Computer-based processes are disclosed for analyzing and improving document readability. Document readability is improved by using rules and associated logic to automatically detect various types of writing problems and to make and/or suggest edits for eliminating such problems. Many of the rules seek to generate more concise formulations of the analyzed sentences, such as by eliminating unnecessary words, rearranging words and phrases, and making various other types of edits. Proposed edits can be conveyed, e.g., through a word processing platform, by changing the visual appearance of text to indicate how the text would appear with (or with and without) the edit.

Field
Technology disclosed herein relates generally to computer-aided writing composition and to automated computer systems and methods for making written text more concise.
Description of Related Art
Writers face problems arising from various combinations of unnecessary words, passive voice, weak verbs, and convoluted construction. For years, writing texts and teachers have addressed these problems using technical terms—participle, idiom, subjunctive, relative pronoun—or generally advised writers to add vigor to their sentences by writing in the active voice. Although it is possible to become a good writer given enough practice and study, there is a continued need for improved, automated systems that provide the writer an editing method that is quick, precise, repeatable, and productive.
Commercially-available software tools exist for analyzing authored documents to search for common writing problems such as passive voice and useless phrases. These tools are currently very limited. For example, upon detecting a potential writing problem, existing tools commonly provide the user only with general guidance, not specific edits. Where they suggest specific edits, the suggestions are often inaccurate or undesirable. Other drawbacks of existing automated grammar checkers are further detailed in U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2003/0212541, published on Nov. 13, 2003. As a result of these drawbacks, these tools have proved too cumbersome and frustrating to gain widespread acceptance among authors.
There is, therefore, a need for improved and/or automated systems and methods for writing concisely (or making text more concise), which systematically identifies and removes useless words, passive voice, nominalizations, and other writing problems, or helps the author to do so.

Computer processes for analyzing and suggesting improvements for text readability


Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for implementing a continuity plan generated using solution data modeling based on predicted future event simulation testing. The system is typically configured for generating one or more solution data models comprising a plurality of asset systems and a plurality of users, identifying a potential event associated with at least a first asset of the plurality of asset systems, extracting a first solution data model associated with the first asset from a model database, identifying one or more relationships associated with the first asset from the extracted first solution data model, formulating a continuity plan for the potential events based on the one or more relationships, and testing the continuity plan by creating a simulation of the potential events and implementing the continuity plan for the simulated potential event.

Present conventional systems are not adequately configured to efficiently generate and implement continuity plans for future events. As such, there exists a need for a system to generate continuity plans, test the generated continuity plans, and implement the tested continuity plans based on identifying occurrence of one or more events.

Implementing a continuity plan generated using solution data modeling based on predicted future event simulation testing


The present invention provides a silicon-containing compound for resistance to hepatitis c virus infection, and in particular provides a compound represented by formula I, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, or a tautomer, or a stereoisomer, or a deuterated compound thereof and mixture among them, a preparation process therefor, and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the same. The present application also provides a use of the compound, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, or a tautomer, or a stereoisomer, or a deuterated compound thereof and mixture among them, and a pharmaceutical composition comprising the same in treatment of hepatitis c virus infection.

HCV is a positive-strand RNA virus and belongs to the genus Hepacivirus of the Flaviviridae family, and it has been identified to have at least six major genotypes and comprises more than 50 subtypes. The single strand HCV RNA genome is approximately 9500 nucleotides in length and has a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a single large polyprotein of approximately 3000 amino acids. In infected cells, this polyprotein is cleaved by cellular and viral proteases at multiple sites, resulting in structural and non-structural (NS) proteins. In the case of HCV, the formation of mature non-structural proteins (NS2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A and NS5B) is achieved by two viral proteases.
A treatment regimen for chronic HCV infection comprises: peginterferon-α in combination with ribavirin for treating HCV-infected patients and patients with cirrhotic. If the treatment fails, the treatment regimen including interferon is used again, and the sustained virological response rate will be as low as 14%. In addition, the treatment regimen including interferon has increased toxic side effects in patients with cirrhotic.
With the development of HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors, NS5A inhibitors and NS5B polymerase inhibitors, as new therapies, the use of interferon and ribavirin is not required, which not only reduces toxicity but also shortens treatment duration. These new classes of inhibitors include ABT-267 (WO2010144646), ABT-530 (WO2012051361), etc.

Silicon-containing compound for resistance to hepatitis C virus infection

Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.


A method and apparatus for multicomponent surface modified aerosol particle production suitable for, for instance, therapeutic, cosmetic or diagnostic use in which an aerosol containing an active agent is introduced in an aerosol reactor together with a surface agent or surface agent source and/or precursor and wherein the surface agent and/or surface agent precursor is volatilizable. The surface agent vapor saturation ratio is elevated so to cause it to nucleate from the gas phase. Reactor conditions are maintaining such that the active agent remains in the condensed phase and provides a surface for the surface agent to deposit on the active agent containing aerosol particle thus producing surface modified aerosol particles. The method can be used for batch or continuous production. Particles made according to the method and powders and dispersions containing the particles are also described.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the production of surface modified aerosol particles suitable for, for instance, therapeutic, cosmetic or diagnostic use. The method can be used for batch or continuous production. The invention also includes particles made according to the invention and powders and dispersions containing said particles.
2. Description of Related Art
Surface modification of particles is important in a number of fields related to, for instance, drug delivery and medical diagnostics and the synthesis of various multicomponent materials. The production of particles with well-defined chemical and physical properties (e.g. drug particle size, structure, crystallinity) is of interest in pharmaceutical applications, since the physical properties of the particles affect the dissolution and absorption rate, and bioavailability of the drug. Control of particle surface properties for stability and storage and for varying the dissolution rate in the body for, for instance, sustained release is also desirable. Moreover, in the field of drug delivery and medical diagnostics, due to the increasing use of pulmonary delivery of medicaments and diagnostic agents, dry powders having high flowability and dispersability are needed for repeatable dosing and efficient delivery to the lung. Inhalation has become the primary route of administration in the treatment of, for instance, asthma and COPD and is becoming ever more important for systemic delivery for diseases such as diabetes. This is because, besides providing direct access to the lungs, medication delivered through the respiratory tract provides rapid and predictable onset of action and requires lower dosages compared to the oral route.
The coating of nano and microparticles with hard crystalline material can be used improve the stability of the particles. Besides improved stability the coating is often used to modify the particle size and material surface properties. The surface properties (e.g. morphology, surface charge) of the particles affect the adhesion and detachment forces, which are important factors especially for inhalation applications. Adhesion forces (e.g. Van der Waals, capillary and electrical forces) significantly influence powder flowability (and thus dose repeatability) and aerosolisation of the powders and drug and carrier particle deagglomeration during delivery. In addition, coating can enable the controlled release of the active pharmaceutical agents that provides a way to avoid drug toxicity while delivering an optimum dose.
Numerous methods have been proposed to control the size, composition, morphology and crystalline structure and composition of inhalation powders using, for instance, precipitation or crystallization followed by drying and milling, supercritical fluid methods and spray drying. Conventional methods for the coating of pharmaceutical particles include chemical (e.g. co-precipitation of polymeric matrices), physicochemical (e.g. emulsion techniques) and mechanical techniques (e.g. fluidised bed coating, spray drying). Controlled coating on the inorganic core particles has been achieved with laser ablation techniques as well as with chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. Recently, pharmaceutical powders were coated by physical vapor deposition (PVD) in a fluidized bed reactor. In solution, functional coatings for latexes can be, for instance, utilized in the field of biotechnology.
However, there are several difficulties with existing methods such as poor solubility in suitable solvents, particle agglomeration, long processing times and high losses that limit their applicability. The losses can be decreased with a continuous gas phase process such as spray drying, spray congealing or aerosol methods. In addition, gas phase methods enable efficient production of finely dispersed powders in well-controlled conditions with higher drug loads compared to conventional methods.
To overcome the flowability problem fine drug particles have been blended with coarse carrier particles. To improve the flowability further, the blend has been mixed with fine particle excipients, such as fine lactose, magnesium stearate, phospholipids and L-leucine function as lubricants between surfaces. Coating of the inhalable powders can also be carried in situ in particle production. For example, spray-freeze-dried proteins have been shown to result in low density particles with a rough surface. Amino acids when co-spray-dried with drugs provided surface with reduced adhesion properties. However, the coating around particles is often non-uniform and the scaling of the process is difficult in many cases. The ability to modify the surface of particles in situ in the gas phase simplifies the production dramatically and also reduces the cost of high quality particles.
Consequently a method to produce large quantities of aerosol particles containing an active agent and a surface modifying agent with well controlled surface properties so as to have superior flowability, stability, deagglomeration efficiency and/or dissolution properties would be beneficial to industry and commerce. The present invention provides a simple and efficient method which is able to produce particles with consistent and controlled properties, including particle size and size distribution, shape, crystallinity, polymorphic phase, surface roughness, composition and chemical purity. Such particles are particularly well suited for drug delivery by inhalation.
The method of this invention for the in-situ synthesis of surface modified particles can easily be used for the either nano- or micron-sized particles and for a wide variety of materials. It enables the tailoring of the surface of particles composed of a wide variety of materials. The surface modification can be varied by varying the supersaturation of the coating material during the process. The processing time is short and dry surface modified particles can be obtained directly after the particle synthesis.

