A cloning manager preserves in-place file system objects during a clone operation. The cloning manager determines boundaries of a file system to be created by the clone operation, and identifies at least one protected area within the boundaries, reserved for the file system. The cloning manager also identifies at least one in-place file system object within or overlapping the boundaries to be preserved during the clone operation. The cloning manager ensures that each object to be preserved is not located in a protected area, shifting the objects as necessary. The cloning manager creates the file system during the clone operation only in locations that do not contain objects to be preserved.

File system cloning is an improvement over traditional file copy and back-up operations. During a file system clone, the data underlying an existing file system are examined at the physical media layout level, and a stream of data is created representing that file system. A new file system is then created by initializing and modifying low level file system structures directly on a target physical medium. Because it operates at a lower level, a cloning operation is more efficient than traditional file copying operations. Additionally, cloning operations can leverage knowledge of physical media architecture, and can access file system metadata.
Cloning is a destructive process, which overwrites whatever content may happen to be in the target region of the physical media, by laying down a new file system thereon. Although cloning is an efficient way in which to create a new file system with the content and attributes of an existing one, as it exists in the prior art cloning cannot preserve files or directories that are already in-place on the target media.
Traditionally, in-place files have been preserved during destructive operations by moving the files to a different physical location for the duration of the operation. After the successful completion of the operation, the files are restored. Copying the files to a secondary storage medium and then restoring them after a destructive operation requires time. Where the number of files is significant, or where individual files are very large, the required time becomes substantial, as does the free space requirement on the secondary storage medium. Additionally, this technique requires an accessible secondary storage medium.
What is needed are methods, computer readable media and systems that provide preservation of in-place file system objects during cloning operations.

In-place preservation of file system objects during a disk clone operation


In one aspect, a device includes at least one processor, a display accessible to the at least one processor, and storage accessible to the at least one processor. The storage includes instructions executable by the at least one processor to receive input regarding an object at which one person is looking and to present, to another person via the display, a graphical indication regarding the object.

As recognized herein, users of respective augmented reality devices are sometimes proximate to each other but are not looking in similar directions. This may be problematic if a first user is viewing a virtual object anchored to a real-world location that is not currently in a second user's current field of view, but the first user still says something opaque to the second user along the lines of "look at that". As also recognized herein, logically the second user may not be able to deduce the location and identity of the virtual object that is being referenced by the first user since the virtual object might not be within the current field of view for the second user. There are currently no adequate solutions to the foregoing computer-related, technological problem regarding shared augmented reality experiences.

Presentation to user of indication of object at which another person is looking


Three methods for classifying leukocytes with a flow cytometer by optical measurements on fluorochrome-stained blood cells or those which have been so treated as to provide varying intensity in forward scattered light are useful in the practice of clinical testing. Also included are reagents employed in the practice of such methods.

Leukocytes in the peripheral blood of normal subjects can be classified as being of five types consisting of lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. Different leukocyte types have different functions and counting of leukocytes in the blood according to their type will provide valuable information for diagnostic purposes. For instance, an increase in the number of neutrophils is associated with such diseases as inflammations, myocardial infarction and leukemia, and a decrease in their number is associated with viral diseases, hypoplastic anemia, agranulocytosis, etc. On the other hand, an increase in the number of eosinophils is found in such diseases as parasitosis, Hodgkin's disease and allergosis. An increased number of monocytes occurs either during the convalescence period of patients suffering from infectious diseases or in such diseases as monocytic leukemia.
Classification and counting of leukocytes have been made most commonly by the differential counting method which is also referred to as the visual counting method or simply as the manual method. In this method, a blood sample is smeared on a glass slide and the blood corpuscles in the smear are fixed and stained for examination by microscopy. The technician identifies the type of individual leukocytes according to their morphological features (e.g., their size, the morphology of their nucleus and cytoplasm, and the presence or absence of granules) or the degree of dye uptake and performs classification and counting of them. At ordinary laboratories, 100-200 leukocytes are usually counted for each sample and the percentage of the total leukocyte count occupied by each type of corpuscle is recorded as a measured value.
The differential counting method has several disadvantages. First, microscopic observation must be preceded by cumbersome procedures for preparing a specimen that involve such steps as smearing a blood sample on a glass slide, fixing the corpuscles and staining them. Secondly, it is a great burden for the technician to identify subtle differences between corpuscles by microscopic classification and counting. Thirdly, it is difficult even for a skilled technician to yield consistent counts by the manual method since aside from the small number of leukocytes computed, the smeared sample often has an uneven distribution of blood corpuscles.
Various methods have been proposed for eliminating these disadvantages of the manual method of leukocyte classification by achieving automation and such automated techniques may be roughly divided into two types. The first method consists of recording the images of corpuscles with a video camera or some other suitable imaging device and classifying the leukocytes by means of image processing on a computer. The operating principle of this method is similar to that of the conventional visual counting method but primarily due to the existence of many corpuscles that defy classification by processing with a computer, this method has not yet become an ideal alternative to the manual method. Furthermore, this method is not economically feasible since it requires sophisticated equipment which is large and costly.
The other approach toward automatic classification and counting of leukocytes is based on a flow system. In this method, a blood sample having corpuscles suspended in a diluent is permitted to flow in such a way that the corpuscles will individually (one by one) pass through a constricted detector, and leukocyte classification is made by analyzing the signal generated by the detector. This second method of leukocyte counting which makes use of a flow system is further subdivided into two categories.
In a method of the first category, an electrolyte in which all red cells that were present have been destroyed with a lysing agent so that only leukocytes will be suspended is permitted to flow through an orifice, and the change in electrical impedance that occurs at the orifice when each corpuscle passes through it is detected, with the magnitude of the detected signal being used as a basis for classification of leukocytes.
A method of the second category is characterized by the use of a flow cytometer that comprises a light source, a flow cell that permits the blood cells in a sample to flow one by one through a constricted channel, a photometric unit that detects light issuing from each blood cell, and an analyzer for analyzing the detected signal. In this method, the corpuscles in the sample which are stained are illuminated under light and the fluorescence emitted from the irradiated corpuscles is detected, optionally together with scattered light, with leukocyte classification being made in accordance with the intensity of the detected signal.
Techniques that fall within the category of this flow cytometric method are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 853/1984 and L. A. Kamentsky, Blood, 6, 121-140 (1980). According to these techniques, a blood sample is stained with 10 volumes of an acridine orange solution, incubated for 1 minute, and irradiated under a light source such as an argon ion laser. The green fluorescence and red fluorescence that are emitted from the individual corpuscles are measured and classification and counting of leukocytes are subsequently made based on a two-dimensional plot of the fluorescence measurements.
Other examples of techniques that are classified as being within the flow cytometric approach are shown in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 20820/1975, H. M. Shapiro et al., J. Histochem. Cytochem., 24 (1) 396-411 (1976); and supra, 25 (8) 976-989 (1977). According to these methods, a blood sample is stained with 4 volumes of a Dye Solution I, incubated for 3 minutes, further mixed with 20% formaldehyde in a volume equal to the blood, fixed for 5 minutes, and diluted with a diluting Dye Solution II to obtain a concentration 15-20 times as low as the initial value. The so prepared specimen is subjected to measurement with a flow cytometer.
The flow cytometer employed in the these methods uses either a mercury lamp that produces three different wavelengths of light or three lasers, so as to excite the three fluorescent stains in each of the dye solutions. The parameters measured are three kinds of fluorescence, forward scattered light, 90.about.C scattered light and absorbed light. Based on these six parameters, two-dimensional plots are constructed in four stages and analyzed to make leukocyte classification and counting.
Japanese Patent Application No. 213715/1986, filed on Sept. 10, 1986, discloses a one-step staining process consisting of staining a blood sample with a dye solution comprised of a buffer solution, inorganic salts and fluorescent stains. But this method has the problem that unlyzed erythrocytes may adversely affect measurement data to produce unreliable results.
In the first version of the method that uses a flow system for leukocyte classification and counting, the disruption of erythrocytes is a prerequisite but depending on a blood sample, it is impossible to effect complete lysis of erythrocytes and the accuracy of measurements may be impaired in such a case.
The examples of the flow cytometric approach that are described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 853/1984 and Blood Cells, 6, 121-140 (1980) are characterized by performing measurements before dye absorption by the cells reaches an equilibrium, or at the time when the difference between the intensities of fluorescence from individual leukocytes attains a maximum during the staining process. However, the time required for attaining an appropriate level of fluorescence intensity in a sample whose leukocyte count is at either one of two extremes will be different from the time for a normal sample, and an appropriate staining time must be selected for each sample. As a further problem, this method relies solely on the differential intensity of fluorescence for leukocyte classification and does not necessarily ensure precise separation between different leukocyte types such as lymphocytes and monocytes.
The other examples of the cytometric approach that are described in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application No. 20820/1975, J. Histochem, Cytochem., 24 (1) 396-411 (1976) and supra, 25 (8) 976-989 (1977) have the disadvantage that they involve many steps of operation, take a prolonged staining time and require the use of reagents in a complex system. Furthermore, practice of these methods requires a very sophisticated and costly apparatus that includes three light sources and which is capable of measuring six parameters. In addition, analysis of such a large number of parameters is inevitably complicated and requires an analyzer of large capacity.
All of the prior art techniques of flow cytometric approach, including the method proposed by Japanese Patent Application No. 213715/1986 have one common problem in that detection with a flow cytometer is impossible if neutrophils in a blood sample become dead when a long time has passed before measurement. In order to avoid this problem, measurements by these flow cytometric methods always require the use of fresh blood samples.
The present invention has been accomplished in order to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art techniques for leukocyte classification and counting and it provides reagents and three methods that enable accurate classification and counting of leukocytes by simple procedures.

