A portable analyzer for obtaining samples from a monitored environment during different time intervals includes a pump energized by a rechargeable battery pack for drawing gas from the environment selectively into plural sample holding bags and an impact filter. The pump is programmed to control the time when the gas is drawn from the environment and for controlling the flow to the sample holders so that different ones of the sample holders are responsive to the materials at the same or different times. The pump may respond to electric pulses, causing pulses of air to be supplied to the sample holding bags. The pump derives pulses having a rate directly proportional to the number of pump cycles. The pump may also operate continuously with sampling of the gases being controlled electronically. Operation of the pump is prevented in response to the battery pack voltage dropping to a level such that the voltage is less than a predetermined value, necessary to provide a predetermined flow rate per pump cycle. Operation of the pump is also prevented if the gas flow rate drops below a predetermined level. These prevent features can be manually overridden.

Air pollution is generally defined as an unacceptable concentration of one or more air contaminants. Usually air pollution indicates actual or potential adverse health effects for sensitive personnel. Air pollution control programs must, by law in the United States, respond to air pollution with emission reduction requirements. This often means shifting costs of reducing pollution to an emission source or emission sources. Data from air quality monitoring networks are very important, both to describe air pollution problems in terms of geographic extent and magnitude and to measure changes due to emission reductions or increases. High quality air monitoring data ensure that air pollution control programs adequately protect the public health and safety while keeping costs of reducing that pollution as low as possible.
Ideally, there would be full knowledge of air pollutant concentrations at all points and times within geographic areas of concern. However, from a practical standpoint, acquiring such knowledge through continuous monitoring is prohibitively expensive. Sampling and monitoring activities and equipment are expensive. In addition, power and security concerns limit the number of available sites where an agency can gather air quality data at reasonable costs.
Site selection for monitoring is therefore very important. Public confidence in the data is maintained only as long as there is an assurance that the data are representative. It is very difficult, however, to adequately provide an indication of air quality in all areas with one or only a few monitoring sites.
One method of addressing these data gaps is to model an area using selective meteorological and emissions information. This method is frequently used to estimate where and how much air pollution exists. Modeling is a useful technique that relies extensively on the accuracy of collected emissions and meteorological data. Survey sampling and saturation monitoring techniques can be used to augment or verify model values, to define problem areas and to validate monitoring sites.
To provide such sampling, it is desirable for a survey sampler to be portable and capable of relatively long operation, at least up to twenty-four hours. It is also necessary, for certain applications, for the sampler to operate at a flow rate high enough to separate particles below ten micrometers. Such separation, typically requiring flows of five liters per minute, usually involves the use of pumps having appreciable energy requirements. It is also useful to be able to monitor both for particulate material and gaseous pollutants at the same time.
To meet all of these requirements, it is generally not possible to monitor continuously over a twenty-four hour period. Instead, it is necessary to monitor at particular times of greatest interest.
However, because of varying air pollution conditions at different times of the day, it is not acceptable to mix samples taken during different times of a particular day.
Sampling devices have been reported in the prior art, but none teach the apparatus claimed, or achieve the objectives of the current invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,137 issued to Harris, et al. claims a "Programmable Atmospheric Stabilizer." The device disclosed in the Harris patent does not store samples for subsequent analysis, but rather measures an air stream for a particular, pre-determined pollutant. The Harris device cannot be used for quantitative measurements. It only serves to detect whether a particular gas has exceeded a particular threshold. Finally, the Harris device is not portable, and in one embodiment the sampling device is fixed to a storage container or room that contains the material of concern.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,763 issued to Hakkers, et al. is directed toward a method and apparatus for drawing and analyzing samples from a fluid stream whereby successive samples of a particular analyte are collected for analysis with the results compared against previous samples. The method disclosed in the Hakkers patent does not comprehend collection of different types of samples during the same procedure. It is not directed toward independent control of the sampling parameters for each sample. The Hakkers patent also does not disclose a portable device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,248 issued to Lalin discloses a portable, battery operated gas sampling device. However, the sampling device of Lalin has only a single gas collection chamber, and the particulate filter is primarily used for trapping particles that interfere with the subsequent collection and analysis of the single gaseous sample. Neither does the Lalin patent disclose independent control of sampling parameters for plural samples. The Lalin patent also teaches away from a low flow warning or shut-down, relying rather on visual means for determining that the particulate filter has become clogged.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for sampling environmental air at diverse times during the day.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for enabling samples of environmental air taken at different times of a day to be separated, for subsequent analysis.
It is also an object of this invention to collect particulate matter for analysis, and over the same time period, collect gaseous samples as well using the same device.
It is also an object of this invention to be able to be able to flexibly program the collection of the gaseous samples so that samples are collected: a) in one sample collection container over one time period and another sample collection container over another time period, or alternatively b) into the plural sample collection containers over the same time periods.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrically operated, portable air sampler powered by a battery and that can operate with a constant flow rate, wherein operation of the pump is prevented when the voltage of the battery driving the pump drops below a predetermined level, or when the flow rate of the drawn gas drops below a predetermined level. When the pump is thus prevented from operating, operation of the pump should not automatically resume if the battery voltage or flow rate of the drawn gas again rise above those predetermined levels.

The United States of America as represented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency


The present disclosure provides a novel crystalline form of Lemborexant and processes for preparation thereof. Pharmaceutical composition containing Lemborexant, and use of Lemborexant for preparing orexin receptor antagonist drug, and use of Lemborexant for preparing drugs treating insomnia and irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder are also provided. The crystalline form of the present disclosure have one or more improved properties compared with crystalline forms of prior arts, and has significant values for future drug optimization and development.

E-2006 (Lemborexant) was developed by Eisai and clinically used to treat insomnia. Studies have shown that the orexin system is a key regulator of the sleep-wake cycle, and thus orexin receptor antagonists have the potential to counteract inappropriate nighttime wakefulness and promote a regular sleep-wake cycle. E-2006 is an orexin receptor antagonist. In clinical trials, E-2006 can significantly improve sleep efficiency in patients with insomnia, including falling asleep fast and shorter time spent awake at night. In addition, E-2006 also shows great potential in the treatment of Alzheimer's patients with Irregular Sleep-Wake Rhythm Disorder (ISWRD). ISWRD is different from common insomnia, and has unmet clinical needs.
The chemical name of E-2006 is (1R,2S)-2-{[(2,4-dimethylpyrimidin-5-yl)oxy]methyl}-2-(3-fluorophenyl)-N-(5-fluoropyridin-2-yl)cyclopropanecarboxamide (hereinafter referred to as "Compound (I)"), and the structure is shown as follows:

Currently, no crystalline forms of compound (I) was disclosed. CN103153963B disclosed the structure of compound (I) and the process for preparing compound (I). The inventors of the present disclosure have repeated the preparation method in CN103153963B and amorphous solid was obtained. Compared with the crystalline form of the present disclosure, the amorphous solid has lower stability, lower density and poorer flowability, which is not suitable for the preparation of drug product. In addition, amorphous is the thermodynamically most unstable solid form, which is prone to crystal transformation or chemical degradation, resulting in a decrease in the purity of the compound. The preparation of amorphous is usually a rapid precipitation process to produce kinetically stable solid, which easily leads to excessive residual solvent. The particle property control in the preparation process is difficult.
The inventors of the present disclosure discovered excellent crystalline form CS2 of compound (I), which has advantages in at least one aspect of stability, melting point, solubility, in vitro and in vivo dissolution, hygroscopicity, bioavailability, adhesiveness, compressibility, flowability, processability, purification ability, formulation production, etc. Particularly, crystalline form CS2 has good stability, low hygroscopicity, good formulation processability, high in vitro dissolution and dissolution rate, which provides a new and better choice for the development of drug containing compound (I) and is of great significance.

Crystalline form of orexin receptor antagonist, processes for preparation thereof and use thereof

Crystal Pharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.


An aerosol delivery device accessory is disclosed. The accessory may include a housing defining a cavity. An electrical power source and a connector may be engaged with a drawer assembly. The drawer assembly may be moveable with respect to the housing between extended and retracted configurations. In the extended configuration an aerosol delivery device may be engaged with the connector. In the retracted configuration the aerosol delivery device may be protected by the housing and recharged by the electrical power source. The drawer assembly may include a storage compartment configured to receive cartridges for the aerosol delivery device. Further, a slider may engage and move a cartridge between recessed and extended positions to store and provide access thereto. A related assembly method is also provided.

