A wind energy plant with a hydraulically actuated rotor brake for a drive train, which has at least one hydraulically actuated brake cylinder, the braking moment of which gets stronger when the hydraulic pressure increases, wherein a volume of hydraulic fluid is tensioned by a pressure reducing valve in the brake cylinder and in the pressure line thereof when the brake is actuated, wherein an accumulator with hydraulic fluid is provided, which is connected to the pressure line.

The present invention is related to a wind energy plant with a hydraulically actuated rotor brake.
Wind energy plants have generally a rotor brake in the drive train. The rotor brake is mostly arranged behind the gearbox, and in wind energy plants with an active pitch adjustment, it serves as an additional braking system, by which the rotor of the wind energy plant is maintained in its position when it stands still.
Erich Hau points out in Windkraftanlagen, 3th edition, Springer-Verlag Berlin, Chapter 8.7, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, that braking the rotor to stand still is unavoidable for maintenance and repair works, and is in general also usual during the normal standstill periods. With respect to the function of the rotor brake in the operation, it is further pointed out that the same is limited to the pure holding function at rotor standstill in the simplest case. It is said that the brake must be dimensioned for the required holding moment of the rotor at standstill in this case. In addition to its function as a pure holding brake, the rotor brake might in principle also be dimensioned as a service brake, provided that the braking moment and the braking power (thermal load) are sufficient.
In wind energy plants in which the rotor brake is a part of the safety system, the braking system is realised as a passive brake or as a so-called FailSafe-brake. This means that the brake has to be pressurised in order to reduce the braking moment bearing on or in order to release the brake completely. The braking moment of the passive brake is achieved by a spring assembly, which pretensions the assigned brake shoes into the braking position. The braking moment applied in doing so is generated by the elastic force exerted by the spring elements. Due to this, it is necessary to provide correspondingly great spring assemblies in the brake for a wind energy plant, which necessitates a strong braking moment. The passive rotor brake described above is released by introducing a hydraulic fluid into the brake cylinder, for instance. The hydraulic fluid is introduced into the brake cylinder such that its pressure acts against the force of the spring assembly.
In contrast to the passive brakes described above, active brakes for wind energy plants are also known, in which the braking moment is not applied via a spring assembly, but instead at increasing hydraulic pressure the braking moment gets also stronger. The advantage of an active brake is that the same can be made smaller and that it is significantly more cost-saving. Also, a significantly greater braking moment is possible with an active brake.
When using an active brake as a service brake, thus for braking down the rotating drive train, high pressure variations may occur due to tolerances in the run-out and in the thickness of the brake disc. High pressure variations occur in particular in the case when hydraulic fluid is tensioned in the brake cylinder and its supply line with the aid of a pressure reducing valve. Using a pressure reducing valve in the hydraulics is necessary for active brakes in particular, inasmuch as the same are used as service- or holding brakes.
The present invention is based on the objective to provide a hydraulically actuated apparatus which compensates pressure variations with simple means, which take place in the braking with a tensioned volume of hydraulic fluid.

Wind energy plant with a hydraulically actuated rotor brake


A swivel bait harness for receiving and holding live fish and allowing three dimensional movement of the hook portion of the harness under the forces generated by a fighting fish under commercial or sport fishing applications. The hook is rotatably secured within a first cylinder which is flexibly affixed to a front shank for attachment to conventional swivel and fishing lines. Alternate embodiments use the teachings of the present invention together with known bait harness components to provide a rigid harness for ease of applying bait and novel dynamics of the hook while the harness is used for fishing.

None.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bait harnesses for commercial or sport fishing applications. Existing regulations proscribe bait harnesses using barbed-type fishing hooks for certain commercial and sport fishing, such as salmon fishing. These regulations were adopted to reduce the numbers of fish killed or injured as a result of damage to the mouths of the fish resulting from barbed fishing hooks. Barbless-type bait harness hooks, however, present numerous problems for commercial or sport fishermen. Prolonged fighting by fish hooked on a rigid type bait harness also seriously damages the mouth of the fish. Additionally, a rigid bait harness often deforms or bends from extreme force vectors presented during prolonged fish fighting periods. Such harness deformation often results in loss of the badly injured or dead fish and destruction of the harness. The improved bait harness of the present invention solves the problem and limitations of the prior art by providing swivel dynamics at the point of attachment to the harness of the barbless type hook. By use of the present invention, damage to hooked fish is minimized. At the same time, the present invention reduces the likelihood of hooked fish being lost as damaged or killed. Finally, the present invention presents a more durable bait tackle under present commercial or sport fishing regulations.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. 1.97 and 1.98
A search of the prior art located the following United States patents which are believed to be representative of the present state of the prior art: U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,806, issued Mar. 21, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,851, issued Sep. 21, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,316, issued Apr. 6, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,491, issued Mar. 16, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,584, issued Mar. 2, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. D404,795, issued Jan. 26, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,089, issued Jan. 5, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,726, issued Oct. 28, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,917, issued Feb. 11, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,774, issued Jul. 23, 1996, and U.S. Pat. No. D370,048, issued May 21, 1996.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved bait harness with three dimensional pivotal characteristics.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bait harness that complies with present sport fishing and commercial fishing regulations for barbless type hooks.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bait harness that improves the potential for landing a fish that is hooked by the harness assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bait harness that provides minimal damage to the mouth and/or snout of fish hooked thereby.
It is yet a further aspect of the present invention to provide a bait harness which can remain rigid for insertion into the bait but still be able to swivel at the point of hook attachment to the harness.
In a further aspect of the present invention to minimize the mortality to juvenile fish or protected species of fish inadvertently hooked by a bait harness so that these fish can be released back to the environment.
In a still further aspect of the present invention novice sport fishermen will be more likely to land a fish hooked by the bait harness.
It is still a further object of the present invention to present a bait harness that is less damaging to inadvertently hooked waterfowl, thus allowing easier release thereof and minimized injury thereto.
It is another and further objective of the present invention to provide a bait harness safely applicable to a full range of fish sizes and species.
Other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.


The present invention relates generally to improved methods for the extraction and isolation of cannabinoids from hemp. More particularly, the present invention relates to a series of extraction and isolation processes employed to selectively enhance recovery of non-psychoactive cannabinoids and the like, from cannabis materials and extracts, while removing undesirable naturally occurring components that may be present including colorants, carbohydrates, sugars and waxes, and the like, as well as contaminants that may be present in source materials including bactericides, fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators, environmental pollutants, and processing aids, and the like. The present invention further relates to an isolate obtained using a series of extraction and isolation processes that has extremely high cannabinoid content present in a stable, flowable liquid form that is essentially free of detectable levels of psychoactive cannabinol components.