Reagents used in a method of classifying leukocytes by flow cytometry


A method and system for preparing a cast post and core in a dental root canal procedure is provided. The method comprises the steps of removing the root canal material from the tooth; cutting out a post-hole in the tooth having a substantially uniform width; cutting out at least one annular tier along the hole; placing a burn-out post having at least one flange into the post-hole so that the flange is seated on the annular tier; applying an acrylic resin onto the tooth and over the burn-out post in order to form a core, and finally removing the core with the burn-out post from the tooth in order to form a casting.

This invention relates to a novel dental burn-out post, and more particularly, to a method for preparing a dental cast post and core in a dental root canal procedure.
In conventional root canal techniques, it is generally practiced to form post-holes in teeth after which a dental pre-fabricated post is placed therein. Suitable examples of pre-fabricated posts include the products FLEXI-POST and FLEXI-FLANGE, manufactured by Essential Dental Systems, Inc. of South Hackensack, N.J.
Then, the dentist or dental practitioner builds up the core in order to create an umbrella-like configuration. Conventional core materials include composites, amalgams and glass ionomer cements. The disadvantage of this system is that the post and core are constructed from two different materials. As a result, different properties (tensile strength, modular elasticity, etc.) are present. Consequently, failure between the two interfaces in the system is facilitated.
Another technique includes the formation of an umbrella and is known as a cast post system. The umbrella, comprising a plastic post and a core made from an acrylic, is sent to a dental lab and east into a precious metal. Thereafter, it is sized to the root canal and then fitted therein. Once this is done, a final crown is placed over the portion (core and shaft) which has been cast.
The above technique is directed to the use of a cast post, which remains a viable technique for many dentists and dental practitioners. To date, however, there has been no easy standardized way to achieve a reliably predictable result. In other words, prior art systems failed to provide adequate stability, reliability and ease of use. When using a cast post system, the resulting coronal portion of the tooth does not adapt properly to the final cast. As a result, a pooling of the cement can occur and retentive failure of the final cast is hastened.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for preparing a cast post and core for a dental root canal procedure which is both reliable and predictable.

System for fabrication of dental cast post and core using a burn-out post


A system includes reception of a query filtered on an object of a hierarchical list of values and comprising a first filter value, generation of an SQL script based on the first filter value and at least one ancestor value of the first filter value in the hierarchical list of values, and retrieval of a data set associated with the query based on the SQL script.

Enterprise software systems receive, generate, and store data related to many aspects of a business enterprise. In some implementations, this data may relate to marketing, sales, customer relations, supplier relations, inventory, human resources, and/or finances. Reporting systems are commonly used to present such enterprise data to users in useful formats.
Reporting systems may generate reports based on user-created report specifications. A report specification may include a layout of one or more report parts (e.g., sections, tables, charts, header, footer, etc.) and queries to specify the data that is to populate the report parts. In order to generate a report based on a report specification, a reporting system retrieves stored enterprise data based on the queries, populates the report parts with the retrieved data, and assembles the populated report parts according to the layout.
To facilitate creation of a report specification, reporting systems may interact with a semantic layer including a set of abstract entities known as business objects. Each business object associates one or more physical entities (e.g., a physical database table, associated columns of one or more database tables) of one or more enterprise data sources with user-friendly names. The user-friendly names may represent business entities, such as customers, time periods, financial figures, etc. Business objects may be classified as dimensions along which one may want to perform an analysis or report (e.g., Year, Country, Product), details (e.g., additional information on dimensions), and measures (e.g., Sales, Profit) whose values can be determined for a given combination of dimension values. A report designer may therefore create the queries of a report specification using these user-friendly names instead of references to specific physical entities of the data sources.
A semantic layer may also include a hierarchical list of values (LOV) to facilitate the selection of filter values during the creation of a query. A hierarchical LOV is associated with business objects of the semantic layer. For example, a hierarchical LOV may be associated with the Year, Quarter and Month business objects and may reflect the hierarchy Year >Quarter >Month. Each business object therefore represents a different "level" of the hierarchical LOV.
FIG. 1 illustrates the creation of a query using a hierarchical LOV according to some systems. Specifically, a user has operated query panel 100 in order to create a query that is filtered on the Month object and which returns result objects Year, Quarter, Month and Unit Sales. Hierarchical LOV 110 is presented in tree form to allow the user to intuitively select filter values from the tree. As shown, the user has selected the filter values January (of year 1997) and July (of year 1998).
As mentioned above, conventional reporting systems retrieve stored data based on such user-generated queries. For example, a conventional reporting system may receive the query created in query panel 100 and generate the following Structured Query Language (SQL) script in response:    SELECT time.year_name, time.quarter_name, time.month_name, sum(sales.unit_sales)    FROM time INNER JOIN sales on (time.time_id=sales.time_id)    WHERE time.month_name IN ('January', 'July')
The SQL script is then passed to an SQL server to retrieve a data set from a corresponding data store. FIG. 2 is a tabular representation of such a retrieved data set according to the present example. Due to the above SQL script, data set 200 includes record for January of year 1998 and July of year 1997 even though those months were not selected in hierarchical LOV 110. Conventional systems therefore fail to preserve the uniqueness of the selected filter values in the hierarchy, resulting in the retrieval of undesired data.
Systems are desired to facilitate the creation and execution of a query based on a hierarchical LOV.

Query generation based on hierarchical filters

Abstract: In some aspects, reception of the query includes reception of a command to refresh a document including the query and a prompt on a filter value, presentation of the prompt and the hierarchical list of values, and reception of the first filter value.


Systems and methods for providing a smart hydration container or bottle which accurately tracks a user's liquid intake. The smart hydration container utilizes a new capacitive sensing technology which does not require a complicated design for capacitive conductive surfaces and provides accurate capacitive measurements which map to volume measurements. Through the use of calibrated data, the smart hydration container accurately measures capacitance “as a whole” of the entire container's contents even when the container is not resting upright. In some implementations, the smart hydration container utilizes a combination of capacitive sensing, motion sensing, position sensing, and/or temperature sensing to provide an accurate measure of liquid volume in the container. The capacitive sensor may be electrically shielded by a passive conductive sensor shield, a grounded conductive sensor shield, or an active conductive sensor shield.

Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for measuring liquid volume in containers.
Description of the Related Art
There are many issues with poor hydration, which affects roughly half of all adults in the United States. Stated differently, for a large percentage of the population, the craving of thirst is not sufficient to maintain proper hydration. Good hydration is a leading health indicator, yet hydration is often not well tracked because at present tracking hydration is a manual process where the person needs to remember the amount of liquid consumed throughout a day, week, etc.
Accordingly, there is a need for a hydration solution which accurately and conveniently tracks hydration for users over a period of time.