Surface modified aerosol particles, a method and apparatus for production thereof and powders and dispersions containing said particles


At least one register and an ink density are controlled in a printing machine having at least one printing unit which includes a forme cylinder, a transfer cylinder, and a counter-pressure cylinder. An image sensor records an image from a print substrate, which is imprinted with ink, inside the printing unit, and sends data correlated to that image to an evaluation unit. The data for the last printed image is compared with prior data and in response, the evaluation unit generates a command that is directed to an actuator for controlling the supply of ink. The image sensor is oriented towards the print substrate and detects the entire width of the printed substrate, which width is transverse to a direction of substrate conveyance. The evaluation unit generates the actuating command to control the supply of ink based on data from the image sensor and taken over the entire width of the substrate. The evaluation unit also controls register, based on this data. The forme cylinder has a separate drive which can be controlled separately or that can be regulated by the counter-pressure cylinder assigned to it.

A device for parallel image inspection and color regulation of a printed product, which is produced in a printing press with at least one printing group, is known from DE 43 21 177 A1. An image detection arrangement is provided, which forwards image data from the printed product to a computer arrangement. The image detection arrangement consists of one or of several measuring modules, each of which scans a defined image area of the printed product, and of at least one associated receiving device, which creates the image data and which preferably is spatially separated from the measuring modules. The measuring modules and the at least one receiving device are connected with each other by at least one image conductor. A register sensor is also provided, and by the use of which, a register measurement can be performed at the imprinted printed product.
A color registration system for a printing press is known from EP 0 598 490 A1. A computer, with a camera or with a group of cameras, determines an erroneous alignment of colors of a printed product by comparing an actual image with a stored reference image, and, by the use of a printing control, aligns longitudinal, transverse and rotary positions of cylinders of a printing press in relation to a web, which web is moved through the printing press and is to be imprinted. The alignment is done, in such a way that the cylinders create a multi-color image with colors which are correctly aligned with each other.
A device and a method for the register-maintaining matching of printing cylinders of a web-fed rotary printing press is known from EP 0 882 588 A1. A first cylinder, which is imprinting one side of the web, is driven by a first motor, and a second cylinder, which is also imprinting the same side of the web, is driven by a second motor. The angular position of the second cylinder is matched by a regulator to maintain registration with the first cylinder. Register markings, which are imprinted on the web by the cylinders, are recorded by a sensor that is arranged downstream of the last cylinder in the production direction, which sensor may be, for example, a CCD camera. The register markings are evaluated as guide values for the regulator by the use of characteristic lines.

Devices for controlling at least one register in a printing machine


A first method for producing wire-frame images of tessellated objects in real time utilizing existing hardware capabilities removes hidden lines by displaying the frame slightly away from the actual edges and toward the viewing direction to ensure the portion of the frame intended to be visible is not obscured by the visible faces and that the hidden portion of the frame is obscured by the visible faces. A second method allows for visible and hidden lines to be shown in unique line styles. This is done by first displaying all lines in the hidden line style while suppressing the faces. Then, the first method is performed and the lines that are visible lines are overwritten in another line style. A third method shows only visible silhouette and intersection edges. The visible silhouette edges are obtained by displaying the frame in thick lines behind the visible faces. Then, intersection edges are displayed in front of the faces so that only visible ones can be seen. A fourth method builds on the third by also showing hidden silhouette and intersection edges in a unique line style. Each object's silhouette edges are first obtained in hidden line style as if alone. Then, on all objects taken as one, all intersection edges are displayed and the third technique is performed in visible line style. The methods provide real time performance and can be implemented using standard graphics hardware. In addition, no edge-face adjacency information of objects is needed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to computer graphics generation and display, and more particularly to a hardware assisted method for rendering wire-frame images of tessellated objects with hidden lines either removed or displayed in a different line style than visible lines, and with tessellation edges that are not silhouette edges suppressed.
2. Background Art
Computer graphics display systems typically derive images from stored digital data representative of points in a three-dimensional coordinate system. The points correspond to the vertices of polygons, which, in turn, form the "building blocks" of larger objects which are the ultimate display objects. The vertex data stored in the system's memory includes positional data in a three-dimensional coordinate system in which, for example, the X and Y axes define a view plane and the Z axis represents distances from a viewpoint. In the generation of an actual graphics display, the polygons defining the object to be displayed are projected onto the view plane.
A typical graphics display system's hardware includes a geometric model processor which processes digital data representing coordinates of vertices of the object or objects to be displayed to produce digital data representing a tessellated version of the object or objects, a rasterizer which transforms three-dimensional digital data into two-dimensional digital data and scanconverts the two-dimensional data to produce a depth value for each pixel covered by the object and a color value corresponding to that depth value, a depth buffer in which is stored depth values relating to an object to be displayed, a frame buffer in which pixel color values are stored, and a display screen on which the image is displayed.
Among the types of images which can be produced by a typical graphics display system is a wire-frame image. A wire-frame image consists of line segments on the display screen representing the object, as distinguished from other representations, such as a shaded image. To help clarify a wire-frame representation, curved portions are usually tessellated. Tessellation is the piecewise planar approximation of a curved face by a connected mesh of polygons (or facets). While a tessellated wire-frame image is useful in visualizing objects for a variety of purposes, for example, design, there exists limitations in its current usefulness. The user may wish to remove hidden lines, i.e. lines which could not be seen from a given viewing direction if the object were a solid, or lines obscured by other objects. The user may want to distinguish between visible and hidden lines; visible lines being those which could be seen from a given viewing direction if the object were a solid. The user may also want to treat different categories of lines differently, for example silhouette and intersection edges.
The broad category of tessellation edges encompasses both silhouette and intersection edges. Silhouette edges are those edges whose projection lies on the boundary of the two-dimensional projection of the object onto a view plane from a given viewing direction. Intersection edges are those edges which lie on the boundary between any two adjacent faces of the object. A face is defined as any continuous portion of the object boundary that lies on a single surface. For example, a cube has six faces, and a cylinder has three. Visible edges may be obscured by the faces they lie on due to round-off errors in the scanconversion process. In addition, the foregoing needs must be addressed in real time to be most useful.
Prior art techniques exist which address the problem of hidden line and surface removal. For example, a depth buffer technique is often used in which the depth values for each projected point are determined and compared. For any given display point on the view plane (corresponding to a particular pixel on the view screen) having a corresponding storage location in the depth buffer and the frame buffer of the system, the point chosen for display will be that which is closest to the viewpoint. Thus, for example, in the generation of a shaded image of an object, the points of the polygons closest to the viewpoint will be displayed while those hidden by closer polygons will not. This prior art technique is generally described by Foley, Van Dam, Feiner and Hughes, "Computer Graphics Principles and Practice," second edition, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., at 665-72 (1990). These techniques are not directly applicable to the problem of real time hidden line removal in wire-frame displays.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,938, "Hidden Line Removal Method With Modified Depth Buffer" issued to Gonzalez-Lopez et al. discloses a method for hidden line removal wherein objects are tessellated into triangles. However, that method requires that each triangle be processed one at a time, and does not address the need to distinguish silhouette edges from other tessellation edges. In addition, that method requires specialized hardware to implement. U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,921, "High Speed Z-Buffer Control" issued to Gonzalez-Lopez et al. discloses a method for removing hidden surfaces which saves pixel values only for those surfaces closest to a given viewpoint. While the present invention utilizes this concept, Gonzalez-Lopez et al. require specialized hardware not necessary in the present invention. Other prior art techniques to remove hidden lines include software solutions which are generally too slow to obtain real-time display. Integration of a software solution into the pipeline architecture typically used in graphics display systems is restricted, since most software solutions rely on face-to-edge adjacency information typically not available in the pipeline.
The problem of distinguishing silhouette edges has recently been addressed by Saito and Takahashi in "Comprehensible Rendering of 3-D Shapes," Computer Graphics 24(4) (Proceedings Siggraph '90) at 197-206. They introduce a two-dimensional image processing technique which highlights shape features and silhouette edges, but does not provide for clarification of the internal structure of a model.
The problem of visible edges being obscured by the faces they lie on was also addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,938. There, a special value is used to mark pixels where visible edges are to be displayed. While this technique does solve the problem, it requires two passes over each polygon edge and is thus relatively slow for modern graphics needs. Also, it does not address the need to distinguish silhouette edges from other tessellation edges.

