A mapping device maps each burner mode at various bleed settings to generate control schedules for a combustion controller that ensure combustion dynamic (acoustic) pressures, and emissions limits and ring flame temperatures are within operational limits. In general, a method of combustor mapping involves adjusting the bulk ring flame temperature to meet emissions and acoustic requirements. The dome (ring) ring flame temperature is then adjusted to determine maximum and minimum ring flame temperature boundary limits. At both the maximum and minimum ring flame temperatures, the emissions levels and acoustic pressures are checked to see that they are within specification limits. If they are not, the bulk ring flame temperature is adjusted, and the entire process is repeated for that bleed setting and burner mode. If the emissions levels and acoustic pressures are within specification limits, then the power is increased to a different mode and bleed setting combination, and the process is again repeated. During each of these steps, mapping data are recorded.

Gas turbines are commonly used as a power source to drive electrical generating equipment (such as in an electrical power station) or for propulsion (e.g., for aircraft, marine vessels, or military equipment such as tanks). A combustion type gas turbine has a gas path, which typically includes, in a serial-flow relationship, an air intake (or inlet), a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and a gas outlet (or exhaust nozzle). A controller governs the operation of the turbine. The controller includes a processor for generating control signals in response to a plurality of turbine operating conditions. Control of the power generated by the gas turbine is typically exercised through control of fuel flow and airflow into the combustor.
Modern gas turbine engines employ a gas-fired ("lean") premixed combustion system, known as a Dry Low Emissions (DLE) combustion system. DLE combustion systems are designed to reduce the emissions of nitrous-oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), particulates, and other pollutants to levels well below those achievable with older combustion systems. DLE combustion systems employ combustors having a dual or triple dome design, with staging of fuel flow and air flow to achieve lean-premixed operation from light-off to full power. This technology permits the operator to run with reduced emissions of pollutants over a wide load setting, in addition to meeting all other design requirements including high combustion efficiency and low levels of combustion dynamics.
Combustor mapping is the process of measuring operational boundaries for an individual gas turbine engine and translating this data into control schedules for use by the controller of that engine. This process is required for each engine because engine-to-engine (or, more correctly, system-to-system) variability on maximum/minimum operational boundaries and ring flame temperature control may be greater than the allowable operating window. Each engine is required to be mapped during site commissioning to measure and compensate for this variability. Due to the drift or shift of the boundaries with time or due to significant maintenance (replacement of a combustor for example), additional mapping and subsequent control system adjustments are sometimes required during the life of the engine.
Combustor mapping is a manual, iterative process requiring the accurate observation of multiple engine parameters and the manual collection of the observed parameters. These observations must be made for many burner mode and bleed setting combinations. As a result, combustor mapping is tedious, and time consuming, with the potential of human error. In addition, special classroom and hands-on training are required to become qualified to properly map a particular engine. This training increases the money and time cost of the combustor mapping process.

Automatic mapping logic for a combustor in a gas turbine engine


A device (1) for machining by turning rotationally symmetrical surfaces (18, 20 or 22) of a workpiece (10), which is clamped and has a rotating drive, including a tool (12) having two cutting edges (16) and (17), each having an approximately helical shape, which are disposed one behind the other in the feed direction of the tool (12) such that after the machining by turning with the first cutting edge (16), a roughing edge, the second cutting edge (17), a finishing edge, comes into engagement.

The invention relates to a device for the machining by turning of rotationally symmetrical surfaces of a workpiece, with a rotating drive of the chucked workpiece, the rotation of the workpiece giving rise to the machining cutting speed, with a tool having a cutting edge and with a feed of the tool, the feed speed of which is substantially lower than the cutting speed and by which the cutting edge comes into engagement with the workpiece at an active location travelling along the cutting edge, the tool with the cutting edge being arranged pivotably about a tool rotation axis, and the cutting edge being oriented on the tool such that the cutting edge obliquely intersects an axial plane containing the tool rotation axis.
What is achieved by the oblique orientation of the cutting edge with respect to the axial plane is that the cutting edge forms with the axial plane, at its intersecting point, an angle different from zero and therefore intersects the axial plane transversally. As a result of the oblique orientation, therefore, the portions of the cutting edge do not come into engagement on the workpiece simultaneously along their run, but in succession, so that the cutting edge portion in each case causing machining by turning and the circumference instantaneously machined on the workpiece travel with one another axially, that is to say parallel to the rotation axis of the workpiece, without the tool or workpiece having to be moved in this direction. This may be used advantageously for turning mark-free turning.
A device of this type is known from DE 10 2004 026 675 C5 and has proved appropriate. In many instances, however, it is necessary to apply the tool to the workpiece twice in order first to cause roughing and then to cause smoothing. The result of this is that the tool may have a reduced service life above all when used doubly in this way more frequently.


A USB port shared control method executed by a hypervisor controlling port sharing among virtual machines and having a physical USB host controller including a physical register, the virtual machines each including a virtual USB host controller having a virtual register. The method includes performing sharing by: selectively allocating the physical register to the virtual register of a subject virtual USB host controller provided in a subject virtual machine of the plurality of virtual machines to occupy and unitize the USB port by the subject virtual machine, and directly reading or writing of the physical register by the subject virtual machine via the subject virtual USB host controller, to thereby allow the subject virtual USB host controller to directly control the physical USB host controller. More particularly, the allocating, reading and writing are switched from subject virtual machine to subject virtual machines to facilitate sharing.

The present invention is related to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port shared control method and pertains, in particular, to a USB port shared control method making it possible to let a plurality of virtual machines jointly utilize a physical USB host controller with which a USB device is connected via a physical USB port installed in a physical machine, and to let a single virtual machine occupy and utilize a physical USB port.
Normally, in case a USB device is connected with a USB port, the connection state is reflected in the PORTSC register which displays or controls the state of the port in the register of the physical USB host controller. And then, the USB drive of the computer, observing the contents of this PORTSC register, starts control of the physical port.
Moreover, in order to let a virtual machine use the physical USB host controller installed in the physical machine, virtualization of the USB host controller in the virtual machine is necessary. The virtualization of a USB host controller in a virtual machine such as this is implemented by carrying out, by means of shared technology based on device virtualization, device emulation with respect to the physical USB host controller by means of a hypervisor configured inside the host computer carrying out the control generating a plurality of virtual machines inside the physical machine.
Further, as prior art pertaining to the sharing of I/O devices in a virtual machine, there is known the technology reported in JP-A-2006-855431 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0064523) etc.

USB port shared control method in a plurality of virtual machines


The present invention provides a novel cancer-associated antigen that can be used in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Further, the invention provides amino acid and nucleic acid sequence of the novel antigen, binding proteins, and immunoconjugates. The invention also relates to diagnostic and therapeutic methods and kits.

In the year 2000, an estimated 22 million people were suffering from cancer worldwide and 6.2 millions deaths were attributed to this class of diseases. Every year, there are over 10 million new cases and this estimate is expected to grow by 50% over the next 15 years (WHO, World Cancer Report. Bernard W. Stewart and Paul Kleihues, eds. IARC Press, Lyon, 2003). Current cancer treatments are limited to invasive surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, all of which cause either potentially severe side-effects, non-specific toxicity and/or traumatizing changes to ones body image and/or quality of life. Cancer can become refractory to chemotherapy reducing further treatment options and likelihood of success. The prognosis for some cancer is worse than for others and some are almost always fatal. In addition, some cancers with a relatively high treatment success rate remain major killers due to their high incidence rates.
One of the causes for the inadequacy of current cancer treatments is their lack of selectivity for affected tissues and cells. Surgical resection always involves the removal of apparently normal tissue as a "safety margin" which can increase morbidity and risk of complications. It also always removes some of the healthy tissue that may be interspersed with tumor cells and that could potentially maintain or restore the function of the affected organ or tissue. Radiation and chemotherapy will kill or damage many normal cells due to their non-specific mode of action. This can result in serious side-effects such as severe nausea, weight loss and reduced stamina, loss of hair etc., as well as increasing the risk of developing secondary cancer later in life. Treatment with greater selectivity for cancer cells would leave normal cells unharmed thus improving outcome, side-effect profile and quality of life.
The selectivity of cancer treatment can be improved by targeting molecules that are specific to cancer cells and not found on normal cells. These molecules can then be used as a target to antibody-based diagnostic or therapeutics or for drugs capable of altering their function.
What little is known about the wild type Scratch protein, has been obtained on the basis of conceptual translation and analysis of the resulting hypothetical protein sequence. Expression of Mammalian Scratch (Scrt) mRNA has been found confined to the brain, spinal cord and newly differentiating, postmitotic neurons suggesting a potential role in neuronal differentiation. The human mammalian Scratch gene has been mapped to q24.3 (chromosome 8) Nakakura et al 2001a, PNAS vol 98 p 4010-4015 and Nakakura et al 2001. Mol. Brain. Res. Vol 95 p 162-166.
Mammalian Scratch shares a SNAG domain with other zinc finger proteins, such as SNAI1, SNAI2, SNAI3, GFII and GFIIB. While quite a few labs working on SNAG domains (Bathe E et al. 2000. Nat. Cell Biol, Vol. 2:84-89; Kataoka H et al., 2000. Nucleic Acids Res. Vol. 28:626-633; Grimes H L et al. 1996. Mol. Cell. Biol. Vol. 16:6263-6272; Hemavathy K et al. 2000. Mol. Cell. Biol. Vol: 20:5087-5095) and snail locomotor functionality have come across the over-expression of the Scrt gene, the presence of the protein itself has not been shown thus far. Based on the hypothetical protein sequence, the Scratch protein should have five zinc finger domains and a SNAG domain responsible for a function in transcription repression. The sequence indicates that the resulting protein would be an intra-nuclear one and in fact expression of recombinant Mammalian Scratch has been found confined to nucleus of transfected cells (Nakakura et al 2001a, PNAS vol 98 p 4010-4015).