The present invention relates generally to improved methods for the extraction and isolation of phytocannabinoids from hemp. More particularly, the present invention relates to a series of extraction and isolation processes employed to selectively enhance recovery of non-psychoactive cannabinoids and the like, from cannabis materials and extracts, while removing undesirable naturally occurring components that may be present including colorants, carbohydrates, sugars and waxes, and the like, as well as contaminants that may be present in source materials including fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators, environmental pollutants, and processing aids and the like. The present invention further relates to an isolate obtained using a series of extraction and isolation processes that has extremely high phytocannabinoid content in a stable, flowable liquid form that is essentially free of detectable levels of psychoactive cannabinol components.
Cannabis and hemp have played important roles in most societies. The active ingredients in Cannabis species, including Cannabis indica and C. sativa, have been found to have medicinal properties including relief of symptoms of various diseases and conditions. The plant itself contains some 400 cannabinoids, each of which may have some therapeutic potential. Phytocannabinoids (cannabinoids) are compounds with 21 carbon atoms and carboxylic acids, analogs and transformation products of the 21-carbon compounds, the carboxylic acid forms being particularly prevalent in living cells and fresh plant product until environmental conditions decarboxylate them. Although the relative percentage of phytocannabinoids in Cannabis plants varies greatly with genetic and environmental factors, major constituents typically include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannbinolic acid (THCA) and tetrahydrocannabinovarin (THCV), (collectively referred to as THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN) along with minor constituents such as cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabigerovarin (GBGV), cannabinidiol (CBND), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabichromevarin (CBCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV) and cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM), collectively hereinafter being referred to as CBX actives, or phytocannabinoids.
Various historical methods of extraction which have been used to separate constituents of plant medicines and to produce enriched extracts include maceration, decoction, and extraction with aqueous and non-aqueous solvents, distillation and sublimation. Maceration (also known as simple maceration) is defined as the extraction of a drug in a solvent with daily shaking or stirring at room temperature. After a defined period the spent, solid material is separated from the solution (macerate). Variation on the method includes agitation of the macerate and the use of temperatures up to approximately 50° C. The method was formerly used for the preparation of tinctures and extracts from low-density plant materia medica, using various strengths of ethanol as the extraction solvent.
Decoction has been used since antiquity for the preparation of traditional medicines. In traditional Chinese medicine it is customary to place the quantity of herbs required for one day's treatment into a vessel to which hot or boiling water is added. The vessel is then raised to boiling point and allowed to simmer for 1½ hours (sometimes longer). The decoction so produced is allowed to cool, separated from solid particles, and the decoction is used as the dosage form for oral administration.
Maceration and decoction rely on a short diffusion path. Inactive constituents such as lecithins, flavonoids, glycosides and sugars may act to solubilize constituents which, in the pure state, are really soluble in the solvent. A disadvantage of maceration and decoction with water or low concentrations of ethanol is that a large quantity of inert material (ballast) that does not have therapeutic value is extracted. Ballast may consist of plant cell constituents including, but not limited to, fats, waxes, carbohydrates, proteins and sugars. A wide range of processes based on the use of non-aqueous solvents to extract the constituents from plants have been used in the prior art. The solvents employed may be miscible with water or water immiscible and vary in solvent power according to the concept of E°, which is familiar in the context of chromatography.
Traditionally, ethyl alcohol in various concentrations has been used to extract active substances from plant materials. Tinctures are alcoholic solutions produced in this way and tinctures of plant materials are described in all major pharmacopoeias. Ethanol extracts substances such as glycosides, flavonoids and alkaloid salts which are examples of classes of compound known to be biologically active. It also extracts considerable amounts of plant pigment, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids, which results in an undesirable taste and color. Since some of the organoleptic properties, clarity, taste etc., are negatively impacted by the chlorophyll, it should ideally be completely removed. By using higher alcoholic strengths lipid-soluble material may be extracted. Tinctures contain less ballast than macerates or decoctions, but are still complex mixtures of plant constituents. Where the presence of alcohol is not required the tincture can be evaporated to produce extracts. All pharmacopoeias contain liquid and solid extracts produced in this way.
Lipid solvents with a high E° (solvent efficiency or solvency) value have been used to extract lipid soluble constituents from biomass. Examples are chlorinated solvents such as dichloromethane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, hexane, ether, fluorinated hydrocarbons and supercritical fluid extraction with agents such as carbon dioxide.
All of these approaches tend to extract all the THC and CBX components in like manner. However, there is growing evidence of the value of CBX materials themselves for use in the treatment and prevention of diseases and other medical ailments in humans and animals alike. Thus, these materials have great potential as therapeutic materials but are limited in use by the presence of psychoactive components of THC, including Δ8- and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinols, analogs and derivatives, thereof. In addition, current Federal regulatory restrictions, despite many recent independent state initiatives to legalize the use of medically prescribed cannabis materials, are problematic for developing and distributing medicants with the psychoactive THC components present.
In addition, one of the desirable properties of a concentrated hemp oil rich in CBX components is the ability to remain in a stable, clear, liquid form. However, once the concentration of these components reach a potency of about 65-75%, the solubility limits are exceeded, and any shock to the system may result in premature precipitation and/or solidification of the concentrated extracts. However, it has been discovered that by removing the larger molecular hydrophobic species, such as waxes, that the stability of high potency CBX extracts can be significantly improved, enable easier processing, handling, transportation and storage versus conventional extracts.
Accordingly there is a need for better extraction processes that can not only extract high yields of desirable CBX materials, but can also isolate the CBX materials from psychoactive THC components, so that completely THC-free extracts can be obtained for therapeutic use.


The present invention provides a flavor and fragrance composition which comprises, as the active ingredient, an optically active (1S)-8-mercaptomenthone having an S-form/R-form mixing ratio for the configuration at the 4-position in the range of from 65:35 to 95:5 by weight, wherein the flavor and fragrance composition is for use in food and beverage, fragrances and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals or oral compositions and the like; a product which is scented with the flavor and fragrance composition; and a method for enhancing or modulating odor of the flavor and fragrance composition by adding the optically active (1S)-8-mercaptomenthone.

In recent years, accompanied by the diversification of various food materials, food additives, foods and beverages (including articles of taste), fragrances and cosmetics, sanitation materials, sundries, pharmaceuticals and the like, new demands for a flavor and fragrance to be used therein have been increasing, and concerns have been directed toward the development of aromatic materials having a highly-tasting unique odor. Particularly, with the recent uprush of the nature-oriented style of people and also from the safety point of view, great concerns have been directed toward the development of new aromatic materials derived from natural compounds, or identical or similar to the natural compounds, with regard to highly tasting fruity flavors and fragrances and tropical flavors and fragrances by which the natural environment can be imaged characteristically.
8-Mercaptomenthone has two chiral centers, and a total of 4 isomers including optical isomers are present. 8-Mercaptomenthone has been found as an essential-oil component of Buchu oil in the past studies, and is synthesized from d-pulegone and l-pulegone whose absolute structures of the natural product are already known. Additionally, according to the angle of rotation thereof, a (1S,4R) isomer has been found as the main component thereof, and a (1S,4S)-isomer as a diastereomer thereof has also been detected simultaneously. However, the mixing ratio thereof has not been disclosed (cf., Non-patent Reference 1).
In addition, synthesis method of each of these 4 isomers has been established and their sensory evaluation has been carried out. As a result, it has been reported that the (1S,4S)-isomer is particularly superior in odor, and the (1S,4R)-isomer also has a desirable odor. On the other hand, it has been reported as an evaluation result that the (1R,4R)-isomer and (1R,4S)-isomer accompany a rubber-like malodor. The products synthesized herein are the natural product having a mixing ratio of the (1S,4S)-isomer and (1S,4R)-isomer of 57:43, and the non-natural product having a mixing ratio of the (1R,4R)-isomer and (1R,4S)-isomer of 58:42 (cf., Non-patent Reference 2).
8-Mercaptomenthone has so far been used as a flavor and fragrance component (cf., Patent Reference 1). However, the 8-mercaptomenthone which has so far been used as the flavor and fragrance is a (1R)-isomer. This is because d-pulegone is used as the starting material which can be obtained easily and inexpensively from the nature. The pulegone used in Reference Example 1 of the Patent Reference 1 is also d-pulegone because its angle of rotation is +220, and the mixing ratio is 3:2. In addition, according to Reference Example 4, 8-mercaptomenthone (αD20=−12.0°) is obtained as a cis-trans mixture using isopulegone (αD20 124.2°) as the raw material. However, the mixing ratio is unknown.    Patent Reference 1: JP-B-49-24668    Non-patent Reference 1: J. Agric. Food Chem., 23(5), 943-50 (1975)    Non-patent Reference 2: Z. Lebensm Unters Forsch., 194, 372-376 (1992)


The present invention relates to an integrated circuit (DEC V) for processing a plurality of data samples (P) of a data signal (I), wherein said integrated circuit is associated with a counter (CT) and comprises means (SIGN M) for computing a signature, said counter (CT) being adapted to trigger and stop a computation of a signature of said data signal (I), said signature being recalculated each time a data sample (P) of said data signal is output by said integrated circuit (DEC V). Use: Video decoder in a set-top-box.

An integrated circuit in a computer is used for displaying some data signals such as images on the screen of said computer for example, said data signals comprising data samples that are pixels in this case. An image usually comprises 1280*1024 pixels and a pixel is usually defined by thirty-two bits. This leads to about forty million bits to be transferred onto the screen for an image. To avoid transferring so many data, a solution is proposed and described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,150 referenced "Video Frame Signature Capture".
It consists in using a random access memory digital to analog converter also called RAMDAC that comprises a signature generator, a central processing unit CPU and a digital bus. The computer comprises a frame buffer that contains an image to be displayed on the screen. The RAMDAC permits to compute a signature on the image that is the frame buffer and to compare the result to a "good signature" and this by means of the signature generator, the central processing unit CPU and the digital bus.
One drawback of such solution is that it does not test the images in real time. Indeed, the RAMDAC takes the pixels from the frame buffer, which describes a fixed image to be displayed on the screen of the computer. Thus, when the images displayed on the screen of the computer are images of a video film for example, one does not test the integrated circuit in its functional environment, i.e. the images of a video film as soon as they are displayed on the screen of the computer. Moreover, a central processing unit CPU is needed to compute the signature and this solution is only specific to a RAMDAC. The central processing unit CPU leads to a high consumption and to the use of software.

Integrated circuit with signature computation


A patching service provides customers with a mechanism to automate patching of customer operated computing resources. A set of patch actions may be specified for various computing resource. A patch workflow may be used to deploy patches to the computing resource. The patch workflows may be generated based at least in part on attributes of the computing resources and the set of patch actions. The patch workflows may be stored and used to deploy patches to the customer operated computing resources.

The use of hosted computing service and storage has proliferated in recent years. The resources for network computing and storage are often provided by computing resource providers who leverage large-scale networks of computers, servers, and storage drives to enable clients, including content providers, customers, and the like, to host and execute a variety of applications and web services. The usage of network computing resources allows content providers and customers, among others, to efficiently and adaptively satisfy their computing needs. However, with the growing use of virtual resources, customers are encountering situations in which managing the virtual resources may be difficult to accomplish, such as applying software update or patches to the virtual computing resources. In many cases, customers transmit requests to create instances such as, for example, virtual machine instances to execute on hardware devices. These instances can be automatically scaled or workloads may be balanced between instances, enabling the service provider to accommodate customer needs during the situations requiring additional computing capacity. However, the variety of different architectures, the number of computing resources, and types of computing resources a customer may operate creates difficulty in managing these computing resources.
In addition, patching software executed by the computing resources described above may be a time-consuming, tedious, and repetitive process. For many customers, updating software is a manual process, requiring on-going coordination between administrators and managers to ensure the right patches are deployed, in a controlled manner, while limiting the impact to customer applications. For the customer, automating this process is difficult, requiring a large time investment, deep technical skills, and the knowledge of existing patching solutions. Many customers are not able to meet these requirements or the cost to do so is prohibitive to many customers.