Method for selecting silhouette and visible edges in wire frame images in a computer graphics display system

International Business Machines Corporation


A transmitter optical module implemented with an electro-absorption (EA) modulator is disclosed. The module includes an EA driver comprising a signal detector, an offset controller, and a driver circuit. The signal detector detects the existence of the modulation signal input thereto. The offset controller provides to the driver circuit the first offset to shift the cross point of the output of the driver circuit higher when the modulation signal exists; while, the second offset when the modulation signal disappear. The second offset lowers the output of the driver circuit to prevent the excess optical output of the transmitter optical module.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a driver for an electro-absorption (EA) modulator, in particular, the application relates to a driver to prevent an excess optical output when a modulation signal becomes absent.
2. Background Arts
Recent transmitter optical modules often install an external modulator to modulate light coming from an optical source as a continuous wave because the modulating frequency or the modulating speed in the recent optical communication system exceeds 25 Gbps or sometimes reaches 40 Gbps. One type of the external modulator is an EA modulator. Because an EA modulator inherently shows nonlinearity between the modulation signal and the optical output therefrom, a driver to driver the EA modulator usually provides a function to adjust the cross point of the output of the driver, namely, the input of the EA modulator.
The adjustment of the cross point of the output of the driver is carried out to superpose an offset in the output; accordingly, when the modulation signal is absent, the superposed offset possibly causes an excess optical output in the EA modulator. The present application is to provide a technique to prevent or suppress the excess optical output from the EA modulator.


A piezoelectric component comprises at least two stacked crystal filters on a substrate. Each stacked crystal filter comprises a bottom electrode, a first piezoelectric layer arranged above the bottom electrode, a central electrode arranged above the first piezoelectric layer, a second piezoelectric layer arranged above the central electrode, and a top electrode arranged above the second piezoelectric layer. The bottom electrodes are directly connected to one another and the central electrodes are directly connected to one another.

As mobile communication and data transmission become increasingly more widespread, there is also an ever increasing interest in the development of filters and resonators or narrowband applications with high stop band attenuation. Filters for GPS devices (global positioning system) having a 10 MHz bandwidth at 1.57 GHz or resonators for frequency standards are examples of such applications.
A high stop band attenuation is usually achieved by using multistage filters in which, by way of example, frequency-shifted series and shunt resonators are connected up in a so-called "ladder structure". Although a virtually optimum bandwidth of the passband can be achieved with said multistage filters, a very large number of stages is necessary for a high stop band attenuation (out-of-band rejection) since the typical stop band attenuation per stage in these filters is only approximately 6.8 dB. Therefore, at the present time, multistage filters having a ladder structure and a stop band attenuation of more than 50 dB cannot be produced in practice.
A higher stop band attenuation per filter stage can be achieved using so-called "balanced" filters, which generally have a bridge circuit of frequency-shifted resonators. However, the use of these types of filters is subject to some significant restrictions. Thus, in "balanced" filters, the input and output signals must be present in differential (balanced) fashion. Therefore, systems in which such types of filter are used require either special antennas and preamplifiers or else particular components or assemblies which convert the so-called "single-ended" signals that are usually present into so-called "balanced" signals.
The filters and resonators that are commercially available at the present time for narrowband applications are predominantly ceramic filters or so-called "surface acoustic wave filters". However, these types of filters can be miniaturized only with difficulty and their production is generally complicated and thus cost-intensive. This makes them unsuitable for use in low price products. Furthermore, these filter structures generally cannot be integrated into the customary processes of semiconductor fabrication.
In addition to surface acoustic wave filters, attempts are also increasingly being made to use so-called "bulk acoustic wave" filters as miniaturized filters and to produce these by means of thin film techniques and substrates. So-called "stacked crystal filters" (SCF) constitute a subgroup of these types of filter. A stacked crystal filter typically comprises two piezoelectric layers and three electrodes. The first piezoelectric layer is arranged between a first, bottom electrode and a second, central electrode, a second piezoelectric layer is arranged between the second, central electrode and a top, third electrode. The central electrode is generally grounded in this case. In order to prevent the acoustic oscillations generated in the piezoelectric layers from propagating in the substrate, the stacked crystal filters may be shielded from the rest of the substrate by acoustic mirrors, for example.
The principle of stacked crystal filters has been known for approximately 40 years, but has been unable to gain general acceptance on an industrial scale in the MHz frequency range since the production of corresponding quartz laminae with center electrodes was not mastered. With the progress in miniaturization technology, in particular the progress in thin-film technology for piezolayers, stacked crystal filters are becoming increasingly attractive again. A corresponding filter for GPS applications is described e.g. in "Stacked Crystal Filters Implemented with Thin Films, K. M. Lakin, G. R. Kline, R. S. Ketcham, J. T. Martin, K. T. McCarron, 43rd Annual Symposium on Frequency Control (1989), pages 536-543". Further examples of the use of miniaturized stacked crystal filters are described for example in the patent specifications U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,910,756 and 5,872,493. The latter describes, moreover, that a stacked crystal filter can be acoustically shielded from the substrate by means of an upper and lower acoustic mirror.
What is common to all the stacked crystal filters described therein, however, is that their production, on account of their complex construction and the associated high number of layers to be deposited and to be patterned, requires a high process outlay which increases the production costs of the filters.

Piezoelectric component and method for producing it

Avago Technologies Wireless IP (Singapore) Pte., Ltd.


A device for the vertically displacable positioning of an upper belt articulation or belt deflection point in a two-door motor vehicle without a middle column includes a carrier which at its top end receives a belt articulation or belt deflection fitting. The carrier can be transferred from a position of rest concealed in a side wall to at least one upper position of use projecting beyond the side-wall trim. In order to obtain the best possible belt-band run of an oblique shoulder-belt portion, an advancing movement towards the center of the vehicle is impart to the carrier when it has reached its position of use, so that the belt articulation or belt deflection fitting moves a predetermined amount towards an associated seated occupant.

The present invention relates to a device for a vertically displaceable positioning of an upper belt articulation or belt deflection point in a two-door motor vehicle without a middle column, including a carrier which at a top thereof receives a belt articulation or belt deflection fitting and which can be transferred from a position of rest covered by an interior side-wall trim to at least one upper position of use projecting beyond the side-wall trim.
A carrier for a safety belt of the type generally noted above, which, in its retracted concealed position of rest, does not adversely affect the appearance of the motor vehicle and the extension height of which can be matched to different shoulder heights, is disclosed by German Patent Specification No. 2,738,140. If the front seats are moved a substantial distance backwards, and furthermore, the associated backrest is also brought into a position inclined backwards, in the event of a collision, the safety belt may lose its restraining function, especially where slim occupants are concerned, because the shoulder-belt portion then runs more in the transverse direction of the vehicle than in its longitudinal direction. Even more unfavorable conditions arise when the interior is of generous size and there is, therefore, a greater distance between the upper belt articulation or belt deflection point and the shoulder of the belt user.
To remedy this, it would be appropriate either to shift the belt articulation or belt deflection point to the rear or bring this point nearer to the occupant. A shift to the rear is unsuitable because the space available to the passengers sitting at the back is then reduced. Further, when a belt-reeling mechanism is used, this mechanism and the delivered belt band are located in a region already largely filled by the adjusting mechanism for the associated side window. Bringing the belt articulation or belt deflection point towards the occupant considerably impairs access to the back seats and makes it difficult to leave these back seats easily.
Thus, an object of the present invention is, while still arranging a upper belt articulation or belt deflection point near a point of entry so as to ensure favorable conditions of space, to obtain, at all times, a shoulder-belt band run which is considered as the best possible, in all seat positions and even with a generously dimensioned distance between the shoulder and the belt articulation or belt deflection point, without making it difficult to get into and leave the back seats.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a transverse displacement of the deflection point is obtained because the carrier, pivotable about a lower bearing, possesses a guide track on at least one of its outer surfaces aligned in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The guide track is engaged by a guide pin or fixed location so that when the carrier reaches a position of use, the guide pin runs into a track portion extending parallel to and spaced from the straight line direction of the guide track to tilt the carrier towards the seated passenger.
The parallel and spaced track portion can merge into an end portion which extends as a prolongation of the straight line direction of the guide track and which is passed through during the belt-feed function of the carrier.
Another carrier guidance arrangement can be obtained if the guide track extends continuously beyond the spaced track portion extending parallel to it. In this carrier guidance arrangement, the carrier is moved until it reaches an offering position for the belt band and the lock tongue, at which point, the guide pin, running past tongues positioned in the guide track and pivotable counter to spring force, runs along the guide track as far as its lower end in a straight line. Only during the return of the carrier is the guide pin transferred into the spaced and parallel track portion by an inclined lower tongue in the guide track for the assumption of the position of use.
In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the carrier has a pivot part pivotable about a lower bearing and supported on the body and a telescopic part extendable from this pivot part and receiving the belt deflection point. The pivot part is supported via a lever arrangement, of which the end located at the body, in the position of use of the carrier, is movable upwards with slot guidance so as to pivot the carrier away.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Device for the vertically displaceable reception of the upper belt articulation or belt deflection point


A high frequency amplifier including a field effect transistor as the amplifying element, includes an output detection section stripline for detecting the level of the output signal from the field effect transistor conducting main amplification, a pair of resistors connected between the both ends of the output detection section stripline and ground, a second field effect transistor to the gate of which a resistor from one end of the output detection section stripline is connected, the source or drain of the second field effect transistor being connected to the gate bias circuit of the main amplifying FET for controlling the drain current of the main amplifying FET in response to the output signal level of the main amplifying FET.