A method of increasing enantioselectivity in a reduction reaction of a prochiral substrate with a borane reagent including a borohydride species (for example, a borohydride stabilized borane-tetrahydrofuran complex) catalyzed by a chiral catalyst includes the step of maintaining the concentration of borohydride species in the borane reagent below approximately 0.005 M during the reduction of the prochiral substrate. A method of increasing enantioselectivity in a reduction reaction of a prochiral substrate with a borane reagent including a borohydride species that is catalyzed by a chiral catalyst includes the step of reducing the detrimental effect the borohydride species has on enantioselectivity by adding a Lewis acid. For example, the prochiral substrate can be a ketone and the chiral catalyst can be a chiral oxazaborolidine.

Borane reagents such as borane-tetrahydrofuran complex (sometimes referred to as THFB) are valuable reagents for the reduction of functional groups and for hydroboration reactions with carbon-carbon double and triple bonds. For example, functional groups reduced by borane-tetrahydrofuran complex include aldehyde, ketone, acyl chloride, lactone, epoxide, ester, amide, oxime, imine, and nitrile. Borane-tetrahydrofuran complex is a very selective and clean reducing agent. Because the borane is complexed to the low-boiling (65.degree. C.), common solvent, tetrahydrofuran, no byproduct residues are generated. Typically a reduction is quenched with excess methanol to deactivate any remaining borane-tetrahydrofuran complex and distilled to remove the boron from the desired products as the methylborate/methanol azeotrope.
The enantioselective reduction of prochiral ketones with borane-tetrahydrofuran complex in the presence of an oxazaborolidine chiral catalyst such as (R)-MeCBS (a methyl-substituted chiral oxazaborolidine named after Corey, Bakshi, and Shibata) is a very important tool for the synthesis of alcohols in high optical purity. See, for example, Corey, E. J. and Helel, C. J., "Reduction of Carbonyl Compounds with Chiral Oxazaborolidine Catalysts: A New Paradigm for Enantioselective Catalysis and a Powerful New Synthetic Method," Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 37, 1986-2012 (1998); U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,635; and Franot, C. et al., A Polymer-Bound Oxazaborolidine Catalysts: "Enantioselective Borane Reductions of Ketones," Tetrahedron: Asymmetry, 6:11, 2755-2766 (1995).
However, the selectivity of the reaction has been found to be affected by a number of parameters including, for example, temperature and borane source/batch. In that regard, the enantioselectivity of (R)-MeCBS catalyzed reductions has been found to be quite low for various commercial samples of THFB. Several researchers have presumed that the widely variable results achieved with commercially available THFB were a result of decomposition thereof. See Jones, T. K. et al., "An Asymmetric Synthesis of MK-0417. Observations on Oxazaborolidine-Catalyzed Reductions," J. Org. Chem., 56, 763-769 (1991).
In that regard, although THFB is a very valuable reagent, THFB complexes are known to decompose during transportation and storage at ambient temperature and to thermally decompose during reaction. To prevent decomposition during transportation and storage, stabilizers are typically added to borane-tetrahydrofuran complex. Typically, a hydride source such as a metal hydride (for example, potassium hydride, sodium hydride or lithium hydride) or sodium borohydride (NaBH.sub.4) is added to THFB. Sodium borohydride and other hydrides have been shown to be quite effective in stabilizing THFB. At least one study has also shown that sodium borohydride leads to strongly enhanced activity in the reduction of ketones. Jockel, H. and Schmidt, R., "Kinetics of Direct Borane Reduction of Pinacolone in THF," J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2, 2719-2723 (1997). Other borohydride sources include, for example, potassium borohydride, lithium borohydride, and tetraalkylammonium borohydride. Moreover, metal alkoxides (for example, sodium tert-butoxide, potassium tert-butoxide, lithium tert-butoxide, sodium tert-amylate, potassium tert-amylate, lithium tert-amylate, sodium isopropoxide, potassium isopropoxide, lithium isopropoxide, sodium methoxide, potassium methoxide and lithium methoxide) can be added to generate a borohydride stabilizing agent within THFB.
It is very desirable to develop borane compositions and methods of reaction that improve enantioselectivity.

Increasing enatioselectivity in reductions with borane reagents


A percutaneous transluminal angioplasty device having an embolic filter mounted to the catheter shaft at a location distal to the angioplasty balloon and downstream from the blockage to capture embolic particles that may be set loose into the blood stream as the angioplasty procedure is performed. The embolic filter is normally collapsed against the catheter shaft to facilitate introduction and withdrawal of the device to and from the operative site. Once the angioplasty balloon is properly positioned, however, means operatively associated with the embolic filter are actuated to erect the filter to operatively position a filter mesh across the lumen of the vessel.

The vascular bed supplies a constant flow of oxygen-rich blood to the organs. If plaque builds up in these vessels, blockages can develop, reducing blood flow to the organs and causing adverse clinical symptoms, up to and including fatality.
Angioplasty is a catheter-based procedure performed by a physician to open up a blocked vessel and restore blood flow. An entry site is opened, for example in the patient's groin, arm, or hand, and a guide wire and catheter are advanced under fluoroscopic guidance to the location of the blockage. A catheter having a small balloon adjacent its distal end is advanced under fluoroscopic guidance until the balloon lies within the stenosed region. The balloon is then inflated and deflated one or more times to expand the stenosed region of the artery.
Since diseased vessels are comprised of a range of material from early-stage thrombosis to late-stage calcified plaque, angioplasty can release embolic particles downstream from the stenosed location. These embolic particles can result in adverse clinical consequences. It has been shown that it is beneficial to trap these embolic particles to prevent them from traveling downstream with blood flow to the capillary bed (e.g., Bairn D S, Wahr D, George B, et al., Randomized Trial of a Distal Embolic Protection Device During Percutaneous Intervention of Saphenous Vein Aorto-Coronary Bypass Grafts, Circulation 2002; 105:1285-90).
In addition to balloon angioplasty, stenoses may also be treated with stents and with mechanical thrombectomy devices. These devices are also prone to releasing embolic particles downstream from the stenosed location.
There are systems available today that are used to catch these embolic particles. They are primarily filter systems or occlusion balloon systems built on a guidewire. These systems have shortcomings related to simplicity of use and crossing tight lesions with a filter or balloon guidewire that is larger in diameter than the guide wire which is normally used. These embolic protection guidewires also have flexibility and stability problems that make the protected angioplasty procedure difficult in many cases. In the case of saphenous vein grafts, the problems relate specifically to aorto-ostial lesions, where the guidewire may not be long enough to provide support, or distal vein graft lesions, where there is not enough of a landing zone for the filter. The latter is a problem as currently available filter systems have a considerable distance between the treatment balloon and the distal filter. This distance is a problem not only in distal vein graft lesions, but also in arterial stenoses in which there is a side branch immediately after the stenosis. In such cases, the filter can often be deployed only distal to the side branch, thus leaving the side branch unprotected from embolic particles.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty device with integral embolic filter


When a mobile device interacts with a network service, synchronous DNS resolution can significantly impact user experience due to lossy or moderate-high latency conditions. Network services that rely on low-TTL DNS records for failover require a client to frequently resolve the service's host name. It is undesirable to block on these frequent resolutions. In an implementation, user activity on a mobile device is monitored to determine whether the user is engaged in an activity that would contact a server. If such an activity is in progress, then DNS requests to resolve the server's host name are periodically generated to make sure the server's IP address is cached. In an implementation, if a request to communicate with a server fails, the DNS cache expires the entry for that server so that a new DNS request can resolve the server's IP address in case the server's IP address has changed.

