The present invention is intended to properly reflect the change in user's preference and properly infer the user's interest in newly added attributes, thereby realizing contents recommendation which is close to user's interest. A topic selection block deliberately selects the interest data which is low in the degree of importance and a dialogue generation block generates queries. A response input block accepts a response to a query displayed by a dialogue display block and changes the interest data in accordance with the contents of the accepted response. The present invention is applicable to personal computers or HDD recorders.

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, a program, and a recording medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method, a program, and a recording medium which properly reflect the change in user's preference and properly infer user's interest in newly added attributes, thereby recommending contents which is closer to user's interest.
As methods for recommending television programs (or contents), the initial interest registering, the viewing log utilizing, and the coordination filtering are known, for example.
In any of these schemes, an electronic program guide (EPG) and program information (or program metadata) on the Web are used for the original data. These three schemes depend on how to acquire user's preferential data to be matched with these pieces of information.
In the initial interest registering, at the starting of use, the user registers his/her favorite categories (drama, variety, etc.), favorite genre name (drama, music, etc.), and favorite television personalities, for example. Subsequently, matching is made with program metadata with the registered information used as keywords, thereby getting program names to be recommended.
In the viewing log utilizing, every time the user views a program, the program metadata associated with the viewed program is accumulated and, when the viewing log (or program metadata) is accumulated to a predetermined amount, this viewing log is analyzed to get program names to be recommended. Alternatively, instead of the viewing log, an operation log such as the preset recording or the start of recording done by the user may be used on devices in which recording is made on a hard disk drive, for example. In this case, the information, which highly reflects user's interest, can be obtained rather than vague information about programs.
In the coordination filtering, a matching is made between one user's viewing (or operation) log and another user's viewing log to acquire the viewing log of another user similar to the user concerned in viewing log. Then, program names which have not been viewed by the user concerned are obtained from among the programs viewed by another user similar (in favorite) to the user concerned in viewing log, thereby recommending the obtained program names not viewed by the user concerned.
By using the above-mentioned program recommendation schemes, it becomes possible to allow the recommendation of the programs in which the user is interested.
However, these program recommendation schemes present problems that the interest of user is extracted from program (contents) metadata (namely, a biased interest in television programs is obtained) and, because generally popular names are used owning to the structure of program metadata, similar contents tend to be recommended.
To overcome these problems, the applicant hereof proposed a technology for letting users evaluate how much they are interested in particular contents recommended for them and searching for particular contents on the basis of the results of the evaluation, thereby making recommendations (refer to Patent Document 1, for example).
[Patent document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-63206
However, the related-art technologies presuppose the recommendations on the basis of the initially registered data and the user information such as contents viewing log, so that it is difficult to reflect the change in user preference and infer the user's interest in newly added genre, for example.

Information processing apparatus capable of properly reflecting a change in a user's preference or interest


To provide an electronic device starter that does not waste electric power while it is not being used and a vehicle tire monitoring system in which the starter is used for eliminating waste of electric power of batteries for its detectors. In a vehicle tire monitoring system according to the present invention, a monitor unit sends a start signal at time intervals T1 by using an electromagnetic wave, a rectifier circuit 33 in a detector 3 which received the start signal converts a high-frequency electromotive force caused by the start signal at an antenna 31 into electric energy, this electric energy operates a central processing section 34, a detector section 35, and a transmitting section 36, the central processing section 34 which started operating places a Field Effect Transistor 382 in the on state to supply electric power from a battery 381 to a sensor section 37 to operate the sensor section 37.

Remote controllers have been known that operate any electronic devices, including electric appliances such as television sets, audio devices, and lighting apparatuses, by remote control. A remote controller of this type consists of a palm-sized operation module contained in a small casing and a controller provided within an electronic device to be controlled and operated. The controller is consistently supplied with electric power so as to be kept ready for receiving a control signals from the operation module.
Tire monitoring systems have also been known in which a sensor is provided for each tire and the conditions of the tire that are detected by the sensor are wirelessly transmitted over a communication circuit to a monitor provided in the vicinity of the driver's seat of a vehicle and displayed for ready monitoring of the conditions of tires of the vehicle at the driver's seat.
Most tire monitoring systems of this type use a battery (a storage battery or dry cell) as a power supply for the sensor because the sensor circuit provided in their sensor unit consumes more electric power than their communication circuit. If a sensor that operates on a battery is used, the battery must be replaced, or recharged if the battery is a secondary battery, before it becomes exhausted because battery exhaustion would stop the operation of the sensor. If a battery is exhausted frequently, it takes a lot of trouble to replace or recharge the battery, therefore measures are taken for minimizing battery drain.
For example, in a sensor disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-154999, means is provided that supplies power to a receiving module only for a predetermined time period at predetermined time intervals to operate it and supplies power to a sending module only during transmission in order to minimize battery drain.
In a sensor disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-268027, timing for receiving an interrogation signal and sending a reply signal is controlled by a timer circuit and power supply to other circuits except the timer circuit is shut off unless the interrogation signal is to be received or the reply signal is required to be sent so that battery drain is minimized.
However, the conventional remote controllers described above are not in keeping with energy saving commonly demanded today because a controlling unit provided within an electronic device is constantly supplied with power and thus a large amount of electric power is unnecessarily consumed.
The tire monitoring systems described above also waste battery power in their sensors during a time period in which monitoring of the conditions of tires is not required, that is, the vehicles are not used.
In light of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device starter that does not waste electric power while the device is not being used and a vehicle tire monitoring system in which the electronic device starter is used to eliminate unnecessary battery power consumption in its sensors.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Electronic device starter and vehicle tire monitoring system


A novel alfalfa variety designated AFX134014 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof are provided. Methods for producing an alfalfa plant comprise crossing alfalfa variety AFX134014 with another alfalfa plant. Methods for producing an alfalfa plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits transgenes or locus conversions introgressed into AFX134014 through backcross conversion and/or transformation are provided and the alfalfa seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Alfalfa seed, plants or plant parts produced by crossing alfalfa variety AFX134014 or a locus or trait conversion of AFX134014 with another alfalfa plant or population are disclosed. Alfalfa populations derived from alfalfa variety AFX134014, methods for producing other alfalfa populations derived from alfalfa variety AFX134014 and the alfalfa populations and their parts derived by the use of those methods.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L., also known as lucerne) is one of the world's most valuable forage legumes. It is grown for hay, pasture and silage, and is valued highly as a livestock feed. Alfalfa is highly effective in nitrogen fixation and is frequently planted in crop rotation to replenish nutrients depleted from the soil by other crops such as corn.
Alfalfa originated in the Near East, in the area extending from Turkey to Iran and north into the Caucasus. From the great diversity of forms within the genus Medicago, two species, M. sativa and M. falcata, have become important forage plants. These species are mainly tetraploid, with 32 chromosomes, although diploid forms are known.
The commercial production of seeds for growing alfalfa plants normally involves four stages, the production of breeder, foundation, certified and registered seeds. Breeder seed is the initial increase of seed of the strain which is developed by the breeder and from which foundation seed is derived. Foundation seed is the second generation of seed increase and from which certified seed is derived. Certified seeds are used in commercial crop production and are produced from foundation or certified seed. Foundation seed normally is distributed by growers or seedsmen as planting stock for the production of certified seed.