Hydration container with liquid volume measurement


Tree pole ladder which includes first and second detachable sections. Each of the detachable sections pivotally supports laterally extending steps which the foldable from a horizontally extending position for climbing, to a storage position aligned with the pole section. The detachable sections are coupled together by a coupling section which permits the sections to be rapidly connected and detached to a pair of single pole sections which may be easily transported to remote locations.

The present invention relates to a portable ladder which permits the climbing of trees or other vertical structures. Specifically, a structure which may be broken down into conveniently-carried pole sections, and then erected to a final ladder assembly is disclosed.
Various devices have been proposed in the past to permit a hunter to climb a tree to erect a hunting stand. These devices permit one to obtain better visibility for game in the immediate area.
Among the devices used in the past for climbing trees include a device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,983. This patent describes a portable multisection ladder which may be assembled to any height. The various V-shaped members include a male/female plug arrangement on each end. Each section may be strapped to a tree by a plurality of straps having a quick release buckle. This device, as well as other devices shown generally in the art, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,674,597, 4,422,527, 3,630,314 and 3,961,686, permit climbing of a tree without defacing it using spikes or other damaging fastening devices.
As these ladder structures are used in remote locations, they must necessarily be simple and easily transportable to avoid overburdening the user with additional structure.
The present invention is an improvement upon the foregoing devices. A tree pole ladder is provided which may be easily broken down into carriable sections.


In a cognitive radio environment with at least three cognitive radio terminals, terminals 1 and 2 have an active link. Terminal 3 estimates the link quality, and if it is deemed good terminal 3 transmits over the frequency band in use on the link. Terminal 3 then monitors the link between terminals 1 and 2 to quantify its interference on it. If no interference is detected terminal 3 can increase its power. If terminals 1 and 2 change their modulation terminal 3 deems its interference too severe and either reduces power or finds another frequency band. Terminal 3 can use blind modulation detection for the link between terminals 1 and 2, and estimate link quality based on the type of modulation in use.

Spectrum sensing is needed in cognitive radios to find empty slots in the radio spectrum which can subsequently be used in an opportunistic manner. The cognitive radio must be able to detect a primary user at a low power level and avoid causing interference to it. Generally it is assumed to use the actual mobile terminals operating within the network as the cognitive radios that also sense the spectrum quality. There are various proposals by which cognitive radios may find the spectrum that is available for use, and these teachings proceed from the assumption that the cognitive radios have indeed found some available spectrum that they can use without interfering with the existing networks (which may be hierarchical or ad-hoc) that are specifically authorized to use a portion of the universe of radio spectrum. Development of cognitive radio systems is at an early stage, and come cognitive radio systems may have a specific spectrum band allocated and may even have some central node. Regardless of whether radio spectrum bands are allocated only to the primary network systems or additionally to the cognitive system, the cognitive radio terminals themselves use the frequencies within a spectrum band opportunistically.
Term the radios operating in those primary networks with frequency resources assigned to users as the primary users, and term the cognitive radios that use frequency resources on an opportunistic basis as the secondary users. The secondary users are obliged to avoid the frequencies that the primary users are using, which is by definition why they are cognitive radios; they must find the spectrum that is available for use. Among the secondary users the spectrum must be used in such a way that the transmission of one secondary system (e.g., a pair of cognitive radio terminals communicating with one another) is minimally interfering the transmission of another secondary system. All of these secondary users are equal in status as far as spectrum usage is concerned; they compete against each other to find a part of spectrum where to operate.
There arise instances where the spectrum might be so crowded that a secondary user is incapable of finding an empty spectrum slot for its use. This may occur for example if the primary users occupy a particularly large proportion of their network's spectrum leaving little to cognitive users to exploit, or if there are a large number of simultaneous cognitive users so that the competition for the exploitable spectrum is tight. Since the cognitive radios/users in such a scenario are equal in rank and by definition for a cognitive system there is no hierarchy by which to allocate the scarce exploitable spectrum, this leads to a problem. How does one cognitive radio get an opportunity to transmit, and particularly in a manner that does not interfere with other cognitive users who may or may not already be communicating? Without some solution the result would appear to be that there would be multiple interferences among the equal secondary users, wasting the scarce spectrum available and exacerbating the problem. These teachings are directed to resolving that problem.

Method and apparatus to operate a cognitive radio in a crowded collaborative system


A method of making a wound field for a brushless direct current motor, direct current generator, alternating current motor or alternating current generator, includes providing a base mold having an engagement face with at least one movable end turn form. A number of distinct phases is determined and at least one strand of conductive material is wound around at least one movable end turn forming tool per distinct phase. One conductive coil is created from each strand of conductive material for each distinct phase. Each conductive coil is formed into a configuration that indicates the number of poles required. Each conductive coil is then placed onto an insertion instrument. The insertion instrument and each conductive coil are inserted into a stator core. The insertion instrument is removed from the stator core, and the stator core is installed into one of the aforementioned motors or generators.

The present invention relates to a method for making a winding for a motor or generator, and more specifically, a method for making a winding for an AC or DC brushless motor or generator.
Slotless brushless DC motors are known for having performance advantages as compared to traditional motors and are used in many capacities from medical equipment to pumps. Conventional methods are to wind a separate coil or group of coils for each magnetic pole required. The lack of defined slots and teeth, however, make the winding process more difficult and expensive than typical brushless DC motors that include teeth and slots.
Accordingly, a simplified winding method that requires only one coil per phase no matter how many poles are present in the motor is desired.


Communication quality of bearers towards a 3G system having a PoC server and a proxy server connected thereto, and towards a wireless LAN system is monitored by a 3G bearer IF and a wireless LAN bearer IF of a mobile terminal device. Upon being requested for reference by an application of the mobile terminal device, a routing table of the mobile terminal device is referred. A bearer is selected based on the communication lines (bearers) to a destination, and priority corresponded to the communication quality obtained by the monitoring.

In recent years, a trail has been made on fusing different communication systems, and making best use of these communication systems while allowing them to express their features.
One example (referred to as "known example", hereinafter) can be found in a system configuration making a mobile terminal device operable, by fusing a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) represented by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics) 802.11 and a third generation mobile phone system (3G system, 3G: 3rd Generation).
In particular, FMC (Fixed Mobile Convergence) attracts public attention as a challenge of fusing mobile phone and stationary phone.
Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication device connectable to wireless bearers provided by a plurality of wireless communication systems.
The wireless communication device is such as allowing a wireless bearer switching unit to select and switch a wireless bearer of an appropriate wireless communication system, based on wireless bearer type information acquired by a wireless bearer information acquisition unit, that is, information indicating which of communication charge, data transmission speed and data capacity of the wireless bearer should be given with priority, and wireless bearer priority reference information stored in a memory unit, that is, communication charge, data transmission speed and data capacity of the wireless bearer.
Patent Document 2 discloses a terminal device capable of switching, among a plurality of communication systems, from a wireless communication system currently in use to other switchable communication system.
The terminal device is such that a throughput-adapted first value of the communication system currently in use derived by a first throughput derivation unit, and a throughput-adapted second value of the communication system to be switched derived by a second throughput derivation unit to a threshold value determining unit, a threshold value with respect to quality of transmission path is determined by the threshold value determining unit based on the first value and the second value, and the communication system currently in use is switched to a destination communication system based on the threshold value determined by the threshold value determining unit and the value of quality of transmission path derived by a transmission path quality derivation system.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-080707    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-357213

