To provide a method of producing a nonwoven fabric for artificial leather and substrate for artificial leather which is capable of providing the substrate for artificial leather having a sufficient shape stability by producing the nonwoven fabric for artificial leather without causing serious damages to the scrim.

Artificial leathers are generally composed of the combination of a nonwoven fabric and an elastic polymer and combine an appearance, flexibility and softness comparable to those of natural leathers and mechanical properties superior to those of natural leathers. Known artificial leathers are excellent in the flexibility and softness, but fail to simultaneously satisfy a high shape stability which is required, for example, in upholsteries for seats. Therefore, various methods for reinforcing the structure of nonwoven fabric with a scrim have been proposed when particularly high shape stability is needed.
The methods for reinforcing nonwoven fabrics with a scrim are roughly classified to two types: a method of uniting a scrim on one surface of a nonwoven fabric or between two nonwoven fabrics by a adhesive and a method of uniting a scrim on one surface of a nonwoven fabric or between two nonwoven fabrics by a fiber entanglement. In the former method, a scrim having desired properties is simply adhesively bonded to the back surface of, for example, a general artificial leather mentioned above. Therefore, this method can be easily performed without difficulty only by controlling the elongation of two sheet materials during the adhesion operation. The same may be said of adhesively uniting a scrim between two artificial leathers. In the latter method, a non woven fabric and a scrim, which are quite different in their fibrous structures, are united by the entanglement in the thickness direction caused by mechanically treating the fibers of the nonwoven fabric. However, this method involves several problems, because the method inevitably causes the undesirable change and damage in the structures of nonwoven fabric and scrim and the damage of fibers when the nonwoven fabric and the scrim are strongly entangled. In case of uniting a scrim with a short fiber or long fiber nonwoven fabric which is made of superfine fiber-forming fibers such as sea-island fibers and core-sheath fibers or direct-spun superfine fibers, the entanglement is generally effected by a jet flow or needle punch from the side of the nonwoven fabric of a stack which includes two sheets of nonwoven fabric and a scrim interposed between the nonwoven fabrics or a stack which includes one sheet of nonwoven fabric and a scrim superposed on one surface of the nonwoven fabric. To solve the above problems in the mechanical entanglement, there is proposed a method in which a stack of a web and a knitted or woven fabric is needle-punched using needles having a total barb depth which is half or less of the diameter of the yarns constituting the knitted or woven fabric (for example, Patent Document 1). However, the entangling efficiency of the fibers constituting the web is insufficient because the total barb depth is relatively small. To enhance the entanglement, the number of punch should be increased. However, this causes the increased damage of the knitted or woven fabric. In particular, the damage of the knitted or woven fabric becomes significant when the yarns constituting the knitted or woven fabric have a relatively small number of twists and are easily caught on barbs even when its total barb depth is small. If the number of twists is increased to solve this problem, the yarns becomes difficult to be caught on barbs and the damage of knitted or woven fabric is decreased because the highly twisted yarns are difficult to break even when caught on barbs. However, the highly twisted yarns make the feel of the knitted or woven fabric hard, this resulting in a hard feel of the resultant artificial leather. In another proposal, a fibrous sheet made of short fibers having a fiber length of 10 mm or less and a knitted or woven fabric is united by a jet flow (for example, Patent Document 2). As compared with the entanglement by needle punching, the jet flow can entangle fibers with little damage of fibers. However, since the fiber length is very short, the short fibers are likely to pull out from the united body whatever strongly entangled. Therefore, it is difficult to attain a high surface abrasion resistance without impairing the feel and appearance. In the application requiring a shape stability, which is one of the main objects of the present invention, including interior materials such as upholsteries for seats, a high surface abrasion resistance is required in addition to a feel with flexibility, softness and bulkiness. However, the production method for producing a substrate for artificial leather which sufficiently combines such properties is hitherto not proposed.
Patent Document 1: JP 7-13344B
Patent Document 2: JP 60-29775B

Nonwoven fabric for artificial leather and process for producing artificial leather substrate

Abstract: A method of producing a nonwoven fabric for artificial leather, including a step of entanglement for uniting superposed fiber web and scrim by a needle punching, wherein the needle punching is performed in a manner satisfying the following formulae 1 and 2:S1<2P≦S1/cos(D1×(π/180))  (1)S2<2P≦S2/cos(D2×(π/180))  (2)wherein S1 is a diameter of warps constituting the scrim, S2 is a diameter of wefts constituting the scrim, D1 is an angle between the warps and barbs which penetrate the scrim, D2 is an angle between the wefts and barbs which penetrate the scrim, and P is a total barb depth of the barbs.