Portable electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers seem to be everywhere these days. The global market for the portable electronic device market continues to grow astronomically as, for example, more people turn in basic phones that lack the ability to download applications (i.e., "apps") and connect to the Internet for devices with advanced features. Today's advanced portable electronic devices can run a rich variety of third-party apps. There are hundreds and thousands of apps for both work and play. For example, the Android Market boasts over 100,000 apps available for download, with many more apps being added each and every day. In almost all cases, there is an app for whatever one can think of from recipes to sports to travel to games.
A person's smartphone is often a vital part of daily life. People rely on their smartphones for so much—e-mail, texting, social networking, "cool" apps, banking, shopping, and much more. A phone can hold lots of personal information, connect to various mobile networks, and can even do financial transactions. As use of the phone increases, so does its value to attackers. People desire to protect their phone from a variety of threats such as mobile malware, Trojans, worms, attempts to steal private data, apps that crash the operating system, and apps that drain the battery—just to name a few examples.
Malicious websites can exploit the phone or other mobile or portable electronic device through a web browser or may convince a user to download a malicious application; phishing sites can deceive a user and convince them to reveal login credentials or other sensitive data. A user can encounter a malicious page via a link in an e-mail message, an SMS or MMS message, a website (all types of sites, including search engines, social networking sites, and content sites), or a mobile application. Malicious content or functionality may also appear on a normally benevolent website.
In addition to protecting people from undesirable events it is also desirable to provide people with a good user experience. Generally, people desire systems and techniques that offer fast response times. As more and more people acquire network-enabled devices, such as smartphones, and access a network, such as the Internet, there is an increasing amount of network traffic. This can lead to long response times and many frustrated users. For example, when a user attempts to connect to a website, there are a number of processes and transactions that occur and which take time—time that can turn a productive experience into a frustrating experience.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide systems and techniques to identify and block threats. It is desirable to provide systems and techniques to enhance user experience.


Provided is a pipe clamp for clamping the joint portion of pipes. The pipe clamp includes a body including a first body, which is hingedly coupled at an upper portion thereof to a link and is provided at a lower portion thereof with a fastening protrusion, the fastening protrusion having therein a fitting groove and a threaded hole connected to the fitting groove, and a second body, which is hingedly coupled at an upper portion thereof to the link and is hingedly coupled at a lower portion thereof to a fastening screw, the link hingedly coupled to the upper portions of the first and second bodies, the fastening screw coupled to the lower portion of the second body, a fastening bar, which is provided at one side thereof with a nut, and which is provided on an outer surface thereof with a thread and is provided therein with a threaded hole, and hinge pins for hingedly coupling the fastening screw and the link to the body.

In order to prevent a connected portion, that is, a joint portion, of general pipes from being displaced and to prevent generation of gaps at the joint portion, a pipe clamp is used. As shown in FIG. 1, the pipe clamp includes a pair of bodies 1, a link 2 for rotatably connecting the pair of bodies 1, a fastening bar 3 for fastening the pipe clamp, and a screw 4 for moving the fastening bar 3.
The body 1 is provided with a fastening protrusion 1a into which the fastening bar 3 is fitted for coupling thereto. The fastening protrusion 1a is provided at a portion thereof that has an anti-rotation protrusion 1b for preventing the rotation of the fastening bar 3, which is coupled to the fastening protrusion 1a.
However, such conventional pipe clamps have the following problems.
1. When the joint portion of pipes is relatively small compared to the pipe clamp, there is a problem whereby the joint portion is not firmly clamped by the pipe clamp.
2. When the joint portion of pipes is relatively large compared to a pipe clamp, the fastening bar is not firmly fastened to the fastening protrusion. Accordingly, there is a problem whereby the pipe clamp becomes separated from the joint portion of the pipes.
3. Although the fastening bar coupled to the fastening protrusion is prevented from being rotated by the anti-rotation protrusion, there is a problem whereby the fastening bar is rotated and thus released when an external impact or the like is applied to the anti-rotation protrusion.


An antenna system and method for fabricating an antenna are provided. The antenna system includes a substrate and an antenna. The antenna includes a conductive particle based material applied onto the substrate. The conductive particle based material includes conductive particles and a binder. When the conductive particle based material is applied to the substrate, the conductive particles are dispersed in the binder so that at least a majority of the conductive particles are adjacent to, but do not touch, one another.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for a material used for at least one of propagation, emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation. More particularly, the present invention relates to techniques for a conductive particle based material used for at least one of propagation, emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional antenna is a device with an arrangement of one or more conductive elements that are used to generate a radiating electromagnetic field in response to an applied alternating voltage and the associated alternating electric current, or can be placed in an electromagnetic field so that the field will induce an alternating current in the antenna and a voltage between its terminals. The conductive elements employed in the conventional antenna are typically fabricated from solid metallic conductors. However, the use of solid metallic conductors is limiting.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved material used for at least one of propagation, emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation, and implementations of the improved material.

Techniques for conductive particle based material used for at least one of propagation, emission and absorption of electromagnetic radiation


An induction system for a multi valve engine that facilitates operation in a lean burn mode over a large range of speeds and loads by employing a smaller cross sectional branch passages in several induction passages serving a common combustion chamber and a valve arrangement that progressively opens flow first through the branch passages and finally through both the main and branch passages so that maximum power can also be obtained.

This invention relates to an internal combustion engine and more particularly to an improved induction system for such an engine having improve performance particularly at low and mid range speeds without adversely affecting high speed performance.
It is well known that the induction system for an engine is a compromise between the obtaining of maximum performance and good running and fuel consumption at low speeds. It has also been proposed to provide an induction system induces turbulence in the combustion chamber in the form of swirl or tumble to improve low speed running and particularly to permit lean combustion. Examples of this are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,712 and Japanese Published Application 05-026135.
In the noted the United States Patent, the induction system includes a control valve which controls the flow of air to three intake valves provided for each combustion chamber. At low speeds, the control valve is operated so that the flow is directed through a restricted passageway toward one of the side intake valves. This also directs the flow into the combustion chamber in a direction of the to improve tumble and/or swirl. However, the flow also tends to go toward the other intake valves and diminishes the overall effect.
In the Japanese publication, on the other hand, the intake system cooperates with two intake valves and is designed so as to promote an increased flow to one of the intake valves by restricting the flow area. This will generate some turbulence. However, the arrangement restricts the overall ability of the engine to breath and thus reduces high speed performance.
In addition to the noted problems, in each approach in addition to the higher velocity flow through the restricted passage there is still a slower flow through the remainder of the valve opening through which the restricted opening passes. Thus even this added turbulence is reduced.
It is therefor a principal object to this invention to provide an induction system for an engine that will produce turbulence when desired and the desired flow directions without restricting maximum power output. In addition when the turbulence is generated this is done in such a way as to maintain the air flow in the direction or directions desired in the combustion chamber without dissipation of the effect.


A wheel and lug nut cleaning device that includes a static central spine defining a front portion and a rear portion, a shape-retaining core encircling the front and rear portions, and a sheath removably coupled to and encircling the core spanning from the rear portion of the static central spine to the distal end of the static central spine, wherein the sheath has a plurality of spaced-part microfiber flanges continuously spanning from the rear portion of the static central spine to the distal end of the static central spine and each extending in a direction outwardly away from an outer surface of the sheath and the core and having a rounded external end, wherein the spine, core and sheath are operably configured to bend in a position to dispose and orient the front portion in a shape-retaining angle relative to the rear portion.

Various types of vehicle wheel cleaning tools and vehicle lug nut cleaning tools are known in the prior art. Many of such known tools clean only the wheel or the lug nut, thereby requiring more than one device to clean both. In addition, such tools include an elongated handle, which does not permit sufficient force to vigorously and thoroughly clean the wheel and lug nuts. Further, some of the wheel and lug nut cleaning tools are motorized with a motor that does not have enough power for thorough cleaning, requires regular replacement of batteries, or requires an extension cord to plug the tools into an electric power source. Even still, several of the known wheel and lug nut cleaning tools do not provide a brush that is removable or removable and washable.
However, what is needed, and what the present wheel and lug nut cleaning device provides, is a single wheel and lug nut cleaning device to clean an outer side of a wheel rim and an inner wheel rim behind and between the wheel spokes, where road grime and dirty brake dust tends to collect, as well as each lug nut itself and any and all rim cavities around the lug nuts, where road grime and brake dust additionally tends to collect. The instant device eliminates exposed metal parts in order to prevent scratching of and damage to the rim surface paint and the clear coat over the vehicle's paint in contrast to known wheel cleaning devices which have metal in a handle thereof to hold the bristles in place which, in turn, can rub against, scratch, and otherwise damage the rim and the paint on the vehicle. The present device further accommodates the cleaning of wheel rims in a wide range of sizes thereby eliminating the need for different tools for cleaning different cars. The shape of the spine is provided to reduce hand, wrist, and arm fatigue while cleaning the wheel rims and lug nuts on a vehicle. The device is formed of anti-microbial materials to reduce the odor and bacterial growth after getting wet when compared to similar known device.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.