Method of switching bearers and a device used therefor


A method for determining the viscosity of a medium with a Coriolis mass flowmeter, wherein the Coriolis mass flowmeter has at least two measuring tubes that medium can flow through and a measuring device, wherein the measuring device has at least two actuator assemblies, wherein a measuring tube plane is defined by the measuring tube central axis and wherein the actuator assemblies are arranged on both sides of the measuring tube plane and outside of the measuring tube plane. Elaborate constructional measures for the Coriolis mass flowmeter are avoided by the measuring tubes being excited with a measuring device to at least oppositely directed torsion oscillation (and optionally additionally to plane oscillation) with the actuator assemblies being alternately actuated with opposing effective directions so that at least the viscosity of the medium is determined by evaluation of values from the measuring device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for determining the viscosity of a medium with a Coriolis mass flowmeter, wherein the Coriolis mass flowmeter has at least two measuring tubes that medium can flow through and a measuring device, wherein the measuring device has at least two actuator assemblies, wherein a measuring tube plane is defined by the measuring tube central axis and wherein the actuator assemblies are arranged on both sides of the measuring tube plane and outside of the measuring tube plane.
2. Description of Related Art
Coriolis mass flowmeters are known in a plurality of designs in the prior art. Differences include, on the one hand, for example, the number of measuring tubes of an instrument, and on the other hand, whether the measuring tubes are bent or straight. In order to measure the mass flow, the measuring tubes are excited to oscillation; wherein the input and output ends of the measuring tube oscillate in phase to one another without flow. With flow, inertial force from Coriolis acceleration causes a phase shift within the oscillation of the measuring tubes, which is detected by sensor assemblies and can be evaluated as a measuring signal for the mass flow.
Furthermore, Coriolis mass flowmeters are known from the prior art, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,609, having just a single measuring tube, wherein the measuring tube can be used, on the one hand, for detecting mass flow in that oscillation is shifted perpendicular to its axial length, the tube also oscillates here in an oscillation plane—for measuring mass flow. On the other hand, the measuring tube can be shifted into torsional oscillation, wherein information about the viscosity of the medium flowing through the measuring tube can be drawn by evaluating this torsional oscillation. The measured physical correlations needed for this have been known for a long time and are not a central object of consideration. At any rate, torsional oscillation causes shear forces acting in the circumferential direction to be created through the measuring tube walls, through which oscillation energy of the torsional oscillation is detracted and dissipated in the medium. In order to sustain the torsional oscillation of the measuring tube, it is necessary that additional excitation energy is supplied to the measuring tube. The viscosity of the medium can be determined from the value of the additionally supplied excitation energy for sustaining the torsional oscillation by means of the measuring sensor.
The Coriolis mass flowmeters known from the prior art and suitable for measuring the viscosity of a medium, however, have one disadvantage, that elaborate measuring devices are required for detecting the torsional oscillation as, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,609.

Method for determining the viscosity of a medium with a Coriolis mass flowmeter


A current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) structure electromagnetic transducer element comprises upper and lower electrically-conductive lead layers. The lead layers are employed to supply an electric current to an electromagnetic transducer film. An electrically-conductive terminal piece is allowed to stand on the surface of the lower electrically-conductive lead layer. The contact established between the electrically-conductive terminal piece and the electromagnetic transducer film is allowed to define the path for the electric current. The reduced contact area of the electrically-conductive terminal piece contributes to reduction in the size or extent of the path for the electric current through the electromagnetic transducer film. The path of the electric current can be reduced in the CPP structure electromagnetic transducer element without relying on reduction in the size of the electromagnetic transducer film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) structure electromagnetic transducer element comprising an electromagnetic transducer film such as a spin valve magnetoresistive film or a tunnel-junction magnetoresistive film, and upper and lower electrically-conductive lead layers interposing the electromagnetic transducer film in the vertical direction perpendicular to the electromagnetic transducer film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A single domain property should be established in the free ferromagnetic layer of a magnetoresistive layered stripe such as a spin valve film, a tunnel-junction film, and the like. This single domain property is supposed to greatly contribute to reduction in Barkhausen noise. A pair of biasing hard stripe layers or so-called domain control layers are designed to interpose the spin valve film or the tunnel-junction film so as to realize the single domain property in the free ferromagnetic layer. The magnetoresistive layered stripe or film and the biasing hard stripe layers are usually arranged side by side over a flat surface. For example, the flat surface can be defined on the upper surface of a lower electrically-conductive lead layer in the CPP structure electromagnetic transducer element.
When the magnetoresistive layered stripe or film and the biasing hard stripe layers are formed over the lower electrically-conductive lead layer, the magnetoresistive layered stripe or film is forced to contact the lower electrically-conductive lead layer over the entire bottom surface. Specifically, the extent or size of the magnetoresistive layered stripe or film necessarily determines the size of the path for a sensing electric current. If a further reduction in the path for the sensing electric current is intended, the magnetoresistive layered stripe should further be reduced in size. The reduced path for the sensing electric current leads to a still higher sensitivity of the electromagnetic transducer element in reading the magnetic bit data out of a recording medium.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a current-perpendicular-to-the-plane structure electromagnetic transducer element greatly contributing to reduction of the path for an electric current supplied to an electromagnetic transducer film without relying on a further reduction in the size of the electromagnetic transducer film.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a current-perpendicular-to-the-plane (CPP) structure electromagnetic transducer element comprising: a lower electrically-conductive lead layer; an electrically-conductive terminal piece standing on the surface of the lower electrically-conductive lead layer; an insulation layer spreading over the surface of the lower electrically-conductive lead layer and contacting the side surface of the electrically-conductive terminal piece; an electromagnetic transducer film extending at least across the top surface of the electrically-conductive terminal piece; and an upper electrically-conductive lead layer contacting the upper surface of the electromagnetic transducer film.
The contact established between the electrically-conductive terminal piece and the electromagnetic transducer film is allowed to define the path for the electric current in the CPP electromagnetic transducer element of this type. The electrically-conductive terminal piece is designed to contact the electromagnetic transducer film at the top surface. The contact area of the top surface of the electrically-conductive terminal piece is allowed to determine the size or extent of the path for the electric current through the electromagnetic transducer film. In this manner, the path of the electric current can be reduced in the CPP structure electromagnetic transducer element without relying on reduction in the size of the electromagnetic transducer film.
When the path of the electric current is to be reduced in the CPP structure electromagnetic transducer element, the electromagnetic transducer film may have a second width larger than a first width of the electrically-conductive terminal piece. Reduction in the first width of the electrically-conductive terminal piece serves to reliably establish a reduced path of the electric current between the electromagnetic transducer film and the electrically-conductive terminal piece irrespective of the extent of the second width of the electromagnetic transducer film. The size or extent of the reduced path is allowed to correspond to the extent of the first width.
A flat surface may continuously be defined on the top surface of the electrically-conductive terminal piece and the upper surface of the insulation layer. When the electromagnetic transducer film is formed on the flat surface, it is possible to establish the electromagnetic transducer film at a higher dimensional accuracy. The electromagnetic transducer film may be a magnetoresistive layered stripe or film such as a spin valve film, a tunnel-junction film, and the like.
The lower electrically-conductive lead layer may be made from a magnetic material, for example. Specifically, the lower electrically-conductive lead layer may have not only a property of electric conductors but also a magnetic property. The lower electrically-conductive lead layer of this type is allowed to function as a magnetic shield layer for the electromagnetic transducer film. This greatly contributes to reduction in a so-called read gap in the CPP structure electromagnetic transducer element. The reduction in the read gap leads to a higher linear resolution of the magnetic recordation or data along the recording tracks on a magnetic recording medium.
The upper electrically-conductive lead layer may comprise a terminal bump contacting the electromagnetic transducer film by a third width smaller than the second width. The electrically-conductive terminal bump serves to reduce the contact area between the electromagnetic transducer film and the upper electrically-conductive lead layer. Reduction in the third width of the terminal bump is allowed to establish a reduced path of the electric current between the electromagnetic transducer film and the terminal bump irrespective of the extent of the second width of the electromagnetic transducer film. The size or extent of the reduced path is allowed to correspond to the extent of the third width.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of making the aforementioned CPP structure electromagnetic transducer element. The method may comprise: forming an electrically-conductive piece on the surface of an electrically-conductive lead layer; forming an insulation layer on the surface of the electrically-conductive lead layer so as to cover the electrically-conductive piece with the insulation layer; subjecting the insulation layer to a flattening treatment so as to expose the top surface of the electrically-conductive piece at a flattened surface defined over the insulation layer; and forming an electromagnetic transducer film on the flattened surface so as to allow extension of the electromagnetic transducer film at least across the top surface of the electrically-conductive piece. In particular, the method allows the formation of the electromagnetic transducer film on the flattened surface, so that the electromagnetic transducer film can be obtained at a higher dimensional accuracy. Here, the electrically-conductive piece turns into the aforementioned electrically-conductive terminal piece.
The method may further comprise: forming the electrically-conductive lead layer according to a predetermined pattern on a surface of a fundamental layer prior to formation of the electrically-conductive piece; forming a basement insulation layer on the surface of the fundamental layer so as to cover the electrically-conductive lead layer with the basement insulation layer; and subjecting the basement insulation layer to a flattening treatment so as to expose the surface of the electrically-conductive lead layer at a flattened surface defined over the basement insulation layer. In particular, the method allows the formation of the electrically-conductive piece on the flattened surface, so that the electrically-conductive piece can be obtained at a higher dimensional accuracy.
Furthermore, the method may further comprise: forming an overlaid insulation layer covering over the electromagnetic transducer film; forming a contact bore penetrating through the overlaid insulation layer so as to expose an upper surface of the electromagnetic transducer film; and filling the contact bore with an electrically-conductive material. The method contributes to a facilitated formation of the aforementioned terminal bump on the upper electrically-conductive lead layer.