A key switch device capable of preventing a key top from displacing in the horizontal direction when the key top is being depressed, and of minimizing wear and damage to the components thereof. A displacement restricting part, contacting each of a pair of link members, is formed by punching and bending a support plate. Further, on the back side of a trunk of each link member, an engaging portion capable of contacting the displacement restricting part is formed. When the key top is being depressed, the displacement restricting part always contacts the engaging portion, whereby the displacement of the link members in the horizontal direction or the slipping movement of the key top may be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a switch configuration for key-entry operation and, more particularly, to a key-entry switch device (hereinafter referred to as a key switch) preferably used for a keyboard incorporated, as an input device, in electronic equipment. The present invention also relates to a keyboard provided with a plurality of key switches.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a thinner or a low-profile-type keyboard for a portable electronic apparatus, such as a notebook-type personal computer, it is required to reduce the height of a key switch for a key-entry operation as well as to improve the operability of the key switch.
As a key switch device for such a low-profile-type keyboard, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-190735 discloses a key switch device including a base plate, a key top arranged on the base plate, a pair of link members interlocked to each other to support the key top above the base plate and direct the key top in a vertical or up-and-down direction, and a switch like a sheet (hereinafter referred to as a membrane switch sheet) capable of opening and closing a contact of an electronic circuit in accordance with the vertical or up-and-down movement of the key top. The pair of link members are assembled together into a reverse V-shape as seen in a lateral direction (or in a side view) and meshed at toothed end regions formed on one ends thereof with each other such that the pair of link members may pivot relative to the key top. Further, the pair of link members slidably engage with the base plate at the other ends thereof.
When the pair of link members pivot at one ends thereof in the opposite direction each other such that the other ends thereof are horizontally moved along the base plate, the key top is movable substantially in the vertical direction relative to the base plate, while keeping a predetermined posture of the key top.
In the above key switch device, the key top is moved in the vertical direction while the key top is parallel to the base plate. FIGS. 16a-16c are views explaining the motion of a key top 714 in the vertical direction of a key switch device 710. When the key top 714 is positioned at an uppermost position as shown in FIG. 16a, each sliding portion 746 of a pair of link members 716 contacts one end portion of each groove 750 of guiding sections 748. Therefore, as the link members 716 can not be moved in the sliding direction (in the horizontal direction in FIG. 16a), the key top 714 can not be also moved in the horizontal direction. When the key top 714 is positioned at a lowermost position as shown in FIG. 16c, each sliding portion 746 contacts another end portion of each groove 750, the key top 714 also can not be moved in the horizontal direction.
However, when the key top 714 is between the uppermost and lowermost positions as shown in FIG. 16b, each sliding portion 746 may be moved in the horizontal direction (as indicated by arrows in FIG. 16b) in each groove 750. Therefore, in the state of FIG. 16b (i.e., while the key top is being pressed), the key top 714 may be somewhat displaced in the horizontal direction. This may cause the instability or a slipping movement of the key top, resulting in the deterioration of the operability of the key top.
On the other hand, the key top is firmly held in the direction perpendicular to the drawing, by the stiffness of the link members, during the vertical motion of the key top. However, the displacement of the key top in the horizontal direction is restricted only by the elasticity of an actuating member made from an elastic body such as a rubber arranged between the key top and the membrane switch sheet. Therefore, the key top can not be sufficiently held in the horizontal direction.
In order to resolve the above problem, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-283676 discloses a shaft of a link provided with a projection having an oval cross section and an opening, with which the projection may be slidably engaged, having one end positioned above the other end. In this constitution, the shaft having the oval cross section is slidably engaged with the opening having the height which varies depending on the horizontal position, whereby a key top cannot bounce or cannot be displaced in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is necessary to manufacture the projection and the opening with high dimensional accuracy. However, due to wear between the projection and the opening, the gap between them is gradually increased, whereby the effect for avoiding the displacement of the key top in the horizontal direction may be reduced. Further, as the oval cross section of the projection is relatively small, the projection may be easily damaged due to the low stiffness thereof.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-92041 discloses a key switch device including a wall member abutting against a pinching axle of a link member. In the device, the pinching axle and the wall member cooperate so as to limit the displacement of a key top in the horizontal direction. However, both of the pinching axle and the wall member are relatively small projections and, the contacting area between them is considerably small. Therefore, also this constitution, similarly to the case of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-283676, is somewhat insufficient from the viewpoint of the stiffness and the wear property of each component.


A biometric monitoring system is provided comprising one or more first biometric monitoring devices each comprising a first plurality of biometric sensors, a display screen, a first band body and a first securement mechanism coupling the first band body around a first user's body part. The system further comprises a second biometric monitoring device comprising a second plurality of biometric sensors, a second band body and a second securement mechanism coupling the second band body around a pregnant user's back, sides and midriff. The one or more first biometric monitoring devices are in wireless communication with one or more remote electronic devices and the one or more second biometric monitoring devices, and the one or more second biometric monitoring devices are in wireless communication with the one or more remote electronic devices. The one or more remote electronic devices each comprise a graphical user interface allowing a remote user to set one or more threshold values for each of the first and second plurality of biometric sensors. When the first or second biometric monitoring devices determine that the one or more threshold values have been met, two or more actions are triggered including alerting emergency services, the first user, the pregnant user and/or the one or more remote users in substantially real-time via audio, tactile and/or video communication.

One of the most difficult challenges for parents is maintaining a watchful eye over the safety of their children, whether unborn, infants, toddlers, preteens or teenaged. Generally, parents rely upon existing family members, friends, neighbors and the like to assist in this task. However, situations inevitably arise where the parents, family members, friends, neighbors etc. cannot adequately care for or monitor the well-being of such children. Typical situations include a pregnant mother who does not have the medical knowledge to monitor the well-being of the unborn child, one or more infant or toddler children being watched by a third party such as a babysitter or daycare service, one or more preteen or teenaged children playing outside unattended and the like.
Without the ability to adequately watch such children, immense stress and anxiety may be placed upon the parent as a cause of not knowing the safety status of their children. Consequently, parents may be apprehensive about letting their children go under the care of a babysitter, daycare service, preschool and the like, to independently play outside with friends or to socialize with friends after school and the like which potentially limits the social and physical development of the child. Further, the stress and anxiety of the parents may lead to a lower quality of life for the parents and lower the quality of the relationship between parent and child.
To avoid such situations, a means of remotely monitoring such children would be advantageous. In the context of pregnant mothers, a wearable device worn by the mother monitoring the biometrics of both the unborn child and the pregnant mother would be advantageous. In the context of other children, a wearable device worn by the child configured to monitor via biometric and location data the physiological safety of the children would be advantageous. Further, the ability to communicate and display such biometric and location data in substantially real-time would be advantageous.


A system and method for classifying a structure or material in an image of a subject. The system comprises: a segmenter configured to form one or more segmentations of a structure or material in an image and generate from the segmentations one or more segmentation maps of the image including categorizations of pixels or voxels of the segmentation maps assigned from one or more respective predefined sets of categories; a classifier that implements a classification machine learning model configured to generate, based on the segmentations maps, one or more classifications and to assign to the classifications respective scores indicative of a likelihood that the structure or material, or the subject, falls into the respective classifications; and an output for outputting a result indicative of the classifications and scores.