A method and system for determining a minimum time of flight between communication devices is useful for correcting ranging errors induced by multi-path signals. The method includes transmitting a range request message, including a first periodically repeating synchronization sequence, from the first communication device via a first RF channel to the second communication device (step 91). A range response message, including a second periodically repeating synchronization sequence and a minimum path turn around time, is then received at the first communication device via a second RF channel from the second communication device (step 92). A change in the second RF channel is induced after receipt of each synchronization sequence. A minimum path round trip time is then determined from multiple time of arrival determinations (step 93). Finally, the minimum time of flight is calculated from the minimum path round trip time and the minimum path turn around time (step 94).

A rapid and accurate determination of the position of a person carrying a wireless mobile communication device is often useful. For example, emergency services personnel can operate more effectively and more safely if their position can be accurately determined in hazardous environments, such as within a burning building. Various prior art methods thus exist for determining the position of mobile nodes in wireless communication networks.
According to one prior art method, round trip timing is used to calculate distance. A master or ranger radio transmits a signal, such as an RTS (ready to send) signal, which is received by a target or pinger radio. The pinger radio transmits a response signal, such as a CTS (clear to send) signal, at some time after receiving the RTS signal. The CTS signal is then received at the ranger radio some time later. The time between transmitting the RTS signal and receiving the CTS signal is measured by the ranger radio, using an internal clock, as a round trip time TRTT. The time between receipt of the RTS signal and transmission of the CTS signal is measured by the pinger radio, using an internal clock, as a turn around time, TTAT. The time of flight, TTOF, between the ranger radio and the pinger radio then can be calculated by subtracting TTAT from TRTT and dividing by two.
Geographical positioning of a mobile node can be achieved by having the mobile node perform the above time-of-flight ranging transaction with three or more geographically fixed nodes (or at least nodes which can report their geographic location at any given time). The location of the mobile node is then calculated using the fact that electromagnetic wave transmissions travel at the speed of light, thus allowing range determinations, and further using known triangulation techniques.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

Method and system for determining a minimum time of flight of a radio frequency transmission


It is a main object of the present invention to provide a volume hologram layer with good foil cutting property which is used for a volume hologram transfer foil and the like. The present invention provides a volume hologram layer wherein when the layer thickness thereof is 20 μm, breaking strength is in a range from 10 MPa to 30 MPa and breaking strain is in a range from 0.1% to 3% at 25° C., and breaking strength is in a range from 0.1 MPa to 1 MPa and breaking strain is in a range from 0.1% to 5% at 130° C., to thereby solve the above problem.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a volume hologram layer used for a volume hologram transfer foil and the like and to a volume hologram transfer foil using the volume hologram layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Holograms are those obtained by allowing two lights (object light and reference light) having the same wavelength to interfere with each other to record the wavefront of object light on a photosensitive material as an interference fringe. When light of the same condition as the original object light is applied to this hologram, a diffraction phenomenon caused by interference light arises, making it possible to reproduce the same wavefront as the original object light. These holograms are classified into several categories (e.g., a surface relief type hologram and volume hologram) by the recording forms of interference fringes caused by the interference of laser light or highly coherent light.
Here, the aforementioned holograms are used a lot in security applications utilizing such characteristics that it is difficult to reproduce the same design. In this application, a surface relief type hologram is generally used in which fine irregularities are formed on the surface of a hologram forming layer to thereby record an interference fringe. However, the recent spread of hologram technologies and advancement in forging techniques have made it possible to copy and reproduce the surface relief type hologram and it has became difficult to use the surface relief type hologram in security applications.
On the other hand, the volume hologram is produced by recording an interference fringe caused by the interference of light, as a fringe differing in refractive index, three dimensionally in the direction of the thickness of a photosensitive material. This volume hologram differs in manufacturing method and also quite different in visual effect from the surface relief type hologram, which is widely used at present, it is easy to determine the authenticity. Also, the volume hologram requires expensive manufacturing facilities and a high grade design techniques to copy a design, it is therefore very difficult to produce a hologram with the intention of forging. For this, the volume holograms in use in security applications are demanded.
Here, in order to make a hologram adhere to an adherend, a transfer foil or the like comprising a base material film, a hologram layer and a heat sensitive adhesive layer is usually used. In this case, the heat sensitive adhesive layer in the hologram transfer foil is brought into contact with the adherend and heat transfer is carried out from the base material film side. At this time, in order to form the hologram layer into the shape to be intended, it is necessary that the cutting property of the hologram layer, namely, foil cutting property is good that the hologram is surely imparted to the adherend. However, because the volume hologram has the features that an interference fringe is recorded in the forming layer, it is necessary to thicken the volume hologram layer to obtain a clear image, resulting in inferior foil cutting property. Also, for mass production of the volume hologram transfer foils, it is necessary to use a photopolymer which can be treated by a dry process. However, because nonreactive plasticizers are usually used to improve refractive index modulation ability, a produced volume hologram is softened, which is accompanied by inferior foil cutting property.
As such a volume hologram, for example, a photosensitive composition for recording a volume hologram with high film strength (see Japanese Patent No. 2873126) and a label for forming a volume hologram laminated body to which a fine particle is added (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 10-97173) have been proposed. Also, a hologram transfer foil whose breaking strain is defined has been proposed (see JP-A No. 2000-272295). However, any of these methods have not yet reached a hologram layer which has a clear image, excellent transfer ability and can be mass produced.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Volume hologram layer and volume hologram transfer foil