In methods and an apparatus for generating a modified intensity projection image from captured medical image data of a subject, an intensity projection image data set and a secondary image data set are obtained from the image data. A region of interest is determined in the secondary image data set, and a surface of this region of interest is then determined. The intensity projection image data set and the region of interest surface are then combined to generate the modified intensity projection image for display.

1. Field of the Invention
This present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for generating a modified intensity projection image from captured medical image data of a subject.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the medical imaging field, several imaging schemes are known. For example PET (Positron Emission Tomography) is a method for imaging a subject in 3D using an injected radio-active substance which is processed in the body, typically resulting in an image indicating one or more biological functions.
In PET/CT, many important pathologies and anatomical structures appear as very high (or low) intensities. For example, a tumour in an FDG-PET image will often appear as a bright region.
A Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) image is a useful way to visualise such medical images. Each pixel in a MIP is the maximal intensity along a ray orthogonal to the plane of the MIP. The resulting pixel values come from different depths along the rays and hence a MIP can be thought of as a simple form of 3D visualisation.
However, MIPs suffer from the following limitations:
1. A MIP provides little in the way of anatomical context and hence it is difficult to localise foci without examining the slice MPRs (multiplanar reconstructions). With FDG-PET, the physiological uptake does provide some anatomical context but is quite weak especially in areas such as the lung and mediastinum in which non-specific uptake is low.
2. An additional confusion arises from the ambiguity in orientation: it is often difficult to tell whether one is looking at the body from the anterior or the posterior.
3. The display can be difficult to interpret when multiple bright structures overlap. For example, when looking at a contrast-enhanced CT image of the thorax, the 3D nature of the thoracic structure obscures information of particular structures. In PET images, a large organ with high uptake such as the bladder, brain or heart can obscure all or most neighbouring hotspots. Similar problems can occur if two hot-spots happen to coincide for a particular viewing angle—the MIP must be rotated to separate the two hot-spots, something that can only be done with dynamic interaction of the MIP; it would not typically be useful to use such an image for a paper report.
In addition, fainter hotspots that are near to other hotter objects or even partially surrounded by them are difficult to see in the MIP. With reference to FIG. 1, one typical example of this would be a lung nodule (104) that is near to the left ventricle (102) in a PET scan. The left ventricle exhibits significant uptake and obscures a small nearby lesion (104), as shown in FIG. 1. This could also occur for lesions near the bladder, brain or a primary tumour.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of 3 frames (a, b, c) in a rotating MIP where the tumour 104 is obscured in some frames by high FDG uptake in the left ventricle, making it difficult to select
MIP displays are conventionally created by deriving a sequence of 2D views, each produced by casting rays from a slightly different angle around the body. By grouping these 2D views together and displaying them in a sequence as a cine, the MIP image appears to rotate. By rotating the angle of the MIP view (either manually or automatically), it is possible to differentiate many structures that are separated in space. For this reason, many medical imaging platforms will include the ability to change the angle of the MIP projection, and usually provide an animation of the MIP being rotated through 360 degrees.
Unfortunately, even when varying the angle of the MIP, some structures will remain occluded (e.g., if several structures lie near to each other and the axis of rotation). Also, this will not allow any visual separation of structures that are included within other structures (such as the hollow wind pipes within the trachea). It will also only allow visual separation of adjacent anatomical structures over a small range of angles, which may not be useful angles to view the anatomy.
Moreover, the MIP as created using the above process provides limited anatomical context for any regions of high activity that maybe of interest. For example, in lung cancer the location of any hotspots in the mediastinum region is important as this information may determine the prognosis and treatment options available to the patient.
In addition, to ensure that no lesions are missed a reading physician is often required to individually inspect every slice in an image to ensure that no lesions are missed, and the physician may not work off the MIP. Lesions that are missed during the slice-by-slice inspection will not be caught without a second slice-by-slice reading. Since the MIP obscures parts of the scan it cannot even be relied upon as a second check to ensure all lesions have been located.
Two previous systems, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,356,178 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,339,585, attempt to display information from relevant regions only, but this requires the regions to be selected in the first place. A system to fit an equation to the pixels lying along a projected line and displaying some representation of the equation has also been considered, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,218,765. This summarises all the information in the image, however the resulting images are unlikely to be readable without significant training and doesn't prevent multiple hotspots from being obscured. The MIP can also be used to change the values of the weights used for volume rendering, as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,250,949, but again the result shows a single 2D surface through the image which can obscure lesions. A method for displaying depth information with the MIP, as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,088,848, can indicate to the user that other lesions may exist, but a check of the individual slices is required to verify this.
The present invention aims to address these problems and provide improvements upon the known devices and methods.
Aspects and embodiments of the invention are set out in the accompanying claims.
In general terms, one embodiment of a first aspect of the invention can provide a method of generating from captured medical image data of a subject a modified intensity projection image for display, the method comprising: obtaining an intensity projection image data set from the image data; obtaining a secondary image data set from the image data, determining a region of interest in the secondary image data set; determining a surface of the region of interest; and combining the intensity projection image data set and the region of interest surface to generate the modified intensity projection image for display.
This allows an accurate combination of the information from two different image data sets, giving the clinician more context in analysing the intensity projection image.
Preferably the step of combining comprises combining the complete intensity projection image data set with only a portion of the secondary image data set, said portion delineated by the region of interest surface.
Suitably, the step of combining comprises blending the region of interest with the intensity projection image data set. This allows a simple means to combine the information from the image data sets.
More preferably, the step of combining comprises replacing part of the intensity projection image data set with the region of interest, wherein the part of the intensity projection image replaced by the region of interest is delineated by the region of interest surface. This provides a clear indication of the position of, for example, a lesion with respect to the region of interest.
Suitably, the step of combining comprises using the region of interest surface to determine a clipping point along an intensity projection ray.
In an embodiment, the step of combining comprises generating the modified intensity projection image from the intensity projection image data set using only those parts of the intensity projection image data set outside the region of interest surface.
Preferably, the secondary image data set is for a type of image different from the intensity projection image set.
Suitably, the image data comprises: the secondary image data set, captured using an anatomical imaging protocol; and the intensity projection image data set, captured using a functional imaging protocol. The anatomical imaging protocol may be, for example, a CT or MRI scan, and the functional imaging protocol may be, for example, a PET scan, such as FDG-PET.
Preferably, the method further comprises determining a registration between the intensity projection image data set and the secondary image data set.
More preferably, the surface of the region of interest is determined by a surface-rendering process.
One embodiment of a second aspect of the invention can provide a method of generating from captured medical image data of a subject a modified intensity projection image for display, the method comprising: obtaining an intensity projection image data set from the image data; obtaining a secondary image data set from the image data, determining a region of interest in the secondary image data set; and combining the intensity projection image data set and information from the region of interest to generate the modified intensity projection image for display, wherein the step of combining comprises combining the complete intensity projection image data set with only a portion of the secondary image data set, said portion contained by the region of interest.
One embodiment of a third aspect of the invention can provide a method of generating from captured medical image data of a subject a modified intensity projection image for display, the method comprising: obtaining an intensity projection image data set from the image data; obtaining a secondary image data set from the image data, determining a region of interest in the secondary image data set; and combining the intensity projection image data set and information from the region of interest to generate the modified intensity projection image for display, wherein the step of combining comprises replacing part of the intensity projection image data set with the part of the secondary image data set contained by the region of interest.
One embodiment of a fourth aspect of the invention can provide apparatus for generating from captured medical image data of a subject a modified intensity projection image for display, the apparatus comprising: a processor adapted to: obtain an intensity projection image data set from the image data; obtain a secondary image data set from the image data, determine a region of interest in the secondary image data set; determine a surface of the region of interest; and combine the intensity projection image data set and the region of interest surface to generate the modified intensity projection image for display; and a display device adapted to display the modified intensity projection image.
One embodiment of a fifth aspect of the invention can provide a method of generating, from medical image data of a subject captured by an imaging apparatus, a modified intensity projection image for display, the method comprising: obtaining, by a processor, an intensity projection image data set from the image data; obtaining, by a processor, a secondary image data set from the image data, determining, by a processor, a region of interest in the secondary image data set; determining, by a processor, a surface of the region of interest; combining, by a processor, the intensity projection image data set and the region of interest surface to generate the modified intensity projection image for display; and displaying the modified intensity projection image on a display device.
A further aspect of the invention can provide a media device storing computer program code adapted, when loaded into or run on a computer, to cause the computer to become apparatus, or to carry out a method, according to any preceding claim
The above aspects and embodiments may be combined to provide further aspects and embodiments of the invention.

Methods and apparatus for generating a modified intensity projection image


An absorbent medical body for removing wound fluids from human and/or animal body cavities includes a material which holds the absorbent body together in a compressed form and can be removed upon contact with a biocompatible liquid.