Computer vision and image processing techniques have been applied to medical image analysis. Some computer-aided systems achieve the analysis with two steps: segmentation and quantitative calculation. Segmentation is the process of segmenting (or differentiating) structures or objects in an image, such as a medical image, from one another by differentiating pixels (in 2D image) or voxels (in 3D image) in the image. Based on the segmentation, quantitative features such as volume, shape, and density are calculated. For example, lesion size and shape are calculated after the lesion has been segmented in a brain CT or MRI scan; the bone mineral density may be calculated after the femoral neck is segmented in a hip DXA (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) scan. A doctor may make a diagnosis or treatment decision after he or she has compared such calculated values with healthy reference data.
For example, a T-score is the standard score of a patient's bone mineral density compared to the young normal reference mean. The WHO (World Health Organization) defines osteoporosis as a T-score of −2.5 or lower, that is, a bone density that is two and a half standard deviations or more below the mean of a 30-year-old healthy man/woman.
The segmentation may be achieved manually, semi-manually, or automatically. In an example of manual segmentation, a user operates a computer to move a rectangular box over a hip DXA scan and thereby select the region of the femoral neck.
Semi-manual segmentation may be performed by an image processing program employing a user's initialisation or input. For example, a user may operate a computer to draw an approximate bone boundary on a wrist CT scan; the program then adjusts the approximate boundary into a contour that segments bone from the surrounding tissues.
Automatic segmentation may be performed by utilizing the features of the object of interest, such as intensity values, edges and shapes. In one existing example, a voxel-value based thresholding method is used to segment bone from the surrounding tissues in CT scans. Some other programs use machine learning algorithms to train a classifier to segment abnormal tissues in medical images. For example, a feature-based machine learning algorithm, such as a support vector machine and a decision tree, may be used as a classifier by using tumour images and normal images as training data. The trained classifier slides through the new image "window" by "window" to segment any image regions of tumour tissues.
Machine learning algorithms have shown promising accuracy and efficiency in this field. However, it is a significant challenge to both collect sufficient training data and to annotate the training data. The training images must be annotated by experts, which is a tedious and time-consuming process. Moreover, in some applications, it may be very difficult or nearly impossible to accurately annotate the training images, even for experts. For example, in bone quality assessment, a transitional zone exists at any sample composed of both cortical and trabecular bones. The transitional zone comprises the inner cortex adjacent to the medullary canal and trabeculae abutting against the cortex contiguous with the endocortical surface. The transitional zone is a site of vigorous bone remodelling. It is important to identify and segment this region in bone microstructure assessment but, owing to limitations in image resolution, it is essentially impossible for an expert to annotate this region both accurately and consistently. Without annotated images as training data, the segmentation model cannot be trained.
In the last few years, deep learning or deep neural networks have outperformed human in many visual recognition tasks such as natural image classification. In an exemplary CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) implementation, the network comprises input layer, hidden layers, and an output layer. An image is fed into the network through the input layer. The image is sampled and applied with convolutional operations to generate hidden layers. The output of each layer is used as input to the next layer in the network. The output layer is fully connected at the end that will output a classification result. Training data are images with classification labels. The training process obtains the parameters of the neural network. After the training is finished, a new image will be processed by the neural network with the obtained parameters to generate a classification result. For example, a deep neural network algorithm may be used to train a model to determine the condition (for example, no, mild, moderate, severe) of diabetic retinopathy from OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) images.
However, this end-to-end solution brings two problems in clinical practices. First, the end-to-end solution is a black box: the input is the medical image, and the output the classification of diseases or conditions. It is difficult to interpret the process whereby the neural network makes its decision—so it is difficult for the user to assess the reliability of the classification results. Secondly, this solution requires a substantial amount of training data. As discussed above, in medical applications annotating or labelling the training data is a tedious and time-consuming process. Collecting enough training data for each category of each type of classification result thus poses a significant challenge.

Method and system for machine learning classification based on structure or material segmentation in an image


A smoking article in which a flavored aerosol is generated by heat transfer to a flavor bed from the combustion of a carbon heat source is provided. The article generates substantially no sidestream smoke. The transfer of heat from the heat source to the flavor bed is accomplished by convective and radiative heat transfer.

This invention relates to smoking articles which produce substantially no visible sidestream smoke. More particularly, this invention relates to a smoking article in which the sensations associated with the smoking of tobacco are achieved without the burning of tobacco.
A substantial number of previous attempts have been made to produce a smoking article which produces an aerosol or vapor for inhalation, rather than conventional tobacco smoke. For example, Siegel U.S. Pat. No. 2,907,686 shows a smoking article consisting of a charcoal rod and a separate carrier impregnated with flavorants and a synthetic "smoke" forming agent which is heated by the burning charcoal rod. The charcoal rod is coated with a concentrated sugar solution so as to form an impervious layer during burning. It was thought that this layer would contain the gases formed during smoking and concentrate the heat thus formed.
Another smoking article, shown in Ellis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,015, employs burning tobacco in the form of a conventional cigarette to heat a metallic cylinder containing a source of nicotine, such as reconstituted tobacco or tobacco extract. During smoking, the vapors released from the material inside the metal tube mix with air inhaled through an open end of the tube which runs to the burning end of the smoking article. Ellis et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,356,094 shows a similar smoking article in which the tube becomes frangible upon heating, so that it would break off and not protrude when the surrounding tobacco had burned away.
Published European patent application No. 0 177 355 by Hearn et al. shows a smoking article which produces a nicotine-containing aerosol by heating, but not burning, a flavor generator. The flavor generator could be fabricated from a substrate material such as almumina, natural clays and the like, or tobacco filler. The flavor generator is impregnated with thermally releasable flavorants, including nicotine, glycerol, menthol and the like. Heating of the flavor generator is provided by hot gases formed as a result of the combustion of a fuel rod of pyrolized tobacco or other carbonaceous material.
Banerjee et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,082 shows a variation of the Hearn et al. article which employs a short fuel element. The performance of the article is said to be improved by maximizing heat transfer between the fuel element and the aerosol generator. This is effected by preventing heat loss by insulation, and by enhancing heat transfer between the burning fuel and the flavor generator by a metallic conductor. A spun glass fiber insulator surrounds the fuel element and aerosol generator assembly.
The Banerjee et al. device suffers from a number of drawbacks. First, the resilient glass fiber insulating jacket is difficult to handle on modern mass production machinery. Second, the glass fibers may become dislodged during shipping and migrate through the pack to rest on the mouth end of the article, giving rise to the potential for the inhalation of glass fibers into the smoker's mouth. Additionally, the use of a metallic heat conductor may be somewhat inefficient because the conductor itself absorbs much of the heat produced by the fuel element.
It would be desirable to be able to provide a smoking article in which a flavored aerosol releasing material is efficiently heated by hot gases formed by the passage of air through, and by radiation from, a carbonaceous heat source.
It further would be desirable to avoid the potential for inhalation of glass fibers by a smoker of such an article.
It still further would be desirable to provide such an article which has both the look and feel of a conventional cigarette.