Many smoking devices have been proposed through the years as improvements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products that require combusting tobacco for use. Many of those devices purportedly have been designed to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking, but without delivering considerable quantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from the burning of tobacco. To this end, there have been proposed numerous smoking products, flavor generators and medicinal inhalers that utilize electrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt to provide the sensations of cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking without burning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the various alternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heat generating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. See also, for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and electrically-powered heat generating sources referenced by brand name and commercial source in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2015/0216232 to Bless et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, various types of electrically powered aerosol and vapor delivery devices also have been proposed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2014/0096781 to Sears et al., 2014/0283859 to Minskoff et al., 2015/0335070 to Sears et al., and 2015/0335071 to Brinkley et al., as well as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/327,776 to Ampolini et al., filed Jul. 10, 2014; and Ser. No. 14/465,167 to Worm et al., filed Aug. 21, 2014; all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Certain existing embodiments of aerosol delivery devices include an electrical power source. Further, some embodiments of aerosol delivery devices may include a control body and a cartridge. The electrical power source may be rechargeable. Further, the cartridge may be refilled or replaced. Accordingly, aerosol delivery devices or portions thereof may be reused and/or aerosol delivery devices may include multiple separable components. Thus, it may be desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices with accessories configured to recharge the aerosol delivery device and/or conveniently transport the separable components of the aerosol delivery device.

Accessory configured to charge an aerosol delivery device and related method


The present invention relates to an absorptive heat pump circulation systems and heating method. According to the present invention, an absorption heat pump circulation system comprises: a generator, equipped with a heat exchanger; an evaporator, equipped with a driving heat source; an absorber, equipped with a heat exchanger; and an absorbent crystallizer. An absorption solution entrance of the crystallizer is connected to an absorption solution exit of the absorber and a crystallized absorption solution exit of the crystallizer is connected to an absorption solution entrance of the generator, and a crystal output of the crystallizer is connected to an absorption solution Entrance of the absorber; The heat exchanger of the generator and the heat exchanger of the absorber are connected to form a thermal cycling loop, which transfers the absorption heat generated by the absorber to the generator. Since the absorbent crystallizer is provided, and the heat generated by the absorber is provided to the generator directly through the thermal cycling loop, then the external driving heat source required by the generator in the traditional absorption heating circulation system is essentially saved, so that the coefficient of performance is significantly improved. The present invention extensively applies to the utilization of excess heat at a low temperature as well as energy-saving and emission-reducing in the fields such as chemical industry, food industry, sewage treatment, sea water desalination and so on.

With reference to FIG. 1, current absorptive heat pump circulation system is characterized in utilizing absorption solution can precipitate steam with components of low boiling points under a certain condition, and can intensively absorb steam with components of low boiling points under another condition. The absorptive heat circulation in prior art mostly adopts the absorption solution with two components, often the component of low boiling point is referred as working medium, and the component of high boiling point is referred as absorbent, and the two components form a working medium pair, which is commonly aqua-lithium bromide working medium pair. Current absorptive heat pump circulation system mainly comprises: a generator 11 equipped internally with a heat exchanger 110, a condenser 12 equipped internally with a heat exchanger 120, an evaporator 13 equipped internally with a heat exchanger 130 and an absorber 14 equipped internally with a heat exchanger 140, besides, it further comprises an absorption solution self heat exchanger 150, an absorption solution pump, a throttler (not shown in the figure) and so on as auxiliary devices. The generator 11 and condenser 12 are connected through steam pipeline 19, and evaporator 13 and absorber 14 are connected through steam pipeline 18. The absorption solution circulates between the generator 11 and the absorber 14 through absorption solution pipeline 16 and 15.
The operation process of the current absorptive heat pump circulation comprises: (1) utilizing driving heat source (for example, water steam, hot water, combustion gas and so on to heat the lithium bromide solution with a specific concentration transferred from the absorber 14 in the generator 11, and evaporate the water out of the lithium bromide solution, to form the lithium bromide with thicker concentration to circulate into the absorber 14; (2) the water steam entering into the condenser 12 through the steam pipeline 19, and being condensed into to condensation water by the condensing working medium in the heat exchanger 120; (3) the condensation water entering into the evaporator 13 through the condensation water pipeline 17, and feeding the same one or another driving heat source with the heat exchanger 130, so that the condensation water from the condenser can be converted into water steam; (4) the water steam entering into the generator 14 through the steam pipeline 18, and being absorbed by the absorption solution from the generator 11 and generates absorption heat, meanwhile the concentration of the absorption solution being reduced, and the absorption solution with thicker concentration circulates into the generator 11, the absorption heat being used to heat the working medium (generally water) in the heat exchanger 140, increasing the temperature of the working medium and the heat as heating energy with higher grade than the driving heat source being outputted outward (when the working medium is water, it can be outputted in the form of water steam), to achieve the target that the present absorptive heat pump circulation system outputs heat energy with high grade outward. In the circulation process, the absorption solution from the absorber 14 exchanges heat with the absorption solution from the generator 11 in the absorption solution self heat exchanger 150.
Apart from the necessity of setting an external driving heat source for evaporating the condensation water in the heat exchanger 130 of the evaporator, the above mentioned current absorption heat pump circulation system, also has to adopt the same one or another external driving heat source to heat the absorption solution, so as to obtain the absorption solution with high concentration. That is to say, the current heat pump circulation system must utilize two external driving heat sources in the generator and the evaporator concurrently, which not only limits the improvement of the heat pump circulation heating coefficient, but also limits the application of the heat pump circulation system in the area in lack of high grade heat source and water source.

Absorptive heat pump systems and heating method


The present invention provides an electrophotographic toner having rheology characteristics, under the conditions of measuring frequency of 1 Hz and measuring distortion of 1 degree, such that:. (1) the drop starting temperature of storage elastic modulus is in the range from 100.degree. to 110.degree. C.; PA1 (2) the storage elastic modulus at 150.degree. C. is not greater than 1.times.10.sup.4 dyn/cm.sup.2 ; and PA1 (3) the peak temperature of loss elastic modulus is not less than 125.degree. C.. The toner is excellent in low-temperature fixing properties, off-set resisting properties and heat resistance.

The present invention relates to an electrophotographic toner and more particularly to an electrophotographic toner to be used for image forming with the use of an electrostatic copying apparatus, a laser beam printer or the like.
In a magnetic-brush developing method using a two-component developer containing a toner and a carrier, an image is formed according to the following steps in which:
(a) A developer containing an electrophotographic toner is first held around the outer periphery of a developing sleeve incorporating magnetic polarities, thereby to form a so-called magnetic brush; PA1 (b) The magnetic brush is allowed to come in contact with a photoreceptor on the surface of which an electrostatic latent image is being formed, so that the electrophotographic toner is electrostatically stuck to the electrostatic latent image. This causes the electrostatic latent image to be turned into a toner image; and PA1 (c) The toner image is transferred to paper from the surface of the photoreceptor and fixed on the paper by heating-fixing. Thus, image forming is completed. PA1 (1) the drop starting temperature of storage elastic modulus is in the range from 100.degree. to 110.degree. C.; PA1 (2) the storage elastic modulus at 150.degree. C. is not greater than 1.times.10.sup.4 dyn/cm.sup.2 ; and PA1 (3) the peak temperature of loss elastic modulus is not less than 125.degree. C.
As the electrophotographic toner used for the image forming above-mentioned, there may be used an electrophotographic toner as obtained by blending a fixing resin with a coloring agent such as carbon black, a charge controlling agent and the like and by pulverizing the blended body into particles having sizes in a predetermined range.
The electrophotographic toner above-mentioned is required to have (i) off-set resisting properties for preventing the occurrence of so-called off-set such as contamination of the fixing rollers due to partial sticking of a molten toner to the heating rollers, and (ii) fixing properties for preventing the toner image from being defectively fixed on paper when the fixing temperature is low (deterioration of low-temperature fixing properties).
In an electrophotographic toner using a fixing resin having a high molecular weight to satisfy the off-set resisting properties, it is required to set the fixing temperature to a high temperature. This is not preferable from an energy economy point of view. On the other hand, an electrophotographic toner using a fixing resin having a low molecular weight to satisfy the low-temperature fixing properties is poor in heat resistance because the toner particles are agglomerated and solidified to provoke blocking when the inside of the image forming apparatus is heated to a high temperature.
To give both off-set resisting properties and heat resistance to the toner, there have been proposed various examples of an electrophotographic toner jointly containing resin having low molecular weight and resin having high molecular weight (See, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Applications No. 16144/1981 and No. 3644/1985).
In a joint use of low-molecular-weight resin and high-molecular-weight resin, it is difficult to properly determine the blending proportion of both resins. If the amount of the low-molecular-weight component is too little, the resulting toner is poor in low-temperature fixing properties. If the amount of the low-molecular-weight component is too much, the resulting toner is poor in off-set resisting properties. In fact, there has not been obtained a toner which simultaneously satisfies both requirements of fixing properties and off-set resisting properties. Further, when a low-molecular-weight resin and a high-molecular-weight resin are merely jointly used, the resulting toner is insufficient in heat resistance.
To improve a toner in these characteristics, there has been offered a proposal in which attention has been placed on toner rheology characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,991 discloses a color toner excellent in luster by determining the range of tangent loss (tan .delta.) which represents the ratio of storage elastic modulus to loss elastic modulus. Further, EP-A-407083 discloses a toner excellent in fixing properties and off-set resisting properties by determining the range of the tangent loss (tan .delta.) in a predetermined storage elastic modulus.
However, even the toners having predetermined rheology characteristics set forth in the documents above-mentioned cannot simultaneously satisfy all the requirements of low-temperature fixing properties, off-set resisting properties and heat resistance. More specifically, the toner having rheology characteristics set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,991 is developed for full-color and therefore made soft such that the toner is readily molten. Accordingly, when the toner is used for mono-color, the toner may readily provoke off-set. The toner having rheology characteristics set forth in EP-A-407083 is not sufficient in heat resistance.

