The present invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of Docosanol (I). More particularly, the invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of Docosanol (I) in a substantially pure form with a purity level of greater than 99.5%. The invention also relates to novel crystalline forms of Docosanol (I) and process for preparation thereof.

Docosanol (I) is a drug used for topical treatment for recurrent herpes simplex labialis episodes (cold sores or fever blisters). A saturated 22-carbon aliphatic alcohol, Docosanol (I) exhibits antiviral activity against many lipid enveloped viruses including herpes simplex virus (HSV). It is marketed in the US as 10% topical cream.
The synthesis of Docosanol (I) has been reported in few patents and non-patent literature, the contents of which are hereby incorporated as reference in their entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,718,834 describes the process of preparing primary long-chain alcohols or mixtures thereof by a growth reaction of ethylene on aluminum compounds. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,141,611 describes a process of obtaining the alcohol mixture by extracting from natural products, using organic solvents with or without saponification.
One of the main disadvantage of the prior art literature reported so far is the use of raw materials from natural sources which provide mixture of fatty acids which are difficult to separate which in turn results in low yield of the desired component. Also, use of highly specific reagents restricts the use of these processes in large scale. Hence, the present inventors have reported a novel synthetic process and purification technique for the preparation of pure Docosanol (I) which is cost effective, simple and employs less expensive chemicals, which makes it more feasible at industrial scale.
The present inventors also found novel crystalline forms of Docosanol (I).

Biophone India Pharmaceuticals PVT, Ltd.


An electronic assembly and device are provided. The electronic assembly includes a first circuit board, with PCB pads located adjacent to an edge of the circuit board, and a corresponding plurality of contacts, each contact soldered to one of the PCB pads. Each contact has a first portion, soldered to the PCB pad, and a second portion that extends past the edge of the circuit board and forms a leaf spring. The leaf spring compresses when placed in contact with a PCB pad of a second circuit board, where the PCB pad is substantially coplanar with a surface of the second circuit board. A restoring force of the second portion maintains contact between the second portion and the PCB pad of the second circuit board. The contact forms an electrical connection between the PCB pad of the first circuit board and the PCB pad of the second circuit board.

As electronic assemblies have shrunk into ever-smaller packages, electronics density has increased and overall board size has decreased. Electronic assemblies often comprise a plurality of PCBs that must be electrically interconnected. Along with components and assemblies, PCB interconnects have had to shrink to smaller footprints and increased densities. In the case of very small PCBs, the components that provide this electrical interconnection between boards can occupy much of the available space on the PCB.
Typically, interconnection components are configured as one or more rows of equal-spaced (regular pitch) connector pins. Such interconnection components are often configured in two parts. A first part includes a header that provides mechanical support for pins that extend from the header. A second part includes a receptacle with a plurality of mating connector sockets into which the pins are received.
The header is located in a rectangular area of a first PCB, with back ends of the pins soldered into holes in the first PCB. Similarly, the receptacle is located in a rectangular area of a second PCB, with back ends of the connector sockets soldered into holes in the second PCB. Positioning of the header and the receptacle on the first and second PCBs, respectively, is typically determined by physical requirements for locating the first and second PCBs within the electronic assembly. Once the header and receptacle are positioned on their respective PCBs, PCB traces must then be routed to connect the pins and sockets to whatever electronic components they are connected to.


Devices for separating impurities from the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine, the devices at least having a filter element and a housing provided with a screw cap. The screw cap and the filter element include a detachable connection arrangement which can be brought into contact and are used to transmit axial tractive forces. A first device is characterized in that the connection arrangement can be brought into contact by rotating the screw cap in the loosening rotational direction thereof and can be disengaged by rotating the screw cap in the tightening rotational direction thereof. A second device also includes a centrifuge located in the same housing, a first connection apparatus, corresponding to the above-mentioned connection apparatus being provided between an intermediate cap and the filter element, and a second connection apparatus being provided between the screw cap and the intermediate cap.

The present invention relates to a device for separating impurities from the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine, said device comprising a filter element, wherein said filter element is arranged in a two-piece housing that is closed during operation of the device and comprises a stationary lower housing part and a removable upper screw cap and wherein said screw cap and said filter element comprise detachable connection means which can be brought into contact and are used to transmit axial tractive forces, wherein the filter element is removed from the housing by means of these connection means when the screw cap is rotated in its loosening rotational direction.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a device for separating impurities from the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine, said device comprising a filter element at its bottom and, on top of said filter element, a centrifuge with a rotor drivable by means of lubricating oil flowing through it, wherein said filter element and said centrifuge are arranged, one above the other, in a common two-piece housing that is closed during operation of the device and comprises a removable upper screw cap and a stationary lower housing part, wherein a removable intermediate cap is arranged in the housing between said filter element and said centrifuge, said intermediate cap and said filter element comprising first detachable connection means which can be brought into contact and are used to transmit axial tractive forces, and wherein said centrifuge, said intermediate cap and said filter element can be removed from the housing while the latter is in its open state.
A device of the first aforementioned type is, for example, known from DE 296 10 290 U1, which describes a device that is designed as a fluid filter and which provides that the upper end disk of the filter element is provided with locking tongues that are projecting towards the top and can be mounted elastically. With the device being in the assembled state, these locking tongues engage a continuous locking groove extending along the internal perimeter of the screw cap. This permits removal of the screw cap, along with the filter element, from the filter housing by rotating said screw cap in its loosening rotational direction, this allowing the filter element to be handled easily when being replaced, wherein it is not necessary to directly seize the dirty and oily filter element. Usually, a used-up filter element is separated from the screw cap by canting the two parts against each other until the locking connection is undone. This requires canting beyond a certain angle to ensure that the locking connection will indeed be undone. In the case of screw caps which provide only little lateral motional play for the filter element partially arranged therein, this especially being the case with relatively long screw caps, it is not possible to undo the locking connection by canting because the deflection angle required between the two parts fails to be achieved since the filter element touches the internal perimeter of the screw cap beforehand. In this case, great effort is required to undo the locking connection by exerting a tractive force in an axial direction. To achieve this, the dirty filter element must be seized, and in this process, contaminated lubricating oil may easily be released into the environment. In addition, it is difficult to exert the necessary tractive force at all when seizing an oily filter element.
A device of the second aforementioned type is known from DE 43 06 431 C1. If the screw cap, as a removable part of the housing of this known device, is rotated in its loosening rotational direction, initially only the screw cap, in its thread, moves away from the stationary part of the housing in an upward direction, whereas the centrifuge rotor that is arranged in the upper part of the housing remains in its position. After the housing cap has been removed, the rotor of the centrifuge is positioned in its lower bearing. In the next step, the centrifuge rotor can be removed. Thereafter, the intermediate cap is accessible. The intermediate cap must be pulled out of the lower part of the housing in an upward direction. Therein, the intermediate cap takes along the filter element that is arranged below it, thus also removing it in an upward direction. This taking along is initiated by the first detachable connection means between the intermediate cap and the upper end disk of the filter element. After the combined unit consisting of intermediate cap and filter element has been removed, the filter element can, by canting or by exerting a tractive force in axial direction, be disengaged from and pulled out of the intermediate cap, and a new filter element can be inserted in the intermediate cap and engaged therewith via the detachable connection means by exerting a thrust force in axial direction. As compared with its disassembly, the device is then assembled in reverse order by first introducing the intermediate cap including filter element in the lower part of the housing. Thereafter, the centrifuge rotor is placed onto the intermediate cap with its lower bearing. Finally, the screw cap is screwed on, while it must be ensured that the upper bearing of the centrifuge rotor assumes its desired position in the center of the upper end of the screw cap. Obviously, disassembly and assembly of this device are relatively complicated and troublesome. In addition, disassembly requires that oily parts, in particular the intermediate cap, be seized manually. Apart from operating personnel getting their hands dirty, this poses the further problem that it is difficult to get a sufficiently firm hold of the intermediate cap because of its oily surface. As a result, it is even more difficult to pull out the intermediate cap from the lower part of the housing against the developing frictional forces and against a vacuum that might possibly be present.

Device for separating impurities from the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine


A system including the method employed, for controlling the flow of a pressurized gas through a variable orifice flow control valve in a pressurized gas conduit system, such as a ventilator, in response to either a desired flow rate/volume input signal, a desired pressure signal or both. With respect to the flow rate input signal, the system generates a flow signal indicative of the actual flow rate of gas through the flow control valve by measuring the pressure drop across the valve and using the actual orifice area based on a control valve position signal given to the valve. This flow signal is compared to the flow rate input signal to give a correction signal which is used to form a volume flow reference signal. With respect to the desired pressure signal, a signal indicative of the effective pressure at a set location in the system is compared to the desired pressure signal and processed to give a pressure flow reference signal. Depending on the mode desired, either the volume flow reference signal or the pressure flow reference signal or the greater of the two becomes a flow reference signal that is used to generate a control valve position signal based on a predetermined relationship. This signal is then used to vary the valve orifice area and correct the flow rate.