Embodiments described herein are directed to migrating affected services away from a faulted cloud node and to handling faults during an upgrade. In one scenario, a computer system determines that virtual machines running on a first cloud node are in a faulted state. The computer system determines which cloud resources on the first cloud node were allocated to the faulted virtual machine, allocates the determined cloud resources of the first cloud node to a second, different cloud node and re-instantiates the faulted virtual machine on the second, different cloud node using the allocated cloud resources.

Computers have become highly integrated in the workforce, in the home, in mobile devices, and many other places. Computers can process massive amounts of information quickly and efficiently. Software applications designed to run on computer systems allow users to perform a wide variety of functions including business applications, schoolwork, entertainment and more. Software applications are often designed to perform specific tasks, such as word processor applications for drafting documents, or email programs for sending, receiving and organizing email.
Some software applications are designed for deployment and processing on the cloud. Such applications are often referred to as distributed applications. These distributed applications are configured to run on many different physical and/or virtual computer systems. As such, many different points of failure (both on the hardware side and on the software side) are introduced.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An antenna architecture with enhanced emission directivity is disclosed. The antenna comprises a dielectric structure positioned over a plurality of radiator elements. The dielectric structure comprises columns of dielectric disks positioned above each radiator element. The antenna is driven by beam forming networks to form multiple, simultaneously steerable beams or a single main beam that can be dynamically steered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radio communication antenna systems for wireless networks. More particularly, the invention is directed to active array antennas and related methods.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Related Background Information
Modern wireless antenna systems generally include a plurality of radiating elements that may be arranged over a ground plane defining a radiated (and received) signal beamwidth and azimuth angle. Antenna beamwidth has been conventionally defined by Half Power Beam Width ("HPBW") of the azimuth or elevation beam relative to a bore sight of such antenna element.
Real world applications often call for an antenna radiating element with frequency bandwidth, pattern beamwidth and polarization requirements that may not be possible for conventional antenna radiating element designs to achieve due to overall mechanical constraints.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved antenna element architecture which allows enhanced directivity to improve the overall aperture efficiency of the antenna array.

Low power multi-beam active array for cellular communications


An optical system featuring a semiconductor laser for oscillating a beam which has, in a far field pattern, two lobes in the direction aligned with a pn junction interface of the semiconductor laser. The optical system is provided with a total reflection mirror for reflecting part of the beam in such a manner that one of the two lobes is separated as a result of the reflection of part of the beam from the other, and with a polarization beam splitter having a junction for synthesizing rays in such a manner that the lobes which have been separated by the total reflection mirror are superimposed. The apparatus is thus capable of forming a single beam spot at which the two lobes are superimposed.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser optical system and, more particularly, to a phase synchronous semiconductor laser optical system suitable for use in recording information such as characters on a recording medium.
As shown in FIG. 2, a phase synchronous semiconductor laser is constructed as a multi-stripe type laser diode array having a multiple hetero-junction structure in which about several to ten stripe-shaped active layers 12 are arranged in rows along a pn junction interface 10. With this structure, the active layers 12 operate in basic transverse mode, and adjacent active layers 12 are connected on the energy level. As a result, laser beams which are oscillated by each active layer are synchronous in phase, thereby providing a high output. Semiconductor lasers of the above-described type include a series of products SDL-2410 and SDL-2420 (produced by Spectra Diode Labs). It is known that a laser beam oscillated by a semiconductor laser of the above-described type provides a far field pattern in which two lobes (peaks) are formed in the direction aligned with the pn junction interface, as shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, a laser beam which forms such two lobes in a far field pattern does not converge into a single spot, and it is therefore impossible to compose an optical system having a high level of resolution if such a laser beam is used for recording information on a recording medium. A field pattern with two lobes presents a particular problem when it is required to record information such as characters on a microfilm in the form of dots, since, in this case, a resolution level on the order of 3360 dots/7.2 mm is required, and the dots must be recorded with a very high precision.
In order to cope with this problem, it has hitherto been proposed to render such a beam useful by cutting one of the lobes by means of an optical system shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in Appl. Phys. Lett. 41 (12), 15 Dec. 1982. This optical system comprises a phase synchronous semiconductor laser 14, a spherical lens 15, an aperture 18 extending in the direction intersecting the pn junction interface, a cylindrical lens 20 disposed in such a manner as to condense a beam oscillated in the direction aligned with the pn junction interface, and another spherical lens 21, these members being disposed in that order. As shown in FIG. 4A, rays oscillated by the phase synchronous semiconductor laser 14 in the direction intersecting the pn junction surface are made into parallel rays by the first spherical lens 15, pass through the aperture 18 and the cylindrical lens 20, and are then converged by the second spherical lens 22 onto a recording medium 24 to form a spot. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, rays oscillated in the direction aligned with the pn junction interface are converged by the spherical lens 15 onto a focus point at the aperture 18, and a clear far field pattern is formed at the position of this focus. The aperture 18 passes only the rays that form one of the lobes and blocks the rays that form the other. The rays which have passed through the aperture 18 are made into parallel rays by the cylindrical lens 20, and are then converged by the spherical lens 22 onto the recording medium 24 to form a spot. Accordingly, a clear spot having a diameter of several .mu.m is formed on the recording medium 24.
With the above-described known optical system, however, the following problem is encountered. Since part of the beam which forms one of the lobe is cut, the intensity of the laser beam part oscillated in the direction aligned with the pn junction interface is reduced to a level of about 1/2 of that of the total laser beam part, thus resulting in a reduced efficiency. This feature of the optical system renders difficult its application to recording using a recording medium requiring a high energy for recording, such as a heat mode recording material.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 98320/1987 discloses a proposal in which, after a laser beam has been collimated into a bundle of parallel rays, rays forming two lobes are separated, and the two lobes are then unified by means of a reflection mirror, a half-wave plate, and a polarization beam splitter. In practice, however, it is difficult to obtain completely parallel rays with a laser according to the above-stated proposal. If the optical path of the separated rays forming one lobe is not completely equal with that of the separated rays forming the other, then when the rays are condensed by the final lens, the position of the beam waist deviates from the optical axis. This makes it difficult to converge the beam at a high energy density.