Electrophotographic toner having improved low temperature fixing properties, off-set resistance and heat resistance


For intermediate enrichment of trace substances from a gas stream, a cold ap is used which carries a flow and optionally contains an adsorbent material and which is surrounded by a gas-tight double-walled jacket into which cooling fluid from a surrounding cooling bath can penetrate via an extension tube at the bottom. For desorption, the cooling fluid is expelled from the double-walled jacket via compressed air and a valve control. A pipe loop connected to the double-walled jacket and having a heater winding and circulation pump allows rapid heating of the cold trap. A level control apparatus connected to the compressed-air line allows sensitive level adjustment in the bottom extension tube of the double-walled jacket during the desorption phase. Such a cold trap is advantageous, inter alia, in a chromatography arrangement with a separation column and fractionating column of high resolution and sensitivity.

The invention relates to an apparatus for intermediate enrichment of trace substances from a gas stream in a cold trap which carries a flow and optionally contains an adsorbent material and which, during the enrichment phase, is immersed into cooling fluid in a cooling bath and, for desorption, is subjected to (optionally heated) air or gas, and to a chromatography arrangement provided therewith.
The detection of trace substances in gases, in particular in air, is gaining in importance in view of the increasing pollution of the environment with the most diverse trace substances, some of which are highly toxic or highly harmful to ecology and climatology. The sensitivity of the measuring instruments for the direct detection is here frequently inadequate, so that an intermediate enrichment of the trace substances in a cold trap becomes necessary, which cold trap is immersed into a cooling fluid, from which the cold trap is taken for the actual detection (usually by chromatographic means) with heating.
The applicant has also already provided an apparatus (German Patent No. 3,729,374), in which a U-shaped cold trap surrounded by a heat-insulated container, which is open at the bottom, is immersed into liquified gas as the coolant, which is introduced into the container during the cooling phase, whereas the cold trap is heated up for desorption, coolant being displaced from the container at the same time.
Usually, the coolant used here is liquified nitrogen or liquified air, and the heating-up of the cold trap is carried out especially by electric heating of the cold trap wall consisting of a conductive material.
The detection of particularly small trace substance contents of relatively unstable compounds such as, for example, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), with the aid of such intermediate enrichment has the disadvantages that, at the relatively low temperatures of the liquified gases, considerable quantities of concomitant substances, which can complicate the detection of trace substances, are collected in the cold trap and, that there is a risk of sensitive substances being decomposed by the direct heating of the cold trap.

Apparatus for intermediate enrichment of trace substances from a gas stream in a cold trap, and chromatography arrangement provided therewith

Kernforschungsanlage Juelich Gesellschaft mit beschrenkter Haftung


A method for controlling a hydropneumatic suspension of a mobile crane having at least four wheels that are each allocated a spring cylinder, having at least four spring circuits in which at least one spring cylinder is incorporated in each case, each spring circuit being allocated a pressure measurement sensor and a path measurement sensor, in which signals of the pressure measurement sensors and of the path measurement sensors are processed by a control unit, and the spring cylinders are actuated. To optimize control of a hydropneumatic suspension for road travel operation of the mobile crane the mobile crane is levelled using preset suspension height set values of the spring circuits, then, in the control unit, on the basis of pressures detected by pressure sensors, pressure set values are calculated per spring circuit and pressures in the spring circuits are readjusted with the aid of pressure set values.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a hydropneumatic suspension of a mobile crane having at least four wheels which are each allocated a spring cylinder, having at least four spring circuits in which at least one spring cylinder is incorporated in each case, each spring circuit being allocated a pressure measurement sensor and a path measurement sensor, in which the signals of the pressure measurement sensor and of the path measurement sensor are processed by a control unit and the spring cylinders are actuated.
A hydropneumatic axle suspension for a mobile crane is already known from the German patent DE 35 46 704 C2. In order to achieve smooth travel operation during use of the mobile crane as a wrecker crane it is proposed, in the region of the rear vehicle axles, which are more heavily loaded by the towing operation, to separate the hydraulic cylinders thereof from their hydraulic accumulators by lockable valves and therefore to lock the suspension of the rear vehicle axles. In the region of the front vehicle axles the opposite hydraulic cylinders of at least one front axle are connected to one another via associated valves and are therefore switched to oscillation. The hydraulic cylinders of at least one of the front axles are also connected to a hydraulic accumulator with softer spring characteristics compared to those at the rear axles.
In the utility model DE 201 03 735 U1, a further hydropneumatic axle suspension for heavy goods vehicles, in particular mobile cranes with at least two axles, is described. Each wheel is allocated a hydraulic cylinder and, in the case of more than two axles, the hydraulic cylinders of the wheels, which are each allocated to one of the four corners of the vehicle, are respectively combined as a group to form an individually actuatable spring circuit. The hydraulic cylinders of a spring circuit are connected to a hydraulic accumulator via filling and discharge lines with filling and discharge valves. In addition, in each case a hydraulic cylinder of the at least three spring circuits is fitted with a path measurement sensor. In one exemplified embodiment, a mobile crane with four spring circuits is described. If the hydraulic cylinder has a path measurement sensor then it also has electronics which amplify the measurement signal of the path measurement sensor or convert it into a digital signal and transmit it to a central electronic control unit. The electronic control unit preferably has an electronic controller with preset level variations for the vehicle body so that automatic lifting and lowering of the at least three corners of the vehicle can be effected prior to the start of the lifting operation. The filling and discharge valves to the hydraulic accumulators are then closed for the lifting operation. A suspension—as absolutely necessary in road traffic—is then shut off.
Furthermore, in DE 10 2010 032 046 B4, a method is described for adjusting the level of a pneumatically suspended motor vehicle. In a conventional manner, the pneumatic-suspension comprises, for each wheel of the motor vehicle, a spring system consisting of at least one air spring, a pressure sensor and/or a position sensor. In pneumatic suspensions there is a direct relationship between the level—spring travel or stroke of the spring cylinder and pressure of the spring cylinder. Therefore, there is a proportionality factor with which a spring path deviation can be converted into a pressure deviation, and also a height-dependent set pressure component. Nevertheless, very different pressures may be present and twist the chassis of the motor vehicle.

Method of controlling a hydropneumatic suspension of a vehicle crane


A method for estimating Multiple Input Multiple Output, MIMO, channel state information for a radio link between a first radio node including a number N, N≥2, of receiving antenna ports and a second radio node including a number M, M≥2, of transmitting antenna ports. The method includes obtaining partial channel state information from a reference signal transmitted by a number X, 1≤X<M, of said transmitting antenna ports and received by all of said receiving antenna ports, said partial channel state information providing a measure for the N×X propagation channels between all of said receiving antenna ports and said transmitting antenna ports. Also disclosed are corresponding devices and computer programs. Also disclosed is a method for controlling transmission based on estimated channel state information.

