a Zn(S, O) buffer layer using a reaction solution containing zinc acetate, thiourea, and ammonia (Example 3). In Example 3 of Patent Document 2, concentrations of the zinc acetate, thiourea, and ammonia are 0.025M, 0.375M, and 2.5M, respectively.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-343987 (Patent Document 3) discloses a method of producing a Zn(S, O, OH) buffer layer using a reaction solution which is a mixture of a solution provided by dissolving zinc salt in ammonia water or ammonium hydroxide water and an aqueous solution provided by dissolving sulfur-containing salt in purified water (claim 1). Patent Document 3 describes that the film forming is performed with a transparency level of the reaction solution of 100% to 50% (claim 1). Patent Document 3 further describes that a reaction temperature of 80 to 90° C. and a pH of 10.0 to 13.0 are preferable (claims 5 and 6).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-124487 (Patent Document 4) discloses a method of producing a Zn(S, O) buffer layer by a roll-to-roll process using a reaction solution containing zinc acetate, thiourea, and ammonia. In Example 2 of Patent Document 4, concentrations of the zinc acetate, thiourea, and ammonia are 0.025M, 0.375M, and 2.5M, respectively.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-118068 (Patent Document 5) discloses a method of producing a ZnS buffer layer using a reaction solution containing zinc sulfate, ammonia, and thiourea (claim 4). U.S. Pat. No. 7,704,863 (Patent Document 6) discloses a method of producing a buffer layer which includes the steps of dissolving a 0.05 to 0.5 mol/l of zinc sulfate and a 0.2 to 1.5 mol/l of thiourea in distilled water at a temperature of 70 to 90° C., adding about 25% ammonia in the amount of ⅓ of the water, and after the solution becomes transparent, dipping the substrate in the solution for about 10 minutes to maintain the temperature substantially at constant within the time (claim 1).
A literature by D. Johnston et al., "Chemical bath deposition of zinc sulphide thin films using sodium citrate as a complementary complexing agent", Journal of Materials Science Letters, Vol. 20, pp. 921-923, 2001 (Non-patent Document 1) describes a method of producing a ZnS thin film using a reaction solution containing zinc sulfate, thiourea, ammonia, and sodium citrate. In Non-patent Document 1, the film forming is performed at a reaction temperature of 60 to 80° C.
A literature by H. J. Lee and S. I. Lee, "Deposition and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnS thin films by a chemical method", Current Applied Physics, Vol. 7, pp. 193-197, 2007 (Non-patent Document 2) describes a method of producing a ZnS thin film using a reaction solution containing zinc sulfate and thioacetamide. In Non-patent Document 2, the film forming is performed at a reaction temperature of 95° C. with a reaction time of 90 to 120 min.
When providing a buffer layer by CBD method, it is necessary to form a film that well covers an underlayer. Further, in view of the production efficiency and cost, a high reaction speed is preferable in the film forming process for the buffer layer by CBD method.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-242646 (Patent Document 7) discloses a method of forming a buffer layer by providing a nucleation site or a growing site, which is a particle of the same kind as or a different kind from that of the buffer layer, and forming the buffer layer with the nucleation site or the growing site as the starting point or the catalyst (claim 1). Further, ZnS is specifically cited as a major component of the particle serving as the nucleation site or the growing site and the buffer layer (claim 8).
As described in Patent Document 7, by growing a CBD film after forming a fine particle layer that functions as the nucleation site or the growing site of crystal growth, catalyst, or the like, the reaction speed of the CBD film forming process may be increased and a film well covering an underlayer may be formed stably by controlling the crystal growth through CBD reaction. This method, however, requires an additional process of forming the fine particle layer.
The present invention has been developed in view of the circumstances described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a Zn system buffer layer manufacturing method capable of forming a film well covering an underlayer at a practical reaction speed without essentially requiring a fine particle layer that functions as the nucleation site or the growing site of or catalyst for crystal growth.

Buffer layer and manufacturing method thereof, reaction solution, photoelectric conversion device, and solar cell


The presently disclosed subject matter relates to compositions, systems and methods of screening one or more species of polypeptide in a complex mixture of polypeptides, e.g., multi-subunit proteins. For example, the subject matter relates to ligands used in connection with affinity capillary electrophoresis, as well as methods and systems for detecting polypeptides in a mixture of multimers that include multispecific antibodies, e.g., bispecific antibodies.

Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) have attracted widespread therapeutic interest in recent years due to their unique ability to recognize two distinct antigen targets. Despite the interest in the therapeutic use of BsAbs, their commercial production has been challenging because conventional production methods can result in undesirable byproducts and require complex purification processes. For example, certain BsAbs have been generated via knob-into-hole technology, whereby complementary mutations are made in the CH3 domain of the heavy chains to form "knob" and "hole" structures. In contrast to the production of conventional antibodies, which can rely on the dimerization of identical heavy-chain/light-chain subunits, when using knob-into-hole technology, large amino acid side chains are introduced into the CH3 domain of one of the heavy chains and those side chains fit into appropriately designed cavities in the CH3 domain of another heavy chain. Chain mispairings (e.g., homo-dimerization of identical heavy chain peptides or improper heavy-chain/light-chain associations) can be observed resulting in a unique set of product-related impurities, including both knob-knob and hole-hole homodimer (HD) species. These homodimer variants can be challenging to quantitate as they can be present at low levels and have physicochemical characteristics that are highly similar to the intended BsAb product and other BsAb molecular variants.
Thus, there remains a need for systems and techniques to purify and quantitate the target BsAb from undesirable protein produces.

