A construction form for building an insulated concrete reinforced wall includes separable and independently usable lintel block and post block sections, made from injection molding Styrofoam. The lintel block section includes a channel extending horizontally and fully along its top portion. The channel includes multiple knock-out plugs within the bottom wall. The lintel block section also has multiple parallel and vertically spaced apertures with one end opened at a lower end, and extending upward to a closed end terminating at one plug within the bottom wall of the channel. The post block section is stackable with the lintel block section. The post block section includes multiple, vertically disposed apertures extending entirely through the lintel block section and horizontally disposed for aligning with the apertures of the lintel block section, Each of the apertures of the post block section are aligned with each of the apertures of the lintel block section when the sections are stacked directly over each other. In addition, the apertures are horizontally spaced to accommodate horizontal off-sets in increments of one foot for providing further alignment of the apertures when the multiple sections are used to create various desirable off-set section combinations in the construction of a wall. The channel receives molten concrete for forming a horizontal beam or lintel. By knocking out a selected plug, the molten concrete will flow into and fill a selected aperture for forming a concrete post or column within the wall.

For several generations now it has been known to use concrete blocks of a standard size in the construction of walls, homes, apartment houses, office buildings and many other structures. Although block size can vary in accordance with the particular use, one standard size of concrete block measures 8".times.8".times.16", and has two rather large cavities separated by the center web of the block. Further, for reasons of strength, it is well known to place the concrete blocks in a staggered relationship when constructing a wall, with one layer or tier of blocks offset by approximately 8" from the tier directly below it. The configuration of these standard size concrete blocks is such that the cavities of the numerous blocks used in the construction of a wall are vertically aligned.
Many building codes pertaining to both residential and commercial buildings require a special construction technique where one wall portion intersects another wall portion, such as in a 90.degree. relationship. Reinforcing bars (rebar) are frequently inserted into the block cavities defined at the corners where one wall intersects the other. Concrete is then poured into the intersecting cavities of the blocks located at such corner. Another important constructional technique required by most building codes is the pouring of a lintel along the top of the substantially completed block wall. In this instance, channel-type concrete blocks are used as the top member of each wall portion, with rebar placed horizontally in the aligned channels extending along each wall portion. Bent rebar is used at each corner. Concrete is then poured into the channel-type concrete blocks located along the top of each wall, with the bent rebar placed at each corner for preventing the corners from separating. This type of construction is much stronger than would have been the case if the concrete blocks had not been topped off with poured concrete, and the intersecting corners had not been suitably reinforced.
In addition, various methods for providing lightweight and insulating walls through a concrete form construction are also known. Such efforts have been made to avoid the cost and labor expense involved in the creation of walls constructed of concrete blocks. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,788,020 for a "Foamed Plastic Concrete Form With Fire Resistant Tension Member" and 3,552,076 for a "Concrete Form" to Gregori are examples of such methods. A self-supporting concrete form of foamed polymeric material is molded in one piece and includes two spaced longitudinal walls. Partitions are used along the length of the concrete form in order to form vertically disposed apertures for receiving molten concrete. Although it is known to use reinforcement for the concrete poured into vertically disposed apertures, it is to be seen that typical molds are not much taller than the height of conventional concrete blocks, which extends the length of time needed for the creation of a wall. Further, there is a need for a trough-like recess extending along the upper section of such molds for receiving molten (wet) concrete, and further need for a technique wherein a builder is able to economize in the use of concrete by selecting only certain vertically disposed apertures of his molds to receive the molten concrete. The '020 patent discloses the use of metal members bridging between the side wall members of the concrete form, thus increasing labor costs as well as material costs.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,636 to Nicosia, entitled "Light Weight Load Bearing Metal Structural Panel" and the U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,501 to DeLozier, entitled "Concrete Form," disclose the use of concrete forms of lightweight material typically requiring metal members for strengthening purposes, which necessarily increase the cost of materials and labor.
By way of further example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,843 to Ott et al., entitled "Lost-Form Concrete Falsework" discloses the use of insulating slabs of foam material that are held in an upright orientation in a spaced apart relationship so that concrete can be poured therebetween. The use of a ladder-like elements for holding the slabs of foam material in the properly spaced relationship causes such a wall form to be quite heavy prior to pouring the concrete, and the amount of concrete needed in the construction of the wall cannot be effectively varied in accordance with the needed strength of the wall. U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,855 to Berrenberg, entitled "Attachment and Reinforcement Member for Molded Construction Forms" discloses a form held together by expanded metal mesh. Such arrangements can be expensive, especially when one cannot select a desirable amount of concrete sufficient for meeting the needs of the wall. Similar techniques are suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,310 to Boeshart, entitled "Concrete Forming System" in which opposed polystyrene panels are stacked to form a pair of parallel, spaced apart walls held apart by tie members, with concrete to be poured between the members. As a result, an unnecessarily heavy wall results, rather than a lightweight sufficiently load-bearing wall in which the amount of concrete utilized in the wall can be selectively modified.
Typically, the teachings in the art, as suggested by the above reference patents presented by way of example, do not provide a rapid construction of load-bearing walls, wherein the amount of concrete utilized in the wall can be varied in accordance with the need for strength.

Forming apparatus and method for thermally insulated concrete wall


The invention provides methods for generating pools of variants of DNA templates, and methods of using pools of variants to identify sequences involved in conferring sensitivity or resistance to environmental factors.

Generation of DNA libraries for mutational scanning, directed evolution, and related techniques requires trading-off control over library content against diversity. Traditional site-directed mutagenesis offers a high level of control, but requires one independent reaction per mutation or site, which limits how much diversity can be generated in a cost-efficient manner. Error-prone PCR, spiked oligonucleotide synthesis, and chemical mutagenesis can generate highly diverse libraries in a single reaction, but provide limited control over their contents. In particular, introducing unbiased nucleotide substitutions into a protein-coding sequence produces a highly biased mutational spectrum at the amino acid level, and introducing multiple substitutions into one sequence forces incomplete sampling of the sequence space and may obscure the effect of individual substitutions through non-additive effects.
There is a need for methods of generating mixtures of variants of a template DNA molecule in a short time and in a relatively inexpensive manner, such that the mixtures include, e.g., every possible variant of every nucleotide of the template DNA molecule.

Methods for generating pools of variants of a DNA template


A method for manufacturing concrete panels by continuously pressing and an apparatus for carrying out the method. The concrete panels are successively manufactured by continuously feeding pallets onto a conveyor, feeding a concrete material onto the pallets, continuously pressure frames against the concrete material from the upper side and both lateral sides of the concrete material while imparting vibrations to the pressure frames, forming hollows in the concrete material by thrusting a rotary screw-type core rod therethrough to provide a panel shape hollow molding, and cutting the molded concrete material into a length corresponding to the length of each pallet. In the manufacture process, an organic or inorganic fiber material may be incorporated into the concrete material for the purpose of reinforcement of the finished products.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing long size concrete panels having penetrating hollows therein and an apparatus for putting the method into practice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacturing of long size panels, there have heretofore been known the following methods, namely;
1) a method comprising feeding a soft kneaded concrete material into a molding box, imparting vibrations to the concrete material to compact into moldings and setting the moldings; and PA1 2) a method comprising feeding a fairly hard kneaded concrete material into a molding box by a concrete material feeding device moving on a long floor, imparting vibrations to the concrete material from above to compact it wherein hollows are formed in the compacted concrete material by thrusting into the concrete material a core member which is adapted to be moved by a strained guide wire in accordance with the movement of the concrete material feeding device; curing and setting the concrete material; and cutting the concrete material into desired sizes. PA1 continuously feeding pallets onto a conveyor; PA1 feeding a concrete material onto the pallets; PA1 continuously pressing pressure frames against the concrete material from the upper side and both lateral sides of the concrete material while imparting vibrations to the pressure frames; PA1 forming hollows in the concrete material by thrusting a rotary screw-type core rod therethrough and molding the material into a panel shape; and PA1 cutting the molded concrete material into a length corresponding to the length of each pallet. PA1 concrete material feeding means for continuously feeding a concrete material onto pallets which are continuously conveyed by a conveyor; PA1 pressure frames for vibrating and pressing the concrete material from the upper side and both lateral sides thereof; PA1 a rotary screw-type core rod for forming hollows in the concrete material being vibrated and pressed; and PA1 cutting means shifting in accordance with the movement of the conveyor to cut the molded concrete material into the same length as the length of each of the pallets.
In order to produce long size concrete panels as set forth above, a very wide floor area is required for laying concrete molding materials side by side on the same floor and performing molding and drying operations. Further, it is difficult to continuously feed concrete materials and continuously mold on the same site because of difficulties in controlling the processing conditions. Further, a large crane is needed to carry away the molded articles after drying from the above-mentioned wide concrete-manufacturing site. Such a manufacturing plant requires large capital investments. Accordingly, there has been a demand for establishment of a highly efficient continuous manufacturing process of long size concrete panels.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing concrete panels by continuous pressing