A hitch pin retainer assembly that prevents unintended displacement of a shear pin from a trailer hitch includes a hitch plate assembly having a base plate formed with an aperture adapted to receive the shear pin assembly and having a retainer ledge. The hitch plate assembly also includes a latch plate that carries a latch assembly that incorporates a receptacle projecting from the latch plate that captures a spring biased, slidable latch pin that is sized to extend, when in an extended position, above the shear pin. The latch pin is also formed with a handle at one end. The hitch pin retainer assembly can be either bolted or welded to an existing trailer hitch and also includes a tether that can be attached to the shear pin to prevent accidental loss.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hitch pin retainers that are used to prevent the unwanted removal or displacement of a hitch pin from a trailer hitch and tongue assembly when one vehicle tows another vehicle, for example, when a tractor tows a farm implement such as a trailer, plow, seeder, grading machine, or harvesting machine.
2. Background
A variety of attempts have been made to prevent the unwanted displacement and loss of the hitch pins that releasably connect a trailer hitch to a trailer tongue during towing operations where a vehicle such as a tractor pulls a trailer, machine, or iarm-type implement. Many of these attempts have failed to live up to expectations. This is most often because prior art devices require specialized hardware and or because the devices are not compatible for use with the most widely available types of hitch pins, trailer hitches, and trailer tongues. Also, the hitch pins are often lost or misplaced during non-use because when the pin falls out of the trailer hitch-tongue assembly during operation, it often drops to the ground in a field or a road where the pin is quickly hidden from view and lost. The prior art hitch pin retainer devices often fail to perform as intended either because the retainer device fails to retain the pin during operation or because the devices incorporate mechanisms that are so complicated to use that the operator elects to avoid employing the device to avoid the difficulty. Other types of retention devices are too costly to manufacture and purchase and are neither widely available nor used. Examples of prior art devices that are directed to devices that are expensive to manufacture, complicated to use, or that may not be compatible for use with the most widely available types hitch pins, trailers, and hitches include those disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,825,284; 3,998,472; 4,415,175; 4,482,166; 4,526,396; 4,555,125; 4,666,177; 4,671,528; 5,199,733; and 5,779,277. U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,284 reflects an example of a device that is limited to a hitch pin that includes a safety retaining pin adapted to positively prevent removal of a hitch pin from a trailer tongue to, in turn, prevent inadvertent uncoupling of an implement and towing vehicle. However, the device requires the use of a specialized stud that must be formed in the trailer tongue and which may not be present on commonly used trailer hitch assemblies without special modifications. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,472 is restricted to a specially adapted trailer hitch that incorporates a spring-latch assembly adapted to retain a hitch pin in a trailer hitch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,175 is directed to a coupler latch mechanism that is expensive to manufacture in comparison to the preceding examples and that may be cost prohibitive to most operators who prefer a low-cost hitch pin to meet their trailer hitch coupling needs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,526,396 and 4,555,125 are both directed to customized hitch pin assemblies that incorporate a handle that is connected to a specialized hitch pin. The handles fold down over the hitch pin and surround and engage the entire coupled trailer hitch and tongue assembly in an attempt to prevent the inadvertent removal of the hitch pin. This type of hitch pin is has not found wide application because the cost exceeds the cost of the more commonly used hitch pins. Additionally, its use is restricted to those tractor-trailer coupling applications where the potential for interference of the typical hitch-tongue pivot mechanism would not pose a substantial problem during the operation of a tow vehicle when coupled to a trailer or towed implement. Experience with any of the preceding types of devices has shown that they are not immune from disconnection and decoupling of the trailer-hitch assembly when they are subjected to the severe vibration environment often encountered during operations of a tractor coupled to a trailer or other type of farm implement for towing.
What is needed is a cost-effective apparatus for retaining hitch pins to prevent unwanted displacement and or inadvertent removal from a trailer hitch and tongue assembly to thereby ensure that the assembly does not become decoupled during operation. Additionally, what is preferred but presently unavailable is a device that can be used as a hitch pin retainer that is compatible for use with the most widely available and presently used hitch pins and trailer hitch and tongue assemblies. The most preferred device should be comparable in cost to make, sell, and install as the most commonly available hitch pins presently known by and available to an operator for purchase in any of a wide array of wholesale and retail automotive, trucking, farming, and hardware supply outlets. The apparatus involved should be simple and straightforward in its design, installation, and use, and little effort should be required on the part of the manufacturer, parts supplier, and end-user to install, repair, and replace the device. Ideally, the hitch pin retainer assembly should incorporate a design that is compatible for use with the most readily available and widely used trailer hitch and tongue assemblies. Those assemblies include, for example, trailer hitches and tongues that are most widely used in farming operations where a simple hitch pin is employed for coupling a tractor and various trailers, machines, and farm-type implements.


A super junction structure having implanted column regions surrounding an N epitaxial layer in a deep trench is disclosed to overcome charge imbalance problem and to further reduce Rds. The inventive super junction can be used for MOSFET and Schottky rectifier.

Super-junction structures are more and more attractive due to higher breakdown voltage and lower specific Rds (drain-source resistance). As is known to all, a super-junction structure is implemented by p type column structures and n type column structures arranged in parallel and connecting to each other onto a heavily doped substrate, however, the manufacturing yield is not stable because the super junction structure is very sensitive to the fabrication processes and conditions such as: the p type column structures and n type column structures dopant re-diffusion issue induced by subsequent thermal processes; trapped charges within the column structures, etc. . . . All that will cause a hazardous condition of charges imbalance to the super-junction structure. More specifically, these undesired influences become more pronounced with a narrower column structure width for a lower bias voltage ranging under 200V.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,601,597 disclosed a method to avoid the aforementioned p type column structure and n type structure dopant re-diffusion issue, for example, in an N-channel super-junction trench MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor, the same herein after) as shown in FIG. 1, by setting up the p type column formation process in a deep trench at a last step after all diffusion processes such as: sacrificial oxidation after trench etch, gate oxidation, P body region formation and n+ source region formation, etc. . . . have been finished.
However, in order to achieve a shorter growth time of the p type epitaxial layer without having void formation in the deep trenches, a greater CD (Critical Dimension) is required, e.g., trench width of the deep trench must be greater than 4.0 um if the deep trench having 40 um depth. On the other hand, the deep trench filled with p type epitaxial layer and having a greater trench width will occupy a large amount of active areas, causing high specific Rds.
Moreover, other factors such as: the charges imbalance caused by the trapped charges within the column structure is still not resolved.
Therefore, there is still a need in the art of the semiconductor power device, particularly for super-junction design and fabrication, to provide a novel cell structure, device configuration that would resolve these difficulties and design limitations.

Super-junction structures having implanted regions surrounding an N epitaxial layer in deep trench


The present technology provides an irradiation method, a biological substance analysis method, and a biological substance analyzer to improve a throughput while securing signal reliability of detection data when a biological substance is caught on a substrate and the biological substance is detected by irradiating the substrate. For this, the present technology provides a biological substance analysis method and the like including: a step of segmenting a substrate on which a molecule that can be bound to a biological substance is immobilized and the biological substance is bound to the molecule, and irradiating the substrate in accordance with an irradiation pattern having a different segment with time; and a step of analyzing the biological substance on the basis of information obtained from the irradiation.

In recent years, a cell analysis/sorting apparatus, a chip and the like to analyze biopolymers such as DNA are developed.
As the cell analysis/sorting apparatus, there is a type in which a cell is caught on a device of the apparatus, a two-dimensional image is obtained by irradiation, and the cell is sorted.
As the biopolymer analysis chip, there is a type in which a biopolymer is caught on the chip, a two-dimensional image is obtained by irradiation, and the biopolymer is analyzed.
As a base material of the device used in the cell analysis/sorting apparatus, for example, it is possible to exemplify a cell-adhesive photo-controllable base material obtained by depositing a cell-adhesive photo-controllable material on a base material, in which the cell-adhesive photo-controllable material is obtained by binding a cell adhesive material to a cell non-adhesive material via a photo-dissociable group (Patent Document 1).
A cell bound to the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is detected by two-dimensional scanning by using a two-dimensional CCD camera or a photomultiplier tube while condensing excitation light or by using a line sensor through a dispersive element.
As the biopolymer analysis chip, for example, it is possible to exemplify a chip including: a solid-state imaging device; an optical transmission unit that transmits an image from one surface to the other surface thereof and is arranged on a light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device in a manner such that the one surface thereof faces the light receiving surface of the solid-state imaging device; and a plurality of kinds of spots including known biopolymers and scattered along the other surface of the optical transmission unit (Patent Document 2).
The biopolymers bound to the chip disclosed in Patent Document 2 are detected by: applying a fluorescent-labeled sample onto the other surface of the optical transmission unit; binding the sample to a specific spot preliminarily immobilized on an excitation light shielding film on the other surface of the optical transmission unit; making fluorescence intensity distribution appear on the other surface of the optical transmission unit by emitting the excitation light toward the other surface; transmitting, as an image, the fluorescence intensity distribution from the other surface to the one surface; and imaging the entire surface with the solid-state imaging device at a time.