FIG. 3 shows a portion of a prior art high frequency amplifier utilizing a GaAs field effect transistor (hereinafter referred to as GaAs FET). In FIG. 3, as signal terminals, there are provided an input terminal 1, an output terminal 2, a drain bias terminal 3, and a gate bias terminal 4. As striplines, there are provided an input section stripline 10, an output section stripline 8, and a gate bias stripline 6. An output matching condenser 9 is provided at the other end of the output section stripline 8. A GaAs FET 14 is a main amplification FET. A first, second, and third gate bias resistor 11, 12, and 13 constitute a gate bias circuit of the main amplification FET 14.
The respective circuit elements are connected as shown in FIG. 3 and this circuit is a high frequency amplifier operating as follows.
A drain voltage is applied to the GaAs FET 14 from the drain bias terminal 3 through the drain bias stripline 7, and a gate bias voltage is applied to the GaAs FET 14 from the gate bias terminal 4 through the gate bias resistors 11, 12, and 13 and the gate bias stripline 6. In this state, when a high frequency signal is input to the input terminal 1 of the amplifier, a signal amplified by the amplifier is supplied to the output terminal 2.
FIG. 4 shows an input/output (input power vs. output power) characteristic for the operation of this high frequency amplifier. The abscissa represents input signal level P.sub.in, the left ordinate represents output signal level P.sub.out, the right ordinate represents power addition efficiency .eta..sub.add and the drain current I.sub.D. The solid line in the graph represents the input signal level P.sub.in vs. output signal level P.sub.out characteristic, the dotted line represents the input signal level P.sub.in vs. power addition efficiency .eta..sub.add characteristic, and the dot-dash line represents the input signal level P.sub.in vs. drain current I.sub.D characteristic, respectively, of the FET 14. Furthermore, ##EQU1## (herein, V.sub.D represents the source to drain voltage).
In the prior art high frequency amplifier of such construction, when the input signal level P.sub.in is low in A-class amplification operation, the efficiency .eta..sub.add is unfavourably lowered. That is, the linear gain G.sub.LP is represented by ##EQU2## and the above described formula (1) can be rewritten as the following: ##EQU3## Because the gate bias voltage is constant, the drain current I.sub.D and drain voltage V.sub.D take approximately constant values. Further, the gain G.sub.LP takes a constant value. Therefore, the above described formula (1)' is represented by EQU .eta..sub.add .perspectiveto.k'.multidot.P.sub.in
(herein, k' is a constant, and V.sub.D and I.sub.D are constants). As shown in FIG. 5, the power added efficiency .eta..sub.add is proportional to the input signal level P.sub.in. Accordingly, in case where the input level P.sub.in is low, idle DC power does not contribute to the high frequency and is dissipated, thereby lowering operating efficiency.


An exemplary container data center includes a container, servers received in the container; and a ventilating system for cooling the servers. The ventilating system includes a filter, an exhaust pipe and a blower. The filter includes a chamber and filtering fluid received in the chamber for dissolving dust in ambient air. The chamber defines an air inlet for entering the ambient air and an air outlet. The exhaust pipe has one end coupled to the air outlet of the filter and another end communicating an interior of the container. The blower drives the ambient air out of the filter to flow along the exhaust pipe to the container to cool the servers.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to container data centers, and more particularly to a container data center having a ventilating system for dissipating heat thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a plurality of servers is densely arranged in a standard container to form a container date center. Each of the servers typically includes at least a power supply device, a motherboard, a hard disk drive, and an optical disk drive, all of which can generate considerable heat during operation of the server. Generally, cooling fans are provided to draw cooling air from the ambient to dissipate the heat of the servers. However, the ambient cooling air typically carries dust, which may adversely affect the safe operation of the servers.
What is needed, therefore, is a solution which can overcome the limitations described.

Container data center and ventilating system thereof


A photosensitive resin composition which can impart insulating properties and light-shielding properties against light having a wavelength lying in an ultra-violet range, a visible range and a near-infrared range to a substrate more readily when applied onto the substrate, wherein the substrate has such properties that the permeability to light having a wavelength of 400 to 900 nm inclusive is less than 3.0% and the maximum value of the permeability to light having a wavelength of longer than 900 nm and not longer than 1300 nm is 3.0% or more. The photosensitive resin composition is characterized by comprising (a) an alkali soluble resin, (b) a specific tungsten oxide and/or a specific composite tungsten oxide, (c) a photopolymerizable compound having at least two polymerizable groups, (d) an oxime-type photopolymerization initiator, and (e) a solvent.

In recent years, miniaturization has been required in solid-state imaging elements such as CCDs (charge coupled devices) and CMOSs (complementary metal-oxide semiconductors) with rapid development of digital cameras and camera-equipped cellular phones. So far, there have been proposed as a small-sized solid-state imaging device comprising a solid-state imaging element, a passive chip that is bonded to the back surface of the solid-state imaging element and electrically connected to the solid-state imaging element, has a terminal for electrical connection to outside on a surface opposite to the surface bonded to the solid-state imaging element, and is provided with a passive component, a dam-like spacer, and a lens holder (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and a camera module comprising a semiconductor substrate with a solid-state imaging element formed thereon, a bonding pad, multiple through electrodes and side electrodes, a passive component electrically connected among the side electrodes and placed on the side surface of the semiconductor substrate, a microlens, a spacer resin, an optical filter and a lens holder (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
One example of the configuration of a solid-state imaging device is shown in FIG. 1. The solid-state imaging device has a lens holder 9 on a semiconductor substrate 3 with a solid-state imaging element 2 formed thereon, and a lens 10 and a glass 11 are caught by the lens holder 9. The glass 11 is formed on the solid-state imaging element 2, and an IR cut filter 8 caught by the lens holder 9 is mounted via a spacer 12. A solder ball 1 is formed at the tip of a through electrode 7 extending through the semiconductor substrate 3 with the solid-state imaging element 2 formed thereon, and the semiconductor substrate 3 and a mounting substrate 4 for mounting the same are connected by the solder ball 1. The semiconductor substrate 3 has an insulating layer 5 on the surface at the mounting substrate 4 side. Light incident from the semiconductor substrate 3 side to the solid-state imaging element 2 interferes with light incident from the lens to produce noises when light is converted into an electrical signal, and therefore it is required to block such incident light. A silicon wafer that is commonly used as the semiconductor substrate 3 shields against light having a wavelength in an ultraviolet range and a visible range, but is permeable to light having a wavelength in a near-infrared range, and therefore incidence of light having a wavelength in an ultraviolet range, a visible range and a near-infrared range is prevented by providing a light-shielding layer 6 that shields against light having a wavelength in a near-infrared range.
As an insulating material that is suitably used for an insulating layer of a solid-state imaging device and the like, there has been proposed, for example, a negative photosensitive resin composition containing an alkali-soluble resin, a compound having at least two polymerizable groups, a photoacid generator, a crosslinker that is reacted by an acid and (E) a solvent (see, for example, Patent Document 3). For a material that shields against light having a wavelength in a near-infrared range, there have been proposed, for example, a dispersion of a near-infrared absorber in which a near-infrared absorber constituted by hexaboride particles having an average particle size of 200 nm or less and comprising at least one element selected from Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Sr and Ca is dispersed in a liquid medium (see, for example, Patent Document 4) and a vinyl chloride-based resin composition containing 0.01 to 10 parts by mass of at least one infrared absorber selected from (a) a metal ion including a bivalent copper ion and (b) a particulate metal oxide including indium oxide and/or tin oxide and 10 to 200 parts by mass of plasticizer based on 100 parts by mass of vinyl chloride-based resin (see, for example, Patent Document 5). As a near-infrared absorber filter, there has been proposed a near-infrared absorber filter for a plasma display panel which contains tungsten oxide particulates and/or composite tungsten oxide particulates having an average dispersion particle size of 800 nm or less and has such properties that the maximum value of the permeability to visible light having a wavelength of 380 to 780 nm is 50% or more and the minimum value of the permeability to near-infrared light having a wavelength of 800 to 1100 nm is 30% or less (see, for example, Patent Document 6).