This invention relates generally to the field of medical ventilators. More particularly, it relates to a system for controlling the flow of inspiratory gas in a volume-cycled, pressure-limited ventilator.
Volume-cycled, pressure-limited ventilators (commonly called "volume" ventilators), have become well-established for life support and respiratory therapy, particularly for adults. While the volume ventilator has assumed numerous forms, in general it operates by providing a predetermined volume of respiratory gas (air or oxygen-enriched air, typically with added water vapor) to the patient during the inspiratory phase of each breathing cycle. Specifically, the volume ventilator delivers the gas in accordance with a predetermined flow rate function, wherein the delivered flow rate is integrated over time until a predetermined volume is delivered.
A typical volume ventilator includes a flow control valve that is electronically or pneumatically actuated to produce an instantaneous flow rate throughout the inspiratory phase that corresponds with a preselected flow rate function, as set by the operator. An example of such a flow control system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,557--DeVries et al., assigned to the assignee of the invention disclosed and claimed herein. The system disclosed in the DeVries et al. patent comprises a flow control valve actuated by a stepper motor that is controlled by a control signal generated by a microcomputer. The microcomputer generates the control signal by comparing an instantaneous flow rate signal produced by a flow transducer with a flow rate value required by a flow rate function stored in the microcomputer's memory. Other volume ventilator systems using a signal from a flow sensor to actuate a flow control valve are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,923,056--Bingmann et al.; 3,961,627--Ernst et al.; 3,972,327--Ernst et al.; and 4,928,684--Breitenfelder et al.
The system disclosed in the above-mentioned DeVries et al. patent exemplifies the use of a real time flow rate-indicative signal, generated by a flow transducer, as a feedback signal, wherein the instantaneously sensed flow rate is the parameter whose value is compared with the stored nominal value to generate the stepper motor control signal. The use of a closed-loop feedback system, including a stepper motor under the command of a microprocessor, to operate the flow control valve allows the system to achieve a relatively high degree of precision over a wide range of flow rates, with the ability to accommodate a wide variety of flow rate patterns.
While the system described above has provided highly satisfactory levels of performance, there has been a desire to improve responsiveness and reliability beyond the limitations inherent in state-of-the-art flow transducers. For example, instead of sensing flow rate directly, a value for the instantaneous flow rate can be calculated by measuring the pressure drop across a flow orifice of known area. State-of-the-art pressure transducers can achieve high levels of accuracy and reliability, and a variety of means can be used to determine the size of a variable orifice, either directly or indirectly, with precision. With state-of-the-art high speed microprocessors, a highly precise value for the instantaneous flow rate can be obtained in real time or near real time.
The general method of measuring a fluid flow rate as a function of the sensed pressure differential across an orifice is well-known in the fluid metering art, as exemplified by the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,055,389--Brunner; Re. 29,383--Gallatin et al.; and 4,277,832--Wong. This general method has also been employed to measure air flow in air conditioning and room ventilation ducts, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,321 Kahoe et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,651--Ginn et al.
Medical ventilators have likewise employed flow control systems in which an instantaneous flow rate value is calculated from a measured value for pressure and a known or measured value for flow orifice size. Examples of such ventilators are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,385--Rusz and U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,051--Westenkow et al.
As far as is known, despite the desire for ever-increasing reliability, responsiveness, and flexibility in flow control capability in volume ventilators, the prior art has not contemplated the precision actuation of a ventilator flow control valve using a stepper motor under the command of a microprocessor, wherein the microprocessor transmits a correction or control signal to the stepper motor in response to signals indicative of (a) the varying differential pressure across a variable flow orifice in the valve, and (b) the effective flow area of the valve orifice.

Flow control system for medical ventilator


Noise reduction method and system for a touch detection device are disclosed. The noise reduction method includes: step A, performing a synchronous sampling on the touch detection nodes in one same group and storing the sampling data; step B, comparing each sampling data against a corresponding reference data to calculate a differential data which, as a detection data, replaces a corresponding original sampling data; step C, calculating statistics of the replacing detection data to screen out valid data to calculate a DC offset component indicative of a noise ingredient; and step D, obtaining noise-filtered detection data by subtracting the DC offset component from each detection data.

Touch detection devices may come in various forms, such as, in the form of a touch key, a touch pad, or a touch screen, and may be classified into various types including infrared (IR) type, resistive type, ultrasonic type, induction type, and capacitive type, in terms of touch detection manner. As shown in FIG. 1, in one typical touch detection device, a touch controller is connected to a touch sensor to collect and process touch detection data of the touch sensor so as to determine a coordinate of a touch point.
Sampling for touch detection data is usually performed on the detection nodes on a touch sensor in a scanning manner. For example, for a capacitive multipoint touch screen, the detection nodes are a plurality of projected capacitor nodes arranged in a matrix over a surface of the touch screen. For a group of touch keys, the detection nodes are respective sensors positioned in correspondence with the touch keys. The touch controller can obtain a matrix of desired sampling data within each detecting and sampling period by obtaining the sampling data by groups or individually. FIG. 2 illustrates a sampling data matrix obtained in a touch detection device with M*N nodes in one sampling period. In practice, most touch detection devices satisfy the condition of N+M≥3 except for the situation where a single touch key is used. Due to limited hardware resources and processing capability of the touch controller, to obtain this M*N sampling data matrix, scanning operations usually need to be performed by groups to achieve a sufficient refresh rate. The nodes may be grouped such that each group includes one or more rows of nodes, one or more columns of nodes, or nodes within a respective preset area. A typical example of such group sampling is arranged row by row, which results in the detection data as follows:
the first row: S11, S12, S13 . . . S1j . . . S1n
the second row: S21, S22, S23 . . . S2j . . . S1n
the i-th row: Si1, Si2, Si3 . . . Sij . . . Sin
the m-th row: Sm1, Sm2, Sm3 . . . Sij . . . Smn
According to the basic principle of touch detection, by detecting and data sampling when no touch event occurs, the touch detection device obtains a reference data matrix shown in FIG. 3 and stores the reference data matrix in a memory. New sampling data is then compared against the reference data to calculate the difference between the new sampling data and the reference data, as shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B.Dij=Sij−Rij(where i=1,2, . . . m;j=1,2, . . . n)
Therefore, the sampling data sampled in each sampling period can be used to calculate a corresponding differential data matrix as the touch detection data for further processing, i.e. for determining whether a touch event occurred or calculating a coordinate or trajectory of a touch point. Exemplary calculating methods include threshold method, watershed method, center-of-gravity method, or the like. Whichever method is used, the detection data matrix is compared against a predetermined threshold value or threshold function to thereby determine whether a touch event occurred and whether the detected coordinate of the touch point is valid.
As can be seen from the above description, the reliability, stability and resolution of the touch detection results are dependent upon the precision and stability of the touch detection data. If the sampling value Sij includes a noise or error, this noise or error will be propagated to the differential value Dij, such that later calculations will produce an imprecise result.
However, all touch detection devices are subject to interferences during practical use, regardless of the form and detection manner of the touch detection devices. In many cases, the interferences introduce a large error into the touch detection data, which may degrade the stability and resolution of the touch detection result, or even worse, cause the touch detection device to produce a detection result of false touch or touch failure.
Take the currently popular capacitive touch screen as an example, in order to diminish the influence of LCD module and other outside interference signals, touch sensors with a double-layered or three-layered structure are generally required. The conductive layer closest to a display acts to shield the interference signals.
FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary structure which includes a display 11, a housing 12, a driving electrode layer 13, a glass plate 14, a sensing electrode layer 15, and an outer panel 16. In this structure the driving electrodes need to be boldly filled and closely arranged over the entire touch sensor's area. During each scan, one or more driving electrodes are driven while the remaining driving electrodes are connected to ground. In this case, the driving electrodes also shield the interference signals.
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B illustrate another structure in which driving electrodes 13 and sensing electrodes 15 are alternately arranged on the same plane. In this case, the driving electrodes 13 cannot be closely arranged to cover the sensing electrodes 15 and therefore cannot shield the interference signals. As such, an extra conductive shielding layer 24 is required in this structure.
The above described structures have the following defects. Firstly, these structures increase the difficulties in fabricating the sensor, which may decrease product yield and increase cost. In addition, the thickness of the sensor is increased thus increasing the weight as well as reducing the light transmittance thereof. Furthermore, only interference signals from below the sensor, for example, from the LCD display, can be shielded in these structures, while other interference signals, for example, power ripple, radio frequency, cannot be prevented.
There is currently another method of diminishing the interferences in which an auxiliary reference electrode is added to the sensor. It is configured such that this auxiliary reference electrode is only influenced by interference signals but not influenced by a touch. As such, the touch controller can eliminate the influence of outside interferences in theory by additionally sampling the reference electrode. However, this method would result in a complicated structure of the touch sensor and more detection ports of the touch controller being occupied, which increases the cost of the system.