Biological substance analysis method, biological substance analyzer, and biological substance analysis system


To check insulation of a pouch electric cell, probes are contacted to an electrode of a pouch electric cell and an aluminum layer of a pouch of the pouch electric cell, respectively, and then an electric characteristic value between the probes is measured. The probe contacted with the aluminum layer has a contact portion made of conductive elastic material. Also, insulation of the pouch electric cell is determined by comparing the measured electric characteristic value with a reference value. Thus, physical characteristics of an outer periphery of a flexible pouch may be sufficiently exhibited in measuring or checking insulation of a pouch electric cell such as insulation resistance, thereby improving reliability of electric contact and minimizing physical damage or deformation of the pouch electric cell.

A pouch electric cell has a battery cell therein, and a polymer wrapping corresponding to a pouch is provided to surround the battery cell.
With reference to FIG. 1 showing a perspective view of a pouch electric cell and FIG. 2 showing a sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 1, a pouch electric cell 100 includes an electrode 110, a pouch 120 and a battery cell 130.
To make such a pouch electric cell 100, as shown in FIG. 3, pouch raw materials of a predetermined size are adhered to the battery cell 130 from upper and lower portions thereof such that a pouch surrounds the battery cell 130.
This pouch 120 protects the battery cell 130, and the pouch 120 is made of aluminum foil to improve electric and chemical properties and heatproof property of the battery cell 130. Also, in order to ensure insulation of the battery cell 130 against the exterior, the aluminum foil is coated with an insulating material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin or nylon resin.
In case the pouch is composed of upper and lower pouch portions adhered to each other as shown in FIG. 3, cast polypropylene (CPP) or polypropylene (PP) may be used for adhesion between them. In this case, a sealing surface where the pouch 120 is adhered may be configured with an insulating layer 121, an aluminum layer 123 and an adhering layer 125 as shown in FIG. 4.
If the inner structure of the pouch of the pouch electric cell 100 is broken or damaged due to an external physical impact and thus the pouch electric cell 100 loses its insulation, the battery cell does not keep a normal voltage but causes low voltage, which may also cause swelling of an interior battery cell.
This problem may causes consecutive problems such as explosion of the battery cell, which is crucial to users or equipped devices, so it is required to thoroughly check insulation of the pouch electric cell 100 and thus fundamentally eliminate any defect.
Seeing a frequently used method for checking insulation of a pouch electric cell, as shown in FIG. 5, probes 502 are contacted respectively to an electrode 110 of the pouch electric cell 100 and an aluminum layer 123 at a side of the pouch 120, and then resistance between the contacted probes is measured using a measuring device 500 to check insulation.
In this method, the probe should be contacted to the aluminum layer 123 so as to measure insulation, but the probe 502 and the aluminum layer 123 make point contact, which does not ensure high reliability. In addition, if a force is applied to make a physical contact between the probe 502 and the aluminum layer 123, an outer periphery of the pouch may not endure the applied force due to its material but be easily deformed. Thus, the physical contact for electric connection between the probe 502 and the aluminum layer 123 may not be easily maintained, thereby giving difficulty to the checking process.
Due to the above circumstances, the reliability of the insulation checking for a pouch electric cell is very deteriorated though it consumes much time. In addition, it is difficult to eliminate an inferior battery cell, and the appearance of the pouch is still easily broken. Also, this conventional checking method becomes a serous obstacle in automating the insulation checking process for a pouch electric cell.

Method and apparatus for checking insulation of pouch electric cell and probe for the same


An outdoor heat exchanger includes a fan configured to adjust a heat transfer coefficient ao of the outside of a heat transfer tube through which a refrigerant flows, a bypass passage and flow rate control valve configured to adjust a heat transfer coefficient αi of the inside of the heat transfer tube through which the refrigerant flows, and an on-off valve configured to adjust a heat transfer area A where the refrigerant exchanges heat with a heat medium. A controller controls the heat transfer coefficient αo of the outside of the heat transfer tube, the heat transfer coefficient αi of the inside thereof, and the heat transfer area A to control a heat exchange amount of the outdoor heat exchanger.

For conventional-art air-conditioning apparatuses, a heat exchanger has been recently developed which has a segmented structure such that the heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat exchanger segments. This heat exchanger has a circuit configuration in which each heat exchanger segment is connected to a connecting pipe provided with a solenoid valve. Controlling opening and closing of each solenoid valve controls the flow rate of a refrigerant into the corresponding heat exchanger segment, thus controlling the amount of heat exchanged (hereinafter, referred to as "heat exchange amount") in the heat exchanger (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
A heat exchanger has also been recently developed which includes flow rate changing means for changing a refrigerant passage in the heat exchanger so that a cooling or heating capacity is appropriately controlled depending on a variable external load (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).

Air-conditioning apparatus including heat exchanger with controlled heat exchange amount


The present disclosure provides reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer (ROADM) node automatic topology discovery systems and methods providing a mapping of optical connections within a mesh optical network that includes tunable lasers and multi-degree ROADM's with colorless/directionless add/drop. The present disclosure may include additional transceiver, receiver, and add/drop filter equipment integrated in or disposed at a ROADM degree. This equipment supports a so-called topology wavelength which is one of a plurality of wavelengths supported by a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) system that is dedicated and used solely for topology discovery. The topology wavelength may be utilized by the system to detect interconnects between ROADM degrees and between XCVRs/CDMDs. Further, the automated topology discovery may be integrated within a management system and/or control plane.

With the introduction of colorless, directionless, multi-degree ROADM nodes, optical systems are becoming more and more complex and in particular, the number of optical interconnects involved in network elements is growing rapidly. As a result, there is an increasing need to add intelligence to make the deployments of such systems more automated, in particular by having the system software being able to recognize how the different modules and network elements are connected to each other. Another key reason to implement this type of intelligence is to support advanced functions in the optical layer, such as mesh protection and restoration, which require a control plane that has complete knowledge of the optical network topology. Conventional designs that have been proposed to auto-discover optical system topology include 1) using tone signals to trace wavelengths through the network; 2) using a low-level wavelength-tunable monitor signal to probe the system, such as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,607 to Archambault et al. issued on Sep. 21, 2004 and entitled "USE OF TUNABLE LASER FOR OPTICAL PERFORMANCE MONITORING IN WDM SYSTEM," the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference; and 3) using "smart cables" to automatically detect interconnects between modules.
Limitations of the aforementioned designs include simple tone signals tend to wash out in very long systems. These tone signals also add complexity to transmitter design. A more complex implementation of the tone signals requires fairly high speed modulation on the transmitter side, which is difficult and costly to implement. Further, the use of a tunable probe signal requires a fair amount of additional hardware and software to be added to the system and is not able to monitor connections to individual transceivers, only between line modules. Thirdly, smart optical cables are not widely available, not standardized, and require special hardware for all the connection points. The smart optical cables also only provide information about how modules are physically interconnected within a network element, but not about how wavelengths are being switched or how network elements are interconnected in a mesh network.

Reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer node automated topology discovery systems and methods


A method for processing a multidimensional array object in which a multidimensional array is implemented by an array of array objects. The multidimensional array object comprises array objects which constitute the multidimensional array. Flags representing that it is possible to optimize a process for elements of the multidimensional array object are added as additional information. The flags are stored in a storage device (main memory for instance). Then, a machine code corresponding to a state of the flags is executed.