Photosensitive resin composition, laminate utilizing same and solid-state imaging device


Moisture-curable single-component (1K) coatings based on N-substituted urea polymers with extended chains and terminal alkoxysilane groups. The coatings are highly flexible, are gloss retentive, provide fast tack-free and dry-through times, provide high solvent resistance, and provide excellent exterior color stability to sunlight. The coatings can be formulated to produce high-gloss, semi-gloss and low-gloss finishes, and thus have application as both commercial and military coatings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to moisture-curable single-component (1K) topcoat coatings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The U.S. Navy's predominant topside coatings are haze gray semi-gloss silicone alkyds. These coatings have been used on the topsides (freeboard and superstructure) of surface ships by the Navy since the early 1960s, Silicone alkyd coatings are considered "user friendly" in that they are single-component (all-in-one can) paints that have an indefinite pot-life in a closed can, have been reformulated to maintain compliance with volatile organic compound (VOC) limits, and will cure even under the most adverse conditions. Unfortunately, these user-friendly paints have several inherent limitations, which include color fading, chalking, loss of gloss, limited resistance to shipboard hydrocarbons, and limited surface hardness that makes running rust and soot staining extremely difficult to remove. In addition, peeling, cracking and delamination of cured silicone alkyds can often result due to application over inadequately prepared surfaces.
Silicone alkyd coatings can be formulated as single-component (1K) systems because they contain unsaturated fatty acid groups that crosslink in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. The coatings do not begin to cure until they are applied to a surface and the solvent evaporates, thereby possessing essentially a limitless pot-life in a closed can. For Navy ships, silicone alkyd topside coatings are specified as a Haze Gray color with a semi-gloss finish, are available in a variety of volatile organic compound (VOC) levels (e.g., 340 g/L, 250 g/L), and have a service-life of approximately 6-12 months. Frequently, silicone alkyd coatings need to be touched-up or repaired (e.g., via roller or brush), yet this mundane task would not be required if silicone alkyd coatings did not easily fade, discolor, peel/delaminate or stain within a few months after application. A single application of silicone alkyd is specified at 2-5 mils dry film thickness (DFT); however, due to the constant over-coating for maintenance, it is not uncommon for surfaces to possess greater than 50 mils of topside coating.
Although Navy surface ships utilize silicone alkyd topcoats, the majority of topcoats used by the Navy are polyurethanes. Polyurethanes are formed by reaction of an isocyanate-functional material with a hydroxyl-functional material (e.g., polyester polyol or water), and are used to provide protective camouflage, exterior color stability, flexibility, chemical warfare agent resistance, hydrocarbon resistance and chemical resistance. Polyurethane topcoats can be two-component systems or single-component systems. Polyurethane topcoats contain toxic isocyanates that can cause serious health issues for both coating applicators and the environment, and non-isocyanate alternatives that offer equal or greater performance are of high interest. Furthermore, two-component coatings require the mixing of components before application, which can result in insufficient cure times, reduced hardness, poor adhesion, and poor appearance if applicators do not mix the materials correctly. Two-component coatings also have a limited pot-life, which is an issue for individuals performing touch-up and repair applications. For these reasons, single-component coatings are favored over two-component systems.
Polysiloxane-based coatings have an inherent durability advantage over traditional organic-based materials due to the presence of silicon-oxygen bonds. The Si—O bond, which has a bond enthalpy of 110 kcal/mol, is stronger than the carbon-hydrogen (99 kcal/mol) and carbon-carbon (83 kcal/mol) bonds found in organic coatings, thereby leading to an increase in thermal stability and resistance to oxidative degradation by sunlight. Polysiloxanes, like many silicon-based materials, are relatively non-toxic to humans, especially when compared to the health issues associated with isocyanate-containing materials.
Two-component (2K) polysiloxane coatings are based on materials that contain both reactive organic groups and moisture-curable alkoxysilane groups. These coatings are often referred to as "hybrid cure coatings," where one portion of the coating is crosslinked by the ambient reaction between organic groups, such as amines and epoxies, while the other portion forms a siloxane network via moisture hydrolysis of the alkoxysilane groups and condensation of the resulting silanols. These coatings offer good exterior durability, hardness, chemical resistance, and direct-to-metal adhesion. However, they can suffer from photooxidation and yellowing due to the presence of amines, which affects the long-term color and gloss stability of these coatings. Similar to two-component polyurethanes, these materials suffer from poor application appearance and performance if not mixed correctly by applicators, not to mention the limited pot-life and waste associated with a two-component system.
Single-component polysiloxane coatings are traditionally based on acrylic-silane polymers. These polymers are manufactured via radical polymerization of gamma-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane with methyl methacrylate, hexyl acrylate or other organic monomers to form linear copolymers with pendant alkoxysilane groups. The copolymers are high in molecular weight and require significant quantities of solvent(s) to solubilize the large polymer chains, thus making it difficult to generate low VOC coatings. The pendant alkoxysilane groups are the only reactive functionalities on the copolymer, which enables the coating to be cured via moisture hydrolysis and condensation. Single-component coatings based on these polymers are available on the commercial market from several manufacturers, although they are not without their drawbacks. For instance, these coatings are slow to hydrolyze and crosslink (cure) at room temperature when not exposed to high humidity environments, and they display poor chemical resistance when not fully cured due to the low crosslink density within the coating. These issues result because the acrylic-silane copolymers in the coating contain pendent propyltrialkoxysilane groups that are inherently slow to hydrolyze and limited in quantity when compared to the non-reactive groups in the copolymer backbone. Acrylic-silane binders often possess glass transition temperatures (Tgs) above room temperature in order to provide fast dry-to-touch times (e.g., 1-3 hours), even though the crosslinking reaction between polymers is slow to occur.
Single-component moisture-curable coating compositions were disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,198. These coatings are based on aliphatic polyisocyanate-aminosilane adducts, where greater than 70% of the isocyanate groups are reacted with an aminosilane, which is then combined with a hydrolysable silane to form a hybrid sol-gel coating. It is stated that these sol-gel coatings provide hard, abrasion-resistant and solvent-resistant surfaces, which is expected for highly-crosslinked coatings, especially those that contain small hydrolyzable silanes. However, the reported flexibility is only a 90 degree bend, not a 180 degree bend, which is the norm when referring to a highly flexible coating. Furthermore, the preferred coating dry film thickness is only 2-30 microns, which is significantly less than what is utilized for most commercial and military coatings. An additional drawback to these coating compositions are that the high content of moisture-curable silane groups within the coatings leads to a continual reduction in gloss over time as the coating post-cures with moisture.
Single-component moisture-curable coatings were also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,133,964, and are based on similar aliphatic polyisocyanate-aminosilane adducts as those discussed above. However, these adducts are formed by reacting polyisocyanates with 2:1 or 1:2 ratios of N-substituted aminosilanes and di-substituted mono-functional amines. Reactive diluents, such as hydrolyzable silanes or polysiloxanes could also be utilized. The di-substituted mono-functional amines reduced the amount of hydrolysable silane groups on the polyisocyanate-aminosilane adduct, but the overall high concentration of moisture-curable silane groups in the coating yielded topcoats with only slightly better flexibility than coatings reported in U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,198. The coatings still provided good solvent resistance, high hardness and low VOCs. Additional drawbacks of these coatings are that the high content of moister-curable groups leads to a continual reduction in gloss over time as the coatings post-cure with moisture, and that the use of the di-substituted mono-functional amines results in slow tack-free and dry-through times for the coatings.

Single-component moisture-curable coatings based on N-substituted urea polymers with extended chains and terminal alkoxysilanes

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A system and a method of generating a reliability prediction for components of a vehicle. The system and the method include implementing importance sampling in dynamic vehicle systems when the vehicle is subjected to time-dependent random terrain input. Alternatively, simulation data may be implemented. The system and the method include determining a decorrelation length, scaling up the standard deviation of white noise, and calculation of a likelihood ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for importance sampling based time-dependent reliability prediction.
2. Background Art
Conventional systems and methods for long term (i.e., time-dependent) reliability prediction are typically inaccurate in some examples and computationally intensive, hence expensive, in other examples. In particular, accurate, rapid, inexpensive vehicle component long term reliability prediction can be especially problematic where the components degrade due to time-dependent effects such as multiple exposures to relatively small terrain and load related forces and corrosive environment effects.
Thus, there exists a need and an opportunity for an improved system and method for long term vehicle component reliability prediction. Such an improved system and method may overcome one or more of the deficiencies of the conventional approaches.