Ayakoji sagaru, Iwagamidori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto


A wobble signal detecting circuit for an optical disk reproducing device configured to reproduce an optical disk which has a track including a snaking portion at a specific period, including an optical detecting unit which detects a signal written on the track, first and second band-pass filters which have different pass bandwidths and extract respectively a first and second wobble frequency components of the snaking portion based on outputs from the optical detecting unit, and a wobble signal determining unit determines that a wobble signal is present if a frequency difference or a frequency ratio of the first and second wobble frequency components is equal to or less than a prescribed value. Preferably, a higher frequency side shoulder of a bandwidth of the first band-pass filter and a lower frequency side shoulder of a bandwidth of the second band-pass filter are located on a wobble frequency.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wobble signal detecting circuit for an optical disk reproducing device for an optical disk with a track including a portion snaking at a specific period.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent DVDs (Digital Versatile Disc) include a reproduction-only media and recordable media. For the reproduction-only media, there is a copy control technology adopted in the DVD standard of CPPM (Content Protection for Prerecorded Media).
According to this standard, the optical disk such as DVD includes a wobble that is a guide track groove snaking at a prescribed amplitude and period over the entire disk. In reproducing DVD-AUDIO, whether or not there is the wobble is determined. If there is no wobble, reproduction must not be performed. In reproducing DVD-AUDIO, therefore, the wobble signal must be detected.
Various detecting circuits have been proposed for detecting the wobble signal (see e.g. JP-A-2001-118243).
FIG. 8 shows a general configuration of a conventional wobble signal detecting circuit.
A wobble signal detecting circuit 100 detects the wobble signal using the outputs from an optical detector 101 provided on an optical pick-up. Specifically, the optical detector 101 has a first portion A, a second portion B, a third portion C and a fourth portion D which are four square parts into which the entire area of the optical detector 101 is divided. In this case, it should be noted that the extending direction of a dividing line of the first portion A and second portion B accords with the tangent direction of a guiding track not shown.
The first portion A and fourth portion D are connected to a first adder 102, whereas the second portion B and third portion C are connected to a second adder 103. Further, the output from the first adder 102 and the output from the second adder 103 are connected to a subtracter 104. The output from the subtracter 104 is connected to a band-pass filter (BPF). The band-pass filter 105 is provided to remove the noise component other than the wobble frequency. The pass bandwidth of the band-pass filter 105, therefore, is set so that its central frequency is approximately equal to the wobble frequency. The output from the band-pass filter 105 is connected to a frequency detecting circuit 107 through a binary-digitizing circuit 106. The output from the frequency detecting circuit 107 is supplied, as a wobble detecting signal (wobble frequency component), to a system controller 108.
More specifically, on the basis of the signals (A+D) and (B+C) supplied to the subtracter 104, a push-pull signal (A+D)−(B+C) is created. The noise component of this push-pull signal is removed by the band-pass filter 105. The frequency component of the wobble signal is extracted by the binary-digitizing circuit 106 and the frequency detecting circuit 107.
FIG. 9 shows the manner of extracting the wobble signal by the band-pass filter 105. FIG. 9A is a spectrum diagram of the entire measured signal including a wobble signal S11. FIG. 9B is a spectrum diagram showing the pass bandwidth of the band-pass filter 105. The center frequency thereof is set to be approximately equal to the frequency of the wobble signal (in this embodiment, 150 kHz). FIG. 9C is a spectrum diagram of the signal after having passed through the band-pass filter 105, which shows the status when the wobble signal has been extracted.

Wobble signal detecting circuit for optical disk device and wobble signal detecting method


The present invention relates to a metal halogen lamp comprising, inside an outer casing (7), first (3) and second (5) arc tube members, which are electrically parallel-connected and are connected via conductive members (9) to a base part (11), each arc tube member having a first end (15), facing toward the top part (17) of the outer casing (7) opposite the base part (11), and a second end (19), facing toward the base part (11). The first arc tube member (3) is arranged closer to the top part (17) than the second arc tube member (5), and the second end (19) of the first arc tube member (3) and the first end (15) of the second arc tube member (5) adjoin an imaginary plane (P) defined substantially transversely to the center line (CL) of the outer casing (7), which center line extends from the top part (17) to the base part (11).

The working principle of a traditional metal halogen lamp is that an arc is created between two electrodes enclosed in a burner glass tube (so-called arc tube or burner). The arc is generated by a mixture of suitable gases for emitting light. The burner glass tube is configured as compactly as possible, accommodating as large a part of said gases as possible for consumption during operation. The burner glass tube is produced in elongated form with an electrode at each end, wherein the length of the burner glass tube is often approximately twice as large as the width of the burner glass tube. The burner glass tube is expediently placed inside a closed space formed by a transparent glass body. In traditional metal halogen lamps, the burner contains a mixture of gases such as argon, mercury and metal halogens. The argon gas, through its ionization, enables the arc to be ignited when current is transported between the electrodes. Unlike so-called HPS (high pressure sodium) lamps, a metal halogen lamp works under high vapor pressure. In contrast to the HPS lamp, the metal halogen lamp has a higher light value of 75-90 Ra, preferably 80-85 Ra, with a color temperature in this example of 3000-6000° K, preferably 4000-5000° K. A so-called HPS lamp is shown in EP 0477914, in which a metal halogen lamp comprising a plurality of burners connected in parallel and side by side is also shown.
Document WO 91/09415 shows that double burners can be used for metal halogen lamps. Two parallel burners are arranged in a glass bulb.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,111,359 shows two burners connected in parallel, for increasing the working life of a halogen lamp.
WO 2009/006828 shows a metal halogen lamp having two burners placed side by side.


2-Amino-4,5-disubstituted-oxazole/thiazole compounds and antidotes for thiocarbamate, triazine and acetamide herbicides. These antidote compounds are especially effective to safen acetamide herbicides used to control grassy weeds in sorghum and broadleaf weeds in corn.

Many herbicides injure crop plants at herbicide application rates necessary to control weed growth. Accordingly, many herbicides cannot be used for controlling weeds in the presence of certain crops. Uncontrolled weed growth, however, results in lower crop yield and reduced crop quality inasmuch as weeds compete with crops for light, water and soil nutrients. Reduction of herbicidal injury to crops without an unacceptable corresponding reduction of herbicidal action on the weeds can be accomplished by use of crop protectants known as herbicide "antidotes" or "safeners".
There are several classes of 2,4,5-substitutedthiazoles known as antidotes for herbicides. U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,506 and No. 4,437,876 to Howe et al describe 2-halo-4-substituted-5-thiazolecarboxylic acids and derivatives as antidotes for protecting corn, rice and sorghum from thiocarbamate herbicides such as triallate, or acetamide herbicides such as alachlor and acetochlor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,426 to Howe et al describes 2-chloro-4-substituted-5-thiazolemethyl-substituted compounds as antidotes for protecting sorghum treated with triallate, alachlor, butachlor or propachlor herbicides. U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,439 to Howe et al describes 2-substituted-4-substituted-5-oxazolecarboxylic acids/esters as antidotes for protecting rice, sorghum or wheat from triallate, alachlor or butachlor herbicides. The 2-position of the thiazole ring is substituted by hydrido, alkoxy, halo or phenoxy groups. U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,391 to Howe et al describes 2-amino-4-substituted-5-thiazolecarboxylic acids and derivatives as intermediates for preparation of 2,4,5-substituted-thiazole antidote compounds such as shown in aformentioned U.S. Pat.s No. 4,199,506, No. 4,284,426 and No. 4,437,876.
Other classes of 2-aminothiazoles are known having various utilities. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,055 to von Schmeling describes 2-amino-4-methyl-5-carboxamido-thiazole compounds as plant growth regulants and as fungicides for coating and protecting crop seed. The 2-amino moiety is mentioned as substitutable by alkyl or phenyl groups. U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,801 to Manning describes 2-amino-4-(2-aminoethylamino)-5-halophenylthiazole compounds useful as hypotensive agents. There is no substitution shown for the 2-amino moiety. U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,917 to Kulka et al describes 2-amino-4-methylthiazole-5-carboxamides as fungicides and plant growth regulants. The 2-amino and 5-carboxamide moieties are mentioned a substitutable with many classes of radicals including alkyl, haloalkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, phenyl, halophenyl and alkylphenyl. The Kulka et al '917 patent also mentions that N-heterocyclic groups may be substituted on the 2-amino nitrogen atom, such as furfuryl, .alpha.-pyridyl, or benzothiazolyl groups, or that the 2-amino nitrogen atom itself may be part of a heterocyclic ring such as a morpholido group. U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,531 to Ariyan et al describes 2-amino-4-methyl-5-thiazolecarboxamides for use as psychotherapeutic agents. The 2-amino moiety is shown as substitutable with methyl, ethyl or nitroso groups. The carboxamide nitrogen is shown as substitutable with hydrido, alkyl, phenyl or aralkyl groups. U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,838 to Manghisi et al describes 2-amino-4-aryl-5-substituted-thiazole compounds having various pharmacological properties, e.g., as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, or antipyretic agents. The 2-amino moiety is mentioned as substitutable with alkyl, cycloalkyl, phenyl, halophenyl, alkylphenyl, alkoxyphenyl, or aralkyl groups. The thiazole 5-position substituents of Manghisi comprise a large class, all members of which are characterized in being attached to the thiazole 5-position carbon through one, two or three methylene carbons.
Weed control for corn and sorghum crops is one of the oldest and most highly developed areas in weed science. Thus, for a herbicide product to be accepted commercially, such herbicide product must provide a relatively high level of control of both grassy and broadleaf weeds in corn and sorghum, in addition to meeting several other criteria. For example, the herbicide must possess relatively high unit activity so that lower rates of herbicide application are feasible. Lower application rates are desirable in order to minimize exposure of the environment to the herbicide. At the same time, such herbicide must be selective in herbicidal effect so as not to injure the crops. Herbicidal selectivity can be enhanced by use of an appropriate antidote in combination with the herbicide. But identification of an antidote having high safening activity suitable for a commercially-effective herbicide is a highly complicated task. Whether a compound or class of compounds provides efficacious antidote or safening activity is not a theoretical determination but must be done empirically. Safening activity is determined empirically by observing the complex interaction of several biological and chemical factors, namely: the type of herbicide compound; the type of weed to be controlled; the type of crop to be protected from weed competition and herbicidal injury; and the antidote compound itself. Moreover, the herbicide and antidote must each possess chemical and physical properties enabling preparation of a stable formulation which is environmentally safe and easy to apply to the field.