Processing speed can be dramatically improved by paralleling and vectorizing a process for elements of a multidimensional array. In particular, in a processor with multiple execution units such as IA64 or PowerPC, an effect of improved processing speed by such optimizations is remarkable. In order to perform such optimizations, it is necessary to analyze dependency among processes of multidimensional array elements and locations of array elements. However, in a language like Java which implements a multidimensional array by means of an array of array objects, it is difficult to perform such analyses since element configuration of a multidimensional array may change at an execution time.
Conventionally, there were roughly two solutions to this problem. First, there is a known method of performing an analysis by scanning addresses of multidimensional array elements accessed by a certain process at an execution time. There is also a known method of implementing a multidimensional array without any change in element configuration at an execution time by means of extension of language specifications or installation of a unique library. It certainly becomes possible to optimize a process for a multidimensional array by using these methods. However, there were following various problems in these methods.
First, as to the former method, in addition to taking too much time for scanning addresses, there was a problem of having to stop a garbage collector from the time the address scanning is started until processing of an array ends. In particular, the problem of the time for address scanning is fatal for Java in which processing by Just-in-Time compiler is becoming general, so it is not a realistic solution.
On the other hand, as to the latter method, it is proposed by Sun Microsystems Inc. to use a class to access, as a multidimensional array, an area to which memory is allocated as a one-dimensional array. It first provides a class as follows.
final class FloatMatrix2D {private final float m;private final int cols;public FloatMatrix2D(int c, int r){cols=c;m=new float c*r ;}public float get(int c, int r){return m cols*r+c ;}}
Here, it is a method wherein, by using method in-lining and operator overloading, an expression described as,
FloatMatrix2D f=new FloatMatrix2D(cols, rows)fil,j1 =fi2,j2 +4;is handled as follows,fi1,j1 =fi2,j2 +4;—T=f.get(i2,j2)+4;f.put(i1,j1,T);—T=f cols*j2+i2 +4;fcols*j1+i1 =T;By using such a method, it is possible to directly access elements without undergoing reference to any object array. In addition, it is not necessary to check an index as required when referring to an object array. In this method, however, there is a problem that application of an analysis required for parallelization or optimization becomes difficult.
Namely, in the above method, as there is no information in the source rendered into bytecode, it is not possible to perform any more analysis of dependency among array accesses than an analysis in an index converted to one dimension. Accordingly, it becomes very difficult to detect parallelism taking multidimensionality into consideration, so application of parallelization cannot be expected in many cases.
For instance,
for jfor ifi,j =f2*i−1,j ;in a program as above, since it can easily be analyzed as having no dependency in the direction of j, great parallelism can be obtained by skewing the innermost loop in the direction of j or unrolling the loop in the direction of j. However, if the bytecode is converted to f cols*j+i=f cols*j+2*i−1 it becomes necessary to seek if there is an integer solution in cols*j1+i1=cols*j2+2*i2−1and decide whether there is any dependency as to the direction of j. This means that a simple analytic problem has become an NP complete problem. Also in general, it is thinkable that a problem becomes more difficult to solve if multidimensional information reduces to one dimension, and thus the method of Sun Microsystems Inc. is not a method suited to dependency analysis for parallelization.
There is also another method to allow dependency analysis by modifying or extending language specifications. For instance, a method as in Fortran wherein a multidimensional array is introduced to a language is thinkable. Or even in the above-mentioned method wherein an array is simply one-dimensionalized, dependency analysis should be made possible by adding extended specifications as follows. Namely, in the following expression used in the preceding example,
f cols*j+i=f cols*j+2*i−1
if language specifications are extended so that a compiler may take advantage of the array being two-dimensional and f.cols being the number of columns, comparison of indexes can be multidimensionally developed so as to facilitate an analysis. For instance, in this example, the problem can be replaced with the following,    an analysis of (cols*j+i)div cols    and (cols*j+2*i−1)div cols    an analysis of (cols*j+i)mod cols    and (cols*j+2*i−1)mod colsso it can easily be analyzed as having parallelism in the direction of j. However, costs for such modifications and extensions of specifications are very high. With respect to Java in particular, in consideration of the present circumstances where Java is spreading worldwide, it is not easy to effectively extend its specifications by addition of a new array object or by dependence on a specific library.
In addition, while a method to analyze an expression tree of an arithmetic expression without extending language specifications is also thinkable, it has a problem that an analysis becomes difficult when the expression tree is transformed due to deletion of a common subexpression and so on in addition to requirement of support to specify the dimensional.

Method and device to process multidimensional array objects

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods for stretching nonwoven substrate material to reduce the basis weight of the material while maintaining or increasing thickness is disclosed. Additionally, the stretched substrate materials provide the same or improved strength as compared to conventional nonwoven materials and provide a softer feel to the user's skin.

The present disclosure generally relates to methods of stretching substrate materials typically used for personal care products such as wet wipes. Specifically, the methods of stretching allow for substrate materials having increased thickness and decreased basis weight, which reduces fiber usage and costs of making the personal care products while still providing products having a soft desirable feel to the user.
Personal care products such as wet wipes are typically made from spunlace substrate materials, coform substrate materials, meltblown substrate materials, spunbond substrate materials, or combinations thereof. In recent years, however, due to increasing commodity prices, there has been a desire to reduce fiber usage of these materials.
It has been found that in reducing fiber usage, product strength and skin feel suffer. Specifically, products produced using less spunlace and/or coform fibers, have found to be weaker. The strength and coverage of a substrate material depends to a large extent on the basis weight of the material. Typically, substrate materials including spunlace and coform materials used in personal care products have a basis weight ranging from about 25 grams per square meter (gsm) to about 150 gsm to provide the desired strength and coverage. Unfortunately, while strength and coverage may be increased by increasing basis weight, the softness tends to decrease. Thus, it is a particular challenge to provide materials having each of these properties such that they are suitable for use in wet wipes.
As such, there is a need for a personal care product, such as a wet wipe, that can be produced using less fibers, and thus, having a reduced basis weight, while maintaining thickness of the product to create a soft desirable feel to the skin of the user. Additionally, it would be advantageous if the product was created to have a reduced basis weight and an increased thickness.

Methods of stretching wet wipes to increase thickness


A novel infiltration alloy comprises about 5 to 65% by weight of manganese, up to about 35% by weight of zinc, and the balance copper. Preferably, the infiltration alloy comprises 20% by weight of manganese, 20% by weight of zinc, and the balance copper. The infiltration alloy is useful in the manufacture of matrix bodies such as matrix drill bit bodies. A method for the manufacture of a matrix body comprises forming a hollow mold for molding at least a portion of the matrix body, positioning diamond cutting elements in the mold, packing at least a part of the mold with a powder matrix material, infiltrating the matrix material with the novel infiltration alloy in a furnace to form a mass, and allowing the mass to solidify into an integral matrix body. Because the novel infiltration alloy permits infiltration to be carried out at temperatures below about 1050.degree. C., many diamond cutting elements which begin to deteriorate at temperatures above 1000.degree. C. can be bonded without substantial degradation to the matrix body during the infiltration process, and there is no need to secure them to the matrix body in a subsequent brazing or mechanical bonding step.