System and method for importance sampling based time-dependent reliability prediction

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A lash adjuster includes a cylindrical body, a cylindrical plunger, a low pressure chamber defined in the plunger, a high pressure chamber defined in a hollow lower interior of the body and filled with an operating fluid, a check valve allowing the operating fluid to flow into the high pressure chamber when in a valve-opened state and cutting off flow of the operating fluid from the high pressure chamber into the low pressure chamber when in a valve-closed state. A retainer of the check valve includes a base plate and a cylindrical portion extending upward from an outer circumferential edge of the base plate so as to surround the valve element. The base plate includes a central portion on which the valve element is placed and which has an upper surface formed with a swollen portion. The cylindrical portion has a plurality of openings formed through it circumferentially equiangularly.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-H05-288020 discloses a hydraulic lash adjuster used in valve gears. The lash adjuster comprises a bottomed cylindrical body and a bottomed cylindrical plunger which is accommodated in the body so as to be movable upward and downward. The plunger has an upper end which protrudes out of the body and is adapted to support a rocker arm.
The plunger has an interior serving as a low pressure chamber, and the body includes a lower interior that is partitioned by a bottom wall of the plunger thereby to serve as a high pressure chamber. The bottom wall of the plunger has an opening serving as a valve hole of a check valve. A hydraulic fluid is supplied into the low pressure chamber, and part of the hydraulic fluid in the low pressure chamber is caused to flow through the valve hole into the high pressure chamber, filling the high pressure chamber. The high pressure chamber also accommodates a valve element constituting a check valve and a valve spring biasing the valve element to the valve hole side (a valve-closed direction). When the plunger stands still, the bias of the valve spring holds the valve element in a valve-closed position where the valve hole is closed by the valve element, whereupon the check valve is closed.
When the plunger is moved upward, the vale element is moved downward against the bias of the valve spring, whereupon the check valve is opened. As a result, the hydraulic fluid in the low pressure chamber flows into the high pressure chamber. On the other hand, when the plunger is moved downward, the operating fluid in the high pressure chamber flows through a slight gap between an inner circumferential wall of the body and an outer circumferential wall of the plunger while the check valve is retained in the valve-closed state. As a result, the operating fluid flowing out of the high pressure chamber is returned through a communication hole extending through the circumferential wall of the plunger into the low pressure chamber.
When the rotating speed of the valve gear is increased in the above-described lash adjuster, a moving speed of the valve element is increased. Accordingly, an inertia force moves the valve element far away from the valve hole when the plunger is moved upward, whereupon valve element's arrival at the valve-closed position is retarded in the downward movement of the plunger. This results in concern that an amount of downward movement of the plunger becomes excessively large.
Increasing a biasing force of the valve spring is considered as a means for enhancing return of the valve element to the valve-closed position. In this case, however, there is a possibility that the valve element is kept closing the valve hole or that an opening degree of the valve hole becomes insufficient such that a smooth upward movement of the plunger is adversely affected.


An article of manufacture, a quick cap device for use with a tire valve stem, which may be a pushed-to-put-on/squeezed-to-remove tire valve stem cap.

1. Field of the Invention
Versions and embodiments of the present invention relate generally to tires. Particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to automobile tires and methods for using thereof. More particularly, versions of the invention relate to racing cars for competition and saving time when servicing race cars in pit stops. Specifically, versions of the invention relate to caps that may be quickly changed (removed and replaced from the tire stem) and new, useful and unobvious versions thereof.
2. Description/Background of the Related Art
The art discussed herein is not to be considered admitted prior art but is presented to more clearly discuss and describe what is still lacking in the earlier art.
Tire stem caps are conventionally made of metals, plastic or other hard materials that contain female threads on the inside of the cap to screw onto the male threads on the tire valve stem. Tire stem caps are necessary to prevent dirt, mud, water, ice, foreign objects and debris from damaging or interfering with the tire needle valve. Prior art caps must be manually un-screwed to adjust the tire pressure and then screwed by hand onto the tire valve stem, which takes more time than versions of this invention.
In the auto racing industry, time is money, especially when it comes to track time; depending on the testing venue, track time can be as much as thousands of dollars per minute. In automobile racing, the tires are extremely important for traction of the race car to the race track. Tire air pressure is critical for improved performance of the race car to win the race ahead of all other competitors. One of the most important tuning aids for setting up a competitive race car is tire pressure. In practice and/or in actual races, tire pressure is checked and adjusted as needed to ensure optimum performance each pit stop. It is very time consuming for the crew member to thread on and off the valve stem caps on the wheels. Sometimes another crew member will go ahead of the pressure checker and take the caps off and then follow behind and put them back on to speed things up.
Precious seconds are wasted in this conventional method using conventional tire caps being removed by screwing and put back on by screwing. What is needed is a quick release tire stem cap and quick replacement of same to save time. Versions of this invention solve the problems of the prior art and save time, which on a race track can mean winning or losing the race, giving the user of versions of this invention a competitive edge and new results not found in the prior art.
No tire stem cap device and/or system is known to this inventor that addresses the deficiencies in the earlier art as is used in conventional tire stem caps. This new, useful and unobvious invention and concept, in various embodiments and versions, accomplishes this much needed advantage and new result of increased time savings of removing/replacing conventional tire stem cap devices and/or systems.

Abstract: Optional interior female threads and grooves may also be used with versions of the invention.


A rotor blade for a wind turbine is provided, wherein the rotor blade has radial bores in a wall of a blade root portion, the radial bores being staggered in a longitudinal direction of the rotor blade, and longitudinal bores in the wall of the blade root portion, wherein each of the longitudinal bores extends from a blade flange to a corresponding radial bore.

Apart from the aerodynamic design of a wind turbine rotor blade, the quality and weight of the rotor blades are essentially determined by the design of the blade connection to the rotor hub, i.e. the blade root section. What makes the design of the blade connection to the rotor hub a difficult task is the load transfer from the fiber composite structure of the rotor blade into the metal structure of the rotor hub. Such a load transfer is difficult in principle due to the substantially different properties of the materials involved. A known technique for attaching the rotor blades to the hub is to form T-bolt or cross-bolt connections between the blade root and the hub.
However, the rotor loads are concentrated at the blade root portion and the rotor hub. Furthermore, the rotor loads exhibit a highly dynamic load spectrum. Accordingly, specific design margins have to be obeyed both for the bolts and for the root laminate in the blade/hub connection. In particular, the blade bolt design margins may be exceeded so that a larger number of bolts is required for a given load spectrum. However, increasing the number of bolts reduces, in turn, the remaining amount of root laminate between adjacent T-bolt connections. As a result, the blade root connection may be insufficient to withstand extreme loads so that the blade root connection can be damaged or even break off. The above considerations are particularly critical in cases where it is planned to retrofit existing turbines with larger rotor blades.


An electronic device may be provided with antenna structures that convey radio-frequency signals greater than 10 GHz. The antenna structures may include overlapping first and second patches. The first patch may include a hole. A transmission line for the second patch may include a conductive via extending through the hole. The via may be coupled to a first end of a trace. A second end of the trace may be coupled to a feed terminal on the second patch over an additional via. The hole may be located within a central region of the first patch to allow the via to pass through the hole without electromagnetically coupling to the first patch. If desired, adjustable impedance matching circuits may be used to couple selected impedances to the antenna feeds that help ensure that the first and second patch antennas are sufficiently isolated from each other.

This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with wireless communications circuitry.
Electronic devices often include wireless communications circuitry. For example, cellular telephones, computers, and other devices often contain antennas and wireless transceivers for supporting wireless communications.
It may be desirable to support wireless communications in millimeter wave and centimeter wave communications bands. Millimeter wave communications, which are sometimes referred to as extremely high frequency (EHF) communications, and centimeter wave communications involve communications at frequencies of about 10-300 GHz. Operation at these frequencies may support high bandwidths, but may raise significant challenges. For example, millimeter wave communications signals generated by antennas can be characterized by substantial attenuation and/or distortion during signal propagation. In addition, it can be difficult to ensure that multiple antennas for handling millimeter wave communications are sufficiently isolated from each other.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with improved wireless communications circuitry such as communications circuitry that supports millimeter and centimeter wave communications.

Millimeter wave antennas having isolated feeds


The present invention relates to polyalkylene terephthalate/polycarbonate compositions, containing                A) 49 to 70 parts by weight aromatic polycarbonate,        B) 21 to 40 parts by weight polyalkylene terephthalate with more than 2 carbons in the diol component,        C) 6 to 25 parts by weight of a salt of a phosphinic acid,        D) 0 to 24 parts by weight conventional additives,all parts by weight in the present application being standardized such that the sum of the parts by weight of components A+B+C+D in the composition adds up to 100,and which are distinguished by an optimum combination of low molding shrinkage, high chemical resistance and good heat resistance together with good fire behavior, the use of the polycarbonate compositions for the production of moldings and the moldings themselves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polyalkylene terephthalate/polycarbonate compositions which contain a salt of a phosphinic acid, the use of the polyalkylene terephthalate/polycarbonate compositions for the production of mouldings and the mouldings themselves.
2. Description of Related Art
DE-A 19904814 describes thermoplastic moulding compositions containing 20-98 wt. % of a polyester, 1-50 wt. % of a polycarbonate, 1-40 wt. % of a phosphinic acid salt and/or of a diphosphinic acid salt and/or polymers thereof, and possible other additives.
EP 1 680 466 A1 describes the use of salts of hypophosphorous acid as flame retardants for polycarbonate compositions.
EP 2 225 320 A1 describes impact-modified polyalkylene terephthalate/polycarbonate compositions which contain a salt of phosphinic acid, wherein at a content of 20 parts by weight and more of component B, the flame retardancy no longer meets the necessary requirements.
JP-A 2001-261973 (Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd.) describes compositions of thermoplastic resins and inorganic and/or organic phosphinic acid salts. As an example, a combination of 51 wt. % PBT, 22 wt. % PC and 26 wt. % calcium phosphinate and 0.4 wt. % PTFE is mentioned.
The good effectiveness of organic, aromatic phosphates as flame retardants is countered by the disadvantage of the highly plasticising action of these compounds on the polymeric components, so that the heat resistance of these moulding compositions is unsatisfactory for many applications and other flame retardants are preferred.
Furthermore, it is known that polyesters often display inadequate flame retardancy and have a tendency towards very high moulding shrinkage, which makes it difficult to produce parts with tight tolerances.