Future generations of wireless system are expected to provide ubiquitous high data-rate coverage. Achieving this requires an efficient use of the available resources. In light of this higher number of antenna ports, at both the transmitter and receiver, are considered in future standards of, for example, Long Term Evolution, LTE, and New Radio, NR. It is possible to exploit the spatial degrees of freedom offered by the multipath fading inside the wireless channel in order to provide a substantial increase in the data rates and also increase the reliability of wireless transmission. In the downlink, for example, there are three basic approaches for utilizing the antenna: diversity, multiplexing and beamforming.
The gains from both diversity, multiplexing as well as beamforming depends on how well the transmitting antenna system knows the spatial nature of the channel, and hence its ability of direct the energy to the target users, and also how well it avoids emitting energy to any interfering users. Methods to acquire spatial channel information, CSI, is usually divided in two parts, namely feed-back based and reciprocity based. A typical feedback based scheme is a codebook based scheme. A codebook is typically a standardized set of available precoding code-words, and essentially consists of all possible combinations, respective antenna element weightings, that the transmitter may use when transmitting data. When using codebook based transmissions, a network node such as an eNodeB, eNB, transmits training sequences that another network node, e.g., a UE will receive. Given this information, each user, which knows the codebook prior to transmission, may estimate what the gain would be for each code word and then feedback information of this to the eNB. The eNB uses the feedback information to determine which pre-coders to use when transmitting the data. When using codebook based methods, the UE can measure on both its antennas and decide/recommend eNB precoding that optimizes two-antenna reception. It should be noted that codebook based transmissions are by design limited to the subset of all possible pre-coders that are represented within the codebook known to the UEs.
Another method for UE specific precoding is to utilize the reciprocity of the channel, hence, assuming that the UL channel and DL channel are similar. This is a possibility in time division duplexing, TDD, systems that transmits both uplink, UL, and downlink, DL, on the same frequency, i.e., time duplexed. In such a system, the UEs send sounding sequences to e.g., a eNB, which utilizes these to determine the channel conditions. In LTE and NR the sequences used are often sounding reference signals, SRS, other reference signals are however possible, such as a DeModulation Reference Signal, DMRS. A particular purpose of using reciprocity is to reduce the overhead and the need to transmit pilot signals and/or feedback. Even though it may be possible to obtain good Channel State Information, CSI, using feedback based schemes it becomes unpractical in massive MIMO systems due to the large number of antennas used. This is one of the reasons that reciprocity is used since it may provide a network node with more and richer CSI than what is usually obtained through the implicit codebook channel information in codebook based reporting. More detailed CSI allows for e.g., more exotic DL precoding schemes, not limited to a predefined subset, and hence potentially higher order spatial multiplexing and throughput rates. In order to determine high quality channel information from all eNB antennas to all UE antennas, it is required that the UE transmits the sounding signals or reference signals on all the antennas that is utilized for DL reception.
Most UE's today utilizes two antennas for reception, and hence supports 2-layer transmissions in downlink, DL. However, in the uplink, UL, only a single antenna is used for transmission. The lower number of transmitting antennas compared to the receiving antennas, limits the channel sounding possibility in reciprocity based communication. The result is that the eNB will only have partial channel state information, partial CSI, available for DL transmissions. Unfortunately, it is expected that most UEs in the near future will also have lower number of transmitting than receiving antennas. One reason for this is that for a fixed transmit power, the power per antenna would be lower, which would potentially decrease UL coverage. One mitigation of this would be to use antenna switching and take turn in sounding the channel, such that over time, the eNB would know the channel to all receiving UE antennas. Even though that some of todays' chipsets support antenna switching for dual antenna sounding, this is still not utilized in the UEs. It is assumed that one cause of this is the possible transmit power loss that occur when switching antennas. Regardless, the lack of proper dual antenna sounding today results in only half the available channel information at the eNB which decreases the possible spatial multiplexing and hence system capacity.
The proposed technology aims to at least counter some of the problem associated with missing channel state information for MIMO transmissions.

Method and devices for estimation of MIMO channel state information


A rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) for a hybrid electric vehicle includes a power supply module that includes at least one battery. A startup module includes N supercapacitors arranged in parallel with the at least one battery, wherein N is an integer greater than or equal 1, and an adjustable power supply arranged in series with at least one of the N supercapacitors and in parallel with the at least one battery, wherein the adjustable power supply maintains a voltage across the N supercapacitors below a predetermined voltage.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Varying power demands (e.g. stop-and-go driving and/or quick acceleration) in a conventional propulsion system may cause the system to operate inefficiently. For example, the conventional propulsion system may include an internal combustion engine. Inefficiencies in the engine lead to increased fuel consumption and increased emissions.
A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) merges features of the conventional propulsion system with those of an electrical vehicle system. For example, the HEV may include the conventional propulsion system and an on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) that improves fuel economy and performance. The conventional propulsion system and/or a regenerative brake provide energy to the RESS, which stores the energy for later use. The RESS uses the stored energy to drive the vehicle during acceleration periods. Consequently, the conventional propulsion system operates only when at optimum efficiency. The RESS may include a bank of batteries to provide storage. Typically, improvement in fuel economy of the vehicle corresponds to storage capacity and other characteristics of the RESS.

Cost effective configuration for supercapacitors for HEV


Systems and methods directed to determining motion in a video signal are provided. A plurality of pixels of a plurality of adjacent field lines of alternating parity of the video signal are evaluated to generate a plurality of differential values. A sign of each differential value is determined, and when each differential value has the same sign, at least one differential value can be compared with a threshold value. Responsive to the comparison of at least one differential value with a threshold value, a motion coefficient indicative of a magnitude of motion associated with one of the plurality of pixels can be generated.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention are directed to processing of a video signal, and more particularly to a system and method for signal processing that determines motion in a digital video signal.
2. Background of the Invention
Video signals include a series of images, or frames, played in succession, and can include a series of frames each divided into two fields. One field contains odd lines of pixels in a frame, and the other field contains even lines of pixels in a frame. Dividing each frame into a set of odd fields and a set of even fields reduces the amount of bandwidth necessary to transmit a video signal. Historically, displaying a video signal with alternating odd and even fields reduced or eliminated levels of visible flicker in the displayed video signal.
Some video signals are not well suited for modern computer monitor or televisions, such as those with plasma, liquid crystal, or other displays that support high definition formats. For optimal performance these devices and others generally use a video signal where a frame includes all fields, odd and even, of a video signal. In certain video signals the odd and even fields are successively scanned, and as a result an object that is in motion may be in one position during scanning of one field, and may be in a different position during subsequent scanning of another field. Motion of objects that takes place in the time period between the odd and even field scans of a video signal results in visually perceptible and undesirable artifacts. These artifacts can be encoded into the video signal. Motion that is present between the odd an even fields of a frame manifests itself as an unwanted artifact that degrades the image of the video signal. These schemes are imperfect, as various distortions appear in a display of the video signal, reducing its quality on both standard and high definition displays.


An apparatus for cooling a gradient coil assembly of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system and for controlling a temperature of a magnet warm bore is provided. The gradient coil assembly includes an inner gradient coil assembly and an outer gradient coil assembly. A first cooling circuit is provided that has a cooling tube positioned at a distance from the inner gradient coil assembly. The cooling tube of the first cooling circuit is configured to transport a first coolant having a first temperature. A second cooling circuit is provided that has a cooling tube positioned at a distance from the outer gradient coil assembly. The cooling tube of the second cooling circuit is configured to transport a second coolant having a second temperature. The apparatus also includes a controller coupled to the first cooling circuit and the second cooling circuit. The controller is configured to independently control the first temperature of the first coolant and the second temperature of the second coolant.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging modality that can create pictures of the inside of a human body without using x-rays or other ionizing radiation. MRI uses a powerful magnet to create a strong, uniform, static magnetic field (i.e., the "main magnetic field"). When a human body, or part of a human body, is placed in the main magnetic field, the nuclear spins that are associated with the hydrogen nuclei in tissue water become polarized. This means that the magnetic moments that are associated with these spins become preferentially aligned along the direction of the main magnetic field, resulting in a small net tissue magnetization along that axis (the "z axis," by convention). An MRI system also comprises components called gradient coils that produce smaller amplitude, spatially varying magnetic fields when a current is applied to them. An MRI system may use a shielded gradient coil that consists of inner and outer gradient coil assemblies potted together with a material such as epoxy resin. Typically, gradient coils are designed to produce a magnetic field component that is aligned along the z axis, and that varies linearly in amplitude with position along one of the x, y or z axes. The effect of a gradient coil is to create a small ramp on the magnetic field strength, and concomitantly on the resonant frequency of the nuclear spins, along a single axis. Three gradient coils with orthogonal axes are used to "spatially encode" the MR signal by creating a signature resonance frequency at each location in the body. Radio frequency (RF) coils are used to create pulses of RF energy at or near the resonance frequency of the hydrogen nuclei. The RF coils are used to add energy to the nuclear spin system in a controlled fashion. As the nuclear spins then relax back to their rest energy state, they give up energy in the form of an RF signal. This signal is detected by the MRI system and is transformed into an image using a computer and known reconstruction algorithms.
During a patient scan, the gradient coil(s) of the gradient coil assembly that produce the magnetic field gradients dissipate large amounts of heat. The heat produced by the gradient coils can cause an increase in the temperature of the MRI system's patient bore and the magnet warm bore. Heating of the patient bore may reduce the amount of RF power that can be transmitted during imaging which in turn can affect the efficiency of the MRI system. In addition, an increase in temperature of the patient bore can be uncomfortable for a patient and may even become dangerous unless safety interlocks are designed to prevent overheating. Minimizing any increase in temperature of the patient bore is important to MRI scanner efficiency and safety.
The heat produced by the gradient coils may be removed from the gradient coil assembly by a cooling assembly that may include, for example, a remote heat exchanger/chiller and cooling tube(s) positioned at a given distance from the heat conductors. For a shielded gradient coil, a cooling tube may be provided for the inner gradient coil assembly and a cooling tube may be provided for the outer gradient coil assembly. A liquid coolant, such as water, ethylene or a propylene glycol mixture, absorbs heat from the gradient coils as it is pumped through the cooling tubes and transports the heat to the remote heat exchanger/chiller. Heat may then be ejected to the atmosphere by way of the heat exchanger/chiller. The cooling tubes for the inner gradient coil assembly and the outer gradient coil assembly of a shielded gradient coil typically have a common cooling circuit, i.e., a common supply of chilled coolant. Generally, the chilled coolant is supplied at a temperature that removes the maximum amount of heat possible without causing condensation and also attempts to keep the patient bore temperature as close to room temperature as possible.
An increase in temperature of the magnet warm bore can also affect performance of the MRI system. A magnet warm bore surface is typically made of low magnetic permeability stainless steel, however, the stainless steel may have residual permeability, also known as ferromagnetism. According to Curie's law, the permeability of a ferromagnetic material changes as the temperature of the ferromagnetic material changes. A change in permeability of the magnet warm bore may result in a change in the intensity of the magnetic field, B0, generated by the magnet which can have a negative impact on image quality. As mentioned above, however, the cooling assemblies for a gradient coil are typically configured to remove as much heat as possible and minimize the patient bore temperature. Such cooling assemblies do not specifically address the problems caused by temperature changes in the magnet warm bore.
It would be desirable to provide a system for controlling the temperature of the magnet warm bore, in particular, for maintaining a constant warm bore temperature. It would also be advantageous to provide a cooling assembly that can both maintain a constant warm bore temperature and minimize the patient bore temperature.