2-amino-4,5-disubstituted-oxazole/thiazole compounds as herbicide antidotes


A system for event detection uses a resistive switching device to record a detected event. The resistive switching device has a resistance adjustable by an applied voltage. The operation of the resistive switching device is controlled by a controller, which is configured to apply a switching voltage to the resistive switching device at a start time, and turn off the switching voltage in response to an event signal indicative of occurrence of an event. The resistance value of the resistive switching device resulting from the application of the switching voltage is indicative of the detection of the event and also the time of the occurrence of the event.

Many scientific and engineering applications require the ability to detect and analyze the time profile of fast-occurring events. For instance, many research projects involve the study of light emission (e.g., laser pulses, photoluminescence, electro-luminescence, etc.) which has very short duration, typically ranging from nanoseconds to sub-picoseconds, and it is necessary to know how the intensity and spatial distribution of the light changes as a function of time. Due to the very short durations of such events, however, it can be quite a challenge to record the time information of the event progression, and some creative ways have to be implemented to convert the time information into some other quantities that can be more easily measured.
For example, a streak camera is often used to analyze the time profile of laser pulses. The streak camera converts an incident laser pulse into photoelectrons, which are deflected to different angles based on their arrival time and projected onto a phosphorus screen to form a streak of light, and the position in the streak corresponds to the time of incidence of the photons in the pulse. The streak image is captured using a charge coupled device (CCD) so that it can be stored and analyzed to derive the time profile of the laser pulse. In this example, the steak camera functions as a time-to-space converter. There are also other approaches to measuring the time profiles of fast events, such as converting time into the amplitude of an electrical pulse. Those conventional time measurement approaches have various issues and disadvantages. For instance, time-to-space converters tend to be very large, and time-to-amplitude converters produce electric pulses that by nature are volatile and have to be detected by other means.

Fast time-tagged event detection using resistive switching devices

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method of forming a knitted body part of a knitted wear which includes knitting an integral pocket while knitting the body portion. A flat knitting machine with two pair of needle beds in a vertical direction is used. As soon as the body portion is knitted up to a predetermined position, the knitting machine is operated to branch out specific loops engaged with those knitting needles in a region corresponding to the predetermined width of a pocket.

The present invention relates to a method of integrally composing a knitted fabric integrated with an additional pocket by operating a flat knitting machine to integrally form an additional pocket in the course of executing those processes for composing a body part of a knitted wear like a sweater or a cardigan for example.
Conventionally, when providing an additional pocket on the body part of a knitted wear, initially, a knitter prepares a pocket-shaped knitted fabric, and then forms a pocket by combining the prepared pocket-shaped knitted fabric with the knitted base fabric at a desired location by applying a sewing process.
Normally, the periphery of a knitted fabric prepared for composing a pocket is manually sewn on the body part of a knitted wear. Nevertheless, peripheral portions of the knitted fabric prepared for composing a pocket is easily twined and incurs much inconvenience to handle it, and yet, easily incurs deformation. Because of these reasons, conventionally, it takes much time and consumes much labor to properly sew the prepared knitted fabric before forming a pocket on the desired knitted wear. In other words, these conventional processes significantly lower productivity.
In particular, when forming a pocket with a knitted fabric bearing patterns, it is quite difficult for the sewer to correctly match patterns between the knitted base fabric and the sewn pocket, and therefore, the above-cited symptoms obviously appear as a critical problem to solve.
To solve those problems cited above, the Applicant of the invention previously proposed a method of composing such a knitted fabric added with a pocket, where the proposed method comprises those steps described below. Initially, a knitted fabric available for the front and rear body parts is knitted up. When the knitting line arrives at a predetermined region for the provision of a pocket, a certain number of loops engaged with those knitting needles corresponding to the pocket-forming region are locally branched in order to form the bottom of a pocket, and then the front part of the pocket is knitted as of the condition in which side edges of the front-side pocket fabric knitted upward from the bottom of the pocket are integrally knitted with the front fabric, and in addition, a region knitted in the rib form is designated for the upper position of the pocket by continuously being formed in succesion to the front body part.
On the other hand, basically, in order to properly form a predetermined design and exert its own function, aperture of a pocket provided for a knitted wear needs to be reinforced by means of a rib-knitting for example. However, when composing such a knitted fabric combined with a specifically knitted fabric available for composing a pocket according to the method previously proposed by the Applicant of the invention, the exterior of the pocket-forming knitted fabric consists of the right-side composition, whereas the knitted base fabric available for the body part concealed inside of the pocket-forming knitted fabric solely consists of the lining composition.
In consequence, the knitted base fabric concealed inside of the right-side knitted fabric designated for a pocket making up part of a complete knit wear added with a pocket turns into the lining composition. As a result, when a consumer wears a knit consisting of the knitted fabric cited above, the knit visually exposes the region that turned into the lining composition along the upper aperture of the pocket. This in turn generates a uncomfortable looking of the knit itself to merely result in a degraded commerical value.
Furthermore, when the knitted base fabric concealed inside of the right-side knitted fabric of the pocket turns into the lining composition as mentioned above, the lining composition itself recesses, and as a result, the right-side knitted fabric making up the pocket falls in the recessed domain. This in turn nullifies a voluminous appearance characteristic of the added pocket itself.
Therefore, the invention has been achieved to fully solve those technical problems cited above. The object of the invention is to provide a novel method of composing a knit integrated with an additional pocket filled with a voluminous appearance without lowering productivity at all.

Knitted fabric integrally knitted with an additional pocket and the method of integrally knitting them


A grit boot mask tool including an enclosure to receive at least a portion of a blade and a door. A lock assembly that retains the door to the enclosure. The lock assembly provides for rotating a latch to retain the door to the enclosure.

The present disclosure relates generally to a grit boot mask tool and, more particularly, to a lock assembly for a grit boot mask tool.
Gas turbine engines, such as those that power modern commercial and military aircraft, generally include a compressor section to pressurize an airflow, a combustor section to burn hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of the pressurized air, and a turbine section to extract energy from the resultant combustion gases. The compressor and turbine section include one or more arrays of blades extending radially outwardly from a rotor hub. Each blade has a root that mates with the hub to retain the blade. Each blade also has a platform that partly defines the radially inner boundary of an engine flowpath, and an airfoil that extends radially across the flowpath. During engine operation, a working gas, which flows axially through the flowpath, to receive energy from the compressor blade arrays and provide energy to the turbine blade arrays.
Those portions of the blades in direct contact with the working gas are subjected to a punishing operational environment. This is particularly true of the turbine blades, which are exposed to the elevated temperature and the effects of combustion products discharged from the engine combustion chamber. It is common practice to apply various protective coatings to the flowpath exposed surfaces of the blades to extend their useful life. Application of such coatings may often be proceeded by a grit blasting operation.
Various protective grit boot mask tools have been devised to protect selected portions of the blade during grit blasting. Conventional tools use an enclosure with a door to receive the root of the blade. A wedge piece on the enclosure is friction fit with the door to retain the door during the grit blasting operation. Although effective, the wedge may wear over time which may result in the blade falling out of the boot during the grit blasting operation. This typically requires scrapping the blade.