The invention relates to an alloy which is useful as an infiltration binder for bonding diamond cutting elements to a matrix body. More particularly, the invention relates to a low melting point copper-manganese-zinc alloy that is useful as an infiltration binder to bond diamond or other superhard cutting elements to a matrix body, such as a matrix drill bit body. The invention also relates to a process for producing a coherent matrix body by infiltrating a matrix powder with the new low melting point copper-manganese-zinc alloy.
The invention described herein is especially useful for the manufacture of rotary drill bits of the kind comprising a bit body having an external surface on which are mounted a plurality of cutting elements for cutting or abrading rock formations, and an inner passage for supplying drilling fluid to one or more nozzles at the external surface of the bit. The nozzles are located at the surface of the bit body so that drilling fluid emerges from the nozzles and flows by the cutting elements during drilling so as to cool and/or clean them. Desirably, the cutting elements are preformed cutting elements having a superhard cutting face formed of polycrystalline diamond or another superhard material.
As will be understood by persons skilled in the art, the term "superhard" is used to describe diamond and cubic boron nitride materials. For convenience, the term "diamond" is used herein interchangeably with the term "superhard" and is meant to include diamond (single crystal and polycrystalline) materials made at high or low pressure (metastable growth), as well as cubic boron nitride materials.
Drag bits for rock drilling are conventionally made by one of two methods. According to one conventional method, a steel body bit is made by machining a large piece of steel to the desired shape, drilling holes in the bit body to receive the diamond-containing cutting elements, and then pressing the diamond cutters into place. The diamond cutters are held in place mechanically by the interference fit of the cutters and the holes when the bits are made by this method. Alternately, the cutters can be brazed to the steel bit body.
According to the other conventional method of making drag bits, a matrix bit body is formed by a powder metallurgy process. U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,878 (Wilder et al) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,274 (Barr), which are incorporated herein by reference, are examples of the powder metallurgy used to produce matrix drill bits. In this process, a graphite block is machined to form a mold. A wear-resistant matrix powder, made for example from tungsten carbide powder particles, is placed in the mold, and a steel blank is inserted into the mold on top of the matrix powder. Thereafter, an infiltrating alloy is placed in the mold. When heat is applied, the infiltrating alloy melts and penetrates into the matrix powder to fill the interparticle space. Upon cooling, the infiltrating alloy solidifies and cements the matrix powder particles together into a coherent integral mass. The infiltrating alloy also bonds this coherent mass to the steel blank to form the matrix body bit. A threaded connection is then welded to the end of the steel blank to permit the bit to be attached to a drill string. The furnace temperature required to carry out this process with conventional copper-based infiltration alloys is about 1,065.degree. C. to about 1,200.degree. C.
The diamond-containing cutting elements are attached to a matrix drill bit made in this manner in one of two ways. If the diamond-containing cutters are capable of withstanding the infiltration temperature without substantial degradation, they are placed in the mold before the matrix powder is added and become bonded to the matrix body as a result of the infiltration process. The diamond-containing cutters become an integral part of the matrix drill bit. However, if the diamond-containing cutters cannot withstand the infiltration temperature without substantial degradation, the cutters are attached to the bit body, usually by brazing, after the infiltrated bit is removed from the mold.
Brazing the diamond-containing cutters to the body of the drill bit is less desirable than bonding the cutters directly to the matrix body during the infiltration process. Brazing is an extra step in the manufacturing process which has its own complications. While it would obviously be desirable to eliminate the brazing step in the manufacture of matrix drill bits, many of the diamond-containing cutting elements which are commercially available cannot withstand the infiltration temperatures that are needed with traditional copper-based infiltration alloys. For example, conventional polycrystalline diamond preforms are only thermally stable up to a temperature of about 700.degree. C. to 750.degree. C., and therefore must be brazed to the bit body after it has been infiltrated. More recent polycrystalline diamond preforms, e.g., Geoset.TM. preforms available from General Electric and Syndax 3.TM. preforms available from DeBeers, are nominally thermally stable up to conventional infiltration temperatures of about 1150.degree. C. However, in actual practice, the Geoset.TM. thermally stable polycrystalline diamond cutting elements begin to degrade at temperatures as low as 1000.degree. C. More recently, DeBeers has developed a polycrystalline diamond preform called STSR Syndrill.TM. which is thermally stable up to nearly 1000.degree. C.
As a result, there has been an intense search by persons skilled in the art for new infiltration alloys which have much lower infiltration temperatures than those of conventional copper-based infiltrants. U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,522 (Griffin) discloses an essentially two-element copper-phosphorous alloy of eutectic or near-eutectic composition as an infiltration alloy. The infiltration temperature of this alloy is disclosed as being not greater than 850.degree. C., and preferably not greater than 750.degree. C. However, there is reason to believe that this copper-phosphorous infiltration alloy has certain metallurgical problems associated with its use and therefore it has not met with great commercial success.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a new infiltrating alloy which has an infiltrating temperature below about 1000.degree. C. is provided.
It is another advantage of the present invention that a new method for the manufacture of coherent matrix bodies using an infiltration alloy having an infiltration temperature below about 1000.degree. C. is provided.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention that a method for producing matrix drill bit bodies with a copper-based infiltration alloy having an infiltration temperature below about 1000.degree. C. is provided.

Low melting point copper-manganese-zinc alloy for infiltration binder in matrix body rock drill bits


An apparatus, system, and method for automatic unthreading and storage of storage media helps prevent damage to the media, which can otherwise occur when the storage media is left threaded in a storage media drive over an extended period or under adverse conditions. A sensing device may generate a signal or a detector may receive a signal indicating that a predetermined period of time has lapsed or that some other criteria has been met indicating that the storage media should be removed from the storage media drive. An unthread module in the storage media drive receives the signal and automatically unthreads and stores the storage media. A location on the storage media can be marked by the unthread module prior to unthreading such that the media may be returned to the location upon rethreading.

Tape media are loaded for reading and writing to and from the tape media such as for long-term storage and retrieval of data from a host. After loading the tape media and after reading and/or writing data to and/or from the tape media, the tape media may remain in the tape drive for a period of time.
Typically, mounting a tape cartridge in single tape devices, such as drives, stresses the tapes through tension and/or physical contact. This in turn affects the stability and reliability of the tapes. A normal periodic load may be, for example, at the end of business hours for a nightly backup of data. The unload may not occur until morning. Some systems utilize an external application in the form of a Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) to automatically unload the tape media from a drive after a predetermined time, but these systems are deficient in how they achieve such an unthread operation. For example, performing an unload operation solely by an external application has drawbacks. As an external host or application, the TSM is adapted for interfacing with a wide variety of applications utilizing a wide variety of storage media. Thus, one of the drawbacks of the TSM is a lack of access by users to the application in the event of a failure of the application. Also, any parameters with which the TSM is configured are selected to be as universal as possible and would not apply to specific tape storage media being handled in the tape drive of a particular system. Hence, the TSM would likely not be configured for the correct amount of waiting time before an unthread operation in a particular media drive and/or for a particular medium. Therefore, although TSM applications may prolong the life and reliability of the tape media, they suffer from these and other drawbacks.

Automatic unthread and store of data storage device medium


A method and an apparatus are disclosed for registering at least three different image data records for an object. In at least one embodiment, the method involves first of all determining for each image data record the anatomical region which is covered by the image data record. Next, degrees of overlap in these anatomical regions are calculated. These degrees of overlap are taken as a basis for determining the image data record as a master image data record which, in total, has a maximum overlap with the other image data records, ignoring degrees of overlap which are below a prescribable lower threshold. The other image data records are then registered merely with the master image data record. Thus, they are automatically also indirectly registered with one another. At least one embodiment of the present method and the associated apparatus reduce the waiting time for the user who wishes to visualize a plurality of the image data records simultaneously next to one another or superimposed on one another.

When processing medical image data, it is frequently necessary to compare two or more image data records for a patient with one another which have been measured in the same period on different imaging modalities, on the same imaging modality in the same period but with different parameters, or on the same imaging modality in different periods. By way of example, this relates to applications in which a patient has been successively examined both using PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and using CT (Computer Tomography), which means that both PET and CT image data records are available. Other examples are different pervasions of contrast agent in the organs in the case of image recording using CT, in which case at least two image data records with different contrast agent distributions in the organs are obtained, or follow-up examinations where the patient is examined at a relatively long interval time using not necessarily identical recording parameters.
In all cases, it is desirable to compare the different image data records as well as possible. In principle, comparison is possible by fusing two image data records, by parallel visualization in the case of almost identical anatomies or by combining an anatomical image and an image of physiological processes (as in the case of PET and CT image data) in the data records or by navigating to a position in the second image data record which is selected in a first image data record. However, the image data records will generally not contain any identical anatomies. Changes in the position of the organs, changes in the patient position for the image recording or weight changes in the patient between recordings mean that simple association on the basis of coordinates is not possible.
To avoid these problems, registration methods are known which use a rigid or nonrigid registration technique. These first of all involve searching the image data records for identical structures, for example. Next, these identical structures are taken as a basis for calculating transformation matrices which map every voxel in the structures of one data record onto a voxel in the corresponding structures in the second data record. The transformations are then generalized for the whole data record.
When there are more than two image data records, the image data records are at present respectively registered in pairs. With large volumes of data, this results in long waiting times for the user on account of the high computation complexity for registration. Thus, in the case of a polyphase examination of the liver, for example, a native CT scan, i.e. a scan without contrast agent, is first of all performed. Next, the pervasion of the contrast agent in the liver artery, in the portal vein and in the liver parenchyma is examined. This results in four image data records and hence six pairs which are respectively registered with one another.