System, method and apparatus for controlling the temperature of a MRI magnet warm bore


To provide a promoter, a recombinant DNA, a gene expression vector, an expression vector, and a transformant, which are capable of expressing a gene without inducing gene expression with an inducer; and a method for producing a protein and a kit therefor, which can be operated easily and performed inexpensively by convenient and inexpensive steps. An isolated DNA having the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2 of Sequence Listing or a fragment thereof, wherein the isolated DNA exhibits a constitutive promoter activity in Escherichia coli or a bacterium belonging to the genus Bacillus; an isolated DNA having a nucleotide sequence of a nucleic acid capable of hybridizing to the above DNA, wherein the isolated DNA exhibits a constitutive promoter activity in Escherichia coli or a bacterium belonging to the genus Bacillus; a recombinant DNA comprising the above DNA and a foreign gene, wherein the foreign gene is operably located; a gene expression vector, at least comprising the above DNA; an expression vector comprising the recombinant DNA; a transformant having the above recombinant DNA, or the above expression vector; a method for producing a protein, characterized by culturing the above transformant, and collecting a protein from the resulting culture; and a kit for producing a protein, at least comprising the above DNA, or the above gene expression vector.

When a useful gene product is produced in a genetically engineering manner, depending upon its purpose, there has been used an expression system using as a host a microbial cell such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilus, or an yeast; an animal cell, an insect cell, a plant cell or the like of which cultivation means has been established, and using a promoter appropriate for the host. Among them, an expression system using Escherichia coli as a host and lac promoter or a derivative thereof or the like is a kind of system which is often used from the viewpoint of its facility in handling.
However, the expression system using lac promoter or a derivative thereof has some defects such that the expression system is industrially disadvantageous because the induction of gene expression is necessitated during expression of the gene product. For instance, lac promoter, tac promoter or the like has some defects such that it is disadvantageous to carry out the above expression on an industrial scale, because expensive IPTG (isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside) is required for the induction of gene expression.
On the other hand, an expression vector utilizing temperature induction of phage λ promoter has also been generally used. However, in temperature-induced overexpression of a recombinant gene product, there may be some disadvantages of (a) difficulty for achieving a rapid shift-up of temperature; (b) increase in possibility of the formation of insoluble inclusion bodies at a higher culturing temperature; and (c) induction of some proteases in Escherichia coli during heat shock.
Therefore, there has been desired a means which allows highly efficient expression without inducing gene expression.

Promoters and gene expression method by using the promoters


An image coding method including: binarizing last position information to generate (i) a binary signal which includes a first signal having a length smaller than or equal to a predetermined maximum length and does not include a second signal or (ii) a binary signal which includes the first signal having the predetermined maximum length and the second signal; first coding for arithmetically coding each of binary symbols included in the first signal using a context switched among a plurality of contexts according to a bit position of the binary symbol; and second coding for arithmetically coding the second signal using a fixed probability when the binary signal includes the second signal, wherein in the first coding, a binary symbol at a last bit position of the first signal is arithmetically coded using a context exclusive to the last bit position, when the first signal has the predetermined maximum length.

Applications for providing services via the Internet (e.g., video-conference, digital video broadcast, and Video on Demand services including video content streaming) are increasing. These applications rely on transmission of video data. When the applications transmit video data, most video data is transmitted via a conventional transmission path having a limited bandwidth. Furthermore, when the applications record video data, most video data is recorded on a conventional recording medium having a limited capacity. To transmit video data via the conventional transmission path or record video data on the conventional recording medium, it is indispensable to compress or reduce the data amount of the video data.
In view of this, many video coding standards have been developed to compress video data. These video coding standards are, for example, ITU-T standards denoted as H.26x and ISO/IEC standards denoted as MPEG-x. Currently, the latest and most advanced video coding standard is the standard denoted as H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (see Non Patent Literature 1 and Non Patent Literature 2).
The coding approach underlying most of these video coding standards is based on prediction coding that includes the following main steps of (a) to (d): (a) Divide each video frame into blocks each having pixels to compress data of the video frame on a block-by-block basis. (b) Predict each block based on previously coded video data to identify temporal and spatial redundancy. (c) Subtract the predicted data from the video data to remove the identified redundancy. (d) Compress remaining data (residual blocks) by Fourier transform, quantization, and entropy coding.
As for the step (a), the current video coding standard provides different prediction modes depending on a macroblock to be predicted. According to most of the video coding standards, motion estimation and motion compensation are used for predicting video data based on a previously coded and decoded frame (inter frame prediction). Alternatively, block data may be extrapolated from an adjacent block of the same frame (intra frame prediction).
In the step (d), quantized coefficients included in a current block to be coded are scanned in a predetermined order (scan order). Then, information (SignificantFlag) indicating whether the scanned coefficients are zero coefficients or non-zero coefficients (e.g., binary information (symbol) indicating a non-zero coefficient as 1 and a zero coefficient as 0) is coded.
Furthermore, information indicating the position of the last non-zero coefficient in the scan order (last position information) is binarized, coded by context adaptive binary arithmetic coding, and decoded by context adaptive binary arithmetic decoding.

Image coding method, image coding apparatus, image decoding method and image decoding apparatus


A mechanical release system and method for eliminating scale conditions in water are described. The mechanical release system may include a pressure vessel comprising a head that has a through hole extending from an inlet to an outlet on opposite sides of the head, the through hole divided by at least a circumferential partial rib into an inlet section and an outlet section. Implementations may work without restricting water flow or “water-starving” equipment and control water before it enters equipment and create a scale-eliminating environment within water for extended periods of time (e.g., up to six months or more).

A. Technical Field
This document relates to a mechanical release system.
B. Background Art
Conventional mechanical or "sieve" filtration will typically provide a higher quality water output than a raw-water source, yet when scale-causing water chemistries are present, water will invariably produce damaging scale buildup. Scale is detrimental as it builds up on equipment surfaces because it reduces energy and mechanical efficiency in equipment.
Conventional filters only manage water to the degree of the quality of the filter. In most cases that quality is very poor. The water filtration industry sells water "polish" systems that require, in most cases, multiple filters that accumulate large investments. None of the filters actually control the water. Instead, conventional water filtration must evaluate existing water conditions and then suggest filters that best manage the problems.
Conventional water filters marginally affect water hardness. Alkalinity, calcium (e.g., calcium carbonate (CaCO3)), magnesium, pH and/or total dissolved solids are the primary cause of scale buildup. Mechanical water filtration is unable to sieve out these scale causing water conditions. Only debris and particles large enough to be caught in mechanical filter barriers can be removed until they clog or have reached capacity. At that point, conventional water filters can become an additional problem to equipment by "dragging" on water supply lines merely through their function. Regardless of the degree of filtration, water flow is restricted.


A pneumatic test plug for clean-out tees having an elastomeric inflatable body, a closed top, an inwardly tapered side wall and an open bottom end with a peripheral shoulder having a downwardly extending peripheral ridge. A molded end cap with a cylindrical wall having exteriorly disposed threads and an inwardly disposed circular retention channel or area receives a retention collar for placement within the molded end cap and between the cylindrical wall and the inflatable body bottom end. The retention collar fixes the peripheral shoulder and downwardly extending peripheral ridge in the circular retention channel or area of the end cap and compressingly holds the peripheral shoulder of the inflatable body into the end cap.