The anatomic and functional arrangement of the gastrointestinal tract suggests an important function of this organ is its ability to regulate the trafficking of metabolites as well as control the equilibrium between tolerance and immunity through gut-associated lymphoid tissue, the neuroendocrine network, and the intestinal epithelial barrier. Combining nucleated cells from various tissues and introducing them directly into the small intestine will have a positive effect on diabetes.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a method of treating diabetes. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D). About 10% of all Americans diagnosed with diabetes (more than 700,000) have T1D while the remaining other 90% of Americans that have diabetes, have type 2 diabetes. T2D (often referred to as adult onset diabetes) affects nearly 20 million people in the US. (CDC 2007) Diabetes, both T1D and T2D is the leading cause of blindness, renal failure and amputations, and patients have demonstrably shorter life spans. Increasingly diabetes is being understood as a metabolic disorder. This insight is leading to a new sort of pathology—the creation of inflammatory stress and an altered interaction between organ systems and between organ systems and the immune system resulting from the metabolism of certain substances. The evidence suggests that the organs themselves and the immune system are not impaired, but rather, they receive incorrect signals originating in the foregut due to the interaction of improper metabolites and the organ system. These signals then cause an improper cellular balance and function. While the dysfunction of the foregut in T1D and T2D is different, the original source of the incorrect signals leading to the pathology of the disease starts in the foregut.
2. Prior Art
T2D is a disease characterized by insulin insensitivity. Under normal circumstances, pancreatic islet cells release insulin in response to elevated levels of glucose in the bloodstream. Insulin drives glucose into peripheral tissues for use in building tissue and storing energy. However, in the setting of certain diets in susceptible individuals, glucose and insulin production is constantly switched on. As a protective mechanism, tissues subsequently become increasingly insensitive to insulin. Thus, T2D is a disease in which the environment (certain diets) damages the cellular niche of the foregut which triggers excess glucose production by the liver, which causes excess insulin production by the pancreas leading to insulin insensitivity in susceptible individuals.
T2D is caused by environmental insults due to the type of food consumed with the portion of the small intestine first exposed to food exiting the stomach most severely impacted. These environmental insults damage cellular niches in vulnerable individuals leading to the improper stimulation of the foregut during food digestion. Specifically, an imbalance of metabolites resulting from food digestion in the duodenum sends incorrect signals to the liver that over produces glucose that causes the pancreas to over produce insulin. Physiologic responses are eventually blunted as a protective mechanism in the face of constant signaling. Consequently, cells begin to look insulin resistant because there is too much glucose and insulin in the system. Overstressed pancreatic islets die because they cannot keep up with the required insulin production to overcome the excess amount of glucose being produced by the liver and the increasing insulin resistance of cells. In addition, some metabolites produced by the duodenum during food digestion need to communicate through nerve endings in the portal vein to signal hunger suppression to the brain. Advanced hyperglycemia damages these nerve endings exacerbating the problem. The following can be summarized as:
1) An improperly functioning duodenum that produces an imbalance of metabolites resulting in the excess production of glucose by the liver, insulin resistance, leading to a pancreatic burden that ends in islet necrosis; and
2) Improper hunger suppression due to damaged nerves primarily in the portal vein.
The combination of points 1 and 2 explains the high correlation between T2D and obesity.
Biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) effectively bypass the diseased portion of the intestinal tract so that the foregut (duodenum) is excluded and the distal small bowel becomes the new foregut. The distal small bowel is less impacted over time from the environmental insult that lead to the duodenum dysfunction because it is farther removed from the source of the insult which is certain partially undigested foods exiting the stomach. Consequently, immediately after the surgery, this undamaged portion of the small bowel becomes the new foregut, is attached to the stomach and remarkably, begins to produce proper metabolites in response to food intake. Thus, within days of surgery, blood sugar levels of patients return to a normal range and there is an increase in the release of certain hormones like GLP-1 that promote satiety. Interestingly, resolution of T2D following surgery is inversely proportional to duration of the disease; those who have had the disease for longer period of times prior to surgery experience lower rates of resolution. The longer a patient has lived with the disease, the greater the portion of the small bowel that is damaged, the greater the damage to islets of the pancreas, and the greater the damage to the nerve endings in the portal vein due to the prolonged impact of hyperglycemia.
With respect to type 1 diabetes (T1D), the goal of researchers is to 1) halt the progression of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) by re-introducing tolerance between the immune system and the pancreas and 2) regenerate the insulin producing capacity of the pancreas. Increasingly T1D is being understood as a metabolic disorder. This insight is leading to a new sort of pathology—the creation of inflammatory stress and an altered interaction between the organ systems and the immune system resulting from the metabolism of certain substances. The evidence suggests that the immune system is itself not impaired, but rather, it receives incorrect signals due to the interaction of improper metabolites and the organ system. These signals then cause an improper cellular balance and function.
We believe that the cause of type 1 diabetes originates in the small intestine. The primary functions of the gastrointestinal tract have traditionally been perceived to be limited to the digestion and absorption of nutrients and electrolytes, and to water homeostasis. A more attentive analysis of the anatomic and functional arrangement of the gastrointestinal tract, however, suggests that another extremely important function of this organ is its ability to regulate the trafficking of macromolecules between the environment and the host through a barrier mechanism. Together with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue and the neuroendocrine network, the intestinal epithelial barrier, with its intercellular tight junctions, controls the equilibrium between tolerance and immunity to nonself-antigens. When the finely tuned trafficking of macromolecules is deregulated due to certain environmental insults (most likely due to the ingestion of certain foods or pathogens) in genetically susceptible individuals, both intestinal and extra-intestinal autoimmune disorders can occur. Supporting this explanation are observations that diet modifies the incidence of diabetes and the phenotype of T-cells infiltrating the islets of Langerhans in animal models (NOD mice) of Type 1 diabetes. T-cells infiltrating the islets of Langerhans in Type 1 diabetics and in experimental models of autoimmune diabetes are intestinal in origin since they exhibit the b7-integrin receptor (gut associated homing receptor). Mesenteric lymphocytes from non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice can transfer diabetes to healthy recipients. We believe that concentrated nucleated cells injected into this environment can re-establishing proper intestinal function and arrest the autoimmune process by changing the interplay between altered epigenes and the environment.
We believe that the cause of type 1 diabetes originates in the small intestine. Specifically, T1D patients have an altered intestinal immune responsiveness. This altered mucosal immune system has been associated with the disease of T1D and is likely a major contributor to the failure to form tolerance, resulting in the autoimmunity that underlies type 1 diabetes. There are numerous cell types in the small intestine that play a role in proper immune system function, including the following:
Intraepithelial Lymphocytes.
Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) are located at the basolateral side of the epithelial layer. Here they are exposed to a wide range of food and microbial antigens. One well-established function of IELs is their ability to protect the host from invasion by microorganisms that enter through the gastrointestinal tract. One subtype, the intestinal epithelial lymphocytes, are also at the mucosal interface and appear to play a key role in maintaining peripheral tolerance.
Intestinal Epithelial Cells.
Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) comprise the lining epithelium of the primitive intestine with the role of transduction of inflammatory signals from luminal microbes via toll-like receptors and other signaling mechanisms. These cells serve as the permeability barrier between the external and internal milieus of the body.
M-Cells.
M-cells do not have well-developed microvilli and allow macromolecular transport, are specialized for delivering foreign antigens and microorganisms to organized lymphoid tissues within the mucosa of the small and large intestines.
Goblet Cells.
Goblet cells are specialized mucus-secretory cells found throughout the intestine. Intestinal mucus is a complex gel that covers the surface of the villous epithelium and contributes significantly to cytoprotection, offering many ecological advantages for the microbiota.
Paneth Cells.
Paneth cells represent one of the four major epithelial cell lineages in the small intestine and are the only lineage that migrates downward into the crypt base after originating in the crypt stem cell region. The location of Paneth cells adjacent to crypt nucleated cells suggests that they play a critical role in defending epithelial cell renewal. In response to pathogen attack, the Paneth cells secrete a wide spectrum of antimicrobial peptides against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses.
The focus of research and therapy for T1D has been on pancreatic islet regeneration through various methods to include allogeneic islet transplantation, venous or arterial infusion of concentrated marrow nucleated cells into the area of the pancreas, non myeloablative immune conditioning followed by a systematic autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation and immune suppression drugs. Unfortunately, there is no cure for T1D and patients diagnosed with this disease require exogenous insulin injections to live.
The focus of research and therapy for T2D has been on drugs to improve insulin sensitivity, weight loss through surgery or diet, and more recently, a Teflon sleeve that covers the duodenum. This sleeve allows the passage of food from the stomach to the distal portion of the small intestine without having the food contact the duodenum.
All of the major functions of the body are related. The source of diabetes is the foregut and when this organ is impaired, it results in incorrect protein signals being produced that cause problems in other organs. In the case of T1D, the incorrect signals cause the immune system to attack cells that make insulin. In the case of T2D, the incorrect signals cause the liver to overproduce glucose which then makes the pancreas have to over produce insulin and results in insulin insensitivity in peripheral tissues. The focus of prior art for both T1D and T2D has been on organs and tissues which are damaged as a result of diabetes, with the primary focus being the pancreas. We believe in the case of both disease states, the focus needs to be on the organ (ie the gastrointestinal tract) the disease emanates from, and not the organs downstream (ie pancreas and other peripheral tissues) that are damaged as a result of the malfunctioning gastrointestinal tract.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 provides a method of implantation of stem cells into a gastrointestinal organ for purposes of repopulating various cellular components and/or providing a source of biological material for therapeutic intent. The source of these stem cells can be embryonic or adult neural and non-neural tissue, (e.g. bone marrow or fat tissue) U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 goes on to define a gastrointestinal organs to include hollow and solid organs. Hollow gastrointestinal organs include those that make up the alimentary tract, such as the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and bowels. Solid gastrointestinal organs include those that drain into the gastrointestinal alimentary tract such as the liver, gall bladder and pancreas. With respect to diabetes, U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 teaches that it is a disease of a solid organ as defined by the patent as a gastrointestinal organ and not a hollow organ as defined by the patent. Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 teaches a method of producing enhanced levels of insulin in a patient by implanting stem cells and/or progeny thereof into the pancreas, which is considered a gastrointestinal organ as defined by the patent because it is a solid organ that drains into the gastrointestinal alimentary tract. For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 states "Further, this invention can also be used to provide therapy for disorders that are not traditionally considered gastrointestinal disorders but are related to organs that are considered gastrointestinal organs (e.g. liver, gall bladder, and pancreas) in that the organs drain into the gastrointestinal alimentary canal. Such disorders include diabetes, which can be treated by means of implantation of stem cells into the pancreas of a patient to cause enhancement of insulin production." It is important to note that U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 broadly defines gastrointestinal organs to include the pancreas; goes on to define diabetes as not being thought of as a gastrointestinal disorder; and instructs that stem cells be injected into the pancreas (a solid organ) as a possible therapy for diabetes. It is important to note that U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 states that diabetes is not traditionally thought of as a gastrointestinal disorder and specifically teaches away from the art disclosed here by instructing the injection of stem cells into the solid organ pancreas.
The art disclosed here is patently different from what is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702. This art narrowly defines gastrointestinal tract to include hollow organs that make up the alimentary tract to include the stomach and bowels but does not include any solid organs. Opposed to the traditional view that diabetes is not a gastrointestinal disorder as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702; the art disclosed herein specifically identifies diabetes as a disease that originates in the hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract and not of the solid organ pancreas. This art then goes on to specifically teach that an effective therapy for diabetes is to implant nucleated cells from various tissues into the hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract, specifically the duodenum. Conversely, U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,702 broadly defines gastrointestinal organs to include the pancreas, defines diabetes as being a disease of the solid organ pancreas, and in the art teaches to inject into the solid organ of the pancreas.
Some of the prior art referred to above use treating compositions that contain nucleated cells to include nucleated cells from bone marrow aspirates, fat aspirates, or mobilized peripheral blood. Specifically, the prior art teaches the delivery of the cells into the venous or arterial system. However, none of the prior art is delivering the nucleated cells directly into the appropriate tissue. This art teaches a method of injecting the treating composition directly into the tissue of gastrointestinal tract with a focus on the foregut. In view of the above, the present invention seeks to improve clinical outcomes by delivering a treating composition into the foregut which is the source of the disease. Compositions that contain nucleated cells are an obvious choice to include in the composition because nucleated cells have the demonstrated ability to regulate the cellular activity of surrounding cells and to repair the function of damaged tissue and immune systems. Tissues whose nucleated cell population are rich in cells that contain sub populations that are often referred to as stem cells include bone marrow aspirate, fat aspirate, cord blood, mobilized peripheral blood, Wharton's jelly, and other after birth tissue. Since diabetes ultimately damages other organ systems, it is reasonable to combine the treatment of the foregut with a method of treating other tissue affected by the disease. Thus combining a method of delivering cells into the foregut with a systemic delivery of nucleated cells into the venous or arterial system is appropriate.