Current-perpendicular-to-the-plane structure electromagnetic transducer element having reduced path for electric current


An antenna structure for a notebook comprising a main body of an antenna and a printed circuit board which is provided on the main body of the antenna and is electrically connected; and the printed circuit board is laid out thereon at least with a radio frequency matched line, the radio frequency matched line can be adjusted to get a desired bandwidth.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna structure, and especially to an antenna structure which suits a notebook.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In progression of mobile communication, notebooks get the basic function of mobile communication, and antennas become necessary elements for emitting signals in radio communication. On the requirement of compactness, the interior of a notebook has limited space for receiving an antenna, this makes designing of notebooks in present days encounter a problem of insufficiency of bandwidth desired. Even when a bandwidth is obtained by adjustment by the way of resonance, the original highly efficient structure of the antenna will be destroyed by the fact that a broadband obtained by resonance (resonant bandwidth) is a false resonance, thereby the efficiency of the antenna becomes worse; and this needs improvement.


Embodiments of the invention include instruments (100, 200, 400, 1100, 1400, 2100, 2400, 3400) and methods useful in delivering graft material (1) to a surgical site. Some embodiments may particularly be directed to forming a graft (1) and accurately and effectively handling and delivering the graft (1) to a surgical site arthroscopically. Graft material (1) may include blood components such as clotted fibrin derived from a patient's or a donor's blood.

Tissue healing is often enhanced in the presence of concentrations of bioactive substances in blood. For example, meniscal tear healing can be improved in the presence of blood components, especially in concentrated forms. It is believed that meniscal repairs accomplished in conjunction with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are particularly advantageous. Insertion of a fibrin clot in a tear prior to the tear being sutured or otherwise closed is advantageous.
It is known in the prior art to draw a patient's blood into a syringe and transfer the blood into a metal pan or a beaker. A glass syringe barrel or a metal rod stirrer may then be used to stir the blood until some coagulation takes place. The time to form a clot depends on materials, sizes, and surface areas of the vessel and stirrer. In some methods, the clot is removed from the stirrer and transferred to a gauze pad. The clot may then be flattened to a consistent thickness and then cut or shaped to make a desired graft shape. Such a clot can be inserted into a damaged tissue site. For meniscal repair, such a clot can be transported arthroscopically through a portal, past a patient's fat pad, and into the meniscal tear. This processes is very technically demanding due to the small size and fragile consistency of the clot in combination with difficulties associated with accessing the tissue repair site.
It would be advantageous to provide instruments and methods that enable more consistent and less technically demanding forming, handling, and delivery of graft material, such as a fibrin clot. For example, it would be an improvement to provide instruments and methods that enabled formation of a graft appropriately dimensioned for efficient and economical insertion of the graft through arthroscopic portals. Some improved embodiments may include additional instruments for handling the graft and delivering the graft to the tissue repair site.

Graft preparation and delivery instruments and method


An approach is provided for increasing the functionality of an electronic device when the device is in a locked state. The approach involves determining one or more applications for presentation at a device. The approach also involves determining that the device is in a locked state. The approach further involves processing and/or facilitating a processing of the one or more applications to cause, at least in part, presentation of the one or more applications in a user interface of the device associated with the locked state.

Service providers and device manufacturers (e.g., wireless, cellular, etc.) are continually challenged to deliver value and convenience to consumers by, for example, providing compelling network services. The spread of augmented reality and other application usage on electronic devices increases the importance of providing a fast way to access such applications. Electronic devices, such as those with touch screens, have a lock screen feature to avoid any accidental functioning of the electronic device. The lock screen, however, increases the amount of time required to access and use an application that is run on the electronic device. There is a need, therefore, to increase the functionality of the electronic device while it is in a locked state.

Method and apparatus for increasing the functionality of an electronic device in a locked state


A network traffic accelerator (NTA) in a TCP/IP communication network comprises a hardware implemented internal network layer, transport layer and data link layer, and is configured to process protocol-supported or protocol-unsupported packets. Both protocol-supported and protocol-unsupported packets may originate from internal or external layers. The NTA includes means to merge such internally and externally originated packages into an internal receive or an internal transmit path, means to split transmit packets between two paths through two data link layers, and means to direct protocol-unsupported packets for external processing.