Flame retardant polyalkylene terphthalate/polycarbonate compositions


Compounds of formula (I): ##STR1## in which: R represents hydrogen, methyl of hydroxy; X represents an alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, or heterocyclic group; A represents a single bond, or an alkylene, alkenylene, alkynylene or alkadienylene group; Y represents hydrogen, or an aryl, cycloalkyl or heterocyclic group] have valuable antihypercholesteremic activities and may be used in the treatment of disorders arising from a blood cholesterol imbalance in humans and other animals.

The present invention relates to a series of new octahydronaphthalene oxime derivatives, which are derivatives of the known compounds designated as Ml-236A, ML-236B, MB-530A and MB-530B. These compounds have the ability to inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol in vivo, and can therefore be used in the treatment and prophylaxis of hypercholesterolemia. The invention also provides processes for preparing these compounds and compositions and methods using them.
In recent years, a number of compounds having the essential skeletal structure of 3,5-dihydroxy-5-[2-(1-polyhydronaphthyl)ethyl]pentanoic acid have been discovered. The first of these, which were designated ML-236A and ML-236B, have the following formulae (i) and (ii), respectively: ##STR2## and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,140. These compounds can exist either in the form of a lactone (shown in the formulae above) or as a corresponding free hydroxy-carboxylic acid. They have been isolated and purified from the metabolic products of microorganisms of the genus Penicillium, especially Penicillium citrinum, a species of blue mold. They have been shown to inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol by enzymes or cultured cells separated from experimental animals by competing with the rate-limiting enzyme active in the biosynthesis of cholesterol, namely 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and, as a result, significantly reduce serum chloresterol levels of animals [Journal of Antibiotics 29, 1346 (1976)].
Subsequently, another compound having a similar structure was discovered in the metabolic products of a mold of the genus Monascus, especially Monascus ruber, and this compound, which is disclosed inter alia in U.K. Patent Specification No. 2 046 737A may be represented by the formula (iii): ##STR3## This compound is referred to as "Monacolin K" in that United Kingdom Patent Specification, but has subsequently been referred to, and is herein referred to, as "MB-530B".
Subsequently, a similar compound, having similar antihypercholesteremic activity, was disclosed in U.K. Patent Specification No. 2 073 193A and was given the name "MB-530A; this compound may be represented by the formula (iv): ##STR4##
Salts and esters of ML-236A, ML-236B, MB-530A and MB-530B are disclosed in U.K. Patent Specification No. 2 073 199, while further derivatives are disclosed in U.K. Patent Specification No. 2 075 013A.
The structure common to all of these compounds is shown below as formula (v), which also shows the numbering system employed herein to identify points of attachment and/or substitution: ##STR5##
All of the above-mentioned compounds have double bonds between the 4- and 10- positions and the 5- and 6-positions. The hypothetical compounds having the same structure except that the double bonds are between the 3- and 4-positions and the 10- and 5- positions are named by adding the prefix "iso" before the name of the parent compound. Thus, the "iso" compounds corresponding to the compounds of formulae (i) and (iv) may be represented by the following formulae (vi) to (ix), respectively: ##STR6##
As will be seen hereinafter, the nomenclature of the compounds of the present invention is based upon the names assigned to the compounds having the aforementioned formulae (i) to (iv) and (vi) to (ix).
We have now discovered a series of compounds which are derivatives of the ML-236 and MB-530 compounds: many of these new compounds have valuable antihypercholesteremic activity, the activities of some of these compounds being at least an order of magnitude greater than the activities of the known compounds.
Various derivatives of the primary compounds described above have been disclosed in the prior art. The prior art compounds believed to be closest structurally to the compounds of the present invention are disclosed in European Patent Publication No. 76 601, where there are disclosed ML-236A, ML-236B, MB-530A and MB-530B derivatives having a hydroxyimino group at the 4- position. These compounds differ from those of the present invention in the nature of the groups at the 4-and/or 3- positions, and the compounds of the present invention have a substantially better cholesterol synthesis inhibitory activity than do these prior art compounds.

Octahydronaphthalene oxime derivatives for cholesterol synthesis inhibition


A polarization adjustment assembly for a reflector antenna is provided with a radio bracket with a mounting flange. The mounting flange is coupled to a hub provided with a stop portion. Fasteners couple the radio bracket to the hub via slots in the mounting flange, rotatable with respect to the hub within the extents of the slots. An adjustment bolt passes through a boss coupled to the mounting flange. The adjustment bolt abuts the stop portion, whereby longitudinal displacement of the adjustment bolt with respect to the boss rotates the radio bracket with respect to the hub. Alternatively, the positions of the boss and stop portion on the mounting flange and hub may be exchanged.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to reflector antennas. More particularly, the invention relates to a polarization adjustment assembly for a reflector antenna that enables fine polarization adjustment.
2. Description of Related Art
Reflector antennas are highly directional. In addition to being closely boresight aligned with one another, reflector antennas and feed components contained therein forming an RF communications link are rotationally aligned with respect to signal polarity.
Rotational alignment improves polarization isolation, a signal quality factor that becomes significant, for example, where multiple signals are being transmitted/received each on a separate polarity. Reflector antenna mounting upon non-vertical mounting points, such as angled tower struts, is often required, introducing a rotational mis-alignment generally corresponding to the angle of the mounting point away from vertical. Prior reflector antennas, for example as disclosed in WO96/39726 "System for fine antenna-aiming adjustment on three orthogonal axes", typically include fine adjustment capabilities incorporated into the mounting bracket. For polarization alignment, the system of WO96/39726 rotates the entire reflector antenna, including the reflector. Similarly, the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,433,757 "Antenna Polarization Adjustment Tool" provides a separate tool attachable to the antenna hub for general polarity alignment via rotation of the entire feed assembly.
Reflector antennas are typically installed at exposed locations high atop towers. Improved installation and/or maintenance personnel safety is a constant concern of the radio tower industry. Therefore, installation and/or adjustment procedures with a reduced number of steps and low installer force requirements are desired. Further, antenna specific tools are not desired as each additional tool presents an additional cost, separate drop hazard and ongoing inventory requirement.
Competition in the reflector antenna market has focused attention on improving electrical performance and minimizing overall manufacturing, inventory, distribution, installation and maintenance costs. Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a reflector antenna with a fine polarity adjustment capability that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.

Method and apparatus for fine polarization reflector antenna adjustment


A semiconductor light-emitting device of the invention includes: a semiconductor layer including a light-emitting layer and having a first major surface and a second major surface opposite to the first major surface; a phosphor layer facing to the first major surface; an interconnect layer provided on the second major surface side and including a conductor and an insulator; and a light-blocking member provided on a side surface of the semiconductor layer and being opaque to light emitted from the light-emitting layer.

A wavelength-converting light-emitting diode, which a blue light-emitting element is combined with a phosphor to produce white light, is conventionally known. For instance, JP-A 2005-116998 (Kokai) mentions a manufacturing method in which a phosphor layer is formed on the upper surface of a wafer including numerous LEDs, and then the wafer is cut into individual chips. However, in this case, the light emitted from the side surface of the light-emitting element does not pass through the phosphor layer, and bluish light is emitted from the side surface. Thus, it is difficult to produce white light as desired.

Semiconductor light-emitting device and method for manufacturing same


The disclosure relates to a refractory which is resistant to corrosion which degrades the refractory during titanium-ore beneficiation in a furnace, particularly a rotary hearth furnace. In particular, the disclosure relates to a layered refractory lining for a furnace, for use in a titanium ore beneficiation process wherein a titanium oxide-rich molten slag is formed, comprising:                (a) a first layer comprising a major proportion of alumina and a minor proportion of zirconia;        (b) a second layer comprising a resistant agent for the molten slag; wherein the second layer is between the slag and the first layer.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to a layered refractory lining for a furnace used in the beneficiation of titanium ore. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a refractory body for lining a furnace, the refractory body comprising a major proportion of alumina and a minor proportion of zirconia.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rotary hearth furnaces have been described for the beneficiation of low grade titanium ores, such as ilmenite, which contain iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and metal oxide impurities, into products containing high levels of titanium oxides such as titanium slag, and metallic iron. However, beneficiating a low grade ore which contains titanium dioxide and metal oxide impurities by reduction in a rotary hearth process can pose processing challenges. In particular, the titanium-rich slags produced can be highly corrosive to the refractory materials which are typically used to line the furnace, causing degradation of the lining, which results in increased production downtime to repair or replace the refractory.
Unlike typical ilmenite smelting processes, in which a freeze lining of the slag acts as a protective barrier between the refractory and the molten slag, the molten slag in a rotary hearth process can be in direct contact with the refractory, and therefore a corrosion-resistant refractory is essential.