Method and apparatus for registering at least three different image data records for an object


An image display apparatus having a plurality of image forming devices. In an output circuit provided between constant voltage supplies and wiring for driving each of the image forming devices, MOSFETs are successively turned on from the one having a higher ON resistance at the time of switching to make a stepwise transition between outputs from the constant voltage supplies, and have steady potential, thereby limiting undesirable variation in signal potential at the time of switching.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus having a plurality of image forming devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are known two types of electron-emitting devices: a hot cathode device and a cold cathode device. For example, as cold cathode devices, a field emission type (hereinafter referred to as "FE type") of device, a metal/insulator/metal type (hereinafter referred to as "MIM type") of electron-emitting device, a surface conduction type of electron-emitting device are known.
A surface conduction electron-emitting device is simple in structure and can be easily manufactured. Therefore it has the advantage of constituting an array in which a multiplicity of devices are formed over a large area. Methods for arranging a multiplicity of devices and driving the devices, e.g., one disclosed in JP 64-3132 A are being studied. For example, as applications of surface conduction electron-emitting devices, image forming apparatuses such as image display apparatuses and image recording apparatuses, charged beam sources, etc., are being studied.
In particular, image display apparatuses, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,883 B and JP 2-257551 A are which use a combination of a surface-conduction electron-emitting device and a phosphor capable of emitting light when irradiated with an electron beam, are being studied for application of surface conduction electron-emitting devices. It is expected that image display apparatuses using a combination of a surface conduction electron-emitting device and a phosphor will have improved characteristics in comparison with the other types of conventional image display apparatuses. For example, even in comparison with liquid crystal displays which have recently come into widespread use, image display apparatuses using a combination of a surface conduction electron-emitting device and a phosphor are more advantageous because they can be used without a backlight and have a wider viewing angle.
FIG. 14 shows a multi-electron source formed by using an electrical wiring method. The multi-electron source shown in FIG. 14 has a multiplicity of surface conduction electron-emitting devices provided as image forming devices and which are arranged two-dimensionally, and wiring which connects these devices in matrix form. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 4001 represents the surface conduction electron-emitting devices shown schematically, lines in row wiring (scanning wiring) are indicated by 1003, and lines in column wiring (modulation wiring) are indicated by 1004. Each of row wiring lines 1003 and column wiring lines 1004 actually has a finite electrical resistance, which is shown in the figure as a wiring resistance 4004 or 4005. Wiring such as that shown in FIG. 14 is called passive matrix wiring.
Surface conduction electron-emitting devices used as electron-emitting devices 4001 are generally divided into planar-type devices and vertical-type devices. A planar-type device is constructed in such a manner that a pair of device electrodes formed as a cathode electrode and a gate electrode are disposed substantially horizontally and the direction of emission of electrons from the device is approximately perpendicular to the horizontal surface of the device. A vertical-type device is constructed in such a manner that a cathode electrode and a gate electrode are disposed substantially vertically and the direction of emission of electrons is generally parallel to the vertical plane.
A conductive thin film is formed between the cathode electrode and the gate electrode. When an device current is caused to flow through the path between the pair of electrodes, electrons are emitted from electron emitting portions which are fine fissures formed in the thin film. The conductive thin film is formed of a material selected from various materials, for example, metals, such as Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, Au, Ti, In, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, Ta, W, and Pb; oxides, such as PdO, SnO2, In2O3, PbO, and Sb2O3; borides, such as HfB2, ZrB2, LaB6, CeB6, YB4, and GdB4; carbides, such as TiC, ZrC, HfC, TaC, SiC, and WC; nitrides, such as TiN, ZrN, HfN; semiconductors, such as Si and Ge; and carbon.
Needless to say, the scale of the matrix is not limited to that of the 6×6 matrix which is illustrated for the sake of convenience. For example, in the case of a multi-electron source for an image display apparatus, a certain number of devices for display of the desired image are arranged and wired. In a multi-electron source having surface conduction electron-emitting devices wired by passive matrix wiring, suitable electrical signals are applied to row wiring 1003 and column wiring 1004 to output desired electron beams. FIGS. 15A to 15D show examples of drive waveforms for driving surface conduction electron-emitting devices in a matrix.
FIG. 15A shows the voltage waveform of a selected potential applied to a selected row wiring line, FIG. 15B shows the voltage waveform of a modulation signal applied to a column wiring line, FIG. 15C shows the voltage waveform applied to a selected device, and FIG. 15D shows the voltage waveform applied to an unselected device.
Referring to FIG. 14, a selected potential Vs is applied to the row wiring line 1003 corresponding to one of the rows selected, while a non-selected potential Vns is applied to the row wiring lines 1003 corresponding to the rows unselected. In synchronization with the application of these potentials, a modulation signal Ve for outputting an electron beam is applied to each of the column wiring lines 1004. With this method, if the voltage drops due to the wiring resistances 4004 and 4005 are ignored, a voltage Ve−Vs, which is the potential difference between the selected potential and the potential of the modulation signal, is applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the selected row, while a voltage Ve−Vns, which is the potential difference between the non-selected potential and the potential of the modulation signal, is applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the unselected rows.
The surface conduction electron-emitting device has such a characteristic as to emit electrons only when the voltage applied to the device exceeds a threshold value, and also has such a characteristic that each of the device current (current flowing through the path between the two electrodes of the device) and the electron emission current (electron beam output intensity) increases monotonously with respect to the voltage applied to the device.
Therefore, the following statements can be obtained: if Ve, Vs, and Vns are set to suitable values, an electron beam having the desired intensity can be output only from the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the selected row; if modulation signals varying in potential are applied to the column wiring lines, electron beams having different intensities are respectively output from the devices in the selected row; and since the response speed of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is high, the time during which the electron beam is output can be changed by changing the time for application of the modulation signal.
Various applications of multi-electron sources in which surface conduction electron-emitting devices are wired by passive matrix wiring, and in which the above-described various characteristics are utilized, are conceivable. For example, applications multi-electron source of this type to image display apparatuses using a method of suitably applying a voltage signal according to image information can be expected.
FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view of an image display apparatus in which surface conduction electron-emitting devices are wired by passive matrix wiring.
Referring to FIG. 16, the image display apparatus has a substrate 7, an image display portion 1 formed by connecting a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices 2 in matrix form by a plurality of row wiring lines 6 and a plurality of column wiring lines 5, scanning circuits 4 serving as a scanning means for performing scanning by selectively applying a selected potential to one of the plurality of row wiring lines 6 and by changing the selected row wiring one by one, and modulation circuits 3 serving as a modulation means for obtaining modulation signals by controlling and modulating outputs from a plurality of constant voltage supplies according to an input image signal and for applying the modulation signals to the plurality of column wiring lines 5.
FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view of the structure of a main portion of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. 16.
There are provided a metal back 8, a phosphor layer 9, and a substrate 10. As described above, electrons are emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device 2 by applying the modulation signal Ve to the column wiring line 5 and the selected potential Vs to the row wiring line 6, respectively. An acceleration voltage Va is applied to the metal back 8 provided above the surface conduction electron-emitting device 2. Part of electrons emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device 2 are accelerated by the acceleration voltage Va to reach the phosphor layer 9. The phosphor layer 9 thereby emits light for forming an image.
Electron-emitting devices using an emitter cone and MIM-type electron-emitting devices are known as well as the surface conduction type. An arrangement in which an electroluminescence device is used as an image forming device is also known.
As an arrangement for driving image display apparatuses using such image forming devices, a matrix drive method is known. A plurality of scanning signal lines and a plurality of modulation signal lines form matrix wiring, and image forming devices are driven in such a manner that modulation signals are simultaneously or successively applied through the plurality of modulation signal lines to image forming devices to which a selected potential is applied through the scanning wiring to which a scanning signal (selected potential) is applied.
Several arrangements for applying a scanning signal and a modulation signal are also known. For example, an arrangement for applying a modulation signal at a constant current (causing a current to flow at a desired value) and an arrangement for applying a modulation signal at a constant voltage are known. For example, JP 9-319327 A discloses an arrangement using a combination of a current supply and a voltage supply. As modulation methods, an arrangement for modulating the wave height value of a modulation signal, an arrangement for modulating the pulse width of a modulation signal, and an arrangement for using wave height value modulation and pulse width modulation in combination are known.
A known art disclosed in JP 2000-310966 A relates to the present invention. In an image display apparatus in accordance with this art, two transistors are first turned on at the time of fall of a signal to cause an abrupt fall of the signal and one of the transistors is then turned off to cause the signal to fall moderately.
Disclosed in JP 5-232907 A is a reset circuit which can be used in an image display apparatus. In this reset circuit, a certain impedance value during operation is changed to a lower impedance value to reduce the peak current value.
Disclosed in JP 8-190878 A is an arrangement in which a termination circuit using a resistor, a voltage dividing circuit, or a clamp circuit using a diode is added to input and termination terminals in wiring to prevent an increase in voltage exceeding a rated limit.