The rapid growth of computer networks in the past decade has brought, in addition to well known advantages, dislocations and bottlenecks in utilizing conventional network devices. For example, a CPU of a computer connected to a network may spend an increasing proportion of its time processing network communications, leaving less time available for other work. In particular, file data exchanges between the network and a storage unit of the computer, such as a disk drive, are performed by dividing the data into packets for transportation over the network. Each packet is encapsulated in layers of control information that are processed one layer at a time by the receiving computer CPU. Although the speed of CPUs has constantly increased, this type of protocol processing can consume most of the available processing power of the fastest commercially available CPU. A rough estimation indicates that in a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP) network, one currently needs one hertz of CPU processing speed to process one bit per second of network data. Furthermore, evolving technologies such as IP storage, streaming video and audio, online content, virtual private networks (VPN) and e-commerce, require data security and privacy like IP Security (IPSec), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) that increase even more the computing demands from the CPU. Thus, the network traffic bottleneck has shifted from the physical network to the host CPU.
Most network computer communication is accomplished with the aid of layered software architecture for moving information between host computers connected to the network. The general functions of each layer are normally based on an international standard defined by the International Standards Organization (ISO), named the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network model. The OSI model sets forth seven processing layers through which information received by a host passes and made presentable to an end user. Similarly, those seven processing layers may be passed in reverse order during transmission of information from a host to the network.
It is well known that networks may include, for instance, a high-speed bus such as an Ethernet connection or an internet connection between disparate local area networks (LANs), each of which includes multiple hosts or any of a variety of other known means for data transfer between hosts. According to the OSI standard, Physical layers are connected to the network at respective hosts, providing transmission and receipt of raw data bits via the network. A Data Link layer is serviced by the Physical layer of each host, the Data Link layers providing frame division and error correction to the data received from the Physical layers, as well as processing acknowledgment frames sent by the receiving host. A Network layer of each host, used primarily for controlling size and coordination of subnets of packets of data, is serviced by respective Data Link layers. A Transport layer is serviced by each Network layer, and a Session layer is serviced by each Transport layer within each host. Transport layers accept data from their respective Session layers, and split the data into smaller units for transmission to Transport layers of other hosts, each such Transport layer concatenating the data for presentation to respective Presentation layers. Session layers allow for enhanced communication control between the hosts. Presentation layers are serviced by their respective Session layers, the Presentation layers translating between data semantics and syntax which may be peculiar to each host and standardized structures of data representation. Compression and/or encryption of data may also be accomplished at the Presentation level. Application layers are serviced by respective Presentation layers, the Application layers translating between programs particular to individual hosts and standardized programs for presentation to either an application or an end user.
The rules and conventions for each layer are called the protocol of that layer, and since the protocols and general functions of each layer are roughly equivalent in various hosts, it is useful to think of communication occurring directly between identical layers of different hosts, even though these peer layers do not directly communicate without information transferring sequentially through each layer below. Each lower layer performs a service for the layer immediately above it to help with processing the communicated information. Each layer saves the information for processing and service to the next layer. Due to the multiplicity of hardware and software architectures, devices, and programs commonly employed, each layer is necessary to insure that the data can make it to the intended destination in the appropriate form, regardless of variations in hardware and software that may intervene.
In preparing data for transmission from a first to a second host, some control data is added at each layer of the first host regarding the protocol of that layer, the control data being indistinguishable from the original (payload) data for all lower layers of that host. Thus an Application layer attaches an application header to the payload data, and sends the combined data to the Presentation layer of the sending host, which receives the combined data, operates on it, and adds a presentation header to the data, resulting in another combined data packet. The data resulting from combination of payload data, application header and presentation header is then passed to the Session layer, which performs required operations including attaching a session header to the data, and presenting the resulting combination of data to the transport layer. This process continues as the information moves to lower layers, with a transport header, network header and data link header and trailer attached to the data at each of those layers, with each step typically including data moving and copying, before sending the data as bit packets, over the network, to the second host.
The receiving host generally performs the reverse of the above-described process, beginning with receiving the bits from the network, as headers are removed and data processed in order from the lowest (Physical) layer to the highest (Application) layer before transmission to a destination of the receiving host. Each layer of the receiving host recognizes and manipulates only the headers associated with that layer, since, for that layer, the higher layer control data is included with and indistinguishable from the payload data. Multiple interrupts, valuable CPU processing time and repeated data copies may also be necessary for the receiving host to place the data in an appropriate form at its intended destination.
A fuller description of layered protocol processing may be found in textbooks such as "Computer Networks", Third Edition (1996) by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, which is incorporated herein by reference. As defined therein, a computer network is an interconnected collection of autonomous computers, such as internet and intranet devices, including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), ring or token ring, wired, wireless, satellite or other means for providing communication capability between separate processors. A computer is defined herein to include a device having both logic and memory functions for processing data, while computers or hosts connected to a network are said to be heterogeneous if they function according to different operating devices or communicate via different architectures.
As networks grow increasingly popular and the information communicated thereby becomes increasingly complex and copious, the need for such protocol processing has increased. It is estimated that a large fraction of the processing power of a host CPU may be devoted to controlling protocol processes, diminishing the ability of that CPU to perform other tasks. Network interface cards (NICs) have been developed to help with the lowest layers, such as the Physical and Data Link layers. It is also possible to increase protocol processing speed by simply adding more processing power or CPUs according to conventional arrangements. This solution, however, is both awkward and expensive. The complexities presented by various networks, protocols, architectures, operating devices and applications generally require extensive processing to afford communication capability between various network hosts.
The seven layer 0SI model is described schematically in FIG. 1. The seven layers are divided into two main groups: Lower Layers (Transport 106, Network 108, Data Link 110 and Physical 112) and Upper Layers (Application 100, Presentation 102 and Session 104). The initials in the parentheses of blocks 106, 108 and 110 are examples of protocols implemented in some systems in each particular layer. At present, the main protocols implemented in Network layer 108 are IP, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) and Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). The main protocols implemented in Transport layer 106 are TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). These protocols are cited hereinafter as by the common name of "TCP/IP" protocols. TCP is described in RFCs 793 and 1122, UDP is described in RFCs 768 and 1122, IP is described in RFCs 791 and 1122, ARP is described in RFCs 826 and 1042, and ICMP is described in RFCs 792 and 1122. The intention was to use these protocols at low bandwidth with low reliability network connections, and they were designed to increase the reliability of the network traffic, guaranteeing delivery and correct sequencing of the data being sent by an application implemented above them.
There are several known initiatives to implement the Network and the Transport layer protocols (especially the TCP/IP protocols) in hardware. For simplicity, implementation of a layer protocol will be referred to hereafter as "implementation of a layer". Two such initiatives are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,620 "TCP/IP offload network interface device" and U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,302 "Fast-path apparatus for receiving data corresponding to a TCP connection", both to Alacritech Inc. Both implementations make use of two data paths from the network to the application, a "slow path" and a "fast path". These two paths cross two different implementations of the Network and Transport layers, as described in FIG. 11 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,620. The two implementations therein use respectively numbers 370 and 358 for the Transport layer, and 366 and 355 for the Network layer. However, the OSI model permits only one implementation of each Transport layer protocol (TCP in our case), because at the interface level between the Session layer and the Transport layer, the data received in the Transport layer from the Session layer includes an indication that specifies only the type of protocol. The Transport layer thus knows only the protocol type (TCP in our case) and lacks the information (found only in the Network layer) required to choose one of the two implementations of the protocol. Thus, the system described in the Alacritech patents is in conflict with the standard OSI model, and requires major changes in a system built based on the OSI model.
A typical implementation of the OSI model comprises hardware and software implemented protocols. FIG. 2 shows one such implementation schematically, again as a layer model. In FIG. 2, the seven layers marked 200-212 mirror the 100-112 marking of the same layers in FIG. 1. Protocols in layers 200-208 are implemented in a software section 251 and protocols in layers 210-212 are implemented in a hardware section 270. The hardware section comprises two NICs 260a and 260b. Each NIC comprises a hardware implemented Data Link layer (210a and 210b) and Physical layer (212a and 212b). Both NICs have the same functionality but can differ in the exact implementation. Two software drivers 214a and 214b couple between the software and the hardware sections.
FIG. 3 describes a common hardware implementation of the layer model described in FIG. 2. A CPU 350 performs the tasks of software section 250, i.e. the processing of the Lower Layers (Network and Transport) protocols and of the Upper Layers (Application, Presentation, and Session) protocols, as well as the function of drivers 214, see FIGS. 1, 2. Two NICs 360a and 360b perform the tasks of NICs 260a and 260b in FIG. 2, i.e. the processing of the Data Link layer and Physical layer protocols. A host bus 322 and a host bus bridge 320 are used to provide the connectivity between NICs 360a, 360b and CPU 350. The host bus may be any known bus, for example a PCI local bus as defined by the PCISIG group (http://www.pcisig.com). Each NIC is connected to, and allows communication between an Ethernet Network 324a, 324b and all other elements of the system.
The implementation described in FIGS. 2 and 3 divides the protocol processing load between CPU 350 and NICs 360a and 360b. The processing power required to process the Network 208 and Transport 206 layer protocols is high and proportional to the network throughput, limiting the available processing power left in the CPU for the Upper Layers (200, 202 and 204 in FIG. 2) protocols, especially for the Application layer ones. This is an unacceptable disadvantage.
FIG. 4 represents a typical hardware implementation of a TCP/IP protocol. The seven layers are marked 400-412, mirroring the 100-112 and 200-212 marking of the same layers in, respectively, FIGS. 1 and 2. In this implementation, all Lower Layers protocols (layers 406-412) given a common number 401a are implemented in hardware, and all Upper Layer protocols (400-404), given a common number 401b are implemented in software. A software driver 440 (implemented at a different layer than 214 of FIG. 2) provides the connectivity between the software and the hardware implemented layer protocols. There are two data paths: a first "transmit" or TX data path 420 starting in Application layer 400 and passing through Upper Layer protocols 401b, a first connection 422, driver 440, a second connection 424, Transport layer 406, Network layer 408, and Data Link layer 410 to Physical layer 412; and a second, "receive" or RX data path 430 starting in Physical layer 412 and passing through Data Link layer 410, Network layer 408, Transport layer 406, a third connection 434, driver 440, a fourth connection 436, and through Upper Layer protocols 401b ending in Application layer 400. This implementation suffers from disadvantages described with reference to FIG. 5 below.
FIG. 5 illustrates the problem arising from having one system that comprises an Upper Layers software implementation section 500, and both a hardware implementation 502a of Transport and Network layer protocols, and a software implementation 502b of the same Transport and Network layer protocols. Hardware implementation 502a and software implementation 502b are connected to a first Physical layer 512a and a and second 512b, through respectively a first Data Link layer 510a and a second Data Link layer 510b. Hardware implementation 502a, first Data Link layer 510a and first Physical layer 512a comprise a first hardware block 530. Second Data Link layer 510b and second Physical layer 512b comprise a second hardware block 560. A first driver 540 couples between first hardware block 530 and software implementation section 500. A second driver 514 couples between second hardware block 560 and software section 500 through the software implementation 502b Transport and Network layers. FIG. 5 clearly shows that there are two paths from the Upper Layer protocols (section 500) to the two Physical layers. A left path passes through connection 522a, driver 540 and layers 502a, 510a, and 512a, and a right path passes through connection 522b, software implementation 502b, driver 514 and Data Link layer 510b. However, the OSI model allows only one implementation of the Transport and Network layers as shown in FIG. 1 (106 and 108) and FIG. 2 (206 and 208), while designed to allow implementation of multiple Data Link (210a, b) and Physical (212a, b) layers as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the implementation shown in FIG. 5 does not meet the OSI specification, and highly complicates the system design. For example, this implementation requires a decision to be taken at the Session layer in section 500, choosing either the left path through connection 522a or the right path through connection 522b for data traffic towards a Physical layer. The Session layer does not have the information needed to make this decision since, according to the OSI model, such information is stored at the Network layer level. Also, having two separate implementations of the Transport and Network layers requires permanent synchronization of the databases of those two layers, in order to keep each implementation aware of decisions made by the other.
FIG. 6 describes in detail a flow chart of a hardware system 600 implementation of block 530 (minus the Physical layer) of FIG. 5. FIG. 6 clearly shows that there is only one transmit (TX) path 620 from the Session layer (not shown) to the Physical layer (not shown), which enters block 600 through a first connection 624, and passes a Transport layer 606, a Network layer 608 and an internal (to block 600) Data Link layer 610, exiting block 600 through a second connection 629. FIG. 6 also clearly shows that there is only one receive (RX) path 630 from the Physical layer to the Session layer, which enters block 600 through a third connection 639, and passes through the internal Data Link, Network and Transport layers, exiting block 600 through a fourth connection 634. Packets processed by the Network layer are said to be sourced from (in the RX path) or directed to (in the TX path) the internal Data Link layer. This hardware configuration does not allow a second (external to block 600) Data Link layer to be connected, since there is only one pair of input/output connections (628/638) between the Network layer and the internal Data Link layer. This limits system 600 to the use of only one (the internal) Data Link layer, limiting the possible number of network connections. A similar problem appears between the Transport and the Network layers. The hardware implementation of the Network layer lacks the flexibility of the software implementation of the same layer, causing stiffness in case of a protocol modification (since the entire protocol is implemented in hardware). For example, a designer may choose to not implement a specific option of the IP protocol, leaving this option to be handled by software running on the host CPU (350 in FIG. 3).
In view of the disadvantages of the hardware implementations above, there is a clear need for, and it would be advantageous to have, hardware implemented network acceleration platforms with enhanced functionality and flexibility, allowing adaptation to changes in existing and future protocols.