An exerciser for simultaneously strengthening the finger, hand, wrist and forearm, comprising a head section connected to a handle section. The head section has enclosed within its rigid perimeter edge a solid flexible material which, when the exerciser is in use, generates air resistance to twisting and turning movements of the wrist and the forearm. The handle section comprises two moving components positioned in facing opposition to each other on opposites sides of a shaft which is connected to the head section. The moving components are connected to each other and to the shaft by springs which cause the moving components to be spaced apart from the shaft. In use, the handle provides gripping resistance to the fingers and hand of the user. An elastic sleeve surrounds the handle assembly to prevent pinching of the user's hand.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercising device designed to strengthen the fingers, hand, wrist and forearm simultaneously as a unit.
2. Prior Art
In many human endeavors the fingers, hand, wrist and forearm must simultaneously work together in order to perform certain tasks. Finger and hand muscles are used for griping firmly while wrist and forearm muscles are used for twisting and turning. For example, when using a screwdriver, the fingers and hand are used to grip the tool firmly while wrist and forearm simultaneously twist and turn the tool. A policeman who needs to control a disorderly and possibly dangerous person, can grip that person's arm firmly by using his fingers and hand, but he must rely on his wrist and forearm in order to simultaneously twist, turn and bend the assailant's arm behind his back.
Despite a need for the fingers, hand, wrist, and forearm to work together in this manner there exists no exercise device that simultaneously offers grip resistance to the fingers and hand, and twisting and turning resistance to the wrist and forearm, without limitation or restriction. There are devices found in prior art having spring loaded grips. They offer resistance to the griping movement of the fingers and hand but offer limited, restricted, little or no resistance to the simultaneous twisting and turning movement of the wrist and forearm.
Inoue, U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,040, presents a spring loaded grip on a barbell. Inoue's invention does simultaneously offer resistance to both the griping movement of the fingers and hands, and the twisting and turning movement of the wrist and forearm except in a very limited and restricted way. Weight is the means of resistance offered to the twisting and turning movement of the wrist and forearm. Weight is only resistant when it is moved upward. The user of Inoue's invention is limited and restricted to an upward motion. Weight also involves other muscles to work unwillingly, causing stress, stain and sometimes injury.
Brandon U.S. Pat. No. 2,848,234 presents a spring loaded grip on a golf club. Again, although the spring loaded grip offers resistance for the griping of the fingers and hand, there is little or no resistance offered to the twisting and turning movement of the wrist and forearm. The weight of the club, once momentum is established, actually offers the user assistance rather than resistance in performing the exercise. The weight and momentum of the club on the downward wing works like a Pendulum. The user never needs to apply twisting or turning forces in order to push the club through the swing.
Clearly there is a need for an exercise device that simultaneously offers gripping resistance to unrestricted twisting and turning resistance to movement of the wrist and forearm. A spring loaded grip combined with a means of generating air resistance to the twisting and turning movement of the wrist and forearm would simultaneously provide resistance to the griping of the hand, and twisting and turning of the wrist and forearm without restricting or limiting the twisting and turning movement of the wrist and forearm. Such a devise does not exist in the prior art.


Method for regulating a bank of alternators comprising at least two alternators that deliver their output in parallel to a load (C), said alternators each being provided with a regulator (12, 13) that is configured to deliver an output signal representative of the reactive power level of the corresponding alternator divided by its nominal reactive power, and a control law allowing the reactive power level of the alternator to be modified depending on an input signal, method wherein a weighted signal employed as the input signal of these regulators is generated from the output signals representative of the reactive power level of each of the alternators, i.e. the signals delivered by the corresponding regulators, so as to make each of the alternators converge to a predefined reactive power level (Trp).

When the alternators of a bank of alternators are coupled in parallel and deliver power to the terminals of a load, it is important, for the correct operation of the bank, for reactive load to be correctly distributed between all the alternators. Specifically, the reactive power has an impact on the value of the excitation current of the alternator, and thus has a direct influence on the stress placed on the electric machine and on the ageing thereof. A good distribution of reactive load ensures balanced stress of such paralleled alternators.
One known method for achieving this load distribution is the so-called reactive-droop method.
Patent application EP 2 722 955 describes a voltage regulator that employs the so-called reactive-droop method to regulate a system of parallel alternators.
The reactive-droop method, which is illustrated in FIG. 1, is based on the measurement of the reactive power delivered by the alternator, expressed in percent nominal kilovolt-ampere reactive (kVAr). The higher the delivered reactive power, the greater the decrease in voltage, this decrease being proportional to the gradient of the straight line of the droop. Thus, when an alternator A is coupled with other alternators that are already delivering power to a load, the voltage of the alternator A is equal to its open-circuit voltage, as no load is present across its terminals during the coupling, and the average voltage of the other alternators is lower than their open-circuit voltage because they are loaded with the load. As naturally reactive load shifts toward the highest voltage, the voltage of the alternator A will gradually decrease as it is loaded, and the voltage of the other alternators will increase, until they all reach an equilibrium point.
Reactive droop allows powers to still be measured with the regulator and an additional alternator to be easily added since it is enough to have identical settings for open-circuit voltage and reactive-droop coefficient. In contrast, for an ideal operation, all the alternators must be set to have the same open-circuit voltage and the same droop gradient. In case of misadjustment of one of these two parameters, the load is no longer correctly shared. Commissioning is thus tricky. Furthermore, since voltage varies depending on droop gradient, the voltage setpoint is not maintained whatever the load.
Another known method is the so-called cross-current-compensation method.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,053,503 describes a system for controlling power using the cross-current-compensation method, which consists in distributing the reactive loads between the various parallel electric machines using a loop physically produced between the current measurements of the alternators.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the load is shared via a current loop created between transformers for measuring stator current. In load equilibrium or when open-circuit, the currents input into each regulator are zero. Thus, the power measurement by the regulator is not possible. The voltage setpoint is always kept at the value of the open-circuit voltage, whatever the reactive load.
The cross-current-compensation method allows a stable voltage setpoint to be achieved and reactive load to be distributed between alternators correctly, even if the open-circuit voltage of each alternator is misadjusted, and allows potential misadjustments of droop gradient to be compensated for, since it is used only to set how fast the voltage setpoint is reached.
However, this method requires a complex cabling scheme. A rigorous creation of a current loop between a plurality of alternators may lead to problems with isolation. The addition of an additional alternator thus requires complete modification of the loop. Furthermore, resistances must be determined depending on the regulator, on the nominal reactive power of the electric machine and on the ratio of the transformer for measuring the stator current, and switches must be used to short-circuit an alternator not coupled to the load. A portion of the so-called reactive-droop method must be used in the regulator to allow the voltage setpoint to be increased and decreased. The measurement of powers with the regulators must be carried out via another current-measurement input.
Apart from reactive droop and the cross-current-compensation method, there is in the prior art another method that consists in sharing reactive loads between regulators using a link according to standard RS485. This allows the reactive-droop voltage drop to be compensated for. This method amounts to sharing, via a fieldbus, the total load present across the terminals of alternators that are connected in series. The load value to be supplied by each alternator is then determined via a simple proportionality, the voltage setpoint being corrected accordingly.
There is a need to further improve methods for distributing reactive load between alternators operating in parallel, in particular in order to ensure a balanced stress of the latter.

Method for regulating paralleled alternators in order to distribute reactive load


A synchronizing method and system between a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and a battery powered receiver wherein the transmitter transmits short duration first periodic sync signals which are used by the receiver to maintain proper synchronization of the receiver with the transmitter during second periodic wake-up windows for transmission of data. The receiver wakes for a short duration at the start of each periodic wake up window to receive a possible transmission of data, and if no transmission is received goes back to sleep, and if a transmission is received stays awake to receive the full transmission of data. The receiver accurately times a number of consecutive first periodic sync signals received from the transmitter in order to more accurately determine when the receiving device should come out of a sleep mode.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to resynchronizing timing sync pulses in a synchronizing RF system, and more particularly pertains to resynchronizing timing sync pulses in synchronizing battery powered RF receivers that are operated in synchronized periods to extend the battery lifetime, particularly those operating in bands wherein the transmitter duty cycle is restricted.
The present invention preferably provides a firmware solution to resynchronizing timing sync pulses in a synchronizing RF system that simply requires the receiving device to accurately time a number of consecutive synchronization pulses in order to more accurately determine when the receiving device should come out of a sleep mode.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The technique of transmitting periodic data messages and periodically waking a battery powered receiver to receive the periodic data messages is generally known in the art, and is used in RF communication systems, wherein a battery or line powered transmitter transmits periodic messages to a battery powered receiver to extend the battery life in the receiver.

Resynchronizing timing sync pulses in a synchronizing RF system


A motor vehicle taillight comprising a frame configured to be removably mounted to a vehicle, a housing coupled to the frame, a plurality of light emitting diode (LED) positioned along the frame, and a programmable electronic system configured to received an input signal and to selectively provide power to the at least one sets of LED arrays based on a program selected by a user and received input signal. The programmable electronic system is also configured to be selectively placed into a program mode upon activation of a switch, and when in the program mode, to select one of the plurality of programs based on at least one of a turn signal or brake signal of the motor vehicle.