Noise reduction method and system for touch detection device


A receiver for use in a mobile communications network, the receiver comprising an input for receiving radio signals including control symbols and data symbols, a channel estimator arranged to use the control symbols to provide a channel estimate for correcting received data symbols, a first offset corrector for de-rotating the control symbols prior to their use in providing the channel estimate, a second offset corrector for rotating the channel estimate prior to its use in correcting the received data symbols, and an offset estimator arranged to generate estimates of frequency offset in the received radio signal, for use in the first and second offset correctors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the correction of carrier frequency offsets in a mobile communication network.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art receiver arrangement for receiving a CDMA signal. An analogue oscillating signal on a radio frequency is received through an antenna 2, downconverted onto a complex base band frequency signal in a receiver 4 and converted into a series of digital samples in an A/D converter 6. In the present CDMA receiver, despreading of the signal is performed by first supplying samples to a multiplier 10 for multiplying the received samples by the complex conjugate of a long code (referred to as "a scrambling code" in WCDMA). The scrambling code is used to separate different users. The signal from the multiplier 10 is supplied to a further multiplier 16 for multiplying the signal with a short code. The short code is used to separate the control channel from the data channel. The resulting despread data signal is then integrated in an integrator block 18.
The signal from the multiplier 10 is also supplied to a further integrator 12, the integrated control symbols being supplied to a channel estimation block 14. The channel estimation block 14 estimates the complex channel coefficient of the radio channel using pilot signal information (or a training sequence in TDMA receiver), and provides a channel estimate for removing the effects of the radio channel from the received signal. The signal from the integrator 18 is multiplied by the complex conjugate of the channel estimate at multiplier 20. The resulting output includes recovered data in the form of soft symbol data with reliability information associated with the recovered data.
The output is further transformed into a real signal in block 22, and then supplied to subsequent de-coding operations. It will be appreciated that the imaginary part may also include data, in which case the invention could likewise be applied to the imaginary part. A problem that exists with the system illustrated in FIG. 1 is the existence of frequency errors, or "carrier frequency offsets" in the received signal. There are two main causes for such frequency offsets. The first one is a frequency offset in the receiver oscillator, which is used for downconverting the received RF signal. This means that there is a frequency offset between the receiver oscillator frequency and the carrier frequency of the base station. This offset, for example, degrades the performance of the channel estimator.
Another cause for rotation of the signal is the so-called Doppler effect. This means that the length of the radio signal path between the mobile station and the base station changes when the mobile station moves. This causes a Doppler shift in the spectrum in the received signal. A mobile station synchronises its system clock according to the received signal from the base station. For a moving mobile, the Doppler effect will modify the observed carrier frequency. Therefore the mobile will end up transmitting the wrong carrier frequency. When the base station receives the signal the Doppler effect has again modified the carrier frequency in the same direction so the base station observes a carrier frequency offset that is two times the Doppler shift.
In mobile station receivers, the frequency offset may be detected and the frequency of the local oscillator can be controlled to remove the offset. However, this relies on information being available as to the exact amount of the frequency offset. Another problem is that the resolution of the oscillator frequency adjustment is usually too coarse to adequately compensate the frequency offset. In base station receivers it is not possible to adjust the local oscillator frequency, because the local oscillators are common for several channels and the frequency offset is usually different for signals that were received from different mobile stations.
A significant problem with the carrier frequency offset is that it shifts the power spectrum of the received signal. Because of the Doppler shift, the spectrum is no longer symmetric so, a channel estimator with real valued filter coefficients no longer works in an optimum way.
One existing approach to deal with this problem is that the carrier frequency offset is not corrected at all. The main idea here is to choose filter coefficients with a large enough passband so that the actual signal is not filtered away in channel estimation. This has very poor performance with large carrier frequency errors.
In the system illustrated in FIG. 1, the effective carrier frequency offsets can be corrected by the use of complex valued filter coefficients in the channel estimator 14. This allows for the compensation of the static rotation of the channel in the filtering step used to estimate the channel. The required computation depends on the chosen filter, but is in any event quite large. It is often not feasible to implement the required computations in a practical system with adequate performance.
Another possibility for correcting the carrier frequency offset is to monitor the phase of the channel estimate and generate a complex phasor on the basis of successive phase values. The resulting phasor is then used to correct the received base band signal before or after channel estimation. The carrier frequency offset is removed by de-rotating samples both after descrambling with the long code and descrambling with the short code. A disadvantage with this method is that the computations which are required depend on the data rate. Also, the number of computations which is required is so high that it is not feasible to implement this with DSP software in a practical system. Such a system is discussed in EP-A-1160981.

Low complexity frequency-offset correction method


Positioning apparatus to place a reference point at selected locations in a plane. Two carriages are independently mounted to a carriage rail. The rail bears location references and the carriage carry sensors responsive to them to learn their positions along the carriage rail. Guideways and guide rails are mounted in pairs to a respective carriage and to an interface member bearing the reference point. They form an angle between them such that the interface member moves in the plane as a function of the locations of the carriages along the axis and relative to each other. Drivers drive the carriages in response to commands related to the location of the carriages.

Robotics, and specific movements for many other applications, require the movement of some reference point to any location in an X-Y plane, whereupon some event can occur precisely at that location. Positioners are well-known for such purposes. They are almost equally well-known for their complexity and high cost. The complexity they generally involve increases with the accuracy they are intended to deliver. Modern manufacturing processes call for increasing accuracy in order to improve the reliability and repeatability of produced products--a cost saving objective. This is countered by the increased cost of the production machinery, in which the precise placement of workpieces, or of circuit components is fundamental.
In addition, to be affordable these must function rapidly. Previous devices intended for rapid accurate movements tend to be heavy in order to provide the necessary rigidity, which in turn results in increased power requirements and more expensive positive sensing and powering components. For example, a Y axis carriage, motor and control placed physically on an X axis carriage, motor and control massively increases the need for rigidity and thereby the weight and the power to move quickly. These also drive up the cost of the positioner.
It is an object of this invention to provide an X-Y positioner which is able to control the movement of a reference point anywhere in a prescribed X-Y plane, utilizing only movements in the X axis to support and position both X and Y positioning devices and controls, thereby importantly reducing the cost and weight of the system, and improving its responsiveness.


A window unit is provided, comprising: a frame body having an upper edge, a bottom edge and two side edges defining the perimeter of the frame; a pair of side mounting flanges, each comprising a substantially vertical plate and each secured along a respective side edge of the frame; an upper mounting flange comprising a substantially vertical plate and a ledge extending outwardly from a lower edge of the vertical plate; whereby the upper mounting flange is secured along the upper edge of the frame by means of the ledge such that the vertical plate of the upper mounting flange is in a first vertical plane behind a second vertical plane of the vertical plates of the side mounting flanges.

A conventional window frame has an upper flange, a lower flange, and two side flanges that are generally fastened directly on to plywood sheathing of a wall of a building during installation. Insulation sheets are usually disposed directly on the outer surface of the upper flange and plywood is used to cover the outer surface of the insulation sheets. Traditionally, a lower (river) flashing is disposed adjacent the lower edge of the window frame, on the outer surface of the lower flange. An upper flashing is generally fastened to the plywood sheathing of the wall through the upper flange.
Buildings, including their windows, are exposed to water under various weather conditions. The water that buildings are exposed to includes for example rain water and water from condensation, melted ice, snow, and frost. With the conventional window and method of window installation, water can seep behind the upper flange and will trickle down between the flashing/upper flange and the plywood at the top of the window, which can cause the plywood to deteriorate. Further water can seep behind the lower flashing through the lower flange, into the plywood sheathing, which can also cause the plywood to deteriorate.
Further, the placement of the insulation sheets can prevent water from flowing down the flange, causing water to seep into the plywood behind the flange and the plywood covering the insulation sheets. Water from the plywood sheathing can also seep into 25 other parts of the wall, such as studs and insulation materials. Water damage to the wood components of the wall can compromise the strength and integrity of the wall. Further, mold can easily develop in damp areas inside the wall, which can pose a serious health threat.