Network traffic accelerator system and method


A debris and water vacuum system comprising a vacuum pump, a debris receptacle, a first air filter stage, a second filter stage, and valve means for connecting and disconnecting the second air filter stage from a 40 mesh screen final filter and vacuum pump, selectively.

Debris collection systems typically include a receptacle for storing debris, an intake tube, and means for creating an airflow in the intake tube that draws or carries the debris through the conduit and into the receptacle.
The required airflow is generally created by either an air conveyance system or a vacuum system. Air conveyance systems create an air flow in the conduit which carries debris to the receptacle. Vacuum systems utilize a vacuum pump to create a partial vacuum in the receptacle. Vacuum systems have several advantages over those using air conveyance. For example, air conveyance units use an open exhaust system for their fan or compressor. When the receptacle is filled, contaminates are carried by the air flow system and discharged into the atmosphere, potentially polluting the air. In contrast, vacuum systems are generally completely sealed. When the receptacle is full, the system itself automatically reduces the vacuum to prevent discharge of contaminated material
Furthermore, vacuum units, by reason of the vacuum created in the receptacle, are capable of collecting both liquid and solid material. While air conveyance systems are capable of moving solid particulate debris, they are unable to draw up large amounts of liquid. Vacuum systems are well suited for liquid pickup since submerging the end of the intake tube below the water level maintains the vacuum in the system.


Methods are provided for monitoring particulate flow distribution throughout particulate collection systems that employ collection vessels such as hoppers and feeders. The collection vessels are positioned in a grid pattern, and the amount of particulate collected from a given collection vessel is recorded as associated with that collection vessel's position in the grid, so that the particulate flow distribution can be analyzed. By analyzing the flow distribution, faults in the collection system can be discovered and addressed. Methods are also provided to ensure proper functioning of the emptying of particular collection systems employing hoppers that discharge particulate into feeders.

Particulate evacuation systems are employed in many particulate collection processes to transport and store the materials collected in those processes. For example, when coal is burned, the non-combustible portion of the coal, generally known as "fly ash" or "ash," is removed from the exhaust gases in the coal-burning operation in order to prevent the fly ash from exiting the exhaust stack and fouling the environment. As another example, in the cement industry, a cement kiln has a lot of carryover dust, and a bag house or electrostatic precipitator is employed to prevent the dust from entering the environment. The potentially harmful particulate (e.g., fly ash, cement dust) is collected in hoppers from where they are recycled into the process or transported to larger and more permanent storage vessels. The invention herein focuses upon hopper evacuation systems in association with electrostatic precipitators, although it should be appreciated that general concepts herein are applicable to other particulate evacuation systems. The potential for expanding the concepts herein beyond electrostatic precipitators and to particulate collection and evacuation systems in general will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, the term "hopper" should be interpreted to apply to all types of particulate collection vessels, and not only those collection vessels specifically referred to as "hoppers" in the industry.
With reference to FIGS. 1-3, prior art particulate collection and evacuation systems, particularly hopper evacuation systems, are disclosed. These hopper evacuation systems are associated with electrostatic precipitators (FIG. 1), and, as noted above, need not be limited to this environment. In FIG. 1, electrostatic precipitator 10 includes electrically charged collection plate arrays 12, positioned above a plurality of hoppers 14. The collection plate arrays 12 are charged to attract and collect the particulate introduced to precipitator 10, for example, fly ash from a coal-burning operation. By rapping the arrays 12, the collected particulate is caused to fall and collect in hoppers 14. Hoppers 14 are organized in a grid pattern below the collection plate arrays 12, as is schematically depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, where they are identified by a position number (position 1, position 2, position 3) in a given hopper row (row A, row B, row C). Usually, one hopper 14 will be associated with one collection plate array 12, although sometimes a hopper 14 may cover only a part of a given collection plate array 12 or may overlap and cover more than one collection plate array 12. Hoppers 14 cover the complete collecting area of electrostatic precipitator 10, such that all of the collected particulate is disposed in the hoppers 14, where they can be exhausted from the system.
In FIG. 2, a hopper evacuation vacuum system is schematically shown. In a vacuum system, hoppers 14 communicate directly with transport line system 16 through hopper outlet gates 18. The entire transport line system in under vacuum as a result of a vacuum source, generally represented by the numeral 20, that serves to transport particulate to a storage vessel 22. In the vacuum system, the contents of each hopper 14 are generally emptied one at a time, on a time-based or pressure-based cycle, so that there is never more than one hopper 14 emptying into transport line system 16 at any one time. Valves 24A, 24B, and 24C, respectively positioned in hopper row A, row B, and row C, selectively open and close the communication between their respective hopper row and vacuum source 20, such that the vacuum may be selectively applied to the row in which a hopper 14 is being emptied. When a given hopper 14, for instance the one at row A, position 1, is emptying to transport line system 16, the valves 24B and 24C associated with rows B and C (i.e., all rows other than row A) are closed so that only row A communicates with vacuum source 20. Thus, the particulate collected in the hopper 14 at row A, position 1, fall out of the hopper 14 and into the transport line system 16, and are transported to a storage vessel 22, such as a silo or ash pond. Some evacuation systems may have a different configuration of valves and piping.
In FIG. 3, a hopper evacuation pressure system is disclosed, and like parts between the vacuum system of FIG. 2 and the pressure system receive like numerals. Unlike hoppers 14 in the vacuum system, hoppers 14 of the pressure system associate with transport line system 16 through feeders 26. Functionally, these feeders 26 are similar to the hoppers 14 in the vacuum system inasmuch as they empty particulate to a transport line. Indeed, feeders and hoppers are considered herein to fall within the broad interpretation of the term "collection vessel(s)."
Feeders 26 are airlock type feeders, with inlet gates, herein termed "hopper outlet gates"28, and feeder outlet gates 30. Feeder vent lines 32 selectively communicate between each hopper 14 (or other low pressure source) and its associated feeder 26 through valves 34. To empty a hopper 14, the feeder vent line 32 associated with that hopper is opened at valve 34 to equalize the pressures within the hopper 14 (or other low pressure source) and its associated feeder 26. Thereafter, hopper outlet gate 28 is opened to feeder 26, and particulate within hopper 14 falls by gravity to feeder 26. After hopper outlet gate 28 is closed, feeder 26 is pressurized slightly above the pressure of transport line system 16, through a pressure source 36, feeder pressure line 38, and valve 37. Feeder outlet gate 30 is then opened, and the collected particulate flows by gravity and the slight pressure differential into transport line system 16. The entire transport line system 16 is pressurized by a system blower 40, that serves to transport particulate to a storage vessel 22. Similar to the vacuum system of FIG. 2, valves 24A, 24B, and 24C, respectively positioned in each hopper row A, row B, and row C, selectively open and close the communication between each respective hopper row and the system blower 40, such that the pressure supplied by the system blower 40 may be selectively applied to the row in which a feeder 26 is being emptied. Feeder outlet gate 30 is closed, and collected particulate is discharged into transport line system 16 and transported to storage vessel 22 by a positive pressure differential generated by system blower 40. In some embodiment, pressure source 36 and system blower 40 may be a common pressure source.
Such pressure and vacuum systems were historically controlled by a system of mechanical cam timers and relay logic. Many of these control systems have not changed since they were installed, sometimes as long as sixty years ago. As indicated, hopper evacuation is most often simply time based, with each hopper in each row emptying at a specific time in a repetitious cycle. Some hopper systems operate on rudimentary pressure feedback principals to adjust cycle time, and employ timers as a backup. Such control schemes do not account for the natural variations in particulate loading at each hopper, and offer little or no troubleshooting capabilities.
Hopper evacuation systems are being expected to perform in ways that originally were not intended. Changes in the amounts and characteristics of the particulate being handled by the systems require a better understanding of evacuation systems and a greater flexibility in system control. This flexibility and system performance analysis is not available in existing control methods, and most systems are not working at fill capacity for the current needs.
High maintenance troubleshooting is also an issue with these systems. System components are under constant pressure or vacuum, and air that is saturated with particulate matter is continuously flowing through the system. Problems with the piping or gates and valves are difficult to detect due to the closed nature of the system. It is difficult, if not impossible, to tell if the system is functioning incorrectly until a dangerously high volume of particulate collects in a hopper or feeder (collection vessel) as a result of a malfunctioning of the evacuation system. These high volume situations can create problems that are costly and dangerous to repair.
Thus, there is a need in the art for particulate collection systems that evacuate individual collection vessels based upon the collection of data rather than simple time-based or feedback-based sequences. There is also a need in the art of particulate collection and evacuation systems for a control system that can be monitored and that can troubleshoot a particulate evacuation system.