Refractory lining for titanium ore beneficiation


A check strap assembly for a pickup truck tailgate may include a truck bed, a tailgate, and opposing side panels. The tailgate is mounted to the truck bed for pivotal movement. The opposing side panels are secured to the truck bed to partially define a truck box when the tailgate is in a closed position. The check strap assembly includes a member extending from a D-pillar of the truck box to the tailgate and a lock mechanism having a component with an overhang to prevent access to a fastener securing the member to the D-pillar or the tailgate. The D-pillar may include a flange defining an aperture and the member may be a rod having a first end sized for extending through the aperture and a second end with a striker for engagement with a latch mechanism of the tailgate.

Pickup trucks are motor vehicles with a front passenger area, often referred to as a cab, and an open top rear cargo area, often referred to as a truck box. The truck box usually has a substantially flat bed from which two side body panels and a forward interconnecting header extend upwardly from the bed. Pickup trucks may also employ a bottom hinged door, commonly referred to as a tailgate, hinged at the rear edge of the bed and closable to provide a fourth wall for the cargo area. Pickup trucks are often used with the tailgate in an open position for hauling loads. Open tailgates may be more prone to theft without a lock mechanism to secure the tailgate to the truck box when in the open position.

Lock mechanism assembly for vehicle tailgate


A fishing hook rig and lure container for safely and conveniently storing and transporting fishing hook rigs and lures. The container is configured for one-handed manual operation for opening a movable cover section to gain access to a compartment. The compartment is configured to receive a fishing hook rig or lure, which is tied on a fishing line and the movable cover section closes for enclosing the fishing hook rig or lure within the container. The compartment includes a lower line port and the movable cover section includes an upper line port, both of which cooperate to form a bore for protectively confining the fishing line. A securing hook is provided on the exterior of the compartment for engaging a stationary fitting on a fishing rod and reel set to retain the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to recreational fishing equipment and more particularly to a fishing hook rig, and lure container which encloses fishing hooks and lures in a conveniently accessible container to prevent injury and tangled lines resulting from exposed fishing hook rigs and lures contacting individuals and equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recreational fishermen typically use fishing rod and reel sets together with an assortment of fishing equipment, which is stored and carried in a tackle box or other container. Fishing equipment includes fishing hook rigs and lures, each of which has one or more barbed fish hooks attached. Inside a tackle box fishing hook rigs and lures with exposed fish hooks tend to become entangled with other fishing hook rigs, lures, and other equipment. The barbed hooks commonly used for fishing readily become engaged with other objects. Untangling the barbed hooks is a tedious and frustrating process.
For convenience, recreational fishermen often leave a fishing hook rig or lure attached to a fishing line, on a fishing rod and reel set. The fishing hook rig or lure may have multiple fish hooks. Typically, an exposed fish hook is engaged with a guide loop, of the fishing rod and the reel is operated to draw the fishing line taught, so that the fishing hook rig or lure is retained, under tension, adjacent to the fishing rod. The fish hook, which is engaged with the guide loop and other fish hooks, on the fishing hook rig or lure, are exposed. The exposed fish hooks are likely to contact skin or clothing of fishermen and are likely to become entangled with the fishing line on other fishing rods or other equipment.
The difficulty with exposed fish hooks contacting skin, clothing and other fishing equipment has been addressed by designing containers for storing a relatively small number of fishing lures or fishing hook rigs. The containers completely enclose the fishing hook rigs or lures and prevent individuals and equipment from contacting the exposed fish hooks. Containers have also been designed to enclose a single fishing hook rig or lure, which is attached to a fishing line on a rod and reel set. The containers serve to house fishing hook rigs and lures when not in use, as well as when the fishing equipment is being transported.
When containers of the prior art are used to enclose a fishing hook rig or lure, which is attached to a fishing line on a rod and reel set, the fishing line must pass into the container where the fishing hook rig or lure is stored and the container must be closed. The closures typically have opposed overlapping edges, which obstruct free passage and crimp of chafe the fishing line, weakening the affected area. The fishing line may fail during use, causing the loss of the fishing hook rig or lure, together with the potential catch. Containers have been provided with an opening through which the fishing line may be threaded before the container closure has been engaged but the openings tend to be relatively small and difficult to thread. If the fishing line does not remain in position, within the opening, when the closure is engaged, the fishing line will be crimped.
Fishing lures are produced in a range of sizes from minnow shaped plugs to larger lures, such as large lipped plugs, top water lures, large cone head lures, jet head lures, magnum trolling plugs, and other relatively large lures and rigs. Containers of the prior art are not available in a range of sizes so as to accommodate the full range of fishing lures used by recreational fishermen.
While the prior art containers are convenient for storing fishing hook rigs and lures inside a tackle box, the most advantageous use is in enclosing the fishing hook rigs and lures, which are attached to a fishing line on a rod and reel set. A fisherman typically uses both hands to maneuver the container to receive the fishing hook rig or lure and to operate the closure mechanism for enclosing the fishing hook rig or lure. Some means must be devised to suspend the fishing hook rig or lure from the fishing line, in a relatively static position, so that it may be received into the container. The process is somewhat inconvenient. Also, in removing a fishing hook rig or lure, a fisherman must use both hands to open the container, making it difficult to steady the fishing rod and reel set, and avoid having the fishing hook rig or lure swing freely and snag clothing, equipment or a fisherman. Containers of the prior art often include a tensioned clip to retain the container in engagement with the fishing rod. The clips have a tendency to slide along the rod and can scratch the rod, bend the guide loops, or cause the inserts to fail.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fishing hook rig and lure container, which is configured to conveniently receive the fishing line into an unobstructed bore for passing the line into the container, without crimping. There is a need for containers constructed in a range of sizes for containing fishing hook rigs and lures in the full range of sizes. There is a need for a container configured for one-handed operation to open the container, insert the fishing hook rig or lure, and close the container. There is a need for a container having a fitting for engaging with a fishing rod or other equipment, which will not slide and scratch the rod.


There are provided firefighter protective pants including an inner liner, an outer shell and two pant legs. The outer shell is made of a flame-resistant material and extends over at least a portion of the inner liner. Each of the two pant legs includes a knee sleeve affixed to the inner liner at a knee height inside the corresponding pant leg and a knee pad held on the knee sleeve and extending across a front knee portion of the corresponding pants leg.

During their firefighting activities, firefighters sometimes need to kneel or crawl. In the long term, some firefighters may develop knee injuries. Some firefighter pants in the prior art are provided with cushions in the knee portion. However, such cushions are known to be uncomfortable to use or wear. Furthermore, conventional firefighter pants may be hard to push over the boot shaft, which may increase the time required to don or doff them.
Referring to FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART), there is illustrated an example of firefighter protective pants such according to prior art. Such pants may include padding provided under the form of pads or cushions. The pads are typically affixed to the outer shell or an outside portion of the outer shell. The firefighter protective pants of prior art can be at least partially covered by polymer reinforcement to provide mechanical reinforcement to the pads in the knee region.
There is a need in the industry for firefighter pants that alleviate at least in part the deficiencies of conventional firefighter garments and pants and seeks to solve problems and drawbacks of the prior art.


A rotor blade for a wind turbine is disclosed. The rotor blade may generally include a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip. The body may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. In addition, the rotor blade may include a nozzle mounted on or within the body. The nozzle may include an inlet, an outlet and a converging section between the inlet and the outlet. The converging section may be configured to accelerate a flow of air through the nozzle such that an ultrasonic sound emission is produced.

Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. However, while being considered environmentally safe, wind turbines can pose a threat to bats. Specifically, it has been found that bats may have trouble detecting the rotating rotor blades of a wind turbine. As a result, bats can be struck by the rotor blades and killed. The occurrence of such bat strikes have led many to enact regulations and/or laws prohibiting and/or discouraging the placement of wind turbines in areas of high bat populations and/or restricting the operations of the wind turbines at night.
Many believe that ultrasonic sound in the frequency range of about 25 kHz to about 100 kHz may be effective at deterring bats by interfering with both the bats' natural sonar and their ability to hunt insects. However, generating enough sound to cover the entire rotor diameter of a wind turbine has proved to be a difficult task. For example, previous attempts have focused on the use of speakers mounted on the nacelle. Unfortunately, due to dissipation of the sound, it has been found that nacelle mounted speakers are incapable of generating enough acoustic power to cover the entire rotor diameter of the wind turbine.
Accordingly, a blade mounted, ultrasonic sound emitting device that is capable of producing sufficient acoustic power to cover the entire rotor diameter of a wind turbine would be welcomed in the technology.

Ultrasonic sound emitting devices for wind turbines