This invention relates generally to pneumatic plug devices for sealing pipelines or conduits. Particularly, this invention relates to pneumatic test plugs for sealing clean-out tees or access ports of low pressure pipelines or conduits.
Clean-out tees or access ports to pipelines are typically found in drain pipes, such as those located in the main plumbing drain pipes in residential structures. Clean-out tees are also utilized in other horizontally and vertically disposed conduits or pipelines which may require periodic entry for cleaning or inspection purposes. The clean-out tees or access ports are typically circular structures which extend perpendicularly from the pipeline and are internally threaded to receive a threaded closure cap.
The pneumatic clean-out plug device of this invention permits a user to utilize a clean-out tee or access port and to seal the pipeline for purposes of testing the pipeline for leakage, pressure testing, or the like. The pneumatic test plug of the invention is designed to use the internal threads of the clean-out tee for securement purposes.
Although various plugs, including pneumatic plugs, have been used and proposed in the past for sealing clean-out tees, they have typically been complex structures which have been difficult and costly to manufacture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,861 to Roberson discloses a test plug assembly for pressure testing fluid drains and vent systems. The '861 plug assembly utilizes an inflatable body and a rigid holder portion which are united by means of a valve stem. The configuration of the '861 assembly is difficult and expensive to manufacture. The materials required to properly unite the inflatable body to the rigid holder portion requires a relatively harder elastomeric material which may compromise proper sealing of the plug assembly in certain conduit structures.
The pneumatic test plugs for clean-out tees according to the teachings of this invention overcome the difficulties, limitations and other shortcomings of these prior art devices.


Methods and systems are provided for expediting exhaust catalyst light-off prior to an anticipated engine cold-start event. In one example, a method may include, in anticipation of an engine cold-start, preemptively operating an electric booster and routing compressed air to the catalyst to increase a temperature of the exhaust catalyst while maintaining the engine inactive.

Engine emission control systems may include one or more exhaust catalysts such as three-way catalysts, NOx storage catalysts, light-off catalysts, and SCR catalysts. At catalyst light-off temperature (e.g., operational temperature), the exhaust catalyst may oxidize and reduce exhaust constituents in an exhaust gas, thereby converting toxic gases and pollutants in the exhaust gas to less toxic pollutants or inert constituents which are then released into the atmosphere. As an example, when operated between 400° C. and 600° C., a three-way catalyst converts reactive nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC) into inert constituents such as diatomic nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and water (H2O). However, during a cold-start of an engine, when a temperature of the exhaust catalyst is below the light-off temperature (e.g., three-way catalyst temperature falls below 400° C.), the exhaust catalyst may not be able to effectively treat the reactive constituents of the exhaust gas, and as a result, cold-start emissions may increase and the toxic constituents in the exhaust gas may be directly released into the atmosphere.
One way to reduce cold-start emissions is to decrease the time taken by the exhaust catalyst to reach light-off temperatures. As such, to expedite the attainment of the catalyst light-off temperature, engine systems may include heater pumps and/or catalyst heaters to preheat the main exhaust catalysts. One example of such an engine system is provided by Parise in U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,456. Therein, during a vehicle cold-start, a thermoelectric generator is used as a heat pump to heat an exhaust catalyst substrate to reduce the time to exhaust catalyst light-off. In this way, the exhaust catalyst comes up to operating temperature more rapidly, thereby reducing the amount of pollutant emissions at vehicle start-up.
However, the inventors herein have recognized potential issues with such a system. As one example, by initiating heating the exhaust catalyst after engine start, it may take a significantly long time for the catalyst to heat up. Also, adding a thermoelectric generator for the sole purpose of heating the exhaust catalyst during the vehicle cold-start may increase manufacturing costs. In addition, such systems may increase packaging requirements and complexity of the engine system. In some cases, these additional heaters may increase exhaust backpressure. Increased exhaust backpressure may lead to increased pumping work, reduced intake manifold boost pressure, cause cylinder scavenging and combustion effects, and further result in turbocharger problems.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a method comprising: operating an electric booster to increase a temperature of an exhaust catalyst while maintaining the engine inactive. In this way, catalyst light-off times may be reduced and emission compliance requirements may be met.
As one example, an engine coupled to a hybrid vehicle may include an electric booster such as an electric turbine or an electric compressor to provide boost pressure during engine operation. Certain engines may also include an intake air pump to supply intake air during engine operation. Further, the engine may include an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to selectively flow exhaust gas to engine intake based on engine dilution requirements. During an engine-off condition, in anticipation of an engine cold-start, an exhaust catalyst heating routine may be initiated by using energy from an on-board vehicle battery or a power source connected to the vehicle. The catalyst heating routine may include initiating the e-booster to supply compressed air to the catalyst. A dedicated catalyst heater may be activated to heat the compressed air entering the catalyst. If the e-booster is located in the intake manifold, an EGR valve may be opened and/or engine cylinder valves (intake and exhaust valves) may be opened to route the compressed air to the catalyst via the EGR passage. The intake throttle may be closed and the EGR valve opening may be adjusted to increase pressure and energy of air being transmitted to the catalyst. The engine is maintained off during the catalyst heating routine, and the engine may be started upon completion of the catalyst heating routine when the catalyst attains light-off temperature.
In this way, by preemptively heating an exhaust catalyst prior to an engine start, the time taken by the exhaust catalyst to reach light-off temperatures (or catalyst light-off time) may be reduced and the catalyst may be operational at the actual engine start. By using a combination of existing engine components such as the e-booster and the EGR passage, air flow through the catalyst may be increased to expedite catalyst heating. The technical effect of maintaining the engine off during the catalyst heating is that cold-start emissions may be reduced to zero, thereby improving emissions quality of the vehicle. By inhibiting exhaust flow during the catalyst warm up, release of undesired exhaust gases such as CO in a closed environment such as a parking garage may be reduced. Overall, catalyst light-off times may be reduced and emission compliance requirements may be met without significant additional costs.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Methods and systems for engine exhaust catalyst operations


A method of manufacturing filling strips for placement between a surface and a corrugated member wherein the corrugation defines a profile. The method includes: providing a sheet of material having a longitudinal axis and first and second major surfaces; forming at least one cut generally through the sheet, the at least one cut extending generally in a longitudinal direction of the sheet to follow a path that corresponds to the profile, wherein the at least one cut divides this sheet into at least two filling strips each having a corrugated member contacting surface that extends between the first and second major surfaces; and separating the sheet into the at least two filling strips.

The present invention is directed to filling strips and, more specifically, is directed to improved filling strips and to a system and method for producing such filling strips that is adapted for automation.
Filling strips are typically used between a corrugated member and a corresponding support to prevent dirt, water and/or debris from passing therebetween. One common application of filling strips is to place filling strips between the top of wall and corrugated metal roof supported by the wall. Currently, filling strips are manufactured by intermittently, manually advancing a foam sheet along a conveyor through a vertical die press that punches out the necessary filling strips. Due to the manufacturing errors which would result from attempting to successively cut portions of a filling strip having a length greater than that of the die, the length of filling strips is generally limited by the size of the cutting die. Today filling strips are punched out of foam sheets that have a width generally equal to the size of the die. Multiple drawbacks result from manufacturing filling strips using a die as described above.
One drawback is the increased waste material that results from having to space apart the cuts that are made in the sheet of material used to form the filling strips so that the cut strips are spaced apart from each other along the sheet to prevent the die from damaging portions of already cut filling strips. Additionally, due to the limited length of the filling strips, the packaging of filling strips wound in a roll is not practical.
Furthermore, for many jobs, the limited length of the filling strips requires that multiple filling strips be placed end-to-end along a side of a building and secured to each other, preferably with interlocking ends, to fill a gap between a corrugated member and a corrugated member supporting surface. The use of interlocking ends does not prevent individual filling strips from separating from each other which results in wind borne contaminates and water being blown between the corrugated member and supporting surface.
It would be advantageous to provide a system and method for manufacturing filling strips that preferably: allows the filling strips to be placed in a roll after they have been cut; reduces or eliminates the amount of waste material generated during manufacturing; facilitates the automation of the manufacturing of the fillings strips; allows for a single continuous filling strip to be used along an entire length of a corrugated member and that produces filling strips that are relatively easier to install than currently available filling strips.

System and method for manufacturing filling strips configured for use with a corrugated member


A system for locking the operating wavelength of an optical transmission source, the system including: a pattern of nanostructures being optically coupled to the optical transmission source and adapted to perform notch filtering; at least one photodetector optically coupled to the pattern of nanostructures; and, at least one controller operatively coupled to the photodetector and optical transmission source to operate the optical transmission source responsively to the at least one photodetector.