The present disclosure relates to a motor vehicle lighting system, in particular, to a programmable lighting system for a motor vehicle.
Traditionally, an incandescent tungsten light bulb has been the light source used in motor vehicle lighting systems, including signaling and marking lights. More recently, however, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are starting to be used for motor vehicle brake lights and turn signals because of their long service life, vibration resistance, and fast switching times. LED-based lights are often held at constant intensity, however, factors such as flash pattern and intensity of the light can be important in attracting attention when operating a motor vehicle. LED-based lights have the capability to be programmed with a wider variety of flash patterns because of their ability to be switched directly by electronics. Therefore, designs that can enhance these features will be readily implemented by the industry.

Programmable taillight illumination system


A facility server manages battery charge of a plurality of robots in an environment where a charging device is shared by the plurality of robots. A waiting information acquisition unit acquires waiting information related to whether there is a robot which cannot use the charging device and is waiting, because another robot is charging a battery using the charging device. A charge suspension control unit controls, when there is a robot which cannot use the charging device and is waiting, control the other robot to suspend charging a battery.

The present disclosure relates to a charge management device, a charge management system, and a charge management method.
Japanese Patent No. 4460411 discloses a robot control device that manages tasks to be executed by a robot including a movement function. More specifically, the robot control device judges whether a battery of a robot needs to be replenished while checking a remaining battery level of the robot as necessary, and when it does, reconfigures a plan to execute the tasks assigned to the respective robots while controlling the robot to replenish the battery. For example, tasks assigned to the robot judged that it requires battery replenishment are distributed to task schedules of the robots other than this robot.

Charge management apparatus, charge management system, charge management method


A roller for a roller hearth furnace comprising a dispersion strengthened steel is disclosed. The roller does not require any coating or reconditioning.

Metallic rollers are used in heat treatment furnaces for the heat treatment of metallurgical products or ceramic products. Typically the rollers are used in roller hearth furnaces for the heat treatment of carbon steel, stainless steel and nickel based alloy products. In the roller hearth furnace, an object to be heat treated is transported through the furnace by means of a plurality of rollers. Rollers are often made from centrifugally cast steel products because of the high strength of such a product and the comparatively low cost of the final product (including material and manufacturing costs). In this case, the roller consists of several parts which are produced separately and subsequently welded together in order to manufacture the roller.
One example of a previously known material for rollers in roller hearth furnaces is an austenitic nickel-chromium alloy comprising 23-30% Cr, 8-11% Fe, 1.8-2.4% Al, 0.01-0.15% Y, 0.01-1.0% Ti, 0.01-1.0% Nb and 0.01-0.2% Zr, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,821 A. Another example of a previously known material for rollers is a nickel-chromium alloy comprising 55-65% Ni, 19-28% Cr, 0.75-2% Al, 0.2-1% Ti, 0.035-0.1% N, up to 0.1% C, up to 1% each of Si, Mo, Mn and Nb, up to 0.1% B and balance Fe, as disclosed in EP 0 251 295 A2. Yet another example of a previously known material for rollers is a cast nickel-chromium alloy comprising 15-40% Cr, 0.5-13% Fe, 1.5-7% Al, 0.01-0.4% Zr and 0.019-0.089% Y, as disclosed in WO 2004/067788 A1.
Conventional centrifugally cast rollers of Ni—Cr alloys often suffer from insufficient oxidation resistance due to spallation of the surface oxide. Furthermore, there is a risk of formation of surface defects, such as precipitation of hard particles of for example carbides, during use at high temperatures. Therefore, such rollers are often coated with a suitable coating material to prolong the service life. However, this type of roller still typically requires inspection every six months and reconditioning once a year due to the risks of surface defects or spallation of the coating. The total life time of this type of rollers is often in the range of two to three years. Re-conditioning means that the roller has to be removed from the furnace and machined, usually by turning, in order to accomplish the desired surface. In the case of these coated rollers, the roller also has to be re-coated. Reconditioning is a time consuming and costly process, especially since the furnace has to be shut down and the roller removed from the furnace for re-conditioning. Hence, the need for reconditioning reduces the productivity of the roller hearth furnace.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to find a suitable material to be used for rollers, intended for use in roller hearth furnaces for transportation of an object to be subjected to a heat treatment, which minimizes the need for reconditioning of the roller and thereby minimizes the productivity loss of the roller hearth furnace.

Use and method of producing a dispersion strengthened steel as material in a roller for a roller hearth furnace


Precise operation of an accelerator operating member (7) is more difficult to perform in a reversing operation of a vehicle (1) as compared with an advancing operation. Therefore, behavior of the vehicle (1) is not smooth and thus tends to be unnatural. In the reversing operation of the vehicle (1), driving force output from an internal combustion engine (2) is limited in accordance with vehicle acceleration (D). At this time, it is possible to regulate the driving force of the vehicle (1) in conformity to the actual operation of the accelerator operating member (7) by the driver. In addition, limitation of the driving force is not executed in the advancing operation of the vehicle (1). At this time, the vehicle (1) can be driven in a state in which the driving force is comparatively small. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the vehicle (1) from being unnatural. Accordingly, limitation of the driving force output from the internal combustion engine (2) can be properly carried out in accordance with the moving direction of the vehicle (1).

A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with a prime mover such as an internal combustion engine or an electric motor as a drive source. Moreover, the vehicle is provided with an accelerator operating member such as an accelerator pedal. Driving force output from the prime mover is regulated in accordance with an operation of the accelerator operating member by a driver, and is transmitted to the wheels to propel the vehicle.
Patent Document 1 discloses a device for reducing driving force output from a prime mover when the operating force or operating speed of an accelerator operating member exceeds a predetermined level in the vehicle. Referring to the device, the driving force of the vehicle is limited when the accelerator operating member is suddenly operated, for example, when the driver strongly depresses the accelerator pedal.


The present disclosure provides an analog readout preprocessing circuit for a CMOS image sensor and a control method thereof. The analog readout preprocessing circuit comprises an extended count-type integration cycle-successive approximation hybrid analog-to-digital conversion capacitor network 1 configured to achieve readout and analog-to-digital conversion of signals output from the CMOS image sensor; an operational amplifier configured to utilize “virtual short” of two input terminals of the operational amplifier and the charge conservation principle, to achieve a function of extended count-type integration cycle-successive approximation hybrid analog-to-digital conversion, where the extended count-type integration can effectively reduce a thermal noise and a flicker noise within the image sensor; a comparator configured to compare voltages at two terminals to achieve a function of quantization of signals; and a control signal generator configured to provide control signals.

CMOS image sensors are a kind of solid state image sensors. A CMOS image sensor with a resolution of M×N generally includes an image sensor array (with a size of M×N), an analog readout processing circuit, and a digital control module etc. Among them, the analog readout processing circuit has a size of 1×P, where 1≤P≤N; wherein when P=1, it performs serial readout, has the lowest degree of parallelism, and is mainly used for a low-speed image sensor; and when P=N, it performs parallel readout for all columns, has the highest degree of parallelism, and is mainly used for a high-speed image sensor.
FIG. 1 is a structural block diagram showing a structure of a conventional analog readout processing circuit for a solid state image sensor. Referring to FIG. 1, the analog readout processing circuit comprises an analog readout preprocessing circuit and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The analog readout preprocessing circuit plays an important role therein. An output voltage of the image sensor is de-noised, amplified, level shifted, and converted from single-end to differential by the analog readout preprocessing circuit and is output to the ADC in a differential structure. A sampling preprocessing circuit in the ADC outputs a differential signal, quantizes the differential signal, and temporarily stores the quantized value in a register, which is prepared for outputting at an input/output (IO) port directly or after being processed in a digital domain.
In the prior art, the analog readout preprocessing circuit only samples and converts a reset signal and an effective light intensity signal output from the image sensor one time, resulting in a large readout noise and a longer analog readout time, wherein the output noise of the analog read preprocessing circuit contains a noise from the image sensor.
The analog readout preprocessing circuit according to the present disclosure comprises an extended count-type integrating circuit which can effectively reduce a thermal noise from the image sensor and circuits by integrating the reset signal and the light intensity signal output from the image sensor many times, thereby providing a signal readout with high performance.
In carrying out the present disclosure, the inventor has found that the use of the extended count-type integrating circuit requires multiple sampling of the signal, thereby increasing the readout time and lowering a readout speed, which is unfavorable for the application of the readout circuit in cases where a high speed is needed.

Analog readout preprocessing circuit for CMOS image sensor and control method thereof

INSTITUTE OF SEMICONDUCTORS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES


A composition which incorporates a metallic salt of fluoric acid is used as an additive for washing. When used in the "wash cycle", the metallic salt of fluoric acid increases the cleaning affect of the detergent and also increases the "fluff" of the clothes. Application of the fluoric acid is through a variety of mechanisms including: direct deposit of a quantity of liquid dilute containing the fluoric acid; application of an absorbent material containing the fluoric acid within the wash; and, inclusion of the fluoric acid within the detergent.