Adult and neonatal stem cell therapy to treat diabetes through the repair of the gastrointestinal tract


In response to a user interacting with a tangible peripheral assistant control device (e.g., depressing a button of the device), causing an automated assistant to perform one or more actions. The action(s) performed can be based on input previously provided by the user in configuring the peripheral assistant control device. The action(s) performed in response to interaction with the peripheral assistant control device can vary based on one or more conditions, such as which user is currently active, where the peripheral assistant control device is currently located (which can optionally be inferred based on which of multiple assistant computing devices the button is paired with), and/or the current state of one or more smart devices and/or other devices (e.g., as determined based on a device topology). A utility of the peripheral assistant control device can be automatically extended beyond what was specifically requested by a user during configuration.

Humans may engage in human-to-computer dialogs with interactive software applications referred to herein as "automated assistants" (also referred to as "digital agents," "chatbots," "interactive personal assistants," "intelligent personal assistants," "assistant applications," "conversational agents," etc.). For example, humans (which when they interact with automated assistants may be referred to as "users") may provide commands and/or requests to an automated assistant using spoken natural language input (i.e. utterances), which may in some cases be converted into text and then processed, and/or by providing textual (e.g., typed) natural language input. An automated assistant responds to a request by providing responsive user interface output, which can include audible and/or visual user interface output.
In many cases, users provide spoken utterances to cause an automated assistant to perform various actions. However, extensive computational and/or network resources can be utilized in processing spoken utterances to perform automated assistant actions. For instance, an automated assistant action of turning on a smart light can be accomplished by transmitting a corresponding command to the smart light directly, or to a third-party server that processes the command, then transmits a corresponding command to the smart light. However, in performing such an action in response to a spoken utterance of "Assistant, turn on smart light X", speech-to-text processing is performed on audio data that captures the spoken utterance, natural language processing is performed based on the resulting text, and then the corresponding command is determined. Further, where speech-to-text and/or natural language processing is performed remotely, audio data and/or other data will need to be transmitted over one or more networks.

Conditionally assigning various automated assistant function(s) to interaction with a peripheral assistant control device


A dynamic management system for a set of traffic data transmission equipments connected by a traffic telecommunication network and operating together in variable configurations matched to the requirements of network users includes a management support telecommunication network having a plurality of nodes which are constituted by management data switching and access equipments associated with respective traffic data transmission equipments and assembled into a meshed network which is topologically independent of the traffic network and uses flooding mode broadcasting.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention concerns a dynamic management system architecture for a set of equipments interconnected by a telecommunication network and working together in variable configurations matched to the requirements of network users. The invention applies to a tactical telecommunication network using microwave links, for example.
2. Description of the prior art
A tactical network of this kind (see FIG. 1) comprises a set of nodal stations CN located at the nodes of the network and each comprising a switching unit or switch CT connected to a plurality of equipments ET which in this example are microwave link equipments connected in turn either to network users AB or to other equipments ET at other nodal stations of the network to constitute a meshed network.
Microwave links are advantageously used in a tactical network because they enable the network to be reconfigured when under attack simply by moving one or more of its nodal stations in response to such attack.
Matching a tactical telecommunication network to the requirements of users which, in military applications, include resistance to attack, requires management data to be exchanged between the various network components and in particular between a network command center (CC), or more generally a network management center, and the equipments constituting the network whose operation and movements must be monitored by the network command center.
Management data is usually exchanged in both directions, namely from the managed equipments to the command center and from the command center to the managed equipments. This data is usually called remote supervisory or alarm data in the former case and telecontrol data in the latter case. In all cases it concerns operating parameters of the managed equipments such as frequency, power output, bit rate, etc.
It is known to transmit management data using a management support telecommunication network which is so called to distinguish it from the traffic network with which this description has been concerned until now and over which traffic data is transmitted. The management support network and the traffic network may be one and the same, in which case the management network behaves like a particular group of network users. In the case of fixed infrastructure traffic networks it is also known to use a management support network separate from the traffic network to prevent blocking situations should the traffic network fail. It is also known to transmit management data over service channels set up in parallel with traffic channels. In the case of a microwave link network, for example, this parallelism can be achieved by multiplexing within the microwave frame.
In all these various cases the management data is thus usually transmitted in a point-to-point manner between the managed equipments and the management center.
The major drawback of these methods is that they do not guarantee sufficient transmission security for management data, in particular if the traffic network is under attack, or during network reconfiguration maneuvers.
An object of the present invention is to provide a management system architecture which is able to avoid this drawback.

Dynamic management system for a set of equipments interconnected by a telecommunication network


The frozen food product according to the present invention contains as a major ingredient boiled rice grains or boiled pasta pieces; a water migration-preventing layer formed on the surface of each rice grain or boiled pasta; and a sauce layer formed on the surface of the water migration-preventing layer, and the product is frozen in such a state. In the frozen food product described above, rice grains or pasta pieces contained as the major ingredient are mixed homogeneously with a sauce, and if the frozen food is packaged portionwise, the resulting packaged products can give stable quality where the major ingredient and the sauce are blended at a constant rate. This frozen food product can be manufactured by carrying out a step of admixing a primary sauce to the major ingredient so as to form a water migration-preventing layer; a step of freezing the thus treated major ingredient; a step of admixing a secondary sauce to the resulting major ingredient; and a step of freezing the resulting major ingredient.