Systems and methods for affinity capillary electrophoresis


The present invention relates to compositions for the treatment of subterranean formations, and methods of using the same. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a fluid for treatment of a subterranean formation, wherein the fluid is at least one of electrorheological and magnetorheological. Various embodiments also provide methods of using the electrorheological or magnetorheological fluid in a subterranean formation, including for fracturing, deposition of proppants, and combinations thereof.

Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractures in a subterranean material such as rock by the use of a pressurized fluid. Induced hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique used to release petroleum, natural gas, or other substances for extraction from reservoir subterranean formations via a wellbore. The viscosity of the fluid used to perform the fracturing can alter the types of fractures formed in the subterranean formation. High-viscosity fluids are harder to pump to the fracturing site and more difficult to recover, but generally form large dominant fractures. Lower-viscosity fluids are easier to pump to the fracturing site and easier to recover, but generate cause smaller distributed fractures.
A proppant is a material that keeps an induced hydraulic fracture at least partially open during or after a fracturing treatment. Proppants can be transported downhole to the fracture using fluid, such as fracturing fluid or another fluid. A higher-viscosity fluid can more effectively transport proppants to a desired location in a fracture, especially larger proppants, by more effectively keeping proppants in a suspended state within the fluid. However, lower-viscosity fluids are less likely to dislodge proppants during recovery of the fluid.

Electrorheological or magnetorheological compositions for treatment of subterranean formations and methods of using the same


A multi-well assay plate structure (54) and assay apparatus and a method for performing chemical biochemical assays is described. The multi-well assay plate structure (54) defines a relatively shallow substantially enclosed space (71) above a plurality of wells (76), with the enclosed space (71) having an inlet (72) and an outlet (22) separate from the inlet. Fluid introduced via the inlet (72) flows into the space (71) and/or wells (76) by displacing air. Withdrawal of the fluid via the inlet (72) or outlet leaves fluid in the wells (76) allowing various tests to be performed. Various embodiments of the structure are described. The preferred arrangement embodies the structure on a transparent plastic disk which can be used with automatic fluid handling apparatus (80) and the results assessed using optical assessment apparatus (81). The apparatus can be used to perform a variety of assays but, in particular, biochemical/chemical assay, immunoassays and genetic (DNA) assays and it can be used in a laboratory for multiple sample testing or at a point-of-care, i.e. in a surgery or clinic.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and to a method for conducting assays and, in particular, to multi-well plate structures for receiving and holding, in separate wells, volumes of liquid for the purpose of conducting chemical or biochemical assays. Multi-well trays or plates having a 2-dimensional array of small wells are commonly used in medicine and science to facilitate testing of a liquid analyte. One particular area of use is blood screening where blood or blood products are introduced into the wells to test for viruses such as HIV, heptitis etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such tests (immunoassays) typically involve an antigen-antibody interaction, where the surfaces of the wells are coated with specific antigen itself. This approach detects circulating antibodies to that specific antigen. Alternatively the wells can be coated with a specific antibody which captures circulating antigen which is, in turn, identified by a second antibody directed against a second epitope on the captured antigen. These two approaches are just two of the large number of variants developed in immunoassay (review Principles and Practice of Immunoassay Price & Newman 1997 ISBN 1-56159-145-0).
In an immunoassays sample must be applied and in most cases subsequent addition of reagents or washing buffer is required. Typically the well is exposed to blood or blood product and the well is rinsed clean and a further reactant, which binds either to exposed antibodies or captured antigens is introduced into the wells, to create an observable reaction. These reactions may produce a colour or some other observable change. This enables the wells containing specific antigen antibody reactions to be identified and the extent of these reactions quantified.
It is often necessary to fill each well of a multi-well tray with a precisely defined volume of analyte. This is normally achieved using a single or multi-headed micro-pipette. However, this process is often time consuming and, particularly where a large number of wells are to be filled can lead to a number of wells being missed.

Apparatus and method for conducting assays


A greatly improved, compactly dimensioned, three-wheeled wheelchair shuttle with a box shaped interior and a flat floor panel, the rear side of which can be closed by a folding ramp construction. With the aid of the rear wheel mounting construction and together with the aforementioned ramp construction pivoted on the rear of the wheelchair shuttle, the aforementioned floor panel can be lowered to the road surface, enabling a wheelchair to enter the wheelchair shuttle from the rear. The movement of the mounting construction for the rear wheels is achieved using special, high quality suspension elements which are controlled by a compressor and its associated components. The wheelchair shuttle, in accordance with the invention, has a separate rear wheel drive propelled by a battery powered electric motor.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is concerned with a device constructed as a self-propelled steerable vehicle for one person, who would normally be invalided by a leg and/or hip condition, the driver's seat of which may be a wheelchair. More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle whereby the aforementioned wheelchair may be driven onto the vehicle's bottom plate, the so-called floor panel, that for this purpose is pivoted, thereby providing an up and down movement in relation to the road surface, and which vehicle is equipped with at least one front wheel and two rear wheels, at least one of which may be driven.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Such a device or vehicle is known from the European patent application number 0 251 136, by the applicant Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd., 2500 Shingai, Iwata-shi Shizuoka-ken, Japan.
This application is concerned with a low mounted box shaped vehicle, the so-called flat floor panel of which is pivoted and may be lowered to the road surface. During this movement, the rear side closing construction is simultaneously opened downwards, enabling a wheelchair to be driven in from behind. With the aid of a compressed air cylinder, the movement of the floor panel and the rear closing construction is accomplished by a number of bars and the rear wheel mounting. The box shaped vehicle has a front panel and left and right side-panels. The box shaped vehicle is equipped with a steerable front wheel and two driven rear wheels. The rear wheels are driven together by either an electric motor or a petrol engine.
The raising and lowering of the previously mentioned flat floor panel is made possible with the aid of a pneumatic cylinder and pump which has two possible positions, namely the lowering or external air pressure position, and several atmospheres overpressure or the maximum over pressure position. The closing rear side is a U-shaped construction that is simultaneously operated by the aforementioned pneumatic cylinder via a pivoted bar. When the air pressure in the pneumatic cylinder is released, the rear wheels move upwards in their mounting construction, simultaneously turning the U-shaped rear construction downwards onto the floor panel. This enables the wheelchair to be driven into the box-shaped vehicle from behind. Subsequently, the air pump is switched to the pneumatic cylinder, the rear wheels are pushed downwards and the U-shaped rear construction is simultaneously turned upwards behind the rear wheels of the wheelchair. Following this, the invalid's journey in the wheelchair may begin.
It has appeared from tests that the previously described familiar vehicle for taking up and transporting an invalid person in a wheelchair, also a type of wheelchair shuttle, has a great number of drawbacks. Through these drawbacks, this vehicle would appear less suitable for easy and comfortable use by a handicapped person.
In the first place, the second point of the wheel mounting construction, pivoted on the aforementioned compressed air cylinder, is connected to the vehicle's body frame. A compressed air cylinder is unsuitable for use as a suspension element as this cylinder has only two "fixed" positions: full pressure, as the vehicle's operational pressure and the external air pressure for lowering the aforementioned floor panel. In brief, a compressed air cylinder as such is not designed for use as a suspension and/or damper element, but only for effecting the mechanisms's two positions, which two positions are also fixed. Any form of comfortable suspension during the journey is therefore absent. Furthermore, the familiar vehicle has no provisions to prevent the invalid-occupied wheelchair from rolling back. Moreover, the U-shaped rear closure is turned up just above the floor panel in the drive-on position, causing an extra, serious resistance when driving onto the vehicle. This resistance has proved difficult for the invalid in his wheelchair from to overcome. Moreover, there are no provisions to prevent the wheelchair moving during the journey, which could be extremely dangerous for the invalid in the wheelchair during a sudden or emergency stop. It can now also be said that driving a wheelchair onto the floor panel, which is relatively thick, is moderately difficult for the user.


An improved bezel release mechanism for a computer includes wedges, which move laterally over clips on the bezel and apply a downward force on clips when a button coupled to the wedges is pushed. The downward force releases the clips from features on the chassis, disengaging the bezel. In this manner, the bezel release mechanism is toolless and allow for the efficient removal and recoupling of the bezel. Since the bezel release mechanism resides within the chassis and requires the removal of a side door to access it, it also provides protection against accidental or malicious operation.

The removal of the bezel, or front plate, from the chassis of a computer is usually required for the replacement or installation of floppy, CD, DVD, or tape drives, as well as other hardware. Typically a tool, such as a screwdriver, is needed to remove screws or other mechanisms that couple the bezel to the chassis. However, the need to use a tool to remove the coupling mechanism takes time and negatively impacts the efficiency in the replacement or installation. Some existing methods are difficult or counterintuitive or take up excessive space. In addition, most coupling mechanisms reside outside of the chassis, exposing them to accidental or malicious operation.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved bezel release mechanism for a computer. The bezel release mechanism should be toolless and allow for the efficient removal and recoupling of the bezel. It should also protect against accidental or malicious operation. The present invention addresses such a need.


Enterprises deal with a lot of papers in their day-to-day activities. Many of these papers are company confidential documents and many are legal documents with a statutory requirement that they be preserved for a pre-specified number of years. During the course of time, there is a need to (a) obtain copies of these papers; and (b) modify the contents. Such frequent handling of papers may reduce the life of the papers and lead to statutory violations. A system for automatic indexing and retrieval of paper documents involves (a) storing paper documents in a secured manner in both hard and soft forms; (b) indexing of both forms of the stored paper documents; (c) retrieving soft form of a paper document for display and copying; (d) retrieving hard form of a paper document for modification and removal; (e) managing multiple versions of the paper documents; and (e) access control and audit trailing. It is essential to maintain consistency between hard and soft forms, and image processing techniques are deployed to ensure consistency between hard and soft forms. Another form of consistency that is required to be ensured is the correct cataloging and indexing of paper documents. This is achieved by comparing input information with the contents of the cover page of a paper document to account for human input errors.

Enterprises deal with a large number of papers related to the various kinds of agreements with their suppliers and customers. There is a need to preserve these documents in a proper condition for a pre-specified number of years in order to successfully carry out business. There are also the other kinds of legal documents that need to be preserved for a longer period of time as part of statutory requirements. These documents need to be taken out for modification purposes: additional signatures and additional sheets get added to an existing version of the documents. Auditing requirements and several business transactions necessitate the usage of these documents quite frequently. Manual handling of the documents for these purposes lead to the reduction in the useful life of the documents. However, statutory requirements and ongoing business relationships demand the preservation of the documents for a much longer period of time. Enterprises such as banks also deal with a large volume of paper documents. It is important to ensure that the documents received by a bank from its customers are stored in a secured way and returned back in the best possible conditions. Typically, in a bank, an identified branch offers the safe custody services to handle the documents of multiple branches of the bank.
Consider a business scenario involving an enterprise and a consultant. The consultant enters an agreement with the enterprise to provide consulting services and an agreement to this effect is reached between the two parties, and a suitable non disclosure agreement (NDA) and memorandum of understanding (MoU) are drafted for business and legal purposes. The initial term of validity of these two agreements is two years, and the agreements are appropriately signed and are stored. On providing the services to the enterprise, the consultant raises an invoice on the enterprise for payment purposes. Internally, within the enterprise, the invoice processing involves, apart from other documents such as work order and approvals, a copy of the MoU needs to be attached as a support document for the received invoice. This calls for obtaining a copy of the MoU and during such manual copying, the document needs to be handled carefully. As business relationship matures, it is required to extend the previously signed NDA and MoU. This requires, possibly adding an addendum to the original documents. Again, it is required to handle the documents carefully.
Under conditions when a soft copy of a document is maintained, with time, it becomes difficult to ensure that several copies are consistent with the original hard copy. Redundant copies create data integrity issues. Another equally important integrity issue arises in multi-office enterprises. In such an enterprise, typically, agreements are initiated by the individual offices, and are centrally controlled and managed by the head office. The documents are maintained centrally and it is required to keep track of the several agreements that get generated from the several branch offices. It is essential to maintain the same in a secured place due to the company confidential nature of these documents. On account of these factors, there is a need for securely storing both hard and soft forms of the documents so that (a) both soft and hard forms of the documents are available when needed; (b) consistency between soft and hard forms is maintained; (c) multiple document versions are tracked and managed; (d) controlled access is provided to both soft and hard forms of the documents; and (d) audit trails are maintained to ensure confidentiality of the stored documents.
Automating the indexing and archiving of paper documents requires the management of (a) scanners, to ensure that a reliable soft copy gets generated and to support audit verification, (b) printers, to ensure that a hard copy gets printed on demand, (c) vaults, to ensure that the original hard copy gets securely stored, (d) eject bins, to ensure that the original hard copy gets delivered on demand, and (e) scanned soft copies of paper documents, to ensure that multiple copies of a paper document get generated without resorting to the multiple times scanning of the original document.

System and method for automatic indexing and archiving of paper documents


An optical synapse comprises a memristive device for non-volatile storage of a synaptic weight dependent on resistance of the device, and an optical modulator for volatile modulation of optical transmission in a waveguide. The memristive device and optical modulator are connected in control circuitry which is operable, in a write mode, to supply a programming signal to the memristive device to program the synaptic weight and, in a read mode, to supply an electrical signal, dependent on the synaptic weight, to the optical modulator whereby the optical transmission is controlled in a volatile manner in dependence on programmed synaptic weight.

The present disclosure relates generally to optical synapses, and more particularly to optical synapses for modulating optical transmission in neuromorphic networks.
Neuromorphic networks perform computational tasks in a manner inspired by biological architectures of the nervous system. In the human brain, information is processed by a complex network of neurons interconnected via synapses. A biological neuron receives input signals from other neurons, and generates output signals ("action signals" or "spikes") when the neuron state (or "membrane potential") traverses a threshold level. These spikes are conveyed to other neurons via synapses which change their connection strength ("plasticity" or "synaptic weight") as a result of neuronal activity. Neuromorphic networks emulate this biological functionality via a succession of network layers comprising nodes, corresponding to neurons, which are interconnected via synapses that relay weighted signals between connected nodes in adjacent layers in dependence on stored synaptic weights.
Neuromorphic networks can be exploited in numerous applications in science and technology, including computer vision, speech recognition, audio/video analysis, medical diagnosis, genetic analysis, and pharmaceutical drug design. A network is configured for a given application by programming the synaptic weights. The weights can be programmed via an iterative training process in which the network is exposed to a set of training data for the application, and the weights are progressively updated as the network "learns" from the training data. The trained network, with fixed weights defined by the training operation, can then be applied for inference based on new (unseen) data for the application in question.
In electronic implementations of neuromorphic networks, information is encoded in electrical signals and synapses modulate voltage/current levels based on stored synaptic weights. In optical implementations, information is encoded in the optical power and/or phase of photonic signals transmitted over waveguides. Synaptic functionality is implemented by optical synapses which modulate optical transmission in the waveguides based on stored synaptic weights. A synaptic weight can be programmed via programming signals supplied to the synapse in a programming (or "write") mode of operation, e.g. during network training. The programmed weights can then be applied to modulate transmission in the network in a "read" mode of operation, e.g. during inference.
There are numerous implementations of synapses in the electronic domain, including circuits which exploit memristive properties of nanodevices based on resistive memory cells. These devices exploit various physical mechanisms (e.g. resistance characteristics of phase-change memory (PCM) materials and filamentary, electrochemical or ferroelectric switching in oxide materials) for non-volatile storage of synaptic weights which depend on programmable resistance of the devices. Dense cross-bar arrays of such memristive devices offer massively parallel and highly area- and energy-efficient neural networks which can be efficiently implemented in integrated circuits. There have been few proposals for synapse implementation in the optical domain however. Two examples of optical synapses are described in US Patent Application Publications No. 2018/0267386 A1 which discloses synapses with "direct" optical weights (i.e., the weights are stored in a non-volatile manner in the optical domain) based on PCM materials.
Improved implementations for optical synapses would be highly desirable.

International Business Machines Corporation


A five-piece optical lens for capturing image and a five-piece optical module for capturing image, along the optical axis in order from an object side to an image side, include a first lens with positive refractive power, wherein an object-side surface thereof can be convex; a second lens with refractive power; a third lens with refractive power; a fourth lens with refractive power; and a fifth lens with negative refractive power, wherein an image-side surface can be concave, and at least one surface of the fifth lens has an inflection point; both surfaces of each of the five lenses are aspheric. The optical lens can increase aperture value and improve the imaging quality for use in compact cameras.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an optical system, and more particularly to a compact optical image capturing system for an electronic device.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, with the rise of portable electronic devices having camera functionalities, the demand for an optical image capturing system is raised gradually. The image sensing device of ordinary photographing camera is commonly selected from charge coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor (CMOS Sensor). In addition, as advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology enables the minimization of pixel size of the image sensing device, the development of the optical image capturing system towards the field of high pixels. Therefore, the requirement for high imaging quality is rapidly raised.
The conventional optical system of the portable electronic device usually has a three or four-piece lens. However, the optical system is asked to take pictures in a dark environment, in other words, the optical system is asked to have a large aperture. An optical system with large aperture usually has several problems, such as large aberration, poor image quality at periphery of the image, and hard to manufacture. In addition, an optical system of wide-angle usually has large distortion. Therefore, the conventional optical system provides high optical performance as required.
It is an important issue to increase the quantity of light entering the lens and the angle of field of the lens. In addition, the modern lens is also asked to have several characters, including high pixels, high image quality, small in size, and high optical performance.

ABILITY OPTO-ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


Cast padding materials and padding and lining materials for other orthopedic devices are made from three dimensional fiber networks which are semi-rigid and dimensionally stable. The fiber networks are made from textile fabrics that have projections and optional depressions which are compressible and return to their original shape after being compressed. The fiber networks are made by the thermo-mechanical deformation of textile fabrics that are in turn made from thermoplastic fibers.

There is an ongoing need for materials that may be used in orthopedic devices to enhance the quality of life of users of the devices by providing orthopedic devices that are more comfortable and that allow more normal body movement. In particular, there is a need for materials that are lightweight, breathable, and comfortable when placed in contact with the skin or close to the skin for long periods of time underneath a rigid outer cast or other orthopedic device. Breathability is desirable because it facilitates drying and the elimination of perspiration. This leads to the faster healing of wounds and minimizes skin maceration. Materials that do not absorb and retain moisture when immersed in water are also desirable, because the casts or other orthopedic devices can then be worn while the patient is bathing. It is also desirable that the materials can be washed if they are in a device where they are accessible or can be removed. Cotton fabrics and the like that are often used retain water and are thus unsuitable for washing or for use in water.
With respect to medical casts, materials that are currently used under the casts are generally in the form of a gauze, which may be stretchable, and which is wrapped in multiple layers to the desired thickness. The materials inside the cast are most often made of cotton or synthetic fibers, such as polyester, rayon, or acrylic. Other materials that have been used or are currently in use include polypropylene, fluoropolymers (GORTEX.RTM.), and cellulose acetate. Cast padding materials based on these materials are difficult to dry, in some cases because of the inherent difficulty in drying the material (e.g. cotton, because it is hydrophilic), and also because the physical form of the material restricts the rapid removal of water by drainage and evaporation.
Many approaches have been taken to overcome the problems associated with perspiration and moisture underneath a cast. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,982 teaches odor absorbing webs that are composed of a foam or bundles of cellulosic fibers and that also include activated carbon particles for the purpose of absorbing moisture and odor. Perforated poly(vinyl chloride) foam that allows moisture to pass through the perforations and that can pass moisture along the surface is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,572. This material is dried by heating when it gets wet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,964 teaches cast lining materials which are made from hydrophobic fibers that have been modified so that their surface is hydrophilic. These can wick moisture away from the skin. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,102,711 and 5,277,954 teach a breathable, layered combination of microporous films and open cell foams.
The materials in these patents all deal with eliminating perspiration and moisture by using materials that wick away or absorb moisture. None of these patents provide the materials in a form that is open enough to allow for easy "breathing" under the cast for rapid evaporation. It would be desirable to have a material that can be used under a cast that feels soft and that has an open structure so that air and water can pass through easily. Such a material would allow the easy removal of water and easy drying. It would also feel cooler and more comfortable because of better air circulation.

Medical casts and other orthopedic devices comprising thermoplastic three-dimensional fiber networks


Near neighbor data is produced hierarchically for each pixel of an image. Each pixel's near neighbor data indicates the presence of an approximate near neighbor pixel in each of four quadrants with respect to the pixel, and can also indicate distance and orientation to the near neighbor pixel. The near neighbor data can be produced by parallel processing units, with each processing unit producing, for a respective pixel, a near neighbor data item at every level of the hierarchy. Each near neighbor data item can indicate the presence of an approximate near neighbor in a respective region of the image. A near neighbor data item for a higher level region can be produced by selecting between near neighbor pixels indicated by near neighbor data items for subregions at the next lower level, by choosing the near neighbor pixel that is nearer. The quadrants can be asymmetric so that each pixel is not included in any of its four quadrants and so that the quadrants do not overlap. To provide accurate near neighbor data for a black pixel, the near neighbor data can be shifted to the black pixel from the adjacent pixels, each at the origin of one of its quadrants. Offsets in the near neighbor data can also be adjusted accordingly. Each processing unit can store a bit vector such that the bit vectors together indicate the paths between neighbor pixels and owner pixels, to facilitate subsequent communication between owners and neighbors. Each bit of the bit vector can indicate, for each level of the hierarchy, which of the processing unit's children is on the path at the next lower level. A path defined in this manner can be followed to shift focus from a current focus pixel to one of its near neighbors.

The present invention relates to techniques for analyzing a body of data. More specifically, the invention relates to techniques that analyze an image by finding near neighbors of pixels in the image.
Borgefors, G., "Distance Transformations in Digital Images," Computer Vision Graphics and Image Processing, Vol. 34 (1986), pp. 344-371, describes distance transformations that convert a binary digital image, consisting of feature and non-feature pixels, into an image where each non-feature pixel has a value corresponding to the distance to the nearest feature pixel. To compute the distances with global operations would be prohibitively costly; the paper describes digital distance transformation algorithms that use small neighborhoods and that give a reasonable approximation of distance. Page 345 explains that such algorithms are based on approximating global distances in the image by propagating local distances, i.e. distances between neighboring pixels. The distance transformations are described in graphical form as masks, as shown in FIG. 2; the local distance in each mask-pixel is added to the value of the image pixel below it and the minimum of the sums becomes the new image pixel value. Parallel computation of such a distance transformation requires a number of iterations proportional to the largest distance in the image. Section 3, beginning on page 347, describes optimal distance transformations for different image sizes. Section 4, beginning on page 362, compares several examples, including computing the distance from an object or object contour, in Section 4.3, and computing a pseudo-Dirichlet or Voronoi tessellation, in Section 4.4.
Ahuja, N., and Schachter, B. J., Pattern Models, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1983, Chapter 1, pp. 1-73, describe tessellations beginning at page 4. Section 1.3.5, beginning on page 15, describes Voronoi and Delaunay tessellations, indicating that a Voronoi polygon is the locus of points closer to a vertex than to any other vertex and that the Delaunay triangulation is a dual of a Voronoi tessellation. Algorithms for constructing the Delaunay triangulation are described beginning at page 22. Section 188.8.131.52, beginning on page 32, describes the use of the Voronoi polygon for neighborhood definition, reviewing other techniques for defining the neighborhood of a point and comparing them with the Voronoi approach. FIGS. 126.96.36.199-2 shows how Voronoi neighbors of a point may be farther from it than nonneighbors, because Voronoi neighbors are not necessarily its nearest neighbors--the Voronoi neighbors of a point must surround it.
Mahoney, J. V., Image Chucking: Defining Spatial Building Blocks for Scene Analysis, Dep't. of Elec. Eng. and Comp. Sci., M.I.T., 1987 ("the Mahoney thesis"), pp. 31-37, describes techniques for detecting abrupt change boundaries by direct comparisons between neighboring elements. Pages 32-34 describe the directional nearest neighbor graph, useful for computing an explicit representation of the neighbors of each image property element, and compare it to the Voronoi dual.

Exhaustive hierarchical near neighbor operations on an image


Video tape recorder speed control apparatus for controlling a video tape recorder (1) to cause it to reproduce a recorded video signal at a predetermined speed, such as a fraction 1/n of the normal speed, the apparatus comprising the video tape recorder (1), first and second counters (25,26), the first and second counters (25, 26) being incremented by a signal locked in frequency to the field repetition frequency of the video signal at the normal playback speed thereof, the first counter (25) resetting periodically at intervals determined by the predetermined speed, the second counter (26) being reset with a signal locked in frequency to the field repetition frequency of the video signal being reproduced by the video tape recorder (1), a comparator (27) for periodically comparing the counts of the first and second counters (25, 26) thereby to derive a phase error signal, and a control signal generator (28, 29, 30) to derive in dependence on the phase error signal a signal to control the reproduction speed of the video tape recorder (1).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for video tape recorder speed control, and in particular to methods of and apparatus for controlling a video tape recorder to reproduce at less than the normal playback speed. Such methods and apparatus have application, but not exclusive application, in the conversion of video signals to photographic film images.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Video tape recorders (VTRS) are available which can reproduce a recorded video signal at less than the normal playback speed. One example of such a machine is the Sony Corporation high definition (HD) digital VTR type HDD 1000. However, this digital VTR, in common with other such machines, has the limitation that reproduction at less than the normal playback speed is possible only at a number of preset fractions of the normal playback speed. This is inconvenient where the need arises for constant and stable reproduction at a speed different from the preset speeds available.


A hydraulic control device of an automatic transmission is provided wherein three-stage valve bodies are superposed on and fixed to each other with partition plates interposed therebetween, and a pressure regulator valve is mounted in a middle-stage valve body out of the three valve bodies. An inlet oil path that extends from an oil strainer to an inlet port of an oil pump is formed in a lower portion of the valve body. A drain port of the pressure regulator valve communicates with the inlet oil path leading to the inlet port, through a drain hole formed through the partition plate between the middle-stage and lower-stage valve bodies, and a drain hole formed through the low-stage valve body. In this arrangement, the oil drained from the pressure regulator valve is led to the inlet port without passing through the oil strainer, assuring an increased degree of freedom in selecting the position of the pressure regulator valve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydraulic control device of an automatic transmission, wherein a pressure regulator valve is used for regulating a pressure of oil delivered from an oil pump, into a line pressure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known example of hydraulic control device of an automatic transmission is disclosed in Japanese laid-open Patent Publication No. 57-40147. This hydraulic control device was developed to solve a problem that air is sucked into an oil strainer when the oil level in an oil reservoir is lowered due to a low oil temperature, and the air is mixed into the oil flowing into an inlet oil path. In the hydraulic control device disclosed in the above-identified publication, a drain port of a pressure regulator valve communicates with a portion of an inlet oil path which is located downstream of the oil strainer, so that the oil drained from the pressure regulator valve is directly led to an inlet port of an oil pump without passing through the oil strainer.
In the known device, however, the oil discharged from the drain port of the pressure regulator valve flows in a direction which is reverse to a direction in which the oil flows from an opening of the oil strainer toward the inlet oil path, resulting in a collision of flows of the oil.
To solve the above problem, it has been proposed in Japanese laid-open Patent Publication No. 6-272762 to provide a baffle member 40 as shown in FIG. 7, so that the direction 48 of flow of the oil discharged from a drain port 10c of a pressure regulator valve 11 coincides with the direction 46 of the oil flowing from an oil strainer 34 toward an inlet port 20a.
In the hydraulic control device of the automatic transmission disclosed in Japanese laid-open Patent Publication No. 6-272762 as identified above, however, the pressure regulator valve 11 having the drain port 10c, oil strainer 34 having an opening 34a, and the inlet oil path 10e that communicates with the inlet port 20a of the oil pump are provided in the same valve body 10. Accordingly, the position at which the pressure regulator valve 11 can be installed is limited to a region located between the opening 34a of the oil strainer and the inlet oil path 10e.
As shown in FIG. 8, the drain port 10c of the pressure regulator valve 11 must be formed at a position covered by the oil strainer 34, namely, between the opening 34a of the strainer and the inlet oil path 10e. Since the pressure regulator valve and the oil strainer are formed in the same valve body, the positions of other ports of the pressure regulator valve are determined to be within a region (delimited by a one-dot chain line) covered by the strainer once the position of the drain port 10c is determined.
When a large number of valves are mounted in the valve body, therefore, there is a limit to the layout of the valves since the position of the pressure regulator valve cannot be freely varied. Also, once the position of the drain port is determined, the shape of the oil strainer cannot be freely selected or determined.

Hydraulic control device of automatic transmission


An electronic musical instrument for generating musical tone signal including a performance data generating part or generating performance data such as key-on, key-code and key-touch. The instrument also includes a control circuit for generating musical tone control data such as envelope rate data, envelope level data and initial phase data according to the performance data. Further, the control circuit adopts the time-sharing technology for generating plural musical tone signal, so that this instrument is comparatively simple at its circuit configuration compared with the prior art.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument which is suitable for generating various kinds of sound.
2. Prior Art
conventionally, an electronic musical instrument which is based on FM (i.e. frequency modulation) sound technology contains a keyboard, a sound source block, an EG (i.e. envelope generator) block and a sound system, etc., in which a musical tone signal is generated by the sound source block corresponding to key-on operations, then affected by an envelope signal which generated by the EG block, where the envelope signal expansively varies when "segment" information changes. Then, the affected musical tone signal is generated by the sound system as a musical tone.
Further, electronic musical instruments containing microcomputers are recently popularized. However, when the whole electronic musical instrument is consisted with a microcomputer, the processing time of the microcomputer becomes extended, so that real-time musical operation becomes impeded. Consequently, the sound source block and/or the EG block of the conventional electronic musical instrument are constituted with hardware logic circuits. Such circuits have dedicated port registers corresponding to "A" (i.e. attack), "D" (i.e. decay), "S" (i.e. sustain) and "R" (i.e. release) segments (see FIG. 10) respectively, where the registers are controlled by commands from the microcomputer and control the EG block.
According to above-described technology, the conventional electronic musical instruments can carry out realtime music performance without burdening the microcomputer.
However, the prices of high performance and high speed microcomputers are reduced recently, so that such microcomputers are easy to be utilized to electronic musical instruments. By utilizing such high performance microcomputers in electronic musical instruments, satisfactory realtime music performance can be carried out because of their faster processing speed, so that it is needless to have dedicated port registers. Put another way, the conventional electronic musical instruments having dedicated port registers are unnecessarily expensive to manufacture.

Electronic musical instrument using time-shared data register


A high power, high frequency semiconductor device has a plurality of unit cells connected in parallel. The unit cells each having a controlling electrode and first and second controlled electrodes. A thermal spacer divides at least one of the unit cells into a first active portion and a second active portion, spaced apart from the first potion by the thermal spacer. The controlling electrode and the first and second controlled electrodes of the unit cell cross over the first thermal spacer.

Electrical circuits requiring high power handling capability (>20 watts) while operating at high frequencies such as radio frequencies (500 MHz), S-band (3 GHz) and X-band (10 GHz) have in recent years become more prevalent. Because of the increase in high power, high frequency circuits there has been a corresponding increase in demand for transistors which are capable of reliably operating at radio frequencies and above while still being capable of handling higher power loads.
To provide increased power handling capabilities, transistors with a larger effective area have been developed. However, as the area of a transistor increases, the transistor, typically, becomes less suitable for high frequency operations. One technique for increasing the area of a transistor while still providing for high frequency operations is to use a plurality of transistor cells that are connected in parallel. Such may be provided using a plurality of gate fingers, thus, the source to drain distance may be kept relatively small while still providing for increased power handling capability. Conventionally, when a plurality of parallel transistor cells are connected in parallel on a single chip, the cells are evenly spaced such that the gate-to-gate distance between adjacent cells (referred to herein as "pitch" or "gate pitch") is uniform.
When such multi-cell transistors are used in high frequency operations, they may generate a large amount of heat. As a device heats up, performance of the device typically degrades. Such degradation may be seen in gain, linearity and/or reliability. Thus, efforts have been made to keep junction temperatures of the transistors below a peak operating temperature. Typically, heatsinks and/or fans have been used to keep the devices cool so as to ensure proper function and reliability. However, cooling systems may be increase size, electrical consumption, costs and/or operating costs of systems employing such transistors.
With uniform pitch multi-cell transistors, the temperature of cells near the center of the array are typically greater than those of the cells at the periphery. This is generally the case because the cells at the periphery have a larger area and/or a greater thermal gradient to areas surrounding the cells. Thus, for example, adjacent cells near the center of the multi-cell array will each generate heat and thus, each side of the cells will be at an elevated temperature with respect to cells farther from the center. This results in a thermal profile that is roughly a bell curve with center junction temperatures being the hottest and with the outer most junctions having a substantially reduced operating temperature compared to the center junctions.
An uneven temperature distribution among the junctions of a device may reduce device linearity. For example, for a device with a plurality of evenly spaced gate fingers connected by a manifold, RF phasing errors may occur along both the gate manifold and the individual gate fingers as a result of differing gate resistance as a function of temperature. Conventionally, to address these issues the spacing between the gate fingers is widened and/or the length of the fingers are shortened and additional fingers added to achieve the same net active area. Both of these solutions may result in spreading the heat load generated in the center of the device over a wider area. These solutions also may result in a larger area for the multi-cell transistor that may reduce the number of die per wafer.

Semiconductor devices having thermal spacers


Organic bonded abrasive tools, having controlled microstructures, comprise a relatively low volume percentage of abrasive grain and a relatively low hardness grade, but are characterized by the excellent mechanical strength and efficient grinding performance of much harder grade, lower porosity tools, especially in versatile grinding processes, such as centerless grinding. A method for centerless grinding with these tools is provided. Methods for making the abrasive tools utilizing agglomerated abrasive grain are described.

The invention relates to a method of centerless grinding and to abrasives tools used in centerless grinding and other cylindrical surface grinding processes designed to permit the option of small or large volume stock removal in the production of many categories of diverse parts.
Centerless grinding is a process for rapid, accurate, surface grinding of difficult to hold parts. The part to be ground, i.e., the workpiece, is rigidly supported directly under the cut without application of end pressure to the part, allowing heavier or deeper cuts to be made and making it possible to grind long, brittle or easily distorted parts. Among the parts manufactured by centerless grinding are straight and tapered bearings, rollers, bars, needle rollers, bushings, bolts, fasteners, pistons, piston rings, gun barrels, rods, shafts, shells, tappets, pen parts, hypodermic needles, forgings and numerous other items made of various metal, plastic, ceramics and composite materials.
Centerless grinding differs from other types of grinding in that the workpiece is not suspended between centers or by other fixtures connected to an end or a surface of the workpiece. Instead, the workpiece rests on a blade or support, and a regulating wheel, most often made of a rubber material, contacts the workpiece urging it against the support and against a grinding wheel. In most common systems, the grinding wheel rotation also rotates the workpiece, the cutting pressure developed by the grinding wheel forces the workpiece against the regulating wheel and the support, and the regulating wheel governs the speed of rotation of the workpiece. Thus, the grinding wheel and the workpiece can be rotated at different revolutions per minute (rpms). For example, a grinding wheel speed of 7,500 surface feet per minute (sfpm) may be used with a regulating wheel speed (and matching workpiece speed) of 36 to 900 spfm. Continuous or semi-automated grinding processes are possible with centerless grinding as parts can be continuously fed into the system, so long as the grinding wheel remains within specifications.
Thus, there exists a continual demand in grinding operations for improved grinding wheels for centerless grinding, wherein the wheels have consistent profiles throughout the body of the wheel as it grinds, the wheels are resistant to excessive wear and the wheels are effective in removing stock from workpieces leaving a smooth, uniform consistent part size, shape and finish.
In the past, grinding wheels for centerless grinding typically were improved by increasing their hardness grade by means of reducing the porosity of the wheel, increasing the abrasive grain and bond content and/or increasing the density of the abrasive composite making up the wheel. In general, these steps increased the grinding efficiency of any given process, i.e., the G-ratio (material removal rate/wheel wear rate or MRR/WWR), up to the point where the forces of grinding with these harder wheels began to interfere with part quality or exceeded the power capacity of the machine or, particularly in the case of organic bonded wheels, increased the wheel wear rate through excessive thermal degradation of the bond and premature release of unused abrasive grain from the abrasive composite.
It has now been discovered that certain abrasive tools having lower hardness grades exhibit improved grinding efficiency in centerless grinding processes and other grinding processes as a result of the material properties and microstructure of the abrasive composite, in particular, the means by which the abrasive grain is anchored within the composite. These abrasive tools perform in a significantly more efficient manner than the best prior art abrasive tools, especially when considered on the basis of volume of abrasive grain required to remove equivalent amounts of stock from a workpiece. The tools have utility in foundry grinding and snagging, and in track, bar and needle grinding, where higher density abrasive tools have been used, as well as in centerless grinding.

Saint-Gobain Abrasives Technology Company