This invention relates generally to washing and more particularly to the washing of clothes and dishes.
The present invention relates to a wide range of applications. In one application, the invention is useful in the field of cosmetics.
A wide assortment of creams, cosmetics, soaps, and medicines are applied to the topical layer of the skin with the intended affect of addressing a condition of the skin. Some examples of treatments include conditions of dry skin and acne.
The effectiveness of the treatment is directly related to the permeability of the material to the user's skin. If the active ingredient is unable to reach beneath the skin, the affect of the active ingredient is, at best, limited.
One such active ingredient is keratin which is used for the treatment of a variety of skin conditions and is also incorporated into soaps and creams to improve the user's skin. Unfortunately, keratin does not readily permeate the skin layer, hence, the vast majority of the keratin applied is simply washed or worn off without having the desired affect.
Another application for the invention is within the field of cleaning of items such as clothes, surgical scrubs, and dishes.
Cleaning through laundry, whether it is done in the home or in a commercial setting, constitutes a continuing chore. A wide assortment of detergents, pre-washes, and stain removers have been developed to assist in this chore.
Unfortunately, these chemicals are difficult to use and often do not remove many of the stains encountered. Further, these chemicals, after repetitive uses, tend to "flatten" or conceal the garment's color.
It is clear that there is a need for an easy to use and effective additive to assist in the cleaning of clothes, garments, and other items.

Method of washing garments utilizing fluoric acid


A movable stage system includes a motor which rotates a rotational element, a transmission system engaged with the motor and selectively engaged with a platform, a first lock which engages the transmission system such that the transmission system moves the platform according to a rotation of the rotational element, a second lock which engages the transmission system such that the transmission system moves the platform moves according to the rotation of the rotational element. When the first lock engages and the second lock does not engage the transmission system, the transmission system moves the platform in a first direction according to the rotation of the rotational element. When the first lock does not engage and the second lock engages with the transmission system, the transmission system moves the platform in a second direction other than the first direction according to the rotation of the rotational element.

In general, in order to move a platform such as those used in high precision equipment, such as a stage used in a handler or a tester for Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), multiple actuators or linear motors are required in order to achieve multiple degrees of freedom. For example, the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,892, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, relies upon an a first linear motor to move in an X and a second linear motor to move in a Y direction. In addition, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,982,053 and 6,215,206, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, an actuator for use with a stage is able to both rotate about a theta axis and to move along a Z axis that is parallel with the theta axis. As such, using these conventional devices, in order to move in the X direction, the Y direction, and to rotate about a theta axis, three actuators would be required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,596, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a single motor that engages a pulley system that selectively moves a platform in an X and Y direction. However, this system lacks a rotational ability. Further, the solution proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,596 has a complex construction and would take up an unacceptable amount of space for use in certain high precision equipment, such as Automatic Testing Equipment. Lastly, this solution does not have a positive drive, which would allow for errors and slippage and/or the string tension which is not be acceptable in high precision equipment.
It is an object of the invention to provide a single motor, multi axis stage positioning system having the ability to move in X and Y directions.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a single motor, multi axis stage positioning system having the ability to move in X and Y directions as well as rotating about a theta axis.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve the above and other objects of the invention, an embodiment of an actuator system for moving a platform includes a motor which rotates a rotational element, a transmission system which engages the motor and selectively engages the platform, a first lock which engages the transmission system such that the transmission system moves the platform according to a rotation of the rotational element, and a second lock which engages the transmission system such that the transmission system moves the platform moves according to the rotation of the rotational element, where, when the first lock engages the transmission system and the second lock does not engage the transmission system, the transmission system moves the platform in a first direction according to the rotation of the rotational element, and when the first lock does not engage the transmission system and the second lock engages the transmission system, the transmission system moves the platform in a second direction other than the first direction according to the rotation of the rotational element.
According to an aspect of the invention, the actuator further includes a rotation lock that selectively engages the transmission system such that, when the rotation lock is locked, the platform rotates about a third direction according to the rotation of the rotational element.
According to another aspect of the invention, the transmission system further comprises first and second rails and first and second connectors, the first rail is connected to the rotational element so as to move in the first direction according to the rotation of the rotational element, the second rail is connected to the rotational element so as to move in the second direction according to the rotation of the rotational element, when the first lock engages the transmission system, the first lock connects the first connector with the first rail and the platform and the platform moves with the first rail according to the rotation of the rotational element, and when the second lock engages the transmission system, the second lock connects the second connector with the second rail and the platform and the platform moves with the first rail according to the rotation of the rotational element.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the actuator further includes a first guide unit which is slideably connected to the first rail so as to guide the movement of the first rail in the first direction and to prevent a movement of the first rail in the second direction, and a second guide unit which is slideably connected to the second rail so as to guide the movement of the second rail in the second direction and to prevent a movement of the second rail in the first direction.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a movable stage system includes a platform, a motor which rotates a rotational element, a transmission system engaged with the motor and selectively engaged with the platform, a first lock which engages the transmission system such that the transmission system moves the platform according to a rotation of the rotational element, a second lock which engages the transmission system such that the transmission system moves the platform moves according to the rotation of the rotational element, and a controller which controls the motor and first and second locks such that, when the first lock engages the transmission system and the second lock does not engage the transmission system, the transmission system moves the platform in a first direction according to the rotation of the rotational element, and when the first lock does not engage the transmission system and the second lock engages the transmission system, the transmission system moves the platform in a second direction other than the first direction according to the rotation of the rotational element.


A new and distinct cultivar of Acalypha plant named ‘Sizzle Scissors’, characterized by its compact, rounded, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; and deeply and irregularly crenate leaves that are green, pink and red purple in color.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Acalypha plant, botanically known as Acalypha godseffiana, and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Sizzle Scissors'.
The new Acalypha originated is a naturally-occurring branch mutation of a proprietary selection of Acalypha godseffiana 'Firestorm', not patented. The new Acalypha was discovered and selected by the Inventor on a single plant within a population of plants of 'Firestorm' in a controlled greenhouse environment in Bonsall, Calif. in 2003.
Asexual reproduction of the new Acalypha by vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Bonsall, Calif. since 2004, has shown that the unique features of this new Acalypha are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A polarized optical element comprising:    an optical part made of polyurethane-based optical material; and    a polarizing film integrally bonded to the optical part,    wherein the polyurethane-based optical material comprises the reaction product of a liquid-phase material comprising:            a) a liquid polyisocyanate or polyisocyanate prepolymer having a content of —NCO functional groups comprised between 5 and 50% by weight and an average functionality of 2 to 3,        b) an isocyanate-reactive component comprising at least one organic compound containing at least two aromatic amine groups, and        c) at least one organometallic catalyst.