A communication system includes an encoder configured to encode first data words to generate code words. A modulator is configured to modulate the code words into a first signal that is transmitted on a communication channel. A demodulator is configured to demodulate a second signal, received from the communication channel, into estimates of the code words. The second signal is based on the first signal. A decoding module is configured to group the estimates of the code words into a plurality of groups of correlated data bits, wherein the correlated data bits include statistical relationships between different data bits, generate a plurality of group estimate signals each corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of groups of correlated data bits, and generate, by combining the plurality of group estimate signals, an estimate signal corresponding to the first data words.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In communication systems, channel noise may cause transmission errors between a source and a receiver. Error correction coding (ECC) techniques may detect and correct channel transmission errors. Low-Customer density parity-check (LDPC) codes are examples of ECC block codes that may provide coding gains to improve performance.
A coding gain is an amount of additional noise that an ECC coded system may handle compared to an uncoded system. In other words, the coding gain may enable the ECC coded system to transmit at a lower bit error rate (BER) than an uncoded system. Therefore, in applications in which transmit power may be limited, the coding gains of LDPC codes may make the difference between reliable and unreliable communication.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a functional block diagram illustrating a conventional communication system 10 is shown. The communication system 10 may include an LDPC encoder 12, a modulator 14, a channel 16, a demodulator 18, and an iterative LDPC decoder 20. The iterative LDPC decoder 20 may include a channel detector 22, such as a soft-output Viterbi algorithm (SOVA) detector, and an LDPC decoder 24.
Using a given LDPC code, the LDPC encoder 12 encodes a stream of datawords (u) from a source. A dataword may refer to a group of binary data bits that is suitable for input to the LDPC encoder 12. The LDPC encoder 12 outputs a stream of codewords (c) which may be in the form of binary data. A codeword may refer to a group of bits generated by the LDPC encoder 12 based on an input dataword.
LDPC codes are block codes and thus an LDPC code may be represented by an (M×N) parity-check matrix (H) that includes M rows and N columns. M may represent a number of constraints, such as parity-check equations. N may represent a number of bits. Entries of the parity-check matrix may be a one or a zero. For example, a bit vn participates in a constraint cm if Hm,n=1.
The modulator 14 modulates the frequency, amplitude, and/or phase of the stream of codewords to generate a transmitted signal (w) that includes a modulated communication or storage signal. For example, the channel 16 may include a storage medium, such as a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, or an electrical storage medium. The channel 16 may also include a communication channel. The channel 16 provides a received signal (w′), which may represent the transmitted signal corrupted by noise (n) or other interference.
The demodulator 18 demodulates the received signal and provides an initial estimate signal (r′) of the stream of codewords. The channel detector 22 of the iterative LDPC decoder 20 receives the initial estimate signal, which may be based on hard information in blocks of data. The initial estimate signal may include corrupted bits. Hard information represents hard decisions on whether data bits are ones or zeros. In other words, a hard decision for a bit may be either a one or a zero.
The channel detector 22 may generate soft information via a soft decision that is based on the initial estimate signal and data from the channel 16. Soft information represents soft decisions on whether data bits are ones or zeros. In other words, a soft decision for a bit may be a real number that represents a probability or a likelihood of belief that the bit is a one or a zero.
For example, the soft information may be log-likelihood ratios (LLRs). An LLR is equal to the logarithm of the probability (Pr) that a bit is equal to one divided by the probability that the bit is equal to zero. In other words, the LLR of a bit v may be defined as:
      LLR              (      v      )        =      log                                Pr                                (                          v              =              1                        )                                    Pr                                (                          v              =              0                        )                              .
The sign of the LLR indicates a most likely value of the bit v. For example, a negative LLR relates to a higher probability of the bit being a 0. The value of the LLR indicates certainty of the value. For example, a larger value LLR relates to a higher certainty of the bit being a 0 or a 1.
For example, the channel detector 22 may generate the soft information based on the Viterbi algorithm. The channel detector 22 may also generate the soft information based on channel factors such as a type of modulation used by the modulator 14 and channel parameters such as additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN).
The LDPC decoder 24 receives the soft information and may attempt satisfying M parity-check equations of the parity-check matrix using the soft information. However, if one or more of the parity-check constraints are not satisfied, the LDPC 24 decoder may generate feedback information. For example, a message-passing algorithm such as a sum-product algorithm may be used to generate the feedback information. And in such an example, feedback messages from check nodes may be summed to generate the feedback information for a bit.
The channel detector 22 receives the feedback information and may update the soft information from the channel based on the feedback information. For example, the channel detector 22 may sum the soft information and the feedback information to generate updated soft information. The LDPC decoder 24 receives the updated soft information, and the process repeats.
For example, the iterative LDPC decoder 20 may repeat this process for numerous iterations to decode an entire block of data. The iterative LDPC decoder 20 may continue until a valid codeword is found that satisfies all M parity-check equations. The iterative LDPC decoder 20 may also continue until an allotted time has elapsed or when a certain number of iterations have occurred.
The iterative LDPC decoder 20 generates an estimate signal (r) based on the soft information and the iterative decoding process. The estimate signal represents an estimate of the original transmitted stream of datawords. For example, the estimate signal may include the most likely datawords. The estimate signal may also include the original stream of datawords if no error exists.
Referring now to FIG. 2A, the LDPC decoder 24 may include a plurality of nodes 30. The nodes 30 illustrate the iterative message-passing process between variable and check nodes (described above) which is used by a typical LDPC decoder 24. For example, the nodes 30 represents the following parity-check matrix H:
  H  =            [                                    1                                1                                1                                0                                0                                0                                                1                                0                                0                                1                                1                                0                                                0                                1                                1                                0                                0                                1                                                0                                0                                0                                1                                1                                1                              ]        .
The nodes 30 may include check nodes c0 (34-0), c1 (34-1), c2 (34-2), and c3 (34-3) (collectively referred to as check nodes 34). The nodes 30 may also includes variable nodes v0 (36-0), v1 (36-1), v2 (36-2), v3 (36-3), v4 (36-4), and v5 (36-5) (collectively referred to as variable nodes 36).
Referring now to FIG. 2B, the relationship between the check nodes 34, the variable nodes 36, and the parity-check matrix H is shown. The variable nodes 36 correspond to the N columns of the parity-check matrix H. The check nodes 34 correspond to the M rows of the parity-check matrix H.
The interacting nodes 30 may be referred to as a bipartite graph because no nodes of the same type (i.e., variable nodes and check nodes) are connected to each other. Communication lines connect check nodes 34 to variable nodes 36. In other words, one of the check nodes 34 is connected to one of the variable nodes 36 if the corresponding entry in the parity-check matrix is a one. For example, check node c0 (34-0) is connected to variable node v0 (36-0) because H0,0=1.
Information received from the channel 16 is communicated to the variable nodes 36 via the channel detector 22. The variable nodes 36 may pass the information up to the check nodes 34. For example, variable node v0 (36-0) may pass a message (i.e., channel information) to check nodes c0 (34-0) and c1 (34-1) because the nodes are connected.
The check nodes 34 may compute messages based on the information received from the variable nodes 36. For example, one of the check nodes 34 may compute a message by summing all messages received from variable nodes 36. The check nodes 34 may then pass the messages back to respective variable nodes 36.
For example, check node c0 (34-0) may compute a message by summing messages received from variable nodes v0 (36-0), v1 (36-1), and v2 (36-2) because the nodes are connected. Check node c0 (34-0) may also send the message back to variable nodes v0 (36-0), v1 (36-1), and v2 (36-2) because the nodes are connected.
The variable nodes 36 may then compute messages based on the messages received from the check nodes 34. For example, one of the variable nodes 36 may compute a message by summing all messages received from check nodes 36. For example, variable node v0 (36-0) may compute a feedback signal by summing messages received from check nodes c0 (34-0) and c1 (34-1) because the nodes are connected.
The check nodes 34 may send the feedback signals back to the channel detector 22. The channel detector 22 may generate updated soft information based on the feedback signals and the soft information. The LDPC decoder 24 then receives the updated soft information.
The iterative message-passing process may be repeated until a predetermined condition is satisfied. After the predetermined condition is satisfied, the iterative LDPC decoder 20 may generate and output an estimate signal r. For example, the iterative message-passing process may continue until a predetermined number of iterations have occurred or until all parity-check equations are satisfied. For example, the parity-check equations corresponding to the parity-check matrix H are:c0=v0+v1+v2 c1=v0+v3+v4 c2=v1+v2+v5 c3=v3+v4+v5.
Referring now to FIG. 3A, an exemplary variable node computation is shown. A variable node 38 receives an initial bit estimate (y), which may be an LLR, from a channel detector (not shown). The variable node 38 may also receive return messages x0, x1, and x2 from the different check nodes. The variable node 38 may generate return messages based on the received return messages and the initial bit estimate. For example, the variable node 38 may generate return messages for each check node by summing all of the other received messages, as shown in FIG. 3B.

System and method for decoding correlated data


Disclosed herein are methods for determining and replicate unknown ratios of original target liquid blends, such as hydrocarbon fuel blends or contaminants, by using an in-process fluorescence-monitored procedure. The methods rely on trial-and-error mixing of the fuel ingredients into a single container. At the end of the trial-and-error procedure, the formed blend becomes an exact replica of the target fuel blend. The methods can also be used to build calibration curves without employing sets of previously prepared standard solutions.