The present invention relates to a frozen food and a process for manufacturing the same, particularly to a frozen food product obtained by mixing a major ingredient such as rice in pilaf or risotto, or pasta in pasta salad or macaroni au gratin with auxiliary ingredients including sauces and other ingredients (including chopped vegetables and the like) to be cooked with the major Ingredient and freezing the resulting mixture, as well as, a process for manufacturing the same.
In a general and conventional process for manufacturing a frozen rice, when rice is mixed with a sauce, the sauce is admixed beforehand together with other ingredients to the rice, and the resulting mixture is boiled, or after a rice is boiled, a sauce and other ingredients are admixed thereto. The resulting sauced rice is subjected to individual quick freezing using various types of freezing machines, so that grains of boiled rice are not integrated into blocks. There are known techniques for achieving individual quick freezing of rice, which include, for example, the drum tumbling method using a refrigerant such as liquefied nitrogen and dry ice and a fluid agitation method utilizing cold air generated by a freezing machine.
Meanwhile, in the field of frozen rice, there have been expected demands for foods having high water contents, for example, a wet type frozen rice having a water content of 65% or more, which forms a rice porridge containing additional ingredients or a risotto when unfrozen. However, in the conventional freezing techniques, a sauce having a high water content is admixed to rice prior to the freezing step, so that the water contained in the sauce migrates into the rice to impair texture of the rice and that the rice grains deposit to the interior of the freezing machine or the mixer, due to the adhesiveness of the sauce itself and to the effects of mixing and kneading in the temperature region before the freezing step. The deposit can grow gradually into massive clusters, which apply overload to the freezing machine and the like and prevent them from operating smoothly. This sometimes makes it impossible to carry out continuous production. Meanwhile, in order to obtain an individually frozen rice by admixing a sauce to a boiled rice and freezing the resulting mixture, the ratio of the sauce to be added should be less than 10 wt % in order to achieve individual quick freezing. As described above, the freezing step in the prior art has been a great hindrance in obtaining a wet type frozen rice in a desirable state.
Accordingly, wet type frozen rice products commercially available currently are not manufactured by means of individual quick freezing but are predominantly those manufactured by means of block freezing (block-frozen products). However, the block-frozen products involve a problem that they take much time for unfreezing, inconveniently.
Meanwhile, there are products of the type which are distributed in packages each containing a pack of rice and a packet of sauce, and consumers unfreeze them and mix them (frozen products with sauce packets). However, this type of products are not preferred, because they put much trouble to consumers, and manufacturers must prepare the same number of sauce packets as that of the products, imposing them a great burden for inventory control.
Further, there is another type of product obtained by preparing small blocks of frozen sauce (ca. 10 mm cubes) separately from a rice freezing step and admixing them to the individually frozen rice (frozen products with frozen sauce cubes admixed). However, a sauce having a high viscosity does not commingle with the rice homogeneously at the time of unfreezing to mar the taste of the product, so that not only the commercial value of the product is lowered but also production process requires extra steps, causing rise in the cost, disadvantageously. In addition, in the case where a necessary amount of product is taken out from a package and is cooked, the rice and the sauce cannot necessarily be taken out at a constant ratio, and variation is likely to occur in the amount of sauce in the cooked food.
The same applies to a pasta dish cooked by mixing a boiled and drained pasta such as elbow and penne with a tomato sauce or a cream sauce.
As described above, the conventional sauced frozen rice, wet type frozen rice and sauced frozen pasta are inconvenient in view of distribution and consumption, and there is no product of commercial value fitting consumers"" needs at present.
It is an object of the present invention to establish a process for manufacturing efficiently products by means of individual quick freezing, in which a major ingredient such as rice grains and pasta pieces are mixed homogeneously with a sauce. More specifically, the objective of the present invention is to provide an unconventional frozen food product of high added value, which enables consumers to unfreeze by such a simple and easy way as has been used for the conventional products prepared by individual quick freezing, and which gives a stable quality (the ratio of rice or pasta to sauce is constant) even when it is packaged portionwise to facilitate portion control and also to provide a process for manufacturing the same.
The frozen food product according to the present invention contains as a major ingredient boiled rice grains or boiled pasta pieces, a water migration-preventing layer formed on the surface of each rice grain or pasta piece, and a sauce layer formed on the surface of the water migration-preventing layer, and the product is frozen in such a state.
The thus formed frozen product has excellent texture, since the sauce is hardly molten by temperature rises, and even if the product once unfrozen is frozen again into a block, it can be returned easily to the original individually frozen state. The unfrozen or cooked rice grains or pasta pieces hardly absorb the water contained in the sauce.
The water migration-preventing layer is a sauce layer formed using a primary sauce of a composition different from that of a secondary sauce forming the external sauce layer. Here, the primary sauce preferably has a sugar content (Brix) of 10 to 40xc2x0. The secondary sauce preferably has a sugar content (Brix) of 0 to 25xc2x0. The water migration-preventing layer may be a starch layer, an oil film layer or a mixture of a starch and an oil.
Meanwhile, in the case of a pasta, pasta pieces may each be covered on the surface with a sauce layer having a small water content.
The process for manufacturing a frozen food product according to the present invention includes a primary sauce mixing step where a primary sauce is admixed to a major ingredient such as a rice boiled after washing and impregnation with water or a boiled and drained pasta; a first freezing step where the thus treated major ingredient is frozen; a secondary sauce mixing step where a secondary sauce having a composition different from that of the primary sauce is admixed to the thus frozen major ingredient; and a second freezing step where the resulting major ingredient is frozen.
In the above method, the primary sauce is admixed in an amount of 5 to 20% by weight based on the weight of the major ingredient. Meanwhile, when the major ingredient is a boiled rice, the secondary sauce is admixed in an amount of 10 to 40% by weight based on the weight of the boiled rice. When the major ingredient is a pasta, the secondary sauce is admixed preferably in an amount of 10 to 50% by weight based on the weight of the pasta. Further, when the major ingredient is a boiled rice, it is obtained by adding an oil or a fat to an impregnated rice, and boiling the resulting mixture. Here, the oil or fat is added suitably in an amount of 1 to 5% by weight based on the weight of the rice before the boiling treatment.
Meanwhile, when the major ingredient is a boiled rice, a starch is added to a washed rice or to water for impregnating it, and then the rice is impregnated with the resulting mixture. Here, the starch is admixed suitably in an amount of 0.1 to 10% by weight based on the weight of the rice before the boiling treatment.
According to the process of the present invention described above, a frozen rice or frozen pasta in which rice grains or pasta pieces are mixed homogeneously with a sauce can be manufactured efficiently by means of individual quick freezing. Meanwhile, consumers can unfreeze it by such a simple and easy way as has been used for the conventional rice or pasta products prepared by individual quick freezing. In addition, the frozen food product gives stable quality (where the ratio of rice or pasta to sauce is constant) even when it is packaged portionwise, to facilitate portion control. Thus, the present invention can give unconventional frozen food products of high added value.

Frozen foods and process for producing the same


A high pressure pump has a fuel passage and a pump chamber. Fuel flows into the pump chamber through the fuel passage. The high pressure pump includes a valve member and a plunger. The valve member is movable along a movable axis in a substantially axial direction of the valve member for controlling an amount of fuel flowing into the pump chamber through the fuel passage. The plunger is movable substantially along a movable axis in a substantially axial direction of the plunger. The plunger is capable of pressurizing fuel in the pump chamber to discharge fuel in the pump chamber. The movable axis of the valve member is displaced from the movable axis of the plunger substantially in parallel with each other.

Conventionally, a high pressure pump has a plunger, which is driven by an internal combustion engine. The high pressure pump discharges fuel in a pump chamber to the outside of the high pressure pump using the plunger. A valve member controls an amount of fuel flowing into the pump chamber through a fuel passage.
According to WO00/06895 (JP-A-2002-521616, U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,608), a high pressure pump has a movable plunger and a movable valve member. The movable axis of the plunger is substantially coaxial with respect to the movable axis of the valve member. According to WO00/47888 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,706, US2004 0055580A1), the movable axis of the plunger is substantially perpendicular to the movable axis of the valve member.
The above high pressure pump having the plunger, is preferably small in consideration of mountability to an engine. However, in the high pressure pump according to WO00/06895, the plunger is substantially coaxial with respect to the valve member. Consequently, the high pressure pump may be jumboized in the axial direction of the plunger. Furthermore, in the high pressure pump according to WO00/06895, a coil portion, which moves the valve member, a part of a fuel passage, and the like are arranged on the opposite side of the plunger with respect to the valve member. Accordingly, the high pressure pump may be further elongated in the axial direction of the plunger.
By contrast, in the high pressure pump according to WO00/47888, the axis of the valve member is displaced with respect to the axis of the plunger in the radial direction thereof. In this structure, the valve member extends in a substantially radial direction of the plunger, accordingly, the high pressure pump may be jumboized in the radial direction of the plunger, even though the high pressure pump can be downsized with respect to the axial direction of the plunger. Furthermore, in the high pressure pump according to WO00/047888, a coil portion, a part of a fuel passage, and the like are arranged on the opposite side of the plunger with respect to the valve member. Accordingly, the high pressure pump may be further elongated in the radial direction of the plunger.
In addition, according to JP-A-2003-254191 (US 2003 0164161A1), a high pressure pump has a plunger that moves back and forth, so that the plunger draws fuel from an inlet chamber into a compression chamber, and pressurizes the fuel in the compression chamber. In this high pressure pump, various components such as a fuel inlet, a control valve, and a discharge valve are assembled to a pump housing.
However, the components may protrude in the radial direction of the high pressure pump or in the axial direction of the high pressure pump, in dependence upon locations, in which the components are provided. When the components excessively protrude from the high pressure pump, the high pressure pump may be jumboized. In addition, when the components excessively protrude to the outside of the high pressure pump, the components may interfere with other components around the high pressure pump, when the high pressure pomp is mounted. Accordingly, mounting work of the high pressure pump may become difficult.

High pressure pump having downsized structure


A transmission apparatus includes a package that has a plurality of slots into each of which a board can be freely detachably inserted; at least one control board; a PWE interface communication unit that is connected to the control board, converts an input SDH or PDH signal to a packet signal, and outputs the converted signal to the control board; a radio transmission communication unit that is connected to the control board, converts the packet signal to a radio signal, and outputs the converted signal; and an optical transmission communication unit that is connected to the control board, converts the packet signal to an optical transmission signal, and outputs the converted signal. The units are separately inserted in the slots.

Regarding characteristics of radio transmission that utilizes spatial propagation, transmission performance may vary due to environmental conditions about weather, obstruction, or the like. Therefore, when the weather condition is bad, the radio transmission should be operated within a restricted frequency band.
On the other hand, since optical transmission utilizes an optical fiber as a transmission medium, it has a risk such that the optical fiber may be broken off due to an earthquake, a fire, road work, or the like. Therefore, if an optical fiber for optical transmission is broken off due to an earthquake or the like, a detour should be established so as not to use the broken line, and the broken optical fiber should be restored.
A technique relating to the present invention is shown in Patent-Document 1.

Transmission apparatus and processing method thereof


An apparatus comprising a first of a plurality of array modules and a second of a plurality of array modules. The first of the plurality of array modules may be configured to connect a first one or more of a plurality of host devices to a first one or more of a plurality of storage arrays. The first array module may comprise a primary controller and a secondary controller. The second of the plurality of array modules may be configured to connect a second one or more of the plurality of host devices to a second one or more of the plurality of storage arrays. The second array module may comprise a primary controller and a secondary controller. Control of access to the storage arrays may be transferred to the secondary controller of the first array module during a failure of the primary controller of the first array module.