One possible way of treating infectious body cavities is provided by so-called "endoluminal vacuum therapy." This form of therapy employs a special wound drainage system which is composed essentially of an open-pore sponge for absorbing wound secretions and a drainage tube for removing or discharging the absorbed wound secretions. Such a wound drainage system is marketed by B. Braun Aesculap AG under the name "Endo-SPONGE."
In general, the sponge is placed in the relevant body cavity with an applicator system consisting of a tube- or pipe-like overtube and a pusher, by which the sponge is pushed through the overtube. The sponge is folded or pressed together, or compressed, by the overtube. After emerging from the overtube, the sponge unfolds again immediately and in this state is ready to absorb wound secretions. A disadvantage of this is that once it has unfolded, the sponge can generally no longer be repositioned or re-placed inside the body cavity. Since even with a preliminary endoscopic study of the relevant body cavity, there is not always a guarantee that the sponge can be brought into the desired position inside the body cavity at the first attempt, a repositionably designed sponge would be of great medical benefit.
It could therefore be helpful to provide an absorbent medical body which can be positioned in a body cavity without using an overtube and, above all, can optionally be repositioned several times inside the body cavity.

Absorbent medical body, in particular for removing wound fluids from human and/or animal body cavities, and method for its production


A gas supplying apparatus for supplying deposition gas onto a substrate surface, the gas supplying apparatus comprising: a gas supplying ring with one or more gas supplying channels formed along the interior of the gas supplying ring and with a plurality of gas distribution channels directed toward a center of the gas supplying ring; and a plurality of adapters with gas nozzles connecting to the gas distribution channels, respectively, that detachably connect to the interior of the gas supplying ring, wherein the gas nozzles have a variety of injection configurations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas supplying apparatus, and, more particularly, to a gas supplying apparatus for supplying deposition gas onto a surface of a substrate located in a chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
A gas supplying apparatus is used for supplying gas to be deposited on a surface of a substrate, such as a wafer positioned in a chamber in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor. In general, the gas supplying apparatus is required to uniformly distribute gas on the substrate surface.
A conventional gas supplying apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,143,078, specifying a gas supplying apparatus in a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) manufacturing process. As shown in FIG. 12, the gas supplying apparatus that deposits a thin film onto a substrate includes a plurality of ports provided in a gas distribution ring 410 in a processing chamber, a plurality of first gas nozzles 404 disposed in some of the ports for injecting a first gas a predetermined distance, and a plurality of second gas nozzles 402 disposed at others of the ports for injecting a second gas for another predetermined distance.
The first and the second gas nozzles 404 and 402 are fixed at the gas supplying ring 410 at different angles, respectively.
Thus, different gases can be injected into the chamber through the first and the second gas nozzles 404 and 402, respectively.
Substrates of various sizes have been developed, so that gas nozzles of various injection positions and angles are needed for uniform gas deposition onto the substrates.
However, in the conventional gas supplying apparatus described above, the first gas nozzles 404 and the second gas nozzles 402 positioned in the gas supplying ring 410 are fixed at different angles. Thus, it is difficult to adapt the injection positions or injection angles for a variety of substrates, thereby causing a problem in that a uniform and optimal injection onto the variety of substrates cannot be accomplished.


Systems and techniques for scheduling of use of resources by wireless devices and allocation of resources among devices. Information is received relating to channel efficiency experienced by a user equipment and also to the channel efficiency experienced by other user equipments. The information may include channel gain. Scheduling and resource allocation are performed so as to provide service to each device while minimizing interference penalties imposed by devices on one another. Scheduling and resource allocation may be evaluated and conducted through a number of mechanisms, such as ranking users according to transmit power, ranking user equipments according to target signal to noise ratios, and evaluation of relative advantages to users with the evaluation being performed resource block by resource block. The various metrics take into account both advantages to a particular user equipment under consideration and detrimental effects on other user equipment.

One of the greatest problems facing wireless network operators is the need to serve large numbers of customers with varying needs using the infrastructure available to them. Numerous considerations affect the number of customers that may be served by a particular set of resources, and constant efforts are being directed toward scheduling of devices and allocation of resources to devices to achieve high levels of overall efficiency.

Methods and apparatus for radio resource allocation


A user profile server stores a particular user profile corresponding to a user who belongs to a plurality of separate loyalty programs, and the particular user profile includes a plurality of different loyalty program user identifiers each identifying the user on a respective one of the separate loyalty programs. The user profile server communicates user a preference included on the particular user profile to a first controller via the computer network and communicates the user preference included on the particular user profile to a second controller via the computer network. The first controller is associated with a first hospitality location where the user is identified according to a first loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile, and the second is controller is associated with a second hospitality location where the user is identified according to a second loyalty program user identifier included on the particular user profile.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to hospitality media systems. More specifically, the invention relates to providing a user-tailored entertainment experience at first and second hospitality locations according to user preferences on a single user profile even though a user associated with the user profile is identified by different loyalty program user identifiers at the first and second hospitality locations.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Travel is popular both as a recreational activity such as tourism and as a corporate activity such as business trips. One problem with travelling for either pleasure or business, however, is what to do during all the inevitable "downtime" that is associated with travelling. Examples of typical downtown include periods waiting for departure at airports, bus terminals, ferry docks, or train stations; waiting for arrival while on an airplane, car, bus, boat, or train; waiting at transfer points for a next departure; killing time during layovers and overnight stays; waiting for weather to permit travel; waiting for tours to start; waiting for meetings to start; and recovering from jet lag, time zone changes, illness, food differences, and the general fatigue of coping in a new environment.
Travellers often carry portable electronic devices that, in addition to other functions, provide for personal entertainment during downtime. Examples include mobile phones; personal music players; portable video players; digital cameras; and laptop, notebook, and tablet computers; etc. Additionally, to keep travellers occupied and provide entertainment during waiting periods, electronic entertainment devices and systems are provided in guest-facing locations throughout the travel and hospitality industries. Examples include public televisions; Internet kiosks and WiFi access points; personal music and video players mounted in seatbacks on airplanes, busses, and trains; video games consoles; high definition audio-visual devices in hotel rooms and ocean liner cabins; etc.
One problem with providing entertainment devices and systems for travellers is there is a lack of information regarding content that is desired by travellers at any given time. Rankings may help property owners guess the desired content, but, with the increasing number of global travellers, no matter what content is available at a certain location, there is bound to be at least one user who wants more or different options. Another issue is the disjoint nature of all available entertainment content. Content available at a first location such as on an airplane is often different than that available at a second location such as a foreign hotel, and both may not be content a user enjoys. Although in certain situations it may be enjoyable for a traveller to be exposed to new or different content, travellers generally prefer familiar content or at least content in an understandable language, which may or may not be available when visiting a foreign country. Although most international hotels and resorts try to provide at least some content in English and other widely spoken languages to cover the majority of users, at best, this solution only satisfies the travellers who fall into the targeted "majority". For this reason, guests often rely on content they have brought with them on personal devices.
In order to meet increasing guest expectations, hospitality locations try to provide a wide range of multimedia entertainment content such as specialized channels in a variety of different languages from a plurality of content sources. Purchasing content from local providers including cable/phone companies is one option. Satellite and Internet distribution are other options. Additionally, some content such as feature movies may be stored on hard drives or other storage media and mailed to hotels or other locations in advance. However, for an international destination with a variety of guests, local content providers may not provide the desired content in the required languages. The same drawback may also apply to satellite providers available in the region, and satellite reception requires additional hardware such as the installation of one or more satellite dishes and receivers for each desired channel. News broadcasts, weather, special reports, sports events, and financial information are examples of content that is best provided in real-time. Internet distribution solves some of these problems; however, the costs of purchasing bandwidth sufficient to stream all possible content in real-time often make this option cost prohibitive.

Automatically suggesting faster tiered bandwidth based on prior usage at different hospitality establishment

Guest Tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd.


Various techniques for the management and control of service operations using near-field communication (NFC) technologies are disclosed. In an example, a master computing system operates to identify a device configuration that enables a service operation upon a remote client device, identify an authentication value to authenticate permission to enable the service operation with the remote client device, and generate an NFC data payload including the authentication value and device configuration. This data payload is then provided to a client computing device that operates an NFC reader. In response, the client computing device processes and authenticates the payload, and enables the indicated service operation(s) within the client computing device. Further examples to conduct the NFC data transaction and perform the service operation(s) using active and passive NFC tags are also disclosed.