Transference of information via propagating light is generally well understood. For example, a conventional optical fiber communications system may include several III-V semiconductor based optical devices interconnected by one or more optical fibers acting as a transmission medium. Information for transmission may be encoded using well understood techniques. This encoded information may typically be used to modulate a driving signal for an optical source or transmitter, such as a semiconductor laser or Light Emitting Diode (LED). The optical source is responsive to a driving signal to generate a transmission that propagates via the transmission medium to a receiver, such as an optical detector. The optical detector may then provide a signal responsively to the detected transmission to a decoder or demodulator. The demodulator, in response to the received signal, provides the information in a suitable form using well understood techniques. Such methods and systems are well understood by those possessing an ordinary skill in the pertinent arts.
In such systems, control of the transmitter may be established. One type of control is conventionally referred to as wavelength control or wavelength locking. For example, in the case of Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) available channel space may be inversely related to channel spacing, the number of desired channels and data rate, for example. That is, as the desired number of channels increases, available channel-width may generally decrease. Thus, wavelength stability, e.g. locking, in optical communications systems is generally important so as to better ensure that adjacent channels do not unintentionally interfere with one-another. Other reasons for controlling and/or monitoring the wavelength of emitted transmissions are also well understood.
This generally results in strict performance guidelines for optical sources or transmitters, such as lasers, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Super Light Emitting Diodes (SLEDs). However, such transmitters in operation may tend not to consistently output transmissions of a desired wavelength precisely enough, due to a number of factors including operating temperature and bias current fluctuations, for example.
Laser wavelength control systems, and drawbacks associated with them, are generally discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,301, entitled LASER WAVELENGTH CONTROL SYSTEM, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Some approaches that have been suggested for performing wavelength locking include use of etalons, Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) and dielectric thin film filters. Some drawbacks do accompany these solutions however.
For example, a drawback of an etalon lies in temperature sensitivity of the etalon cavity index, as well as the cavity length, which both may determine the phase of output light. Further, to make the fringe narrow in order to gain resolution, the etalon may need to have a high gain or Q, which typically requires two medium/high reflectivity dielectric mirrors. Costs associated with making such an etalon may be high, due to inclusion of a precision cavity length and high quality mirrors, for example. Further, the FSR (free-spectral-range) may present another concern when using etalons for wavelength locking, due to the periodic nature of their performance in the frequency domain as is well understood by those possessing an ordinary skill in the pertinent arts.
While Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) filters may be less sensitive to temperature, often the cost associated with the FBG is also high. Further, FBGs tend not to be compact devices and also typically need alignment, which further adds to packaging cost.
Dielectric thin film filters are also generally undesirably temperature sensitive and cost prohibitive. For example, to make a narrow filter many stacked layers of dielectric films may be necessary.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to provide a method and system for providing cost efficient and relatively temperature insensitive wavelength locking for an optical transmitter, such as a laser.

Method and system for performing wavelength locking of an optical transmission source


A device for supporting at least one arm of a user includes one or more arm support elements each of which has an arm shell for placing the at least one arm of the user on the arm shell. Force is applied to the arm support elements by at least one passive actuator. A counter bearing for the applied force includes a force transmission element and a counter bearing element. A force application lever is engaged by the one passive actuator and is connected to the arm support or the force transmission element. The force application lever is torque proof and confines an angle which is adjustable.

This type of device is described, for instance, in DE 10 2017 112 436, which has not been pre-published.
Devices that can be used to support arms are known from various documents. The device described in US 2016/0081871 A1 features, for example, a counter bearing element that is designed in the form of a strap that can be placed around torso of the user. Two support braces run along the user's back to his shoulder, each of said support braces being connected to a joint above and laterally next to the shoulder of the user, such that the arm can be raised. These are the force transmission elements. Spring elements are arranged on the corresponding joints, by means of which an upward force can be exerted on the arm shells, such that the arms can be supported, for example when lifting heavy objects or when working above one's head. If the arms are lowered, a pressure must be exerted by the arms onto the arm shells, wherein this pressure exceeds the force applied by the spring elements, thereby causing the arms to lower.
WO 2014/0093804 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 9,427,865 B2 describe a similar device, each of which features a spring, especially a tension spring, that is connected to a Bowden cable, said spring functioning as a mechanical energy storage device which acts a passive actuator. The Bowden cable is guided by way of a pulley in such a way that, upon a swiveling of an arm, meaning a movement of the arm support element relative to the counter bearing element, the spring is stretched, such that the mechanical energy storage device is charged with energy.
EP 3 156 193 A1 describes an active device which supports arms during work carried out above the head. The arm shells are connected to one another by a number of different joints and connecting frame elements. This should render as many movements as possible which are executable by a shoulder joint also possible with the mounted device. However, due to the number of elements, this device is large, structurally intricate and therefore expensive. Further support devices, especially devices which support the lifting of heavy objects or work performed above a user's head, are known from WO 2014/195373 A1 and US 2016/339583 A1.
The disadvantage of all the named devices is that the force that can be applied to the arm support element by the at least one passive actuator is dependent, where applicable, on the angle between the arm support element and the force transmission element, and that the size of the force can indeed be adjusted, but the force path is determined by the structure of the respective device.
This is a disadvantage, for example, if the device is to be used successively by two users of a different size. While a shorter user must raise their arms fully above their head in order to work in a particular workpiece, a taller user need only partially raise their arms. The structure known from the prior art also poses a disadvantage when an individual user is to execute different activities at different heights or the users of the device have different degrees of strength, meaning that they require different degrees of support. The invention thus aims to remedy these disadvantages or at least to reduce them.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Device for supporting at least one arm of a user


A vehicle comprising a battery, a power converter, a charger, a first and a second temperature adjustment circuit including a first and a second pumps for supplying a heat medium, a coupling passage which forms a coupling circuit by coupling the first and the second temperature adjustment circuits, a switching unit capable of switching a state between a circulation state and a non-circulation state, and a control device to select one mode from a plurality of modes. The plurality of modes includes a series mode in which the heat medium is circulated in the coupling circuit in the circulation state and a separate mode in which the heat medium is circulated in at least the second temperature adjustment circuit in the non-circulation state. The control device executes the series mode when charging the battery.

An electric vehicle which includes a first temperature adjustment circuit, a second temperature adjustment circuit, a pump which circulates a heat medium in at least one of the first temperature adjustment circuit and the second temperature adjustment circuit, a coupling passage which couples the first temperature adjustment circuit and the second temperature adjustment circuit to form a coupling circuit, and a switching unit capable of switching a state between a circulation state in which the heat medium circulates in the coupling circuit and a non-circulation state in which the heat medium does not circulate in the coupling circuit is known.
For example, in JP-A 2013-188098, in an electric vehicle which includes a cooling circuit to cool a battery, a cooling circuit to cool an inverter, a first refrigerant pump provided in the cooling circuit for cooling the battery, a second refrigerant pump provided in the cooling circuit for cooling the inverter, and a switching valve which switches a state between a state (hereinafter also referred to as a circulation state) in which the battery and inverter are temperature-controlled in the same circuit and a state hereinafter also referred to as a non-circulation state) in which the battery and inverter are temperature-controlled in separate circuits, it is described that when the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature, the circulation state is set, while when the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the non-circulation state is set to improve the accuracy of temperature adjustment.


Disclosed herein are systems and methods from processing flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum feedstock and ash feedstocks, either separately or together. FGD gypsum conversion comprises reacting FGD gypsum (calcium sulfate) feedstock or phosphogypsum, in either batch or continuous mode, with ammonium carbonate reagent to produce commercial products comprising ammonium sulfate and calcium carbonate. A process to separate the impurities and convert the calcium carbonate to a pure precipitated calcium carbonate is disclosed. These impurities include a concentrate of valuable Rare Earth Elements, and radioactive thorium and uranium. A process to convert calcium sulfite to calcium sulfate using oxygen and a catalyst is also disclosed. Ash conversion comprises a leach process followed by a sequential precipitation process to selectively precipitate products at predetermined pHs resulting in metal hydroxides which may be converted to oxides or carbonates. The processes may be controlled by use of one or more processors.

Coal combustion products (CCP) comprise fly ash (fine particulates collected in electrostatic precipitators), lime or limestone from an absorption spray tower, which separates out sulfur oxide (SOX) gases, and bottom ash which remains after coal combustion. The lime or limestone in the absorption bed reacts with the SOX gases resulting in calcium sulfite (hannebachite, CaSO3.0.5H2O). The calcium sulfite is often oxidized to calcium sulfate, which is referred to as flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum. In some coal plants, the calcium sulfite/sulfate byproduct is separated from the other byproducts while in others it is mixed in with the ash.
Currently, the primary applications of calcium sulfate (CaSO4) or FGD gypsum are in the wallboard industry and as a soil amendment. The fly ash is commonly used in the construction industry as a cement additive. However, significant portions of FGD gypsum and ash are not marketable; thus, they are stored in piles and ponds, and present a plethora of environmental issues.
Many efforts have focused on utilizing specific components of CCPs, such as converting calcium sulfate to ammonium sulfate fertilizer and calcium carbonate filler. Others have attempted to extract specific elements out of the CCPs, such as aluminum or rare earth elements. To date there has not been a successful effort to treat the entire inventory and convert it to value-added, marketable products with minimal or no waste.
Phosphogypsum (PG) refers to the calcium sulfate hydrate formed as a by-product of the production of fertilizer from phosphate rock. It is mainly composed of gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O). Although gypsum is a widely used material in the construction industry, phosphogypsum is usually not used; rather, it is stored indefinitely because of its weak radioactivity. The long-duration storage is controversial. Somewhere between 100,000,000 and 280,000,000 tons are estimated to be produced annually as a consequence of processing phosphate rock for the production of phosphate fertilizers. Phosphogypsum is a side-product from the production of phosphoric acid (FIG. 61) by treating phosphate ore (apatite) with sulfuric acid according to the following reaction (1):Ca5(PO4)3X+5H2SO4+10H2O→3H3PO4+5(CaSO4.2H2O)+HX  (1)where X may include OH, F, Cl, or Br.
Phosphogypsum is radioactive due to the presence of naturally occurring uranium and thorium, and their daughter isotopes radium, radon, etc. In addition, many phosphate deposits contain several hundreds of parts per million of valuable rare earth elements. Marine-deposited phosphate typically has a higher level of radioactivity than igneous phosphate deposits, because uranium is present in seawater. Other components of PG are cadmium (5-28 ppm), fluoride (ca 1%), and silica. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has banned most applications of phosphogypsum having a 226Ra concentration of greater than 10 picocurie/gram (0.4 Bq/g). As a result, phosphogypsum that exceeds this limit is stored in large stacks.
Central Florida has a large quantity of phosphate deposits, particularly in the Bone Valley region; many PG stacks are located near Fort Meade, Fla. However, the marine-deposited phosphate ore from central Florida is weakly radioactive, and as such, the phosphogypsum by-product (in which the radionuclides are somewhat concentrated) is too radioactive to be used for most applications. As a result, there are about 1 billion tons of phosphogypsum stacked in 25 stacks in Florida (22 are in central Florida) and about 30 million new tons are generated each year.
What is needed are methods for treating whole stocks of FGD gypsum and PG to reduce waste and produce marketable products.