A positive type electrodeposition photoresist composition characterized by neutralizing by a basic compound and dissolving or dispersing in an aqueous medium a composition comprising (A) a polymer having 0.5-10 equivalents of carboxyl group(s) and optionally having more than 1 equivalent of hydroxyphenyl group(s) per kg polymer, or (A') a polymer having 0.5-10 equivalents of carboxyl group(s) per kg polymer and (A") a polymer having more than 1 equivalent of hydroxyphenyl group(s) per kg polymer; (B) a compound having at least two vinyl ether groups per molecule; (C) a compound which generates an acid when irradiated with a visible light; and (D) a sensitizing dye, and a process for pattern formation using such a composition are disclosed.. Said composition has excellent thermal stability, high resolution and formability of fine image pattern and is useful to positive type photoresist, printing material etc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to positive type electrodeposition photoresist compositions, as well as to formation processes, using the compositions, for pattern useful to circuit formation of electronic devices, materials for printing etc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, positive type photoresists are widely used for formation of circuit patterns of electronic devices etc. As positive type aqueous resist compositions used for these applications, in many cases, resins, which dissolve or disperse in water by neutralization and chemically bound with a quinone diazide compound, are used in the form of aqueous solution or dispersion.
These compositions form a resist film by utilizing a reaction in which the quinone diazide group is photo-decomposed when irradiated with an ultraviolet light and forms an indenecarboxylic acid via a ketene.
The resist compositions using quinone diazide compound, however, are weakly photoreactive to a visible light and hence, there are problems of insufficient resolution etc. in case a formation of a very fine pattern is necessary. Moreover, the quinone diazide group is unstable in aqueous systems, and hence, there is a difficulty in using the composition containing a quinone diazide group in applications that require prolonged stability of the composition in a bath as in the electrodeposition coating process.
The present inventors previously proposed, as positive type electrodeposition photoresist compositions replacing these, a composition sensitive also to a visible light comprising a polymer having carboxyl group(s) and occasionally phenolic hydroxyl group(s), a compound having a plurarity of vinyl ether groups, and a compound which is decomposed and generates an acid when irradiated with an actinic ray (U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,656; Japanese Laid-open Patent Publications No. 313134/1994, 313135/1994, and 313136/1994. These compositions are photosensitive electrodeposition compositions which function according to a mechanism that the film formed from them becomes insoluble in solvents and aqueous alkaline solutions through crosslinking by an addition reaction between carboxyl group(s) and vinyl ether group(s) when heated, and when it is further irradiated with an actinic ray and then heated, the exposed portions become soluble in solvents and aqueous alkaline solutions again as the crosslinked structure is severed by the catalytic action of the acid generated by the irradiation.
These compositions have advantages such as having high transparency to actinic rays, because they need not contain a large amount of a functional group of high extinction coefficient unlike resists using quinone diazide as a photosensitizer and having high sensitivity as positive type photosensitive composition because the acid generated at the exposed portions acts as catalyst, when heated, to sever the crosslinked structure in the form of a chain reaction.
However, the heating time is required to be shortened in respect of productivity, when these photosensitive electrodeposition compositions are coated on a substrate and heated for crosslinking. When a shortening of the time is tried by heating at a higher temperature than 100.degree. C., there is the problem that the compound, which generates an acid when irradiated with an actinic ray, existing in said photosensitive electrodeposition composition, generates an acid already before being irradiated by a visible light and thus the whole formed film is dissolved when developed. Therefore, an improvement of the thermal stability of said photosensitive electrodeposition composition is strongly demanded in said technical field.

Positive type electrodeposition photoresist compositions and pattern formation process


A display unit for displaying information including a housing having an opening and a display unit with a display, moveable between a rest position in which the display unit is completely retracted into the housing and a display position in which the display unit is extended from the housing. A cover is moveably driven between a cover position that covers the housing opening and a release position releasing the housing opening. The display unit and the cover can be moveably driven by way of a coupling assembly by a rotary drive. The coupling assembly couples the motion of the display unit and the cover. The coupling assembly includes a first coupler that can rotate about a fixed first axis of rotation with a free end of hinged to the cover. The display unit is hinged to a free end of a second coupler by a second linkage at the cover and at distances from the first linkage and the second linkage by a third linkage.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a display device for displaying information, in particular information for a vehicle, having a housing which has a housing opening and having a display unit which has a display and which can be movably driven between a rest position, in which the display unit is fully retracted into the housing, and a displaying position, in which the display unit is deployed out of the housing into an at least approximately vertical position of its display, having a cover which can be movably driven between a covering position, in which it covers the housing opening, and an opened-up position in which it opens up the housing opening, having a coupler which can be driven by a rotary drive and by which the display unit and the cover can be movably driven and with which the movements of the display unit and of the cover can be coupled.
2. Related Art
in the case of a known display device which is used in particular in the instrument panel of a motor vehicle, the coupler has a multiplicity of pivot levers and rockers, and are therefore constructed with a large number of components, which also entails considerable assembly expenditure and installation space.
By way of the coupler, the display unit and the cover perform combined rotational and translatory movements in order to pass from the rest position, or covering position, into the displaying position or opened-up position.


A toothbrush head of an electric toothbrush, the toothbrush extending longitudinally and having a hand part, the toothbrush head including a drive rocker, a brush-head carrier coupled to the drive rocker, a main bristle carrier and an additional bristle carrier, both carriers bearing a bristle arrangement and moveably attached to the brush-head carrier and driven in oscillation by the drive rocker, and a drive-coupler affixed to at least one of the bristle carriers and coupled to the drive rocker. The head can include two separately mounted bristle carriers, supporting bristle arrangements, which are driven about different movement axes by the drive rocker to enhance the cleaning action of the toothbrush.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,312 discloses an electric toothbrush, on the brush head of which are provided two separate bristle carriers which are driven by a common drive shaft. One bristle carrier executes an oscillating rotary movement about an axis which is perpendicular to the brush handle. The other bristle carrier is pivoted back and forth about an axis which is parallel to the brush handle. Although this bristle-carrier arrangement causes an active relative movement between the clusters of bristles, it is disadvantageous insofar as it is restricted to a specific drive mechanism, namely a transmission rod which reciprocates in the axial direction. The additional bristle carrier, which is arranged further rearwards in the direction of the hand part, requires a cylindrical underside with a special curved groove, in which an engagement protrusion of the longitudinally oscillating drive axis engages. In addition, the configuration of the clusters of bristles arranged on the two bristle carriers is not particularly suited for cleaning spaces between the teeth effectively.