Conventional storage arrays are often implemented with two controllers. One controller is for redundancy. The disk drive enclosures are directly connected to the controllers. Such an implementation poses a limit on the number of drives that can be accessed by a given storage array. In addition, only one controller can be used for redundancy and load sharing for the input/output (I/O) to the storage array.
It would be desirable to implement a clustered array controller for global redundancy in a Storage Area Network (SAN) that extends the level of controller redundancy and/or load sharing.

Clustered array controller for global redundancy in a SAN


Solid waste material which contains arsenic and/or mercury impurities is encapsulated in a cured polysulfide polymer so as to alleviate leaching of arsenic and/or mercury into aqueous liquids. Preferably, the solid waste material is first extracted with an alcohol such as ethanol or, alternatively, treated with an oxidizing agent such as aqueous hydrogen peroxide and then substantially dried before the encapsulation with the polymer is carried out.

This invention relates to a method for alleviating the leaching of arsenic and/or mercury from solid waste materials.
Some solid waste materials contain arsenic and/or mercury (either in elemental form or as compounds). Examples of such waste materials are spent sorbent materials (which have been used for removing arsenic and/or mercury impurities from gas streams). When these solid waste materials are disposed of in landfills, As and/or Hg impurities may gradually leach from these materials and contaminate the ground water. The present invention is directed to alleviating the leaching of arsenic and/or mercury impurities from solid waste materials so as to make their disposal in landfills environmentally safer.

Reduced leaching of arsenic and/or mercury from solid wastes


Coupling member for use with a first component having a projection and a second component includes a first portion and a second portion. At least one of the first portion and the second portion pivots between a closed position in which at least one of the first portion and the second portion is mechanically locked to the projection and an open position enabling the projection to be separated from the member. The member engages the second component to couple the first component to the second component. The second component engages the member to retain the member in the closed position.

A multitude of structures or assemblies are known to exist for coupling or connecting two components to one another. One example of where two components are coupled to one another is that of an armrest of a vehicle such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,314. In this particular example, a cover is coupled to a console. In addition to being simply attached to the console, the cover is also pivotally supported relative to the console. As depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,314, this is achieved by the utilization of a pair of torque fittings that are crimped about a rod secured to the cover and that are further screwed to the console.
This known mechanism for coupling the cover component to the console component has several drawbacks. In particular, screwing the torque fittings to the console is tedious and time consuming, increasing assembly cost. The screws themselves must be inventoried, and reduce the aesthetic attractiveness of the armrest. Disassembling the armrest cover from the console is also complicated.


An interactive financial tool is disclosed for assisting agents such as, for example, insurance professionals, estate planners, financial planners, and the like in performing activities such as, for example, marketing products or services to new or existing clients, managing client relationships, prospecting for new clients, and the like.

Historically agents (such as, for example, insurance professionals, estate planners, financial planners, and the like) have relied on traditional paper and notebook type techniques for tasks such as client management, organization, sales, marketing, and the like. Transitioning to computer-based solutions can be complex and confusing to such professionals who may not already have familiarity with using personal computers and the Internet. In addition, many who are presently practicing in the financial planning field, which may include, for example, the insurance field, the estate planning field, and the like, commenced their careers well before the prevalence of personal computers and the Internet. The insurance field, for example, is one in which professionals (agents) practicing in that field tend to adopt and maintain the traditional ways of conducting business. However, many of those who are entering the financial planning field as agents are typically individuals who are accustomed to, and more comfortable interacting with an electronic world of personal computers and the Internet than traditional techniques. As such, electronic solutions and features that can meet the variable needs of interested parties are needed in the financial planning field.
Moreover, known software applications for the financial planning field do not provide adequate support for a broad range of activities or services that are needed by the agents who practice in the field. For example, known software applications are inadequate in meeting the needs of agents in areas such as interactive financial planning reports, client organizers, interactive financial calculators, client data gathering tools, automatic configuration based on client data, and the like.
As such, a need exists for improved software and system solutions in the financial planning filed, which may include, for example, the insurance field, the estate planning field, and the like.

Interactive systems and methods for supporting financial planning related activities

Guardian Life Insurance Company of America


A compressed air-actuated pump includes a venturi nozzle to create a vacuum condition within a fluid-tight pump body to pump in a liquid or slurry. When a given level of liquid is pumped in, a control circuit closes a flexible sleeve of a pneumatically actuated pinch valve positioned in an exhaust passageway of the venturi nozzle. Upon closing of the pinch valve, the exhaust stream from the venturi nozzle is diverted into the pump body to create a pressurized condition therein whereby the liquid or slurry previously accumulated therein is pumped out. The pump also includes a pair of variable flow control valves for independently adjusting the flow rates of compressed air through the venturi nozzle in the vacuum, pump-in and in the pressurized, pump-out cycles. Solid state opto-electronic liquid level sensors or appropriate pneumatic, electric or electro-pneumatic timing devices are employed to signal the opening and closing of the pinch valve. The flexible sleeve of the pinch valve, as well as all other parts in the pump are constructed of chemically-resistant materials to permit the pumping of erosive, corrosive and abrasive liquids and slurries.

The present invention relates generally to pumps for pumping liquid and, more particularly, to pumps operated by compressed air and using an injector or venturi-type nozzle to generate a vacuum therein. Pumps of this type are known, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,427 to Bryant. Pumps of this type have been utilized heretofore to pump water, for example, and consist of a tank having an inlet and outlet at the bottom with one-way check valves in place at each of the inlet and outlet passageways so as to permit the passage of liquid only in one direction. At the top of the tank, a compressed air nozzle is provided spaced from an outlet exhaust pipe, both of which are placed in communication with the interior of the tank. As high pressure air is injected into the nozzle, a high velocity air stream passes from the nozzle through the exhaust passageway and causes a vacuum condition to exist within the interior of the tank. The vacuum condition causes liquid to be emitted to the tank through the inlet orifice. The one-way check valve positioned in the outlet orifice prevents stored liquid from escaping the tank while the pump is in the vacuum mode of operation. U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,427 discloses the use of a ball-type float valve which rides on the surface of the liquid within the tank. When the liquid reaches a given level within the tank, the float, through appropriate linkage, causes a gate type valve to slide across the air exhaust pipe, shutting off the flow therethrough. When the air flow is so interrupted by the gate valve, the high velocity air exhaust stream is directed downwardly into the tank, causing a positive pressure to exist therein. Consequently, the water contained in the tank is forced out through the outlet orifice at the bottom thereof. In this pressurized pump-down mode, the one-way check valve located in the inlet orifice closes to prevent any water leakage therethrough.
A further vacuum air-driven pump utilizing a venturi style nozzle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,970 to McHenry. McHenry points out certain operational problems inherent in the aforementioned Bryant pump specifically associated with the operation of the float valve, such as the sticking of the float and the associated mechanical linkage. McHenry proposes an improved valve mechanism which is a liquid level responsive pressure actuator for shifting a spool-type control valve from open to closed positions so as to regulate the pumping cycle of the device. Included in the McHenry sensing system is a rather elaborate array of orifices and fine diameter tubing which render the pump suitable for operation only in very particulate-free, non-corrosive and low viscosity water environments.
The pumps of the prior art, which rely upon means positioned within the liquid accumulator tank for sensing the liquid level or pressure therein and with valve means exposed to the liquid vapors entrained in the exhausting air stream, are not suitable for use in connection with the pumping of corrosive or erosive liquids. Such corrosive liquids quickly attack the sliding metal parts and cause rapid wear and subsequent pump malfunctions. In addition, a shiftable valve spool of the type employed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,970 is particularly susceptible to wear caused by abrasive particulate matter present in certain slurries or corrosive vapors present in certain liquids. In addition, it is also apparent that the slidable exhaust valve and linkage of U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,427 is susceptible to abrasive wear and corrosive attack due to the exposure to entrained particulate materials and harmful vapors.
The present invention solves the problems heretofore encountered in the prior art devices for pumping corrosive and erosive liquids and abrasive slurries and the like. The present invention is constructed of corrosion resistant materials and contains no movable or sliding metal parts within the interior of the pump exposed to the liquid or vapors. In this manner, the pump of the present invention is able to withstand the rigors of long exposure to corrosive and erosive slurries, liquids and vapors, as well as solid abrasive particulates, without suffering any appreciable degradation in performance characteristics. The present invention provides a pump which is resistant to corrosive attacks from a wide range of chemical solutions, including acids, alkaline, solvents and others. Our invention provides a compact, compressed air-operated pump for reliable and durable performance having a minimum of moving parts which assures minimum downtime. The pump of the invention is inexpensive to assemble, operate and maintain in the field. The present invention further provides, in one presently preferred embodiment, a pump body constructed of a translucent material which permits visual observation of the pumping cycle while also possessing a very high hoop strength to provide superior pressure resistance.
Still further, the present invention provides a pump in which the pump in cycle and the pump down cycle times can be independently regulated to permit an infinite variety of flow rates. By increasing the pump body size, the liquid storage volume capacity is increased to permit correspondingly greater flow rates. The present invention also performs at comparable flow rates as prior pumps, but with less air consumption, resulting in energy savings for the user.