Optical-quality eyewear requires good optical performance. In the selection of optical element materials for use in optical-quality eyewear, the color, weight, and safety of the material is important, as well as good optical performance. Most often, however, the respective properties of different materials necessitate trade-offs among the desired characteristics of the optical element. For instance, glass has very good optical properties, but it is heavy (a dense material) and only impact resistant if thick (resulting in an even heavier lens).
Polymeric thermosetting resins, such as CR-39®, are lighter in weight but are lacking in impact resistance. Polycarbonate, in contrast, is both lightweight and highly impact resistant. Polycarbonate also has a high refractive index. Thus, thinner optical elements can be made utilizing polycarbonate. However, due to lower Abbe Number, polycarbonate exhibits more chromatic aberration than glass, typically resulting in unacceptable off-axis distortion. Moreover, polycarbonate is not resistant to common chemicals such as acetone or gasoline and it is sensitive to the stress cracking phenomenon.
Polyurethane materials have also been used as a material for optical elements. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,962,617 and 6,127,505 which are herein incorporated by reference, describe a polyurethane resin material for use in lenses, visors and other optical parts. As described in these documents, this material may offer improved lens characteristics over conventional materials such as impact resistance, high heat distortion temperature, lightness, very good optical properties, resistance to chemicals and to stress cracking. This material generally comprises the reaction product of a polyisocyanate pre-polymer material (component A) and a diamine curing agent (component B). These two components are typically mixed just before the casting procedure and admitted into a mold cavity. Because of the very quick gel time, the casting procedure has to be completed within 30 seconds or less and therefore the feeding flow rate has to be tuned accordingly in order to admit the proper amount of material. For example, the amount of material needed for an eyewear lens is typically between 10 g for a plano lens and 40 g for an ophthalmic lens. A thermal polymerization cycle is then needed to achieve the final properties of the polyurethane material.
Conventional optical elements, for example sunglass lenses manufactured using the aforementioned polyurethane materials, however, fail to properly reduce the effects of glare (i.e. the presence of areas or "hot spots" in the field of vision which are of sufficient brightness to cause visual impediment, such as temporary blurring of vision, or ocular fatigue), since they reduce uniformly the intensity of light throughout the visible spectrum. For example, if a hot spot is ten times brighter than the background ambient light, it will remain ten times brighter if a conventional optical element is used to reduce transmittance of the light, say by 50%. Therefore, conventional optical elements do not significantly eliminate the discomfort to the eye or the blurred vision resulting from the difference in the light intensity between the hot spot and the background.
In order to obviate to this problem, the use of polarized optical elements has been suggested in the art.
Polarized optical elements, in fact, can reduce glare by optically filtering the polarized light significantly more than the non-polarized light. Directly reflected sunlight is partially polarized while ambient light is not, and therefore the transmittance of the reflected sunlight would be reduced much more than that of the ambient light, thereby reducing the discomfort to the eyes.
Generally, polarized optical elements such as polarized lenses are obtained by bonding a polarized film onto the plastic surface of the lens substrate or by introducing such a film into the plastic material of the lens substrate during polymerization or by applying a polarizing coating on a lens substrate. These methods, as well as alternative methods of producing polarized lenses, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,473, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference. Regardless of which particular material is used for the substrate of the optical element, it is preferable in many applications to incorporate a polarizing film into the optical element.
Suitable polarizing films may comprise a variety of different constructions and materials. Such constructions include freestanding or non-laminated polarized films, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films, films with removable protective sheeting, and films with outer permanent protective coatings or supportive plastic coatings.
Polyurethane, impact-resistant polarized lenses incorporating a polarizing film are described in US patent applications No. 2001/0028435 and 2004/0021941.
The polyurethane lens-forming material described in these references is preferably a material disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,617, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference, or a modification thereof, obtained by a procedure called the "full-prepolymer method". The full-prepolymer method essentially consists in preparing a prepolymer containing free —NCO functional groups by reacting a diisocyanate with a slightly less than stoichiometric amount of long and/or short chain polyols and then mixing the prepolymer thus obtained (component A) with a curing agent, such an aromatic amine or a short chain polyol, (component B) which possesses functional groups capable of reacting with the free —NCO functional groups of the prepolymer. This intermediate material is then admitted into a mold made of an appropriate material such as glass or metal, and left to cure by means of a suitable time/temperature cycle.
According to experiments carried out by the present inventors and as confirmed by US patent application No 2001/0028435, however, the attempts to combine a high impact polyurethane polymeric material with a standard PVA polarized film gave negative results, since the film was consistently displaced and bent out of shape during the introduction of the polymeric material. Only polarizing films made of freestanding PET film or wafers comprising transparent plastic sheets laminated on at least one side of a PVA film to impart the PVA a sufficient robustness were used with success.
According to the inventors of US patent application No 2001/0028435, the reason for these negative results would be that it is very difficult to consistently achieve with high yields polarized polyurethane impact-resistant lenses with an embedded freestanding PVA film because during the introduction of the lens-forming resin the PVA film can be displaced due, at least in part, to the quick setting time of the resin itself. Moreover, the inventors of this reference believed that the heat produced by the exothermal reaction during the gelification of the polyurethane resin composition can soften the PVA film making easier the displacement of the film itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,272 discloses a polarized optical lens obtained from a polyurethane resin composition which is said to have a good resistance to discoloration and durability and a long pot life. According to this reference, in order to take a sufficient time for casting work and overcome the problem related to the short pot life of the mixture of the prepolymer obtained by reacting a polyisocyanate with a polyhydroxy compound (component A) and of the aromatic polyamine (component B), 3,3′-dichloro-4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane also known as 4,4′-methylene-bis(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA) is used as diamine curing agent (component B). From a practical point of view, however, the use of this diamine curing agent is very undesirable since MOCA is recognized as a very carcinogenic substance and therefore severe health and safety issues are involved. Additionally, resins produced using this diamine curing agent have a very high yellowness, which is another undesirable property.
Accordingly, a need still exists of overcoming the fundamental difficulty of handling the high impact polymeric material and of reproducibly positioning a polarizing film within the final optical element, achieving at the same time adequate optical and mechanical characteristics of the optical element.

Method of manufacturing a high impact polarized optical element and polarized optical element including an integrally bonded polarizing film


The disclosed system translates into different languages HTML documents available through the World Wide Web. HTML documents are translated by machine translation software bundled in a browser. Alternatively, documents are retrieved as needed, translated, and stored on a Web server so user requests are serviced with a document that has been translated from a different language. The disclosed invention expands usage of the Internet for non-English speakers.

The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic communication over a computer network. Particularly, the present invention relates to the expansion of multi-lingual electronic communication through translation services for documents and messages available through the Internet.
The recent surge in media attention to the Internet, and especially the World Wide Web, coupled with the continuing growth in home PC ownership have resulted in a growing diversity of the Internet user population. No longer is the Internet the province of software experts; thousands of novice users have begun to come online each day. Software like CompuServe's Web Browser lets users quickly connect to and find useful content online. This phenomenon is not restricted to the United States or to English-speaking countries. Growth in online usage in Europe and Asia is increasing even more quickly than in the U.S.
While interest in the online world is at a peak, a significant obstacle exists to broad usage of the Internet for non-English speakers. The vast majority of Internet content is in English, and is therefore inaccessible to users with other native languages. Translation of Internet documents by a human translator is not a practical solution for two reasons. First, human translation is costly and slow. A translator can typically produce 300-400 words per hour at costs of 12¢ per word or more. Second, in order to have a translator convert Internet documents to the user's native language, the user would have to download every document he was interested in to provide it to the translator. This is a time-consuming process, and if the user knows no English, he will not even be able to assess the relevance of the document before downloading it. This would result in wasted time and translation costs since inevitably, some of the documents selected will not prove to be worthwhile.
The present invention allows non-English speaking Internet users to access and understand information available from the World Wide Web and related sources. Language translation software (known as machine translation, or MT) is combined with Internet software to allow non-English speaking Internet users to quickly generate translations of online text. The process is automated and therefore, less costly and time-consuming than human translation. Advantages of the present invention are explained further in relation to the following detailed description of the invention, drawings, and claims.


Deterioration at the start-up and deterioration during the leaving period are suppressed in a good balance. As a system shutdown process, a controller (30) causes consumption of the air (oxygen) present in an oxidant electrode of a fuel cell stack (1) (oxygen consumption control). Further, after the termination of the oxygen consumption control, the controller (30) performs control to set a medium pressure hydrogen valve (13) and a hydrogen pressure adjustment valve (14) in a closed state. The controller (30) thereby causes hydrogen to be held in a passage located between the medium pressure hydrogen valve (13) and the hydrogen pressure adjustment valve (14). During a system shutdown period, a predetermined amount of hydrogen (medium pressure hydrogen) held in the hydrogen supply passage (L1) at a position between the medium pressure hydrogen valve (13) and the hydrogen pressure adjustment valve (14) can be supplied to the fuel electrode of the fuel cell stack (1) through a bypass passage (L2).

Heretofore, a fuel cell is known which generates power by making a fuel gas (hydrogen, for example) supplied to a fuel electrode and an oxidant gas (the air, for example) supplied to an oxidant electrode electrochemically react with each other. In a fuel cell system including the fuel cell, the air is sometimes present in both the oxidant electrode and the fuel electrode at a start-up. In this case, a boundary between the air present in the fuel electrode and hydrogen newly supplied thereto, so-called a hydrogen front may deteriorate the fuel cell. More specifically, corrosion of a carbon support supporting a catalyst of platinum or the like may possibly occur.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a shutdown method for fuel cell. According to this method, oxygen and hydrogen in the fuel cell are made to react with each other with the air flow to the oxidant electrode being shut off. Thereby, the concentration of oxygen remaining in the oxidant electrode is reduced and the concentration of hydrogen in the fuel cell is increased until no oxygen remains in the fuel electrode and the oxidant electrode and the gas composition within the fuel electrode and the oxidant electrode comes to an equilibrium gas composition of at least 0.0001% hydrogen with balance fuel cell inert gases. Upon reach of the equilibrium gas composition, the gas composition of at least 0.0001% hydrogen with balance fuel cell inert gases is maintained during system shutdown. Specifically, during a period after the system shutdown until the next start-up (leaving period), a hydrogen concentration in the fuel cell is monitored and hydrogen is supplied to the fuel cell as needed.

Fuel cell system and method of controlling fuel cell system


A method for synchronizing databases at a portable electronic device with corresponding databases at a second electronic device, the method including determining which one of the databases at the portable electronic device is to be synchronized based on a directed acyclic graph representing database dependencies, and synchronizing the one of the databases at the portable electronic device with a corresponding one of the databases at the second electronic device.