A navigation apparatus includes: a numerical conversion unit that converts information related to a specific suggestion to a numerical value; a suggestion unit that makes the specific suggestion to a user when the numerical value resulting from numerical conversion executed by the numerical conversion unit is greater than a threshold value; an input unit through which a user response to the specific suggestion is input; and an adjustment unit that changes the threshold value in correspondence to contents of the user response input through the input unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus capable of making suggestions to the user based upon various types of information.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a navigation apparatus known in the related art that guesses the driver's intentions from his tone of voice, makes a suggestion with regard to the intentions having been guessed and executes processing corresponding to the contents of the suggestion if the driver agrees to the suggestion (see Japanese Laid Open Patent Publication No. 2001-289661).


A delivery system and method for delivering a right ventricular lead into a right ventricle includes a delivery device having an inflatable balloon at a distal end. The device is inserted into the venous system, the balloon is inflated and the device is floated along a blood flow path within the venous system through the heart and into the pulmonary artery. The lead is delivered into the right ventricle using the device. In one embodiment, the device is a catheter that facilitates placement of a guide wire into the right ventricle for delivery of the lead. The catheter is then removed and the lead is inserted into the right ventricle over the guide wire.

Cardiac leads have been placed in various locations within the heart structure in order to provide access for monitoring heart function and providing electrical stimulus to affect heart rhythm. One area of placement for such cardiac leads is the right ventricle ("RV"). RV leads are often used with implantable cardiac devices, such as pacemakers or defilbrillators, depending on the type of heart failure or heart disease being experienced by the patient. The devices and are, at present, implanted by electrophysiologists who are highly specialized and trained in these techniques.
One barrier to conventional implantation of cardiac devices by general cardiologists or primary care physicians, that is by non-electrophysiologists, is the placement of the transvenous lead system. This placement commonly involves the use of a fluoroscope to monitor the progress of the device as it is guided through tortuous vasculature, into and through the heart chambers and into placement in specific locations within the heart or related vessels.
Now, in order to facilitate easy and fast implantation of RV leads, reduction in facility costs and reduction in exposure to radiation, there is a need for a delivery system and procedure for RV leads that allows for implantation by a non-specialized practitioner. Such implantation would ideally be accomplished without, or with minimal, use of a fluoroscope.

Delivery system and method using pulmonary artery for placement of RV leads


There is provided a superconductive cable wherein an efficiency of an electric power transmission is increased to a maximum and the superconductive cable is miniaturized by strengthening a longitudinal magnetic field in a superconductive material.