1. Field of the Invention:
The invention relates to a small volume apparatus and a trial-and-error method for identifying and replicating original target liquid blends of unknown ratios by employing laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Laser-induced Fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy is a sensitive investigative tool for gases, liquids, and solids. As with many other analytical techniques, however, the fluorescence methods often require some sort of reference samples to which the target samples can be compared. The comparisons are usually made either in the intensities of specific lines or bands, in the occurrence of specific lines or bands, or in the shapes of specific absorption or emission spectra. Such comparative fluorescence methods are commonly used in countless applications in the field of material inspections.
Liquids, such as non-contaminated or non-blended hydrocarbon fuels (e.g., jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel fuel), are characterized with fluorescence emission spectra of distinct shapes when excited with ultraviolet light. When such fuels become contaminated or blended with another type of fuel, however, their spectral shapes suffer alterations depending on the fluorescence spectral/temporal characteristics of the contaminants. The contaminants can be in the form of small amounts of other types of fuels which have remained, for example, in multi-purpose pipelines or refined oil storage tanks, or even in the form of small amounts of the same fuel but having different sulfur contents, which commonly happens in diesel fuel distribution operations and storage. The contaminants can also be in the form of weathered fuels mixed with fresh ones or in the form of some chemicals that cannot readily be identified. In most of these cases, the contaminants in the hydrocarbon fuels can be identified by making a comparison in the shapes of the fluorescence emission spectra between the contaminated and the uncontaminated samples. An example of such comparative procedure is ASTM method D 3650-93 (Reapproved 2006), which is a standard test for comparison of waterborne petroleum oils by fluorescence analysis. In that method, the identification of the oil is made by direct visual comparison of the sample's fluorescence emission spectrum with the same spectra of possible source samples, all being excited using ultraviolet radiation at 254 nm. In other words, to perform spectral comparisons, whether visual or numerical, measurements must first be performed on a reference sample, or on a set of reference samples, in order to generate the necessary reference data to which the measurements from the unknown sample will be compared. In many cases, the needed infoimation will not be only the type of the contaminants but also their volume ratios in the blend, i.e., their concentrations. This, in turn, will necessitate the additional steps of preparing sets of standard blends with pre-known concentrations and performing measurements on them to produce the necessary calibration curves.
Other have developed methods and systems for measuring liquids using spectroscopic techniques, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,775 to Ito, et al., which describes an apparatus and method for detecting a specimen in a liquid after dying the specimen with a fluorescence dye; U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,376 to Marcu, et al., which discloses a method for the characterization of organic material using time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy; U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,660 to Sabsabi, et al., which describes a method and apparatus for in-process liquid analysis by laser-induced plasma spectroscopy; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,871 to Hill, Jr., et al., which uses fluorescence spectral comparisons to obtain an indication of the physical characteristics of specimen. None of the systems or methods described in such patents are designed to involve a trial-and-error procedure for replicating a blend of unknown ratios or to be a technique for building calibration curves without involving standard blends of pre-known ratios.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,952,259 (hereinafter "the '259 patent") to Pible, et al., a method of detecting the presence of a serum liquid within the context of bioassays, particularly in immunological tests, is disclosed. The methods described in the '259 patent are implemented in two ways. In the first disclosed method, the mix is prepared and a fluorescence measurement is carried out on it to produce a calculated reference value R0, which is some function of the measured signal. The serum liquid is then pipetted into the mix and a fluorescence measurement is carried out to monitor the corresponding calculated value R. Finally, a comparison is made between R and R0, such that if R≧kR0 then it is an indication that there are no pipetting errors, wherein k is a coefficient relating to statistical fluctuations. However, if R<kR0 then this would be an indication that there are errors in the pipetting operation and, consequently, the mix with the serum liquid must be discarded. In this latter case, the process will be repeated again by using a new amount of the previously prepared mix (whose R0 value had already been calculated) and by pipetting a new amount of the serum liquid into the mix.
In the second disclosed method of implementation in the '259 patent, the mix is dispensed into a multitude of separate wells and the procedure leading to the determination of R0 is done for only a small number of those wells, while the procedure leading to the determination of R, after pipetting the serum, is done for each of the wells followed by a check for the R checking the condition of R≧kR0 in each case. The objective of the '259 patent is to ensure that the prepared sample (mix+serum) does not contain the wrong amount of serum every time the preparation is made. The concept of operation is based on a sorting-by-comparison process in which a multitude of identical (mix+serum) fluids are compared, one at a time, to some reference fluid. Those (mix+serum) fluids that meet the criterion are considered acceptable while those that do not are discarded. Thus, the idea of the systems and methods described in the '259 patent is not aimed at adjusting the amount of serum in the mix in the failure cases.
A few patents describe methods and systems for liquid blending. The purpose of such systems, however, is to introduce techniques for dispensing accurate liquid volumes into the blending container. A good representative of such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,533 (hereinafter "the '533 patent") to Gayer, et al., which discloses a variable blending dispenser intended for fuel dispensers. In the '533 patent, volumetric data observed by flow meters would be the means by which the blend ratios are controlled.
A need exists for methods and systems that are capable of identifying liquid blends in which the blend ratios of the components are not known beforehand. It would be beneficial if the methods and systems could reproduce the blends once the blend composition has been identified.

Methods of preparing liquid blends for building calibration curves for the effect of concentration on laser-induced fluorescence intensity


There is provided a signal processing apparatus including an oscillating unit having a division ratio of an integer that performs oscillation at a predetermined oscillation frequency, a frequency transforming unit that transforms a frequency of a signal of a processing target using a signal of the oscillation frequency obtained by the oscillation of the oscillating unit, and a correcting unit that corrects an error of the frequency of the signal of the processing target transformed by the frequency transforming unit based on an error of the oscillation frequency.

The present technology relates to a signal processing apparatus and method, a receiving apparatus and method, and a transmitting apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a signal processing apparatus and method, a receiving apparatus and method, and a transmitting apparatus and method which are capable of easily performing a high-accuracy frequency transform.
In the related art, in a receiving apparatus, a transmitting apparatus, or the like, a frequency transform has been performed on a reception signal or a transmission signal using a local oscillation frequency FLO to transform an RF signal into an IF signal or an IF signal into an RF signal (for example, see Ertan Zencir, Numan S. Dogan and Ercument Arvas, "A Low-power CMOS Mixer for Low-IF Receivers", IEEE Radio and Wireless Conference, 2002, pp. 157-160).
In recent years, with the development of communication technology, it is necessary to control a frequency transform with a high degree of accuracy (with a smaller step size).
As a local oscillating unit providing the local oscillation frequency FLO, for example, an integer-N type (hereinafter, also referred to as an "integer type) phase locked loop (PLL) having a division ratio of an integer has been used.
In order to further reduce a step size ΔFLO of the local oscillation frequency FLO, it is necessary to further reduce a step size ΔFVCO of an oscillation frequency FVCO of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) in the PLL, but in the integer-N type PLL, the oscillation frequency FVCO of the VCO can have only an integer multiple of a comparison frequency FREF of the PLL. In other words, in order to further reduce the step size ΔFVCO of the oscillation frequency FVCO of the VCO, it is necessary to reduce the comparison frequency FREF of the PLL.
However, the comparison frequency FREF is a parameter related to a loop characteristic of the PLL and is in a tradeoff relation with the performance. Therefore, when the integer-N type PLL is used as the local oscillating unit, it is likely to be difficult to sufficiently reduce the step size ΔFLO of the local oscillation frequency FLO, and to be difficult to control a frequency transform of a reception signal or a transmission signal with a sufficiently high degree of accuracy.
In this regard, a fractional-N type (hereinafter, also referred to as a "fractional type") PLL having a division ratio of a fraction has been considered for use as a local oscillating unit.

Signal processing apparatus and method, receiving apparatus and method, and, transmitting apparatus and method


A network device stores capability designations associated with Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and receives, from a customer device, one or more of the capability designations associated with a first type of IoT device. The network device receives event data generated by the first type of IoT device and maps the event data to the one or more of the capability designations. The mapping produces normalized IoT data for the first type of IoT device. The network device generates semantic information for the normalized IoT data and assembles a device model for the first type of IoT device. The device model includes the one or more of the capability designations and the semantic information.

The Internet of Things (IoT) may be described as a network of physical objects or "things" embedded with various types of electronics, software, sensors, logic, circuitry, etc., that can collect and exchange data. A "thing" (referred to herein as an "IoT device" or, alternatively, a "machine-type communication (MTC) device") may connect to a service hosted on the Internet indirectly (e.g., via another network device, such as a coordinator, a gateway, etc.) or directly. Since IoT technology has nearly limitless applications that can be leveraged to form new and useful services, interest among service providers and developers in IoT technology continues to increase. In many instances, IoT data is useful to individual consumers for monitoring, alerts, historical trends, etc., related to individual devices. In other cases, IoT data can be used by the device makers or service entities associated with each IoT device for monitoring their products or services. Data models may provide a structure for organizing, interpreting, and/or applying IoT data. For example, data models may be used for managing and retrieving observations and metadata from IoT devices.

Generating and sharing models for Internet-of-Things data


A known method of addressing relays in an array is to provide two windings on each relay, wherein one winding is associated with a row drive signal and one winding is associated with a column drive signal, and half of the required activation current is provided by each winding. A known limitation of such addressing arrangements is limited discrimination between selected relays and non-selected relays. The present invention relates to an enhanced addressing system for such arrays of relays.