Systems and methods for cache balance when using hardware transactional memory are disclosed. A method includes: determining, by a computing device, a hardware transactional memory (HTM) attrition rate for a workload in a distributed computing environment; determining, by the computing device, whether or not the HTM attrition rate for the workload exceeds a predetermined threshold; and in response to determining that the HTM attrition rate for the workload does not exceed the predetermined threshold, the computing device causing a requested HTM transaction to begin.

The present invention generally relates to computing devices and, more particularly, to systems and methods for cache balance when using hardware transactional memory.
Hardware transactional memory (HTM) is a model for controlling concurrent memory accesses in the scope of parallel programming and is an alternative to lock-based synchronization. Similar to a database transaction, within the scope of a transaction, HTM either commits or discards (e.g., in the event of a conflict) all shared memory accesses and their effects (i.e., all changes inside of the transaction). HTM provides for atomicity (e.g., all speculative memory updates of a transaction are either committed or discarded as a unit), consistency (e.g., memory operations of a transaction take place in order, and transactions are committed one at a time), and isolation (e.g., memory updates are not visible outside of a transaction until the transaction commits data).

Cache balance when using hardware transactional memory

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


Fine grained RAN aware traffic prioritization in spectrum constrained modern wireless networks which support differentiated service plans uses cell load metrics supplied to a Fine grained Traffic flow Prioritization Engine (FTPE) with and without the assistance from a client side collection module, Peer Agent (PA), at the mobile. Knowledge about a mobile's subscription plan is derived from a Subscription Profiles Repository (SPR). Dynamic control on traffic prioritization is applied through operator policy control engines, Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) module. The FTPE works with flexible flow aggregation rules to simplify and scale prioritizing, blocking, and deferring decisions. The FPTE may apply Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) techniques to identify application flows, and uses hierarchical queue disciplines to achieve the necessary flow control. The FPTE may also instead use an adjunct DPI to perform the flow identifications.

1. Technical Field
The invention is related to electronic networks. More particularly, the invention is related to radio access network load and condition aware traffic shaping control.
2. Description of the Background Art
Next-generation wireless networks are designed to provide quality-of-service (QoS) guarantees such as delay and data rate. Such designs support both deterministic and statistical guarantees. Operators have preferred statistical guarantees over the more severely conservative deterministic guarantees. Statistical guarantees support better revenue models for service offerings with limited and expensive wireless spectrum resources. A wireless scheduler with QoS guarantee differs from a wired scheduler because of the dependency of the former on the channel state of an end user. A wireless scheduler has to make use of asynchronous channel variations and multiuser diversity to implement QoS guarantees.
In addition to offering statistical QoS-assured services, operators also recognize the need for offering adaptive and best-effort services. Many web applications may not need strict statistical assurance. Some of these applications work reasonably well if their flow is adapted during QoS fluctuations and inter-cell hand-offs. Most of the other web applications perform well with best-effort services, bearing the burden of retrying lost transactions at the application level instead of relying on flow adaptation inside the operator network. A larger number of best-effort flows can be supported by resource limited wireless networks as compared to flows depending on network adaptation. The numbers of QoS-assured flows are even fewer than adaptive flows.
Wireless service providers have relied on provisioning their radio access network (RAN) resources and then relying on admission control policies to keep excess traffic off of the network. This has worked for circuit switched wireless phone services, and has also worked to a reasonable degree in the early phases of data wireless services on wireless networks.
Today, wireless service providers are realizing the limitations of reliance on admission control policies to keep out excess traffic load because such schemes more severely constrain revenue growth opportunity. Service providers often need premium-priced wireless subscription plans in addition to a larger number of non-premium subscribers. Such conflicting needs can be met only by attending to bandwidth hogging applications and keeping them from freely stealing resources from premium-priced traffic.
Rapid adoption of smart phones together with the growing numbers of web applications creates a need for an intelligent traffic control system to manage the unpredictable traffic mix. Such intelligence should reside outside the context of a standard wireless scheduler at the uU (or air) interface. An intelligent traffic control system identifies flows by the type of web applications to apply relative controls, taking into consideration such aspects as the current demands on RAN resources and the current fluctuations in RF links characteristics, such as cell loading and radio interference.
Priority based throttling is a concept that is well understood in wire line networks. Organizations usually need a way to let their high-priority traffic go ahead of their low-priority traffic when there is too much traffic entering their Wide Area Network (WAN) links. Layer Seven (L7) Rate Shaping techniques have been used for fine-grained bandwidth control to handle traffic spikes in wire line networks better. L7 techniques work well on wire line architectures, where the bandwidth to be shared among the competing traffic is steady. Solutions offered by L7 traffic shapers are applied on enterprise WAN access, CDNs and last mile Internet access points. They fall short of the needs in a next generation wireless access network.
Fine grained traffic control needs on a wireless access network are:
a) Recognizing the level of cell loading/congestion at a mobile user location;
b) Satisfying the bandwidth needs of higher priority and/or premium-priced application flow;
c) Lowering competition for bandwidth from lower priority and traffic; and
d) Letting low priority flow use bandwidth not needed by premium-priced flows.
It is also necessary to consider the operator's business decision policies. Operator policies may need to address such considerations as subscription plans, peak and non-peak hour traffic, subscriber preferences, characteristics and limitations of a mobile device.
Throttling or shaping traffic can reduce the negative impact of bandwidth-hungry applications, such as P2P, on RAN resources. These are essential, especially, during busy hours and in heavily congested cell sites. Following pre-defined policies and rules for Internet usage to limit certain type of traffic is necessary to implement differentiated service plans with different price points successfully. The effectiveness of pre-defined policies can be increased by including RAN awareness in policy triggers. For instance, premium-priced gaming services can experience smoother transit in congested cells through lowered competition from low priority traffic. Understanding what packets pertain to which data streams is critical for intelligent billing systems that are the backbone of customer-, service-, and application-based pricing packages. For instance, if customers buy and download a large video from a service provider's online shop, they might reasonably assume that the traffic is excluded from their fair usage allowance.
The standards (3GPP, 3GPP2) have specified four bearer classes of traffic, i.e. conversational, streaming, interactive, and background. There is a need to map finer level granularity IP side flows dynamically onto just these four classes on the RAN. There is a need to prioritize, block, and defer finer granularity flows either before they enter congested RAN backhaul links or busy cell sites. Therefore, it is desirable also to take these decisions based upon wireless user identity. In the case, for example, where:
(a) The system guarantees the associated QoS from the boundary of the RAN network out to the IP environment for a streaming application invoked from a mobile device; or
(b) The system guarantees the QoS from the service provider to the RAN boundary for push service.
The need to allow an operator to manage traffic growth and QoS in their network is well understood. 3GPP and other standards define the four main QoS classes discussed above as:
a) Conversational—voice/video;
b) Streaming—webinars/online classroom;
c) Interactive—browsing/file downloading; and
d) Background—email/DB updates.
Delay sensitivity is the main distinguishing characteristic of these QoS classes. However, application developers bury data deep inside packets, thus preventing simple classification and prioritization from being adequate. Today, operators must rely more on deep packet inspection (DPI) technology to classify and prioritize traffic. To keep up with the multiplying levels of data traffic, operators are also faced with the challenge of throttling bandwidth-hogging applications. Once a packet is classified, different policies are applied to the associated stream such as prioritization, rate limiting, and blocking. Operators deploy Policy Charging and Rules Functions (PCRF) to translate business decisions on to subscription plans.
Wireless access networks add a complexity dimension, namely RAN awareness, to decisions related to traffic shaping and QoS policies. For example, a more stringent policy may be necessary in a crowded RF cell than in a less crowded one. Similar policy differentiation could be applied based on a wireless base station profile. Base station profiles can, for example, can include fields to distinguish 2.5G, 3G, 4G RF links and backhaul bandwidth capacity limitations. Such profiles can enable an operator to enhance traffic flow management to throttle traffic from congesting limited RAN resources. For example, AT&T recently decided to block Slingbox traffic from iPhones on the AT&T 3G networks, indicating that this traffic would use large amounts of their 3G network's capacity. Also, rapid adoption of data cards, dongles, and netbooks is quickly opening the door for bandwidth-hogging peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic to migrate to wireless networks. Network operators will try to limit P2P traffic at least towards crowded cells to increase QoS for authentic subscriber traffic.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram that shows four base stations, each with different number of subscribers. Base station BS-A and BS-C are lightly crowded and probably located in less busy suburban location while base station BS-B is more likely located in a busy urban setting and is therefore most heavily crowded. Stringent throttling of bandwidth hogging applications may be called for in urban zones than in less busy suburban zones. In other words, a P2P application could operate without hindrance when operating in areas covered by BS-A and BS-C, while being required to be throttled when operating in areas covered by BS-B. Base station BS-D is moderately crowded and can operate better with some throttling of P2P applications, but to a lesser degree than in BS-B area. Crowding is likely to be less severe even in BS-B area during non-busy hours, thereby relaxing the need for throttling during those periods.
Thus, it would be advantageous to enable an operator to support a mission critical application competing for scarce RF resources in a crowded cell in the midst of long video downloads and bandwidth stealing P2P applications

Radio access network load and condition aware traffic shaping control