At present, in transmission of electricity, the alternating current power transmission is usually carried out by using copper cables. Since this electric power transmission is accompanied with Joule loss due to electrical resistance, in view of an environmental problem such as CO2 emission and an energy-saving problem, it is desired that electric power transmission loss is made to be lowered, and that electric power cables are miniaturized.
In this viewpoint, in an electric power transmission cable in which a superconductive material is used, there are merits or advantages that the electric power transmission loss is small, and that a large capacity of electric power can be made to flow into the cable. Especially, in direct current power transmission, since electrical resistance is zero, it is possible to carry out the electric power transmission without the electric power transmission loss at all. In addition, according to the superconductive power transmission, since the large capacity of electric power can be transmitted by utilizing the forte of the superconductive power transmission, it is possible to omit conventional step-up and step-down transforming facilities to be installed near a power plant and a city, and thus the superconductive power transmission is economical.
As a superconductive power transmission method, there is a method using a high temperature superconductive material which can be easily cooled by liquefied nitrogen, and which features the fact that an electric current density is not so large, and such a method is put to practical use. Accordingly, in a future design of a superconductive cable, there remains a significant issue how large capacity of electric current an electrical power transmission can be carried out with.
Also, due to the fact that the superconductive material has a characteristic that there is no electrical resistance at a low temperature, it is expected that the superconductive material is applied to a variety of an energy-related engineering field, an electronics field, a medical field and so forth. In general, when an electric current is made to flow in a magnetic field, the Lorentz force acts on a quantized magnetic flux. Accordingly, when the magnetic flux is moved at a velocity of v due to that action, and when a magnetic flux density is defined as B, an induced electromotive force "E=B×v" is caused. Thus, normal conduction electrons are driven in the superconductive material so that electrical resistance is created similar to a case of a metal.
A critical current density, defined as the maximum current density at which an electric current can be made to flow into the superconductive material without the electrical resistance, is determined by a magnetic flux pinning mechanism (which has the function of stopping the movement of the magnetic flux against the Lorentz force acting on the interior of the magnetic flux to thereby prevent a production of an induced electric field), and a value of the magnetic flux is decreased with the increase in the magnetic field. In an electric power transmission cable, although an intensity of the magnetic field produced in the interior of the cable is not so large, it may reach a maximum of 0.5 T, especially when the electric power transmission is carried out at a large capacity of electric current, and thus the decline in the critical current density causes a large problem.
By contrast with this case where an angle between the magnetic field and the electric current is not 0° (hereinafter, the magnetic field concerned is referred to as an inclined magnetic field, especially it is referred to as a lateral magnetic field when the angle is 90°), in a case where the magnetic field and the electric current are parallel to each other (hereinafter, the magnetic field concerned is referred to as a longitudinal magnetic field), the Lorentz force does not act on the quantized magnetic flux, so that some strange phenomena can be observed. One of the strange phenomena is that the critical current density is considerably increased (hereinafter, this phenomenon is referred to as an longitudinal magnetic field effect). Usually, in the lateral magnetic field, the critical current density is decreased with the increase in the magnetic field. However, it is known that the critical current density is reversely increased in the longitudinal magnetic field. When the electric current and the magnetic field are parallel to each other in the longitudinal magnetic field, it is referred as a force-free state. In this case, when the current density is defined as J, it is known that J×B=0 is established. In this state, the magnetic flux has a strain (i.e., a force-free strain) as if a folding fan is opened, as shown in FIG. 10.
In general, in a case of a metal-based superconductive material, when an alternating current flows into a superconductive wire, it is a significant requirement that an alternating current loss is decreased. If the superconductive wire is divided into fine wires which are independent from each other, it is possible to decrease a hysteresis loss from which the alternating current loss is derived. Nevertheless, in reality, in order to take precaution against magnetic instability, the fine wires are electromagnetically bonded to each other by intervening a stabilization layer therebetween, which is composed of a normal conduction metal, so that the electric currents are bypassed around the stabilization layer. Thus, there are not merits or advantages which should be obtained from the division of the superconductive wire into the fine wires cables, so that the alternating current loss cannot be substantially decreased. This is because the self magnetic fields (i.e., the magnetic fields, produced in the circumferential direction) produced by the electric currents, penetrate into only the surface, so that no electric currents flow into the interior which the self magnetic fields do not reach.
In order to solve the aforesaid problem, a technique, in which a multi-core wire is twisted in the circumferential direction, is developed, with multi-core wire being produced by embedding the fine superconductive wires in a metal material such as copper or the like. Thus, the magnetic field in the circumferential direction can easily penetrate into the interior so that the electric currents further flow into the inner fine superconductive wires, whereby it is possible to decrease the alternating current loss. In this case, the alternating current loss is in proportion to the twist pitch.
In a case of an electric power transmission cable which needs a large capacity of electric current, since it is insufficient that the cable is constructed by only one superconductive wire, it is usual to produce a superconductive material by bundling some superconductive wires. In this case, due to a production method of the superconductive material, the individual superconductive wires are twisted in the same direction, and have the same pitch. Nevertheless, with this arrangement, the alternating current loss in the longitudinal magnetic field caused by the twist of the superconductive wires cannot be ignored though it has been ignored ever. Thus, it is usual that the individual superconductive wires are twisted in a reverse direction to a direction in which individual blank wires are twisted so that the inner longitudinal magnetic field component can be minimized.
In the case of the high temperature superconductive material, it is formed into a tape shape due to the crystallization structure and the peculiarity of the electromagnetic characteristic of the high temperature superconductive material. Thus, although the high temperature superconductive material is constructed into a multi-core structure, at the electromagnetic bonding of the multi-core structure is strong under the present conditions, and thus merits or advantages based on the multi-core structure is not so expected in a commercial network frequency.
Accordingly, in order to obtain the merits or advantages of the twist, the superconductive material is constructed by gathering together a plurality of superconductive wires, and the individual inner superconductive wires are twisted in a reverse direction to a direction in which the individual outer superconductive wires so that the magnetic field in the longitudinal direction becomes as small as possible.
In the present conditions as mentioned above, for example, techniques concerning superconductive cables are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 7. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is directed to an alternating current superconductive cable in which individual twisted angles of conductive layers are increased or decreased stepwise between a twisted angle of the radially innermost conductive layer and a twisted angle of the radially outermost conductive layer. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is directed to a calculation method to calculate twisted angles for reducing losses in a similar alternating current superconductive cable.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 is directed to a multi-layered superconductive cable, having a plurality of superconductive layers concentrically combined with each other, which cable is defined as either a coaxial bi-directional cable having more than three forward current path layers or conductive layers or a united-type three-phase cable having a shield layer, wherein the cable is manufactured so that a winding pitch angle of each of the layers is represented by a cubic equation based on a core radius of a standardized layer, whereby inductance values of the individual layers are uniformed to thereby increase critical current densities.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 4 is directed to a superconductive cable including two kinds of cable cores (i.e., a first cable core and a second cable core), having different structures, which are twisted and combined with each other, and a thermal insulating pipe in which the twisted cable cores are received. The first cable core includes a first superconductive layer which is used as a forward current path or a polar power transmission wire in direct current power transmission, and no superconductive layer except for the first superconductive layer. The second cable core includes a second superconductive layer which is used as a backward current path or a neutral wire, and no superconductive except for the second superconductive layer. The second superconductive layer has an inside diameter which is larger than an outside diameter of the first superconductive layer.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 5 is directed to a superconductive cable including two cable cores which are twisted and combined with each other, with each of the cables being composed of a superconductive conductor layer and an outer superconductor layer which are formed of superconductive material, and a thermal insulating pipe in which the twisted cables are received. Each of the cable cores has a former, the superconductive conductor layer, an insulating layer, the outer superconductor layer and a protective layer which are arranged in order from the center thereof. In unipolar electric power transmission, each of the superconductive conductor layers included in both the cables is used as a forward current path into which a unipolar electric current flows, and each of the outer superconductor layers included in both the cables is used as a backward current path into which a backward electric current flows. In bipolar electric power transmission, the superconductive conductor layer included in one cable is used for positive power transmission, and the superconductive conductor layer included in the other cable is used for negative power transmission, with each of the outer superconductor layers included in both the cables being used as a neutral wire layer.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 6 is directed to a superconductive cable having a plurality of high temperature oxide superconductors which are arranged in the same direction so as to be adjacent to each other, wherein electric power transmission is carried out so that respective electric currents flow into the two adjacent high temperature oxide superconductors in reverse directions to each other.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 7 is directed to a transitional superconductive tape unit in which an even number of tape-like superconductors are transitionally twisted and combined with each other, and a piece of superconductor application equipment using the transitional superconductive tape unit, and a superconductive cable wherein the transitional superconductive tape unit is wound around a cylindrical pipe member.