The invention is based on a priority application EP 01 440 260.6, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to a method of operating a relay array using row and column addressing to improve discrimination between selected and non-selected relays.
In advanced technology, miniaturized relays are integrally formed in a substrate such as a printed circuit board. Such technology is described in the patent application EP 02 290 608.5. In a preferred embodiment of this arrangement, the relays are arranged in an array and a row and column addressing system is used to set or reset relays.
A known method of addressing relays in an array is to provide two windings on each relay, wherein one winding is associated with a row drive signal and one winding is associated with a column drive signal, and half of the required activation current is provided by each winding. A known limitation of such addressing arrangements is limited discrimination between selected relays and non-selected relays. The present invention relates to an enhanced addressing system for such arrays of relays.
The discrimination of row and column addressing in a relay array as described above can be improved by the use of xe2x80x9ccanceling currentsxe2x80x9d in the non-addressed relays.
False operation of relays can occur in a row and column addressing system with insufficient discrimination of activation current between addressed and non-addressed relays.
Discrimination can be increased by providing a current below the minimum trip current in the row coil of the selected relay, and providing twice this current in the column coil of the selected relay. In all the other rows, an opposite current equal to the first row current, but in the opposite direction is used to counteract the column current and reduce the net magnetic force to below the trip threshold for all relays in those other rows, except for the selected row, where the currents reinforce.
This gives a 3:1 discrimination between selected and non-selected relays. To prevent false operation, the below the trip threshold currents are applied before the double current is applied to the selected column.
While the invention is suitable for use in miniaturized relays, it can also be used with larger relays.

Method of providing reliable switching for DSL relay array


An apparatus and a method are provided for a centerlock wheel assembly that is configured to improve driving dynamics and provide faster wheel changes. A centerlock adaptor is provided with a plurality of vehicle bolt pattern configurations disposed thereon. A first and threaded abutment are disposed on the centerlock adaptor. A hub adaptor is configured to threadingly engage with an exterior surface of the threaded abutment, thereby retaining a centerlock wheel, for example. Finally, a center cap is provided to threadingly engage with an inner surface of the threaded abutment. For each side of the vehicle, the centerlock assembly features particular threading arrangements so as to retain the centerlock wheel and counteract against various wheel dynamics. A centerlock wrench is provided to tighten and loosen the hub adaptor and center cap.

Vehicles of many different types enjoy an enthusiastic following because of their baseline design and style. Many vehicle manufacturers produce special edition vehicles and types, including for example, off-road and higher horsepower models. However, for certain vehicle owners and enthusiasts, special editions are not enough. To be sure, for this cross-section of enthusiasts, aftermarket modifications are very desirable so that their vehicles can be a truer reflection of themselves.
In an effort to modify their vehicles, many aspects of the vehicle may be upgraded or changed. For example, to increase horsepower, the engine may be modified with more robust internals. For aesthetics and improved aerodynamics, different bumpers, spoilers and other body modifications may be performed to the vehicle.
In certain cases, the wheels and tires of a vehicle may also be changed, so as to dramatically change the appearance of the vehicle, and also provide desirable improvements in performance and handling. Consequently, wheels and tires become the foremost target for thieves. Furthermore, upgrading ones wheels and tires to lighter variants is a popular modification as it desirably reduces the vehicle's unsprung weight so as to improve handling characteristics of the vehicle.
Unfortunately, changing one's wheels and tires has a number of drawbacks as compared to the other modifications mentioned herein. For example, as compared to engine performance modifications, one's wheels and tires are more susceptible to theft as they are outwardly visible and easy to remove from a parked vehicle. Indeed, with a simple wrench, traditional wheel and tires may be easily removed from a vehicle in a matter of minutes. Although bumpers and aerodynamics are traditionally disposed on the outside of the vehicle, they are more difficult to remove and often times less valuable than wheels and tires. Furthermore, traditional wheels and tires utilize well-known types of lug nuts, and thus, any thief may purchase a single wrench to remove many types of wheels and tires, independent of the vehicle in question.
Finally, wheels and tires utilize a plurality of lug nuts so as to couple the wheel to the hub of the vehicle. From the vehicle owner or user's perspective, this means that often times, 4, 5, 6 or 8 lug nuts need to be removed from each wheel, thereby requiring an undesirable amount of time and effort to remove a wheel. What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus and a method for a wheel assembly that is configured to improve driving dynamics, reduce theft, and provide faster wheel changes.


A packaging system for shipping floral arrangements includes an elongated presentation box sized to hold a floral arrangement, such as a dozen roses. The presentation box includes two long side panels, a floor panel extending between the side panels, head end and a stem end panels each extending between the side and floor panels, a top opening defined by the side and end panels, and an elongated inner lid hingedly connected on one of its long sides to one of the side panels. The inner lid extends longitudinally from a first end adjacent to the stem end panel to a second end spaced away from the head end panel such that it folds over only a portion of the top opening and creates a presentation opening bounded by the head end panel, side panels and the second end of the inner lid for displaying the flowers of the floral arrangement.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to packaging systems and in particular to a packaging system for shipping of a floral arrangement.
Discussion of the Prior Art
Floral arrangements, such as an arrangement of long stem roses, are frequently shipped in an elongated box which, when opened, reveals the entire arrangement. There are several problems with this traditional method of shipping a floral arrangement.
Flowers are inherently fragile, so the normal jostling experienced by a floral arrangement during shipping can damage or degrade it. The life of a cut flower can be minimized if the flower is not properly hydrated, kept at a cool temperature, and ventilated. Hydration tubes can be used to provide a supply of water to the stem of each flower, but they tend to move around in the box, which can disturb the arrangement such as by pushing the flowers against one end of the box. Boxes used for shipping floral arrangements have made no provision for keeping the floral arrangement cool or ventilated because humidity can weaken the paper material forming the box and vents in the box can weaken it structurally.

Packaging system for shipping floral arrangements


A motor vehicle has a body, a wheel rotatably supported and coaxially disposed on the body, and an occupant riding portion supported by the body. The motor vehicle is provided with a body attitude detector for detecting an attitude of the body and a body attitude controller for controlling the body attitude detected by the body attitude detector, wherein, in response to an inertial force or a centrifugal force generated by acceleration, deceleration or a turning motion of the motor vehicle, the occupant riding portion is moved so as to balance the inertial force or the centrifugal force. The motor vehicle further includes an occupant attitude controller for controlling an attitude of the occupant riding portion in accordance with a detection value detected by the body attitude detector.

A vehicle device has been disclosed (see Patent Document 1) with a structure in which a saddle is mounted on a carriage having two wheels arranged on the left and right, wherein the saddle has a movable permanent magnet to which the load of a rider is applied, and a stationary permanent magnet for levitation arranged mating with the movable permanent magnet in such a way that their counter-poles are positioned opposing and also fixed to the carriage, whereby the movable permanent magnet is supported in levitation from the stationary permanent magnet by a magnetic spring consisting of the movable permanent magnet and the stationary magnet for levitation.
FIGS. 17A and 17B are conceptual views showing conventional states of a motor vehicle 1 and an occupant M during acceleration. In the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a motor vehicle, 2 denotes a body, 3 denotes a seat as an example of loading means, 4 denotes an axle, 5 denotes a wheel, G1 denotes an overall center of gravity, g denotes gravity, Fi denotes an inertial force, Ff denotes a forward force, V denotes a vertical axis, E denotes an equilibrium axis, B denotes a body axis, and P denotes a ground-contacting point.
In FIG. 17A, the motor vehicle 1 includes the body 2 connected with the axle 4 and the wheel 5, and provided with the seat 3. When the motor vehicle 1 accelerates, the inertial force Fi acts on the body 2 and the occupant M, and further acceleration results in the body 2 and the occupant M falling backward due to the influence of the inertial force Fi. Hence, the overall center of gravity G1 must be disposed on the equilibrium axis E to prevent such falling over.
FIGS. 18A and 18B are views showing conventional states of the motor vehicle 1 and the occupant M during turning. In the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes the motor vehicle, 2 denotes the body, 3 denotes the seat as an example of loading means, 4 denotes the axle, 5 denotes the wheel, G1 denotes the overall center of gravity, G2 denotes the occupant's center of gravity, g denotes gravity, Fc denotes a centrifugal force, V denotes the vertical axis, E denotes the equilibrium axis, B denotes the body axis, S denotes a riding axis, and T denotes a tread.
In FIG. 18A, the motor vehicle 1 includes the body 2 connected with the axle 4 and the wheel 5, and provided with the seat 3. When the motor vehicle 1 turns, the centrifugal force Fc acts on the body 2 and the occupant M, and further acceleration results in the body 2 and the occupant M falling to the side due to the influence of the centrifugal force Fc. Hence, the body 2 is tilted significantly more inward than the vertical axis V to arrange a dotted line E//S inside the wheel tread on a point that intersects the ground and to arrange the overall center of gravity G1 on the equilibrium axis E, in order to prevent falling and maintain balance.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2005-145296

Motor vehicle with dynamic balancing occupant riding portion


A container assembly for use with a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument is disclosed, in which the container assembly, when coupled to a source of pressurized gas, provides fluid medium to the HPLC instrument at positive pressure. The container assembly has an external exterior container shell, an internal fluid container for holding fluid medium, an interstitial volume between the external exterior container shell and the internal fluid container, a port for fluidly connecting the volume to a pressurized gas source, and a port for fluidly connecting the internal fluid container to the HPLC instrument. As a pressurized gas in the interstitial volume increases, fluid medium flows out of the port connected to the internal fluid bag and container assembly at a positive pressure. A system incorporating the container assembly, and method of use of the same, are also disclosed.