Many electronic devices (e.g., mobile devices such as phones and tablets) include a product lifecycle that is denoted by stages, transitioning from device manufacturing, to research and development, to device care and repair. In each of these stages, specific service operations may be performed on the electronic device. Some of these service operations are security sensitive, and may involve enabling features or access to data that is normally locked down. For example, sensitive security operations may include enabling trace debug capabilities and retrieving logs from a malfunctioning device returned to the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), enabling provisioning of a Wi-Fi MAC or Bluetooth address during device manufacturing, among many other types of operations.
Allowing sensitive service operations to be always enabled on consumer devices is not an appropriate choice in many circumstances, because such service operations could be used by malware or end users to compromise OEM or vendor assets (or even to perform unsecure activities with the device). Additionally, the OEM may incur legal consequences from failing to meet contractual obligations in adequately protecting such assets. Many existing techniques for enabling these service operations on a particular device involve the usage and setup of complex, costly, and often inadequate external tools and infrastructure. Further, many workarounds for enabling service operations on a device involve complex authorization techniques that are not easily controllable or deployable by a device manufacturer, OEM, or vendor.

Service operation management using near-field communications


System, methods and devices for analyzing drilling fluids are presented herein. A fluid analysis system for determining at least one characteristic of a drilling fluid is disclosed. The system includes a pump and two reversible fluid ports each configured, when in a first state, to intake drilling fluid into the fluid analysis system and, when in a second state, to expel drilling fluid from the fluid analysis system. A valve fluidly couples the reversible fluid ports to the pump. The valve controls the respective states of the reversible fluid ports. At least one measurement module is fluidly coupled to the pump to receive drilling fluid therefrom. The at least one measurement module is configured to determine at least one characteristic of the drilling fluid. Filters can be fluidly coupled with each of the reversible fluid ports. The filters prevent solids of a predetermined size from entering the fluid analysis system.

Boreholes, which are also commonly referred to as "wellbores" and "drill holes," are created for a variety of purposes, including exploratory drilling for locating underground deposits of different natural resources, mining operations for extracting such deposits, and construction projects for installing underground utilities. A common misconception is that all boreholes are vertically aligned with the drilling rig; however, many applications require the drilling of boreholes with vertically deviated and horizontal geometries. A well-known technique employed for drilling horizontal, vertically deviated, and other complex boreholes is directional drilling. Directional drilling is generally typified as a process of boring a hole which is characterized in that the course of the borehole in the earth is in a direction other than vertical—i.e., the axes make an angle with the vertical plane (known as "vertical deviation"), and are directed in the azimuth plane.
Conventional directional boring techniques traditionally operate from a boring device that pushes or steers a series of connected drill pipes with a directable drill bit at the distal end thereof to achieve the borehole geometry. In the exploration and recovery of subsurface hydrocarbon deposits, such as petroleum and natural gas, the directional borehole is typically drilled with a rotatable drill bit that is attached to one end of a bottom hole assembly or "BHA." A steerable BHA can include, for example, a positive displacement motor (PDM) or "mud motor," drill collars, reamers, shocks, and underreaming tools to enlarge the wellbore. A stabilizer may be attached to the BHA to control the bending of the BHA to direct the bit in the desired direction (inclination and azimuth). The BHA, in turn, is attached to the bottom of a tubing assembly, often comprising jointed pipe or relatively flexible "spoolable" tubing, also known as "coiled tubing." This directional drilling system—i.e., the operatively interconnected tubing, drill bit and BHA, is usually referred to as a "drill string." When jointed pipe is utilized in the drill string, the drill bit can be rotated by rotating the jointed pipe from the surface, or through the operation of the mud motor contained in the BHA. In contrast, drill strings which employ coiled tubing generally rotate the drill bit via the mud motor in the BHA.
Drilling fluid is often used to aid the drilling of boreholes into the earth, for example, to remove cuttings from the borehole, control formation pressure, and cool, lubricate and support the bit and drilling assembly. Typically, the drilling fluid, which is more commonly referred to as "mud," is pumped down the borehole through the interior of the drill string, out through nozzles in the end of the bit, and then upwardly in the annulus between the drill string and the wall of the borehole. During the ascent, some of the mud congeals, forming a cake on the exposed face of the wellbore, for example, to prevent the mud from being lost to the porous drilled formation. In addition, the pressure inside the formation can be partially or fully counterbalanced by the hydrostatic weight of the mud column in the hole. Since the mud has a variety of vital drilling functions, it must accordingly have comparable and reliable capabilities.
Many drilling parameters, such as measured depth, string rotary speed, weight on bit, downhole torque, surface torque, flow in, surface pressure, down hole pressure, bit orientation, bit deflection, etc., can be made available in real time. However, many drilling fluid properties—which can be critical to effective hydraulic modeling and hole cleaning performance—are not readily available in real time. Historically, a technician (or "mud engineer") was required to perform a mud check once or twice every 12 hours, and report the measurement data every 24 hours. These measurements may include: density, rheology, electrical stability, filtration control, retort analysis (% solids, oil-water ratio), acidity (ph), salinity, and particle size distribution. This practice is accepted throughout the drilling industry; nevertheless, there are significant benefits to having the key mud properties tested and reported at multiple intervals designated by the operator. The on-site mud engineer, for example, typically has numerous other responsibilities in his/her daily routine and therefore cannot provide a constant stream of drilling fluid properties to a monitoring center, such as a remote real-time center. In addition, taking and/or generating such measurements are time consuming and inherently susceptible to human error. Automated mud measuring eliminates these drawbacks.
There are many systems available for measuring some of the characteristics of drilling mud. Sampling drilling fluid for instrumentation measurements, however, has many problems. Most drilling fluids are designed to plug small holes in the formation and are therefore heavily laden with solids. Moreover, the characteristics of the drilling fluid are constantly changing due to additions of solids and chemicals that make drawing a representative sample difficult. Partially suspended solids and partially dispersed chemicals can form pliable lumps that can plug sampling equipment. If left static, the solids in the drilling fluid tend to settle and plug small diameter tubing, valves, pumps and other fluid handling equipment.
There are various types of liquid-based drilling fluids: (1) water-based muds (WBM), which typically comprise a water-and-clay based composition, (2) oil-based muds (OBM), where the base fluid is a petroleum product, such as diesel fuel, and (3) synthetic-based muds (SBM), where the base fluid is a synthetic oil. In many cases, oil-based drilling fluids also have water or brine dispersed in the oil in significant proportions. In the course of drilling a well, a water-based fluid is often used in one section of the borehole, while an oil-based fluid will be used in a different section of the borehole. Switching between fluid types is fraught with problems for the sampling system and instrumentation because a thick sludge can form where the two fluid types come in contact with each other, which can plug flow passages. In addition, the drilling fluid sampling equipment and measurement instrumentation is frequently located in areas of a drilling rig with a high potential of being surrounded by high concentrations of flammable gases and fluids. As such, anything capable of generating a spark in normal operation or under fault conditions must be packaged to prevent ignition of the surrounding environment.

Systems, methods and devices for analyzing drilling fluid


A method to pre-heat gas at gas Pressure Reducing Stations. A first step involve providing at least one electrical line heater having a flow path for passage of natural gas through electrical heating elements. A second step involves passing the high pressure cold natural gas stream along electrical heating elements and heating it up before de-pressurization. A third step involves the expansion of the high pressure heated gas in a enclosed vessel that houses a gas expander and power generator. The expansion of the gas generates shaft work which is converted into electrical power by the power generator and the expanded low pressure gas cools the power generator. This process results in the recovery of energy to replace the slipstream of natural that is presently used to pre-heat gas at Pressure Reduction Stations.

In gas Pressure Reduction Stations, the gas is pre-heated before the pressure is dropped to prevent the formation of hydrates which can cause damage to the pipeline and associated equipment. The typical pressure reduction varies between 400 to 900 PSIG (pounds per square inch gage) for main transmission gas lines to local distribution lines and from 50 to 95 PSIG from local distribution lines to consumers. When gas is depressurised the temperature drops. The rule of thumb is that for every 100 pounds of pressure drop across a pressure reducing valve the gas temperature will drop by 7 F. When the pressure is reduced by the use of an expander, the temperature drop is greater because it produces work. The heat required to prevent formation of hydrates is normally provided by hot water boilers, gas fired line heaters or waste heat from; gas turbines, gas engines or fuel cells. In some stations, due to its large volumetric flows and pressure drops, energy can be and is recovered, by a combination of gas expander and boiler. For a more efficient recovery, combinations of gas expanders with CHP processes (Combined Heat and Power) or CCHP (Combined Cooling Heat and Power) processes are possible. The limitation in these applications are the economics which are driven by flow volumes, pressure delta, seasonal volumetric flows and 24 hour volumetric flows. Because of so many variables that impact on the economics of adding a gas expander be it with: a boiler, CHP or CCHP the current gas pipeline operators choose to pre-heat the gas by the use of boilers and or heaters.