Superconductor cable and AC power transmission cable

Abstract: A superconductive cable 1, which transmits an electric power by using superconductive material, includes a conductive portion 4 that is constructed by superconductive members spirally arranged at either a positive angle or a negative angle with respect to a standard direction defined as a longitudinal direction of the superconductive cable, and is characterized by the fact that the conductive portion 4 is composed of a plurality of layers, that the spiral angles in the respective layers are different from each other to the standard direction in order from an innermost layer 2 toward an outermost layer 3, and that magnetic fields are produced by electric currents flowing into the conductive portion 4 in the same direction as a direction in which the electric currents flow.


Methods, apparatus and computer program product for improving data indexing in a group-based communication platform are described herein. The group-based communication platform having a computed collection and one or more live collections. The computer-implemented method includes generating a new collection, the new collection being generated at a snapshot time point; associating a collection manager with the new collection; retrieving a plurality of electronic messages from the computed collection and the one or more live collections; writing the plurality of electronic messages to the new collection, the writing being completed at a cut-over time point; synchronizing the new collection with the one or more live collections based on the plurality of electronic messages; and redirecting the read alias and the write alias from the computed collection to the new collection.

Various methods, apparatus, and systems are configured to improve data indexing in a group-based communication platform. Applicant has identified many deficiencies and problems associated with existing methods, apparatus, and systems. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, these identified deficiencies and problems have been solved by developing solutions that are in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, many examples of which are described in detail herein.

Method, apparatus and computer program product for improving data indexing in a group-based communication platform


The present invention relates generally to compositions, methods and kits for detection of a molecule of interest. The present invention is based, at least in part, on the design of nucleic acid oligonucleotides such that they can be used as molecular building blocks which can be assembled (polymerized) to form a dsDNA polymerization product which can be detected and further, can be disassembled (depolymerized) such that the polymerization product is no longer detectable. The invention can be performed multiple times on the same cell population, and is therefore useful for highly sensitive in situ detection of multiple biomarkers.