The present invention resides in the field of high-pressure, or high-performance, liquid chromatography (HPLC) assays, particularly for the delivery of reagents, diluents, solvents, and other fluids an HPLC instrument and apparatus system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a fluid handling system for the delivery of solvent fluids with positive pressure to an HPLC instrument.
HPLC is a chromatographic technique used to separate a mixture of compounds in analytical chemistry and biochemistry with the purpose of identifying, quantifying or purifying the individual components of the mixture. Generally, HPLC relies on pumps to pass a pressurized liquid and a sample mixture through a column filled with a sorbent, leading to the separation of the sample components. The active component of the column, the sorbent, is typically a granular material made of solid particles. The components of the sample mixture are separated from each other due to their different degrees of interaction with the sorbent particles. The pressurized liquid is typically a mixture of solvents (e.g. water, acetonitrile, methanol) and is referred to as "mobile phase". In addition to the composition and temperature of the mobile phase, the fluid pressure of the mobile phase plays a major role in the separation process by influencing the interactions taking place between sample components and sorbent. These interactions are physical in nature, such as hydrophobic (dispersive), dipole-dipole and ionic, most often a combination thereof.
HPLC instruments and techniques have become increasingly sophisticated and complex, allowing for the analysis of multiple portions of a sample, utilizing a variety of different solvent fluids or analyzing a variety of samples with the same or different solvents. Such systems require fluid distribution systems capable of allocating precise amounts of solvents at specific pressures, for extended durations of time, and the ability to switch from one solvent to another.
HPLC systems known in the field often require that the solvent fluids to be used by the instruments be elevated, so as to take advantage of gravity, drawing down the solvent fluids into the instrument, and thus priming the fluid lines of the HPLC instrument.
In view of the above, there remains a need to provide solvents to HPLC instrumentation without the disadvantages noted above and known in the field.


A method of determining an amount of impurities that a contaminating material contributes to high purity silicon including the step of partially encasing a sample of high purity silicon in the contaminating material. The sample encased in the contaminating material is heated within a furnace. A change in impurity content of the high purity silicon is determined after the step of heating, compared to an impurity content of the high purity silicon prior to the step of heating. A furnace for heat treating high purity silicon including a housing that defines a heating chamber. The housing is at least partially formed from low contaminant material that contributes less than 400 parts per trillion of impurities to the high purity silicon during heating at annealing temperatures for a sufficient period time to anneal the high purity silicon, and the furnace contributes an average of less than 400 parts per trillion of impurities to the high purity silicon under the same heating conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject application generally relates to a method of determining an amount of impurities that a contaminating material contributes to a high purity silicon that is heated in the presence of the material, and is further directed to furnace that minimizes the amount of impurities that are contributed from the furnace to the high purity silicon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Methods of processing high purity compositions are known in the art, especially in the semiconductor industry where it is desirable to manufacture high purity crystalline silicons. The amount of impurities in the high purity crystalline silicons directly correlates to performance of the high purity crystalline silicons in semiconductors. Therefore, there is a constant desire to minimize impurity content of the high purity crystalline silicons, as well as a general desire to minimize impurity content in any high purity composition.
Extreme measures are generally taken to minimize the amount of impurities in high purity compositions, such as high purity crystalline silicons, including processing the high purity compositions in clean rooms under atmospheric isolation. Furthermore, personnel working in the clean rooms typically wear protective suits to prevent fibers from clothing or other chemicals that may be introduced into the clean room from the personnel from contaminating the clean environment.
When manufacturing high purity crystalline silicons, in particular, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process is generally used to grow polycrystalline silicon on a silicon slim rod from chlorosilane gas, thereby forming a polycrystalline silicon log. After the CVD process, the polycrystalline silicon log is subjected to a zoning process whereby the polycrystalline silicon is converted into single crystalline silicon. As known in the art, impurities present in the polycrystalline silicon log are removed through the zoning process. Alternatively, the polycrystalline silicon log may be used to make silicon slim rods, which are subsequently used to create more polycrystalline silicon logs through the CVD process. To make the silicon slim rods from the polycrystalline silicon logs, the logs must be cut. However, the polycrystalline silicon logs are brittle and must be annealed to reduce internal stresses, which enables the polycrystalline silicon logs to be effectively cut into silicon slim rods without breaking.
To anneal the polycrystalline silicon logs, the logs are placed in a furnace and heated at a sufficient temperature for a sufficient time to anneal the logs. However, annealing contributes impurities to the polycrystalline silicon logs, which is undesirable. More specifically, environmental impurities, such as dust or other molecules present in the ambient atmosphere, may contaminate the polycrystalline silicon logs during annealing. Furthermore, materials that are actually used to form the furnace and that are heated during annealing release impurities contained therein. The impurities released by the materials that are used to form the furnace during annealing are subsequently absorbed by the polycrystalline silicon logs during annealing.
While it is known that impurities are contributed to the polycrystalline silicon logs during annealing, little focus has heretofore been given to reducing the amount of impurities contributed to the polycrystalline silicon logs during annealing. To explain, only polycrystalline silicon logs that are cut into silicon slim rods are generally subject to annealing. Because silicon slim rods account for only a small fraction of the overall volume of the resulting polycrystalline silicon logs made therefrom (typically about 0.6% by volume), the overall amount of impurities in the polycrystalline silicon logs is minimally impacted by the impurities contributed to the silicon slim rods through annealing of polycrystalline silicon logs that are cut to make the silicon slim rods. As such, efforts to minimize the amount of impurities in the polycrystalline silicon logs generally focus on other sources of impurities other than the furnaces used to anneal the polycrystalline silicon logs. However, in the drive to constantly reduce the amount of impurities present in high purity compositions, such as high purity crystalline silicons, there remains a need to reduce the amount of impurities that are contributed to the high purity compositions at all stages of processing, including during annealing, and to provide furnace assemblies that minimize dust generation due to movement of various components of the furnace assemblies or due to movement necessary to introduce the high purity compositions into the furnace.

Method of determining an amount of impurities that a contaminating material contributes to high purity silicon


A team communication platform that combines messaging, video, testing, reporting, work flow diagramming, presentations, and performance analysis into a portal system that is made mobile through the use of synchronization services.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to team communication, specifically to providing a portal system to facilitate knowledge transfer within a team.
2. Description of Related Art
Teams today are driven by information. Success is often just as much a factor of classroom preparation and mental training as it is physical training. Even the most gifted workers will not find success in the workplace unless they have a solid understanding of their tasks to complete and the resources they have at their disposal.
Team leaders face the challenge of mentally training their team members as well as physically training them. There exists a wealth of information and leaders must filter and deliver that which is relevant to their team in a way that is comprehensive yet still maintains the team members' attention.
Teams today are continually looking to new technologies to enhance this content delivery process. There exist a variety of solutions that attempt to address this need, but even the best information technology infrastructures have a number of significant shortcomings that keep them from truly empowering teams.
Within the sports team realm, current attempts are plagued by a failure to place the technology directly in the team member's hands, instead focusing on team leaders. Furthermore, current attempts fail to provide a comprehensive solution. Video viewing and commenting, work flow (or, in the sports team realm, playbook) viewing and editing, messaging, and reporting are currently separated into disparate systems that do not adequately interact. Additionally, current attempts fail to take a holistic approach, combining the many facets of a team leader or team member's experience into a single portal. Current systems are further plagued by a lack of mobility. Existing stationary systems for knowledge transfer discourage team member use by requiring the individual to be at a specific location using a stationary workstation. Also, current attempts often result in the duplication of work. Due to teams having a limited number of stationary workstations at their disposal, leaders are required to maintain both a library of videos, work flow diagrams, and reports on a server and a printed version of all of these for team member use. Finally, current attempts suffer from a lack of personalization, failing to allow full content customization. Team leaders cannot send content directly to the team member(s) that needs it, and cannot monitor a team member's use of the system and progress through content or exams. The majority of these attempts exclusively address sports applications.
An example of a previous attempt to address these unresolved needs involves video editing and tagging solutions for teams (see, for example, XOS TECHNOLOGIES. However, this attempted system does not currently provide a system that puts video and playbook software in the team member's hands. A further elaboration on this attempted system incorporates freehand notations into play diagrams from Tablet PCs (see, for example, SAGIO SOFTWARE. However, this attempted system does not incorporate video into its solution and is focused primarily on analysis software from a statistical standpoint.
Another example of an attempted system provides a video game simulator in which teams use video game controllers and laptop computers to simulate football games that incorporate their team's plays against mock defenses (see, for example, GRIDIRON TECHNOLOGIES. Teams can enter a variety of plays and potential scenarios to be run with custom-built players whose sizes, strengths and speeds can be set to match those of the team's own players and opponents. However, this type of system focuses solely on simulating in-game scenarios in a realistic game environment and not incorporating interactive videos, reports and work flow diagrams.
Another example of an attempted system provides team members with access to videos from home by allowing server access for the viewing and downloading of video clips on any computer with Internet access (see, for example, COACHCOMM or DARTFISH. Providing access to these items over the Internet, however, presents a potential security issue in that unauthorized users can more easily gain access to this information when it does not require proprietary software to view. Furthermore, this type of system fails to present a holistic solution that incorporates a virtual playbook and interactive reports with video, and the videos presented cannot be commented on using digital ink and text annotations, and voice recordings.
Another example of an attempted system uses Tablet PC technology for video viewing and annotation (see, for example, LRSSPORTS), but offers this system only as a solution for coaches, not for players, and focuses its application on immediate corrections as opposed to distributing corrections post fact.
Although most video editing and tagging platforms allow for teams to burn DVDs or prepare VHS tapes for their players to review and some have allowed for viewing of video over the Internet or on portable devices such as Video IPODs, there still remains a large gap wherein these videos cannot be customized and annotated for each team member, and cannot be transferred over a network to a portable device for team member review. DVDs or VHS tapes are cumbersome and require the physical transfer of the media source. Similarly, portable devices, such as IPODs, require a direct physical connection to the media source to download videos and, with limited screen dimensions, fail to provide players with a resolution that enables them to read coaches' notes or diagrams that are placed directly on the video. Solutions that rely on remote storage of content and only allow videos to be viewed over the Internet do not provide portability for plane or road trips, are limited by the speed at which video can be streamed over the web, require constant network connectivity to function, and present a security concern.