Method to pre-heat natural gas at gas pressure reduction stations


A turbine engine component includes a wall, a main opening, and two clusters of two or more auxiliary openings. The wall includes cool and hot air sides. The main opening extends between the cool air side and the hot air side and has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is formed on the cool air side, and the outlet is formed on the hot air side. The first cluster of two or more auxiliary openings extends from the main opening to the hot air side. The second cluster of two or more auxiliary openings extends from the main opening to the hot air side. The main opening may be cylindrical or conical with a converging passage extending from the cool air side to the hot air side. The converging main opening may enhance flow through the auxiliary openings especially at high blowing ratios.

Gas turbine engines may be used to power various types of vehicles and systems, such as air or land-based vehicles. In typical gas turbine engines, compressed air generated by axial and/or radial compressors is mixed with fuel and burned, and the expanding hot combustion gases are directed along a flowpath and through a turbine nozzle having stationary turbine vanes. The gas flow deflects off of the vanes and impinges upon turbine blades of a turbine rotor. A rotatable turbine disk or wheel, from which the turbine blades extend, spins at high speeds to produce power. Gas turbine engines used in aircraft use the gas turbine aft end to produce a forward thrust. Other gas turbine engines may use the power to turn a propeller or an electrical generator.
Modem aircraft jet engines have employed cooling systems to maintain the component temperatures within acceptable limits. In the case of the turbine vanes or blades, the blades are air cooled using, for example, bleed air from a compressor section of the engine. The air may enter near the blade root, and then flow through a cooling circuit formed in the turbine blade. The cooling circuit typically consists of a series of connected passages that form serpentine paths, which increase the cooling effectiveness by extending the length of the air flow path. The air may exit through cylindrically-shaped cooling holes formed through walls of the turbine blade. In typical combustors, which include inner and/or outer combustion liners that define a chamber for the hot combustion gases, a plurality of cylindrically-shaped effusion cooling holes supply a thin layer of cooling air that insulates the hot sides of the liners from extreme combustion temperatures. The liners also include major openings, much larger than the cooling holes, for the introduction of compressed air to feed the combustion process.
Although the aforementioned cooling systems operate adequately, they may be improved. In particular, as the demand increases for more efficient engines, engine operating temperatures increase as well. However, components including cylindrically-shaped cooling holes may experience undesired oxidation, coating issues or thermally induced stresses that may degrade the effectiveness, integrity or life of the components.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have improved cooling systems that may effectively cool components that are typically subjected to elevated operating temperatures, such as those above about 704° C. In addition, it is desirable for the system to be relatively simple and inexpensive to implement. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the inventive subject matter will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the inventive subject matter and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the inventive subject matter.


A transom window assembly is provided that comprises a windowpane and an openable transom pane, the windowpane and the transom pane being adjacent to each other. A transom hinge hingedly connecting the windowpane and the transom pane to each other comprises a first hinge portion attached to the interior surface of the transom pane along a lower edge, preferably directly attached, and a second hinge portion attached to the interior surface of the windowpane along the transom opening edge. The transom window is capable of being swung between a closed position and an open position. Certain embodiments of the window assemblies have a flush appearance. Also provided are vehicles comprising a vehicle window assembly in accordance with those just described.

Transom windows would provide advantages, especially in vehicles, especially, for example, in recreational vehicles and mass transit vehicles, for increased light, ventilation and cooling. Vehicles have traditionally not employed transom windows in view of the difficult engineering and styling issues presented in positioning a transom window above a primary window in a vehicle body. A transom window would have to be sufficiently robust to withstand the harsh use environments often experienced by vehicles, including vibration, thermal cycling and temperature extremes, etc. Also, a frame or attachment hardware for a transom window would be aesthetically disadvantageous on the exterior of the vehicle due to the undesirable effect of preventing a flush appearance for the vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide vehicle window assemblies with transom panes. In view of the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of certain embodiments or examples, additional objects and features of the inventive subject matter will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this field of technology.


A loading/unloading lug is provided on the distal end portion of a load beam for use as a suspension body. The lug extends in the axial direction of the suspension body and is designed to run on a support member when suspension body is moved to a refuge zone. The cross section of the lug perpendicular to the axis of the suspension body is arcuate so that an outer surface in contact with the support member is convex, and the outer surface of the lug forms a smoothed surface smoothed by coining. The arithmetic mean roughness of the smoothed surface ranges from 0.01 .mu.m to less than 0.2 .mu.m.

The present invention relates to a suspension for supporting a head section of a disk drive stored in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, and more particularly, to an improvement of a suspension end portion.
A head section of a magnetic disk drive or the like that uses a hard disk includes a slider. Data are recorded in or retrieved from the disk by means of a transducer that is stored in the slider. The slider is supported by a suspension in a manner such that it can be lifted above the surface of the disk.
Conventionally, disk drives of this type are provided with means for evacuating the slider to a region outside the tracks of the disk when the disk is stopped from rotating. CSS (contact-start-stop) and L/UN (loading/unloading) systems are known examples of this evacuating means.
In the CSS system, the distal end portion of the suspension is moved to the inner peripheral portion of the disk when the disk is stopped. In order to prevent the slider from clinging to the surface of the stopped disk, according to the CSS system, the surface of the inner peripheral portion of the disk is roughened to a certain degree. Accordingly, the inner peripheral portion of the disk cannot be used as a recording area (tracks), so that the disk cannot enjoy a satisfactory recording capacity. The recording capacity may be increased by reducing the fly height of the slider, for example. According to the CSS system, however, the rough surface of the inner peripheral portion of the disk prevents the reduction of the fly height.
In the L/UN system or ramp-load system, on the other hand, a plastic ramp block is disposed beside the disk. When the disk is stopped from rotating, the suspension moves to a refuge zone beside the disk so that its distal end portion runs on the ramp block. Thereupon, the suspension is supported by the ramp block. This L/UN system does not require the surface of the inner peripheral portion of the disk to be roughened. Therefore, the fly height can be reduced, and the recording capacity can be made greater than in the case of the CSS system. According to the L/UN system, moreover, the inner peripheral portion of the disk can be also used as a recording area, thus facilitating augmentation of the capacity.
In the loading/unloading system, however, the contact between the suspension and the ramp block involves some problems. As the suspension repeatedly touches and leaves the ramp block, for example, a part of the plastic ramp block may be shaved, thereby producing fine contaminants. As the coefficient of friction between the suspension and the ramp block changes with time, moreover, control of the suspension may become difficult in some cases. Since the friction coefficient of the contact region between the suspension and the ramp block changes, furthermore, driving power for the movement of the suspension on the ramp block may become unstable.

Suspension for disk drive and working method therefore

International Business Machines Corporation


A safety valve features a flow tube operated flapper for the normal open and closed positions that can be obtained with one or two control lines to a principal operating piston. Pressure applied to the piston moves the flow tube to rotate the flapper open behind the flow tube. Release of pressure to the principal piston allows a closure spring to return the flow tube up to let the flapper close. A secondary piston can drive the flow tube with applied pressure through a control line. Cycling the applied pressure in combination with an indexing mechanism allows the flapper to be locked open and then released to normal operation. The pistons act as backup for each other as they both drive the flow tube. The flow tube has a clearance fit to the body in the locked open position to exclude debris from the flapper.