Control system and technique for particulate collection systems


A method of device processing. The method may include providing a cavity in a layer, directing energetic flux to a bottom surface of the cavity, performing an exposure of the cavity to a moisture-containing ambient, and introducing a fill material in the cavity using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, wherein the fill material is selectively deposited on the bottom surface of the cavity with respect to a sidewall of the cavity.

In the present day, device fabrication such as semiconductor device fabrication may entail filling of small cavities such as trenches, holes, or other structures. Such cavities may be filled with metal material, insulator material, or other material. As the dimensions of such cavities scale to smaller sizes, the ability to fill a cavity becomes more challenging. For example, filling of trench or via structures may be especially difficult when the aspect ratio (depth/width) of a given structure is high. In some examples, a trench may have an aspect ratio greater than one, in particular, greater than two. In various known deposition techniques to fill a trench, when filling material is introduced into the trench, the deposition of the filling material may take place on multiple exposed surfaces, including the bottom of the trench as well as trench sidewalls. This type of deposition may result in overhang and the formation of buried holes within the trench, leading to undesirable properties of a resulting device structure.
With respect to these and other considerations the present disclosure is provided.

Techniques for filling a structure using selective surface modification


A piston for a diesel engine is prepared as a piston for a direct injection engine, a cavity face of the piston is grinded, and a squish face thereof is masked. Next, a high-purity aluminum coating is formed on the cavity face, and the masking of the squish face is removed and the entire area of the piston top face is subjected to an anodizing treatment. Thereafter, the cavity face is masked, and the squish face is subjected to a sealing treatment.

A method in which the top face of a piston made from an aluminum alloy is subjected to an anodizing treatment to form an anodic oxide coating, and the surface of the anodic oxide coating that is formed as a result is subjected to a sealing treatment is already known. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-72745, a method for manufacturing a piston is disclosed that includes a step of forming a porous layer by subjecting the top face of a piston made of an aluminum alloy to an anodizing treatment, and a step of forming a coating layer that covers the surface of the porous layer by plasma spraying of a Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 powder onto the porous layer. Similarly to a common anodic oxide coating, the porous layer has a large number of pores that are formed during the course of the anodizing treatment, and has a lower thermal conductivity and also a lower thermal capacity per unit volume than a conventional ceramic-based heat-shielding coating. Further, the coating layer is formed so as to block the openings of the pores of the porous layers, and the Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 has a lower thermal conductivity than the aluminum alloy. Therefore, according to the heat-shielding coating constituted by the coating layer and the porous layer, a low thermal conductivity and a low thermal capacity per unit volume can be realized.
Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-249008, a technique is disclosed that forms a silicon oxide coating on the top face of a piston by coating an organic silicon solution onto the outermost surface of an anodic oxide coating formed on the top face of the piston, and performing a heat treatment. Similarly to the above described coating layer, openings of pores in the anodic oxide coating can be blocked by the silicon oxide coating. A low thermal conductivity as well as a low thermal capacity per unit volume can also be realized by this kind of heat-shielding coating constituted by a silicon oxide coating and an anodic oxide coating.

Method for manufacturing piston for direct injection engine


This invention relates to novel azetidines and derivatives thereof, as well as to pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treating memory and learning disorders. Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of utilizing the compounds and compositions as biological tools and materials for characterizing excitatory amino acid receptor systems. A further aspect of the invention relates to a method of treating PCP toxicity and abuse.

It is known that a selective subtype of excitatory amino acid receptors activated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), Glutamate (GLU), and Aspartate (ASP) and competitively inhibited by 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) are responsible for long term potentiation (LTP). Long term potentiation is defined as the increase in strength of synaptic transmission with repetitive use. LTP has been recognized as one type of synaptic plasticity and is believed to underlie behaviorally significant forms of memory storage and learning. The dysfunctions of excitatory amino acid receptors have been implicated in, e.g., the etiology of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT), a disease characterized by severe memory loss, personality changes and symptoms of cortical disconnection; apraxias; asphasias; and agnosias. Glutamate receptors, particularly the NMDA subtype, have been shown to decrease in the neocortex of SDAT patients. The function of this receptor can also be allosterically inhibited by phencyclidine (PCP) and other dissociative anaesthetics, blocking LTP and resulting in learning and memory impairments.
The development of pharmacological agents with the ability to modulate the NMDA receptor in a positive manner has dual importance. In terms of basic neuroscience research it provides the necessary tools for the study of excitatory amino acid receptors, allowing discrimination of the actions of the NMDA receptor subtype from other glutamate receptors. In terms of clinical usefulness, such agents would be useful in treating memory and learning disorders, such as SDAT. The compounds are also effective as therapeutic agents in treating PCP toxicity and abuse.

Azetidine derivatives to treat memory and learning disorders

FIDIA-Georgetown Institute for the Neurosciences