Portable electronic devices such as wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart telephones and laptop computers with wireless capabilities have gained widespread use for a variety of functions. Such devices are commonly used for communication purposes including transportation of data, and run on a wide variety of networks from data-only networks such as Mobitex and DataTAC to complex voice and data networks such as GSM/GPRS, CDMA, EDGE, UMTS and W-CDMA networks.
These portable electronic devices commonly include databases for storing data that is selectably retrievable by a user of a device. The data forms a series of data records, each data record containing one or more fields. During operation of the device, the data is retrieved and displayed, or otherwise made available to the user. The data can be modified, added to or deleted by the user of the device.
Advances in data storage have accompanied advances in portable electronic devices to provide for back-up of data stored at the electronic device. By backing-up the device, data can be recovered in the event of data loss at the electronic device. Various electronic devices are backed-up by way of communication over a fixed (wire) connection between the electronic device and, for example, a computing station such as a desktop computer. Once the data is stored in a database at the computing station, the stored data can be modified, added to or deleted by a user at the computing station.
Other portable electronic devices provide for back-up of data stored thereon, to a computing station by way of a radio interface, using, for example, the networks listed above. Thus, data is sent over a radio communication channel of a radio communication system, thereby forming a communications link between the portable electronic device and a remote station (a station not linked by wire communication). Again, once the data is stored in a database at a computing station, the stored data can be modified, added to or deleted at the computing station. Thus, while data stored in the database of the portable electronic device is backed-up to a computing station, data is also transmitted from the computing station to the portable electronic device to synchronize the databases of the portable electronic device with the databases of the computing station. When a data record on a computing station does not exist on the portable electronic device, or when the content of the data record (the fields of the data record) of the computing station differs from the content of the data record of the portable electronic device, then the additional data record or differing data record is transferred to the portable electronic device. Similarly, when a data record on a portable electronic device does not exist on the computing station, or when the content of the data record of the portable electronic device differs from the content of the data record of the computing station, the additional data record or differing data record is transferred to the computing station. When a data record is deleted from the portable electronic device, a delete data record indication is sent from the portable electronic device to the computing station in order to delete the corresponding data record at the computing station. Similarly, when a data record is deleted from the computing station, a delete data record indication is sent from the computing station to the portable electronic device in order to delete the corresponding data record at the portable electronic device.
Data synchronization over a radio communication channel is clearly advantageous as data can be communicated remotely over large distances. During the synchronization process, for example to restore data on the portable electronic device, databases of the portable electronic device that are backed up at the computing station, are restored in a particular order to ensure that databases that have dependencies on other databases, are restored in a desired order. Thus, an Address Book database that includes a sorting order is restored prior to a main Address Book database that includes contacts so that the contacts are sorted as they are stored.
One approach to ensuring that databases are restored in a desired order is to assign each database a number between 1 and 10, for example. Such an approach suffers disadvantages, however, as there are no clearly defined dependencies between databases. Instead, databases are simply assigned one of a limited number of priority levels. When one database priority level is reassigned, other database priority levels that depend on the one database must also be reassigned. Clearly, the order and priority is difficult to keep track of when several databases are present.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing of databases connected by wireless interface


A ceramic substrate sintered at low temperature comprising: 20 to 50% by volume of an anorthite (CaAl.sub.2 Si.sub.2 O.sub.8) crystal phase, 1 to 20% by volume of a gahnite (ZnAl.sub.2 O.sub.4) crystal phase and the balance of a glass phase and, further, containing 35 to 50% by weight of alumina (Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) as a filler. Since the substrate can be sintered at a temperature lower than 900.degree. C., has a mechanical strength as large as more than 2500 kgf/cm.sup.2 and a thermal expansion coefficient of less than 60.times.10.sup.-7 /.degree.C., Au Ag and Cu can be used as a conductor and the substrate can be used like that existent alumina substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns ceramic substrates which are sintered at low temperatures and are used as circuit substrates in electronic devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Alumina substrates generally in use in electronic elements are sintered at high temperatures, e.g., 1500.degree. to 1600.degree. C. However, low temperature sintering has recently been developed for ceramic substrates used to mount electronic parts. Further, for attaining a multi-layered alumina circuit substrate, a conductor interposed between layers is limited to a high melting point material having relatively high resistivity such as tungsten or molybdenum. As such, a reducing atmosphere Is necessary when sintering for preventing the material from oxidizing. As a result, the resistance of the wirings is increased, resulting in restrictions in the wiring pattern when transmission loss of electric signals is taken into consideration. That is, a great amount of energy has to be consumed, in the case of using alumina, when the substrate is sintered for forming a multi-layered conductor circuit, and this remarkably increases the production cost and also imposes a large restriction in characteristics. In order to overcome such a drawback, it has become necessary to develop ceramic materials which are sinterable at a temperature of 800.degree. to 1000.degree. C., preferably 850.degree. to 900.degree. C., and to develop a multi-layered structure therefor. Lowering of the sintering temperature is advantageous in enabling the use of conductors of low resistance value such as Au, Ag--Pd, Ag and Cu, which are low temperature sinterable materials.
However, although known substrates sintered at low temperature are sinterable at 800.degree. C. to 1000.degree. C., their mechanical strength is considerably reduced as compared with a strength of 3000 to 4000 kgf/cm.sup.2 of alumina substrates.
For instance, Japanese Patent Publication HEI 3-53269 discloses a substrate having a mechanical strength of about 2,000 kgf/cm.sup.2 obtained by adding an Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 powder to CaO--SiO.sub.2 --Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 system glass, sintering the mixture at 800.degree. C. to 1,000.degree. C., and depositing anorthite crystals. However, its mechanical strength is inferior to that of an alumina substrate.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Hei 3-33026 discloses a composition sinterable at 850.degree. C. obtained from a combination of crystallized glass in which ZnO and alkaline earth metal oxides contribute to crystallization and a ceramic filler, but it mentions nothing about the strength.

Ceramic substrate sintered at low temperatures


A device for effecting radiation treatment of benign or malign prostate hyperplasia. The device includes a catheter probe having an elongated body with a circumferential surface which is inserted within the urethra towards the prostate. The elongated body has a longitudinal bore extending towards at least one outlet opening present in the circumferential surface near the proximal end. A catheter tube is inserted with a proximal sharp end through the longitudinal bore of the elongated body, with an outlet opening and through the urethral wall towards a desired location within the prostate. A pre-planned amount of radiation is delivered via the catheter tube at a location within the prostate for effecting the radiation treatment. The urethral insertion probe allows a quick and accurate positioning of the catheter probe and the catheter tube relative to the prostate without discomforting the patient. The catheter probe is movably accommodated within the urethral probe.

The invention relates to a device for effecting radiation treatment of benign or malign prostate hyperplasia in a prostate of a human male having a bladder with a base and a penis with an urethra having an urethral wall extending from the base of the bladder through the prostate, said device comprising:                a catheter probe having an elongated body with a circumferential surface, a distal end and a proximal end, which catheter probe is to be inserted with its proximal end within the urethra towards the prostate;        said elongated body of said catheter probe having a longitudinal bore extending from said distal end towards at least one outlet opening present in said circumferential surface near said proximal end;        a catheter tube having a distal end and a proximal sharp end, which catheter tube is to be inserted with its proximal sharp end through said longitudinal bore of said elongated body, said outlet opening and through said urethral wall towards at least one desired location within the prostate to be treated; and        means for delivering a certain pre-planned amount of radiation energy via said catheter tube near or at said at least one location within said prostate for effecting said radiation treatment.
Benign prostatic hypertrophy or hyperplasia (BPH), for example, is one of the most common medical problems experienced by men over 50 years old. Urinary tract obstruction due to prostatic hyperplasia has been recognized since the earliest days of medicine. Hyperplastic enlargement of the prostate gland often leads to compression of the urethra, resulting in obstruction of the urinary tract and the subsequent development of symptoms including frequent urination, decrease in urinary flow, nocturia, pain, discomfort, and dribbling. The association of BPH with aging has been shown to exceed 50% in men over 50 years of age and increases in incidence to over 75% in men over 80 years of age. Symptoms of urinary obstruction occur most frequently between the ages of 65 and 70 when approximately 65% of men in this age group have prostatic enlargement.

Urethral prove device for effecting radiation treatment


A thermal management system for a vehicle and a method for controlling the same are provided. The thermal management system comprises a first coolant circuit, a second coolant circuit, a refrigerant circuit, and a controller. The first coolant circuit includes at least a first coolant circuit heat exchanger, a Coolant Heater Control Module (CHCM), a CHCM mixing valve, and a bypass valve. The CHCM mixing valve is configured to modulate flow of a coolant between the first coolant circuit heat exchanger and the CHCM. The bypass valve is configured to link the first coolant circuit with the engine. The controller directs the thermal management system to operate in one of a high efficiency mode, a heat pump assist mode, a maximum performance mode, and a propulsion system energy improvement mode, effectuating the selected mode of operation via the actuation of the CHCM valve and the bypass valve to predetermined positions.

Hybrid electric vehicles selectively use an internal combustion engine as a source of input torque to a transmission, alone or in conjunction with one or more traction motor(s), while extended-range electric vehicles use a smaller engine only when needed, and solely to power an electric generator. Battery electric vehicles forego use of the small gas engine, and instead operate using stored electrical energy or regenerative braking energy. All three vehicle configurations can operate solely on electricity in what is referred to as an electric vehicle (EV) mode.
Some electric vehicles utilize a heat pump system to heat and cool the vehicle passenger compartment, utilizing a front-end heat exchanger as the evaporator and an accumulator-type refrigerant system. In such systems the front-end heat exchanger may ice-up over time and require a de-icing function, which causes low-capacity heating in mild and cold ambient temperatures.