Detection of cellular proteins is needed for both basic life sciences research and clinical applications since proteins play essential roles in virtually each step of cellular metabolism (Wu and Singh, Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2012, 23:83-8.; Collins et al., Nature. 2003, 422:835-47; Schubert, Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol. 2003, 83:189-209; Paez et al., Science. 2004, 304:1497-500; Soda et al., Nature. 2007; 448:561-U563; Bendall et al., Science. 2011; 332:687-696). However, proteins to be examined often have very low levels (Boschetti and Righetti, Low-Abundance Proteome Discovery: State of the Art and Protocols. 2013:1-11; Baracat-Pereira et al., Genet Mol Biol. 2012, 35:283-91; Wasinger et al., Methods Mol Biol. 2008, 424:257-75; Ackermann and Berna, Expert Rev Proteomics. 2007, 4:175-86; Ahmed and Rice, J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2005, 815:39-50). This problem may result from a small size of samples in the scenarios such as the analysis of rare circulating tumor cells, forensic specimens, and prenatal testing samples (Wang et al., Nano Today, 2013, 8:347-387; Deng et al., Sci Rep. 2014 Dec. 16; 4:7499; Zhang et al., Anal Chem. 2015, 87:9761-8; Danova et al., Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2011, 11:473-85; Nagrath et al., Nature. 2007, 450:1235-9; Hanson and Ballantyne, Anal Biochem. 2005, 346:246-257; Denecke et al., Pediatr Res. 2005, 58:248-253; Yamamoto et al., Diagn Mol Pathol. 2004, 13:167-71). It may also result from the fact that certain proteins have a low abundance (e.g., cell membrane receptors and transcription factors) (Brewis and Brennan, Adv Protein Chem Str. 2010, 80:1-44). Their expression can be over ten orders of magnitudes lower than those highly expressed proteins (e.g., albumin in serum) (Brewis and Brennan, Adv Protein Chem Str. 2010, 80:1-44). Nevertheless their biological functions are not marginal; on the contrary, most of them make huge physiological impacts on cells at an extremely low concentration (Spitz and Furlong, Nat Rev Genet. 2012, 13:613-626). Therefore, it is important to develop highly sensitive methods for detection of proteins, particularly low-abundance proteins or those in a small sample (Wang et al., Nano letters. 2011, 11:498-504; Wang et al., ACS nano. 2011, 5:6619-6628; Crow et al., Am J Roentgenol. 2009, 192:1021-1028, Aaron et al., Nano letters. 2009, 9:3612-3618; Austin et al., J Am Chem Soc. 2011, 133(44): 17594-17597, Qian et al., J Biomed Opt. 2010, 15:046025; Seekell et al., J Biomed Opt. 2011, 16; Crow et al., ACS nano. 2011, 5:8532-8540; Kennedy et al., ACS nano. 2009, 3:2329-2339; Wang et al., Nano letters. 2012, 12:3231-3237; Fraire et al., ACS nano. 2014, 8:8942-8958).
To detect proteins, cells are often lysed to release proteins in a soluble form. Hundreds of soluble proteins can be examined quickly and precisely using mass spectrometry (MS), which has advantages such as no need to pre-label target proteins and femtomolar sensitivity in the analysis of pure proteins (Passarelli and Ewing, Curr Opin Chem Biol. 2013, 17:854-9; Jarecki et al., ACS Chem Neurosci. 2013, 4:418-34; Boggio et al., Expert Rev Proteomics. 2011, 8:591-604; Bandura et al., Anal Chem. 2009, 81:6813-22). Soluble proteins are also routinely measured with signal amplification using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with the limit of detection at the level of pg/mL (Zhang et al., J Immunol Methods. 2011, 368:1-23; Ponde, Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2013, 32:985-988; Tijssen and Adam, Curr Opin Immunol. 1991, 3:233-7; Nilsson, Curr Opin Immunol. 1989, 2:898-904). ELISA can be further tuned and integrated with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to develop immuno-PCR or nanotechnologies to develop plasmonic ELISA for ultrasensitive detection of proteins (Niemeyer et al., Nat Protoc. 2007, 2:1918-30; Sano et al., Science. 1992, 258:120-122; Burbulis et al., Nat Methods. 2005, 2:31-37; de la Rica and Stevens, Nat Nanotechnol. 2012, 7:821-824; Nam et al., Science. 2003, 301:1884-1886). Many other methods such as immunoblot analysis can also be used for detection of soluble or solubilized proteins (Hughes et al., Nat Methods. 2014, 11:749-U794; Pumford et al., Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1990, 104:521-32; von Wulffen et al., J Clin Pathol. 1988, 41:653-659). These highly sensitive methods require cell lysis and/or protein separation, which are not suitable for situations where whole cells are still needed during and after examination. For instance, the ability to maintain cell integrity is a prerequisite for examining location and distribution of proteins in a cell. Thus, whole-cell in situ protein analysis methods have also been rigorously studied as an alternative solution to those problems.
Immunostaining is a commonly used method for whole-cell analysis (Zola, Current protocols in cytometry/editorial board, J. Paul Robinson, 2004, Chapter 6:Unit 6 3; Turac et al., PloS one. 2013, 8; D'Hautcourt, Current protocols in cytometry/editorial board, J. Paul Robinson, 2002, Chapter 6:Unit 6 12; Fung et al., Nat Protoc. 2010, 5:357-370; Glynn and McAllister, Nat Protoc, 2006, 1:1287-1296; Perez et al., Current protocols in cytometry/editorial board, J. Paul Robinson. 2005, Chapter 6:Unit 6 20; Almeida and Bueno, Current protocols in cytometry/editorial board, J. Paul Robinson. 2001; Chapter 6:Unit 6 6). Cells are labeled with antibodies bearing fluorophores for microscopic examination or flow cytometry (Fung et al., Nat Protoc. 2010, 5:357-370; Glynn and McAllister, Nat Protoc, 2006, 1:1287-1296; Perfetto et al., Nat Rev Immunol. 2004, 4:648-55; Ullal et al., Sci Transl Med. 2014; 6; Zrazhevskiy and Gao, Nat Commun. 2013; 4:1619; Pirici et al., J Histochem Cytochem. 2009, 57: 567-575; Schweller et al., Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2012, 51:9292-9296). Since cell immunostaining does not need cell lysis or protein separation, sample pretreatment is relatively simple and has no problem of protein dilution. Proteins are also confined in their original locations (Huh et al., Nature. 2003, 425:686-691). If cell receptors are target proteins for examination, living cells can be directly analyzed and further used for other purposes (e.g., cell culture) afterwards. While immunostaining has been widely used for successful protein examination, spectral overlap of fluorophores is a challenging issue that often limits the measurement to a few proteins. Importantly, most of conventional methods lack the function of signal amplification.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to develop new methods that in principle have no limit of analyzing a multitude of proteins with high sensitivity. Further, there is a need for such methods to pair with protein detection methods (e.g. immunofluorescence assays) such that proteins can be detected while in their original cellular location. Such methods are particularly needed for many contemporary life science studies and clinical applications that often require comprehensive, spatially delineated analyses of complex protein pathways and molecular networks (Collins et al., Nature. 2003, 422:835-47; Zrazhevskiy and Gao, Nat Commun. 2013; 4:1619; Jaiswal et al., Nat Methods. 2004, 1:73-78; Wei et al., Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014, 53:5573-5577; Howarth et al, Nat Methods. 2008, 5:397-399; Jaiswal et al, Nat Biotechnol. 2003, 21:47-51; Han et al., Nature. 2004, 430:88-93; Chen and Murphy, J Biomed Biotechnol. 2005, 2005:87-95; Taban et al., J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2007, 18:145-51; Altelaar et al., Nat Protoc. 2007, 2:1185-1196; McDonnell and Heeren, Mass Spectrom Rev. 2007, 26:606-43; Schubert et al., Nat Biotechnol. 2006, 24:1270-8).

Polymer based signal amplification for protein and cell detection


The CV joint removal tool's clamps surround an axle proximal to the CV joint to be separated from the axle. The tool clamps onto the axle and applies a constant axial force to separate the two CV joint components via the push plate and push rods. Removal of the entire axle assembly is negated, saving parts cost and labor costs. The tool does not require complete drive axle removal, as do other devices attempting the same function. The CV joint removal tool pushes the CV joint and the axle apart, further differentiating from previous methods and devices. The tool utilizes Newton's law of equal and opposite reactions. The key challenge that the CV joint removal tool overcomes is that when CV joints are installed, neither end of the drive axle is accessible.

Constant velocity joints are widely used to transmit rotary motion from one shaft to another in driving various mechanisms. Especially applicable are automobiles. The constant velocity joint, known as the CV joint enables the relative shafts to be disposed at varying angles. Consequently, CV joints are typically located between the drive axle and the hub as the device of choice for driving motorized vehicles. CV joints have become the preferred mechanism for accomplishing this task. Separation of a CV joint from an axle becomes necessary either for service or replacement or for access to other related automotive components. Replacement of a CV joint boot is a prime example wherein CV joint and axle separation can save hours of labor as well as parts cost. The use of impact devices is not always desirable as, for one reason, CV joint damage is possible. Further, CV joint accessibility can hamper or prohibit the use of impact devices. Therefore, a constant axial force with a relatively small, non-invasive tool is a preferred solution offered by the CV joint removal tool. The key challenge that the CV joint removal tool overcomes is that when CV joints are installed, neither end of the drive axle is accessible. Normal CV joint removal methods require removing the drive axle from the car/vehicle, while the CV joint removal tool eliminates the need to remove the drive axle from the car/vehicle.