Embodiments are directed to managing resources over a network. One or more resources that are unassigned. Selection models may be generated based on a one or more open appointments or one or more characteristics of one or more clients. The selection models may be employed to determine each client that is qualified to accept one or more invitations to the one or more open appointments. The one or more invitations to accept the one or more open appointments may be provided to the one or more qualified clients based on one or more notification models that define one or more communication modes to communicate the one or more invitations with the one or more candidate clients over a period of time. An open appointment may be reserved based on a qualified client accepting an invitation to the open appointment.

Modern organizations provide many systems that enable clients, providers, or users to schedule appointments, including, web based portals, telephonic scheduling, model phone apps, and so on. By providing multiple appointment scheduling systems, organizations can provide convenient and reliable means for clients to schedule appointments. Accordingly, organizations are enabled to efficiently manage their resources to service their scheduled appointments. However, appointment scheduling systems often enable clients, providers, or users to cancel appointments. In some cases, some systems enable clients to easily or conveniently cancel. However, in some cases, if appointments are canceled, the organizations may be left with unassigned resources that were previously allocated for the now canceled appointment. In some cases, this may cause organizations added costs or lost revenue because they may be unable to reschedule the unassigned resources. Thus, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made.


An imaging system captures one or more images at a time when a subject is comfortably wearing a pair of glasses with dummy lenses. The subject's face is illuminated by energy sources (e.g. visible light sources), and specular reflections (“glints”) from the dummy lenses used to measure the locations the dummy lens(es). This provides information about how the comfortable positions for glasses on the subject's face, which can be used to design and fabricate personalized glasses.

A conventional process for providing a subject with eyewear such as glasses (a term which is used here to include both vision correction glasses (spectacles) and sunglasses, or even a headset for virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR)) involves the subject trying on series of dummy frames, and examining his or her reflection in a mirror. Once a frame style has been selected, an optician conventionally makes a number of manual measurements of the subject's face, to obtain distance parameters of the subject's face, which are used to provide a bespoke frame including lenses. In the case of vision correction glasses, the lenses are chosen to have respective refractive power according to the visual deficiencies of the subject's respective eyes.
The measurement process is subject to various errors. For example, it is difficult to measure the distances of the eye to various portions of the lenses, which may be highly disadvantageous for glasses which perform visual correction. It has been estimated that a 2 mm variation of the spacing of the eye and the lens can result in a 10% difference in the resulting field of vision. Additional problems are that the modification of the frame changes the position of the optical centre of the lens in the up/down and left/right directions (relative to the face of the subject) which may also have undesirable optical effects.

Systems and methods for obtaining eyewear information


The invention relates to chemical compound of the general structure[A-R3—X—R4]    where    A=[R1-R2] or [R1]    R1=aryl, heteroaryl    R2=alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, carbonyl, thiocarbonyl, alkyl ester, alkyl thioester    R3=O, S, NH    X=closo- or nido-boron cluster    R4=

Lipoxygenases are a class of enzymes which are involved in the metabolism of arachidonic acid. Said acid is converted to biologically active leukotrienes, which are involved in inflammatory reactions. Lipoxygenases therefore play a role, for example, in asthma and some cancers as they are overexpressed by some tumours. The subsequent inflammatory reaction causes new blood vessels to form (angiogenesis) such that the tumour is able to build up an independent blood supply and generate metastases.
Inhibiting lipoxygenase is therefore of central importance for suppressing the breakdown of arachidonic acid and for minimising the subsequent inflammatory reactions.
The inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase, also referred to as 5-LO or 5-LOX, is of particular importance.
There are currently only a few drugs on the market which inhibit lipoxygenase. Many previous candidates from clinical studies failed due to excessively low bioavailability and high metabolic breakdown and an associated low level of in vive activity.
As described in a publication by Mano et al. [T. Mano, K. Mlyamoto, Bioorg. Med. Chem., 2003, 11, 3,879-3,887], experiments with imidazole derivatives have already been carried out in order to improve the solubility behaviour of 5-LOX inhibitors. However, the syntheses for these derivatives are very complex, thus making them very expensive to prepare. At the same time, some of the compounds lose a great deal of their effectiveness within the organism as they are metabolically extremely unstable.
It is known that dicarba-closododecaboranes (also carbaboranes or carboranes, C2B10H12) are non-toxic [M. S. Koo, S. B. Kahl, J. Med. Chem., 2007, 50, 820-827] and chemically and metabolically extremely stable compounds [Z. J. Lesnikowski, Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun., 2007, 72, 1,646-1,658]. Furthermore, it has already been demonstrated that the use of carboranes in drugs may lead to increased metabolic stability [M. L. Beer, J. Lemon, J. F. Valliant, J. Med. Chem., 2010, 53, 8,012-8,020; J. F. Valliant, P. Schaffer, K. Stephenson, CA 2348853 A1].
CA 2348853 A1 discloses a compound, an analogue of tamoxifen, in which one of the three phenyl rings is replaced by a carborane cluster, the cluster having a mono-functionalisation. The cluster analogue demonstrates pharmacological activity for breast cancer therapy and can be used, inter alia, in boron neuron capture therapy (BNCT).
WO 2008/145733 describes, inter alia, the substitution of aromatic ring structures within particular compounds by boron-containing clusters, preferably carboranes, in order to thus achieve improved pharmaceutical properties. Disclosed is a method for preparing ortho-substituted carboranes which assume the position of ortho-substituted phenyl rings within known compounds, such as salicylic acid. However, the drawback to these ortho-carboranes is that they have high metabolic instability and restricted effectiveness. The mentioned compounds are intended to be used for improved inhibition of cyclooxygenase; however, inhibition tests on the enzyme or cytotoxicity tests have not been carried out and demonstrated. No evidence has been provided for the effectiveness of the substances either. Meta- and para-carboranyl compounds are cited as carboxylic acids and carboxylic acid chlorides known in the literature; however, these compounds have no structural similarity to inhibitors or precursors of inhibitors of lipoxygenase or the lipoxygenase pathway. The subsequent conversion to compounds having LOX-inhibiting properties was not sought after or investigated in WO 2008/145733.
WO 20061073938 describes, inter alia, the use of boron clusters which are mono-functionalised, i.e. only substituted at one position, for substituting indolizine rings in compounds which, as anti-bacterial, inflammation-inhibiting and anti-viral compounds, are intended to be effective in particular against HIV.
The drawback to mono-functionalised clusters is that they have only insufficient cytotoxicity towards various cancer cell lines.
Publications by W. Neumann et al. illustrate the introduction of tertiary alcohol substituents on the carborane frame which are in ortho positions in relation to already present substituents. In this case, a carboxylic acid unit introduced on the carborane frame is reduced/alkylated two-fold by means of alkyl lithium. [W. Neumann, Dalton Trans., 2014, 43, 4,935-4,937; W. Neumann, Dalton Trans., 2015, 44, 6,638-6,644]. The drawback is that only ortho-substituted carborane frames can be generated on this pathway. No primary or secondary alcohols can be generated in this way either, which considerably restricts the applicability of the synthesis. The subsequent conversion to compounds having LOX-Inhibiting properties was not investigated in the publications.

Boron compounds as inhibitors of lipoxygenase and the lipoxygenase pathway, and preparation and use thereof

Abstract: where Z=OH, SH, NH2         where R5 is selected from H, alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkyl ether, alkyl thioether, alkylamine                    and R6 is selected from alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, alkyl ether, alkyl thioether, alkylamine                            and where R3 and R4 are in meta or para positions to one another,    to a process for preparation thereof and to the use thereof, especially in medicine, for example in the inhibition of lipoxygenase.