The invention relates to a device (1) for the treatment of a biological fluid, comprising at least three chambers, wherein a first chamber (3), which is provided for receiving the biological fluid, and a second chamber (7), which is provided for receiving a gas, are separated from each other by at least one gas-permeable and liquid-impermeable membrane (9), said membrane (9) being used to transfer gas molecules between the first and second chambers (3, 7), and wherein the first chamber (3) and a third chamber (13) are separated from each other by at least one liquid-permeable membrane (15) which is used to transfer one or more components between the first and third chambers (3, 13). The second chamber (7) is delimited or enclosed by the at least one gas-permeable and liquid-impermeable membrane (9) and is located inside the first chamber (3) or is substantially enclosed by the first chamber (3) such that the biological fluid surrounds the second chamber (7). Similarly, the third chamber (13) is delimited or enclosed by the at least one liquid-permeable membrane (15) and is located inside the first chamber (3) or is substantially enclosed by the first chamber (3) such that the biological fluid surrounds the third chamber (13).

The invention relates to a device for the treatment of a biological fluid, particularly a device comprising a chamber which is suitable for receiving a biological fluid, and another chamber which is suitable for receiving a gas, wherein the chambers are separated from each other by a gas-permeable membrane, and wherein the membrane allows a transfer of gas molecules between the chambers.
It is a gassing or degassing device, in which one or more gases can pass from one medium into another, or a gas exchange device, which allows the exchange of one or more gases between two media. Such devices are used in the fields of chemistry, biotechnology and medicine. An important application in medicine is the enrichment of blood with oxygen and/or the removal of carbon dioxide from blood. Such measures are e.g. essential for surgery of various characters and in the treatment of various pulmonary diseases.
Currently, the only long term effective treatment option for patients with end stage functional lung disease is lung transplantation. Other medical solution to permanently replace the function of the lungs does not however exist. In patients suffering from chronic lung diseases and which are not eligible for a lung transplant, there is a need for an artificial lung-assist. An example of this is premature infants who typically need support for their lung function over several weeks or even months. There is also a need for lung-assist devices for patients awaiting lung transplantation.
Patients who must be treated with artificial lung-assist procedure often also suffer from additional renal insufficiency. Diseases that can lead to lung failure, may require large volumes of fluid resuscitation, and patients often receive significant amounts of blood products. The resulting physical overload with fluids may possibly lead to a general deterioration of the patient's condition, to pulmonary oedema or even complete organ failure. Such patients are therefore connected to an additional hemodialysis or hemofiltration device. This leads however to a complicated constellation of treatment devices and greater stress on the vascular system of the patient.

Device for the treatment of biological fluid


A process for preparing a slurry of edible oil and fat powder, and to a process of preparing an edible fat-continuous spread out of such. The process for preparing said slurry has at least two different regimes of reduced pressure.

Fat continuous food products are well known in the art and include for example shortenings comprising a fat phase and water in oil spreads like margarine comprising a fat phase and an aqueous phase.
The fat phase of margarine and similar edible fat continuous spreads is often a mixture of liquid oil (i.e. fat that is liquid at ambient temperature) and fat which is solid at ambient temperatures. The solid fat, also called structuring fat or hardstock fat, serves to structure the fat phase (being the case in for example a shortening as well as in a water in oil emulsion) and helps to stabilize the aqueous phase, if present, by forming a fat crystal network. For a margarine or spread, ideally the structuring fat has such properties that it melts or dissolves at mouth temperature. Otherwise the product may have a heavy and/or waxy mouthfeel.
Important aspects of a fat continuous spread like for example margarine and low fat spread, the low fat spread usually comprising up to 45 wt % fat on total composition, are for example hardness, spreadability and ability to withstand temperature cycling.
Temperature cycling means that the product is subjected to low and high temperatures (e.g. when the consumer takes the product out of the refrigerator and leaves it for some time at the table prior to use). This may have a negative influence on the structure of the spread (like for example destabilization of the emulsion or oil-exudation).
Generally edible fat continuous food products like shortenings and margarines and similar edible fat continuous spreads are prepared according to prior art processes that encompass the following steps:    1. Mixing of the liquid oil, the structuring fat and if present the aqueous phase at a temperature at which the structuring fat is definitely liquid;    2. cooling of the mixture under high shear to induce crystallization of the structuring fat to create an emulsion;    3. formation of a fat crystal network to stabilize the resulting emulsion and give the product some degree of firmness;    4. modification of the crystal network to produce the desired firmness, confer plasticity and reduce the water droplet size.
These steps are usually conducted in a process that involves apparatus that allow heating, cooling and mechanical working of the ingredients, such as the churn process or the votator process. The churn process and the votator process are described in the Ullmans Encyclopedia, Fifth Edition, Volume A 16, pages 156-158.
A disadvantage of these processes is that the complete composition (including the liquid oil, structuring fat and if present the aqueous phase) is subjected to a heating step and a cooling step. This requires a lot of energy. For a spread comprising for example 6 wt % structuring fat the whole composition (100 wt %) has to be heated and cooled.
Another disadvantage of the known processes is that the choice of fats that can practically be used as structuring agent is rather limited. If the melting point of the structuring agent is too high the melting properties in the mouth are unsatisfactory. If on the other hand, the melting point is too low, the emulsion stability will be negatively affected. Moreover the amount of saturated fatty acids.
(SAFA) in the structuring agent is usually relatively high. Also trans fatty acid may be present. Some experts have called for reductions in these fatty acids to improve cardiovascular health.
Some consumers prefer spreads that have a low energy density (for example products that are low in total fat) and/or are low in SAFA but still have a good nutritional profile (by providing for example essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6).
A further disadvantage of the known processes is that the product or ingredients may deteriorate due to the changes in temperature caused by the heating and cooling step.
Alternative processes have been described wherein the structuring fat is added as fat powder (i.e. crystallized fat) thereby eliminating the need to heat the whole composition to above the melting temperature of the structuring fat.
EP 1865786 A discloses a process for the preparation of a spreadable edible dispersion wherein a mixture of oil and solid structuring agent particles is subjected to stirring and an aqueous phase is gradually added to the mixture until a dispersion is obtained. The solid structuring agent particles have a microporous structure of submicron size particles and can be prepared using a micronisation process. The solid structuring agent particles (i.e. can be seen as fat powder) in such process need to be mixed with oil. Such can be achieved in various ways. Mixing powders of low bulk density (i.e. very fluffy powders) with a liquid, e.g. edible oil, can pose some difficulties.
When fat powder of structuring fat (e.g. of the kind as set out in the previous paragraph) needs to be mixed with liquid oil, e.g. in a ratio such that the oil/fat powder mixture contains about 2-40% (by weight) fat powder on the oil/fat powder combination, it was found to be advantageous to reduce the pressure to partial vacuum (e.g. 0.2 bar or lower) in the mixing vessel containing the powder, prior to or during the addition of oil and/or during the mixing thereof. The pressure is then raised to atmospheric pressure during or after the mixing. If such mixing is conducted well and the temperature of the oil is kept below the melting point of the structuring fat, the resulting product is a slurry of oil containing crystallized fat particles of the structuring fat.
Said slurry has a higher viscosity than the oil before it was mixed with the fat powder. In fact, during mixing the viscosity increases, as the fat powder is finely dispersed in the oil. Hence, viscosity builds as the fat powder is dispersed. It was found that when such slurry is to be mixed with an aqueous phase to produce a water in oil emulsion, slurries that perform well