Safety valves in tubular strings such as a production string in a borehole or a production riser from a subsea wellhead at times need to be held open. Early designs managed to lock the valve open in such a way that further functionality of the valve was destroyed. One example is U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,137,452; 7,703,541 and 5,598,864. Other designs used a flow through method to open the flapper and combined flow through the passage in cycles of pressure actuation and removal with a j-slot mechanism to hold a flapper open and another cycle to release the flapper for normal operation. These designs left the flapper open to the flow path where accumulated debris could impede the movement of the hold down mechanism or the flapper. Some examples of this are U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,527,104 and 8,607,811. Some devices would disable the safety valve and obtain access to the hydraulic system to run other tools. An intervention into the string was required to do this. In some applications like marine risers there is a 90 degree bend in the riser near the platform preventing inserting tools to lock open the valve while also disabling its hydraulic system from resuming normal operation. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,185. Another design involved delivering and expanding a sleeve to hold the flapper open and disable the safety valve from further normal operation and is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,958. U.S. Pat. No. 7,779,919 shows the use of a primary piston to manipulate a flow tube during normal operation and a second hydraulic piston not operably connected to the flow tube that could retain the flapper open. When hydraulic pressure was removed a spring bias allowed release of the flapper to resume normal operation with the flow tube. This design left the flapper exposed to debris in well fluid when locked open. In another design the back of the flapper could selectively engage a hook latch in the open position after being pushed down by the flow tube. A cable release could either prevent the flapper from latching when shifted to open or allow retaining the flapper with a hook entering a recess in the back of the flapper until the flow tube was raised clear of the flapper. A cable could then remove the hook from the back of the flapper allowing it to swing closed for normal operation when the flow tube was then raised up. This design is shown in US 2007/0137869 and it does not appear to be intended to function as a lock open device but rather in high flow situations to avoid flapper or flow tube damage from high flow closing the flapper against a flow tube that is not retracted fast enough by a closure spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,422,790 illustrates a flow tube operated flapper where a ratchet can hold the flow tube in the extended position so that the valve is locked open. A tool can then be inserted into the flow tube to latch into the flow tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,394,762 shows a debris barrier movable against a flow tube to keep well fluid debris away from the flapper in the open position when the flapper is behind the flow tube.
Probably the most relevant reference with regard to the present invention is U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,284 which shows a main piston associated with a flow tube for normal operation of the flapper for the open and closed positions. A secondary piston moves a one way ratchet through a selectively releasable retainer. The ratchet assembly holds the flow tube in the down position effectively locking the valve open. Release occurs by applying the pressure on the main piston and relieving pressure on the secondary piston which allows a plate 80 to be pushed down to spread the outer ratchet. Bleeding pressure off of the primary and secondary pistons allows the locking secondary piston to full retract so that the flow tube can move up and normal operation of the safety valve can resume. This complex design has a ratchet exposed to well fluids that can get stuck and fail to release the locking piston from trying to push plate 80 down with the primary piston. If the ratchet fails to sufficiently retract the valve stays locked open. The secondary piston cannot operate the valve at all and further features an array of small parts and springs calling into question its reliability in severe environments.
What is needed and provided by the present invention is a flow tube operated flapper that has redundant capability for moving the flow tube when using a primary or a secondary piston. The secondary piston is linked with an indexing feature to respond to pressure cycles to selectively lock the flow tube in the flapper open position or with another pressure cycle on the secondary piston to release the flow tube for normal operation with the primary piston. The flapper can be held open with pressure on the secondary piston in a configuration that if the control pressure on the secondary piston is lost the closure spring will shift the flow tube for a fail-safe configuration of the flapper to the closed position. The flow tube in the locked open position can be a clearance fit to the surrounding housing to minimize debris infiltration to the volume where the open flapper resides behind the flow tube. These and other aspects of the present invention will be more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the description of the preferred embodiment and the associated drawings while recognizing that the full scope of the invention is to be determined from the appended claims.

Tubular isolation valve resettable lock open mechanism


A method and apparatus for controlling a turbo-machine in case of failure of the main burn fuel flow calculator. The apparatus receives at least information from various sensors as well as from the main burn fuel flow calculator. The method and apparatus, herein disclosed, provides a smooth and secure transition between the last burn fuel flow value before the failure of the main burn fuel flow calculator and the future burn fuel flow values.

This invention relates to a turbo-machine control system and more precisely to a digital electronic back-up control system.
Modern aircraft engines are driven by an electronic engine control system, which controls the thrust and the torque delivered by the engine. Usually such systems are designed using a microprocessor, allowing the control algorithms to be implemented by software.
The electronic engine control system must at least detect an overspeed of the turbo-machinery that could be fatal for it. In such a case, it is important to cut off the fuel flow.
These control algorithms control the spool speed of the turbo-machinery by scheduling the burn fuel flow through a hydromechanical fuel metering unit. Sensors on the turbo-machine supply information on what is needed to drive the turbo-machine. The control algorithms which are running on the microprocessor provide the proper burn fuel flow using all the inputs.
In case of emergency, it is important to rely on a back-up system. Such back-up systems will provide the same information to the fuel metering unit. Two different configurations are now available.
In the first configuration available, the back-up system is a hydromechanical back-up system. In this configuration, the back-up system controls the burn fuel flow through a mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic control system.
In the other configuration available, the back-up system is another electronic engine control system identical to the main electronic control system. Such a parallel system is named a dual channel electronic engine control system. A special algorithm might be used to ensure a proper switch between one channel and the other.
Furthermore, the use of a hydromechanical back-up control increases the weight and the complexity of the control system, thus this is not an advantageous solution for a use in an aircraft.
When a failure of the electronic engine control system is detected, a sudden transition from the electronic engine control system to a back-up engine control system can be harmful to the turbo-machine. In fact, if the fuel flow computed by the electronic engine control system at its failure is far different from the fuel flow computed by the back-up engine control system when it is enabled, great damages can occur due to a the non-continuous supply of fuel.
Therefore there is a need for a reliable back-up control system that will smoothly take control of the turbo-machinery in the event of a failure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronically operated back-up system for a turbo-machine to be use in case of failure of the main electronic engine control system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronically operated back-up system for a turbo-machine that is not a duplication of the main electronic engine control system.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronically operated back-up system for a turbo-machine that is able to start the engine.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronically operated back-up system for a turbo-machine that is able to guarantee a minimum fuel flow in the engine in order to avoid a flameout.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronically operated back-up system for a turbo-machine that is able to avoid power increase or decrease in the engine during the transfer to the back-up control mode.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a back-up system for controlling a turbo-machine via a fuel metering unit when the electronic engine control of the turbo-machine fails, which comprises a back-up burn fuel flow calculator, the back-up fuel flow calculator receiving at least the amount of fuel requested by the operator signal of the turbo-machine and the actual spool speed of the turbo-machine and computing an amount of fuel to provide to said turbo-machine in order to adjust its speed to obtain a spool speed equivalent to the amount of fuel requested by the operator signal, a last burn fuel flow storage, the last burn fuel flow storage storing the last burn fuel flow value provided by the electronic engine control before its failure, a transitional burn fuel flow manager, the transitional burn fuel flow manager receiving the amount of fuel computed by the back-up burn fuel flow calculator and the last burn fuel flow value stored in the storage and providing an amount of fuel to provide to the fuel metering unit.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for determining a burn fuel flow value, comprising the steps of receiving a current fuel flow value provided to a fuel metering unit of a turbo-machine from a main burn fuel flow calculator, storing the current fuel flow value in a memory upon detection of a malfunction of the main burn fuel flow calculator, calculating a transitional value using the stored fuel flow value and a back-up burn fuel flow value received from a back-up burn fuel flow calculator and outputting the transitional value to said fuel metering unit.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for determining a burn fuel flow value for an aircraft turbo-machine in case of a malfunction, the method comprising the steps of receiving a current fuel flow value from a main burn fuel flow calculator, storing the current fuel flow value prior to the malfunction, calculating a back-up burn fuel flow value using sensor readings from the aircraft and initially the stored current fuel flow value, wherein the calculating using an algorithm which is different from an algorithm used for calculating the main burn fuel value, the back-up burn fuel flow value having a smooth transition between the current fuel flow value prior to the malfunction and future burn fuel flow values and outputting the back-up burn fuel flow value to a fuel metering unit.

Back-up control method and apparatus for turbo machine


The present disclosure provides for a ranging and proximity detection system that includes a radiation source, the radiation source positioned within a first wellbore and a radiation detector positioned within a second wellbore.

Knowledge of wellbore placement and surveying is useful for the development of subsurface oil & gas deposits, mining, and geothermal energy development. Accurate knowledge of the position of a wellbore at a measured depth, including inclination and azimuth, may be used to attain the geometric target location of, for example, an oil bearing formation of interest. Additionally, accurate relative placement of a wellbore to a geological zone or formation, or relative to one or more adjacent wellbores, may be useful or necessary for the production of hydrocarbons or geothermal energy, or to ensure that adjacent wellbores do not physically intersect each other.
Traditional wellbore survey techniques utilize sensors including north-finding or rate gyroscopes, magnetometers, and accelerometers to measure azimuth and inclination, with depth resulting from drillpipe depth or wireline depth measurements. With traditional wellbore survey techniques, the resultant positional uncertainty between two or more adjacent wellbores may be too large to determine the distance or direction (relative orientation) between the adjacent wellbores within a desired accuracy or statistical confidence interval. In some instances, magnetic ranging techniques may consist of estimating the distance, orientation, or both the distance and orientation of a wellbore or drilling equipment in that wellbore relative to other wellbores by measuring the magnetic field that is produced either passively from the adjacent wellbore's casing or drillpipe, or by measuring an actively generated magnetic field. In some instances, the use of magnetic ranging techniques may result in decreased relative positional uncertainty between adjacent wellbores compared to traditional wellbore survey techniques.
In splitter wells, two wellbores may share the same conductor pipe. Traditionally, in splitter wells, two smaller casings are installed within the same larger conductor. The smaller casings may be in proximity to each other and in certain cases, touching. It is desirable that an exit from one casing, such as, for instance, by drilling out of the shoe or setting a whipstock, does not result in a collision with the other casing. Because both wellbores are cased, the use of magnetic ranging techniques may result in inaccurate results.
When blind drilling, conductor pipes are driven, for instance, from offshore platforms; the position of the bores relative to each other may not be known or not known to a desired accuracy. It is desirable that the bores not intercept each other. Like in splitter wells, the use of magnetic ranging techniques may result in inaccurate results. Thus, recovery of conductors may prove difficult because the blind-drilled bores may be viewed as undrillable due to anti-collision rules.

Method for wellbore ranging and proximity detection