Systems and methods to recover value-added materials from gypsum


An approach is provided for determining a user age range. An age estimator causes, at least in part, acquisition of voice data. Next, the age estimator calculates a first set of probability values, wherein each of the probability values represents a probability that the voice data is in a respective one of a plurality of predefined age ranges, and the predefined age ranges are segments of a lifespan. Then, the age estimator derives a second set of probability values by applying a correlation matrix to the first set of probability values, wherein the correlation matrix associates the first set of probability values with probabilities of the voice data matching individual ages over the lifespan. Then, the age estimator, for each of the predefined age ranges, calculates a sum of the probabilities in the second set of probability values corresponding to the individual ages within the respective predefined age ranges. Further, the age estimator determines the predefined age range to associate with the voice data based, at least in part, on the calculated sums of the probabilities.

Service providers and device manufacturers (e.g., wireless, cellular, etc.) are continually challenged to deliver value and convenience to consumers by, for example, providing compelling network services. One area of development has been customizing services, content, communications (e.g., marketing, advertisements), etc. according to user characteristics to make such services more effective or relevant to the individual user. It is noted that of the many characteristics associated with a user, age is one of the most important distinguishing features for targeting services. A number of services can benefit from knowing a user's age. For example, an advertisement targeted to a properly matched age group can greatly improve the click through rate. However, obtaining age information from users is a significant challenge. Users are often reluctant to provide this information because they may believe it is too personal to give out freely, or users may simply be jaded or tired of providing registration and related information. Accordingly, service providers and device manufacturers face significant technical challenges to enabling accurate and efficient determination of a user's age while reducing or eliminating any data input burden imposed on the user.

Method and apparatus for determining a user age range


A solid propellant composition comprising an oxidizer, a fuel and a binder, wherein the binder comprises, based on the weight of the total propellant composition:. (a) from about 3 to about 12% of a non-crystalline polyether having a molecular weight of from about 1000 to about 9,000, and PA1 (b) from about 1 to about 12% of an inert plasticizer. Propellants of this invention can be used, for example, in ground-launched interceptors, air launched tactical motors, and space boosters.

Prior to the invention of the class of binders including this invention, the state-of-the-art in solid propellants for man-rated or Department of Defense (DoD) class 1.3 (non mass-detonable) applications were those containing an inert hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binder. These formulations generally contain 86 to 88% solids and use ammonium perchlorate oxidizer. They may also use an inert plasticizer such as dioctyl sebacate (DOS) or dioctyl adipate (DOA), aluminum fuel, and solid cyclic nitfamines cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX) or cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX). The HTPB propellants are useful because they are less expensive and safer to use than double-base propellants which are DoD class 1.1 (mass-detonable).
HTPB propellants also have low electrical conductivities (or high resistivities) which makes them susceptible to catastrophic dielectric breakdown and other electrostatic hazards. Electrostatic discharge is known to have been the cause of disastrous fires which have occurred during the handling and manufacture of prior art rocket motors containing HTPB bound propellant.
HTPB propellants require high depressurization rates to extinguish. Consequently, they are not suitable for use in applications where thrust termination through rapid motor depressurization is required.
The instant inventors have developed a new class of propellants having binders made with non-crystalline polyethers which have improved safety (electrical conductivity), performance (density), and ballistics (extinguishment), as compared to the HTPB based propellants. One such propellant has a binder system comprising a non-crystalline polyether and an energetic plasticizer. The instant inventors have developed a propellant having similar performance features to those of that invention but which is safer, e.g., has even greater extinguishment, particularly during depressurization.

Solid propellant with non-crystalline polyether/inert plasticizer binder


A method for preparing a chitosan/heparinized graphene oxide composite multilayer film on the surface of a medical magnesium alloy comprises the following steps: firstly preparing negatively charged heparinized graphene oxide; then performing surface chemical treatment and self-assembly of 16-phosphonohexadecanoic acid molecules on the medical magnesium alloy; further covalently immobilizing chitosan on the surface of the magnesium alloy, thereby constructing a positively charged material surface; finally, alternately immersing the surface-modified magnesium alloy material in heparinized graphene oxide and a chitosan solution, and then fully adsorbing, and obtaining the chitosan/heparinized graphene oxide composite multilayer film after drying. The surface modification of the medical magnesium alloy by adopting the method of the present invention can significantly improve the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of the magnesium alloy to lay a foundation for the application of the magnesium alloy in the field of implantable medical devices such as vascular stents.

The stenosis induced by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular lesion is one of the most important reasons of complications of many fatal cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Metal vascular stent implantation is one of the main methods for treating stenotic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In recent years, the magnesium alloy has become a research hotspot of cardiovascular stent biomaterials due to its excellent mechanical properties and biodegradable properties, and non-toxicity of its degradation products to the human body.
However, the magnesium alloy is rapidly degraded under physiological conditions due to its active chemical property, so that excess hydrogen is easily generated around the implanted tissues and a local alkaline increase in surrounding tissues and the accumulation of the secondary corrosion products are caused, resulting in premature loss of mechanical properties, poor blood compatibility and cell compatibility of the material, and toxic reactions to surrounding tissues, eventually leading to delayed healing of tissues and even implantation failure. The corrosion behavior and biocompatibility of the material are closely related to the surface properties of the material, therefore, the electrochemical degradation behavior of the magnesium alloy can be regulated, the blood compatibility can be improved and the endothelial tissue healing can be promoted through surface modification of the material as a vascular stent material, which is of great significance to its clinical application.
In view of the problem of too rapid degradation of the magnesium alloy in a physiological environment, the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy is mainly improved from both aspects of alloying and surface modification. The alloying can significantly improve the mechanical properties of the magnesium alloy, but the corrosion resistance of the prepared magnesium alloy in the complex physiological environment remains to be improved, and most of the alloying elements cannot effectively improve the biocompatibility of the material. Therefore, the surface of the magnesium alloy prepared by alloying is usually lack of biological activity.
At present, the research on improving the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy through surface modification mainly focuses on three aspects. One is to form a chemical conversion layer on the surface by surface chemical treatment or electrochemical treatment; the other is to form a surface modified layer by changing the microstructure of the surface; the third is to form a surface covering layer on the surface of magnesium alloy by introducing organic molecules and macromolecules, or preparing inorganic non-metallic coatings on the surface. The conversion layer or covering layer with better corrosion resistance formed on the surface through these methods can isolate a matrix from the surrounding medium, thereby effectively improving the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy and significantly reducing the physiological side reactions caused by rapid degradation, and thus improving the biocompatibility of the material to a certain degree.
The introduction of bioactive molecules on the surface is one of the most effective methods for improving the biocompatibility of the magnesium alloy and other biological materials. However, the surface modification strategy for non-degradable biomaterials often needs to be performed in electrolyte solutions, so that the corrosion degradation of magnesium alloy may be caused due to the active chemical property of the magnesium alloy, and thus the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy should be firstly improved before using these strategies. Although a great deal of effective work has been performed on the surface modification of the magnesium alloy, the current surface modification method of the magnesium alloy as an intravascular implant material does not achieve clinically satisfactory results in both aspects of improving the corrosion resistance and enhancing the biocompatibility. The surface layer constructed by surface chemical polymerization, self-assembly surface modification, and surface in-situ biological molecule immobilization technology and so on is thinner, has fewer biomolecules, and is limited in the improvement on the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of the magnesium alloy. In the degradation process of the material, the surface biomolecules are firstly degraded and lost, and the magnesium alloy will soon lose its biological activity; various macromolecules or ceramic coatings have significant effects in improving the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy, but may still cause blood coagulation and delayed healing of endothelium when used as an intravascular implant material.

Method for preparing chitosan/heparinized graphene oxide composite multilayer film on surface of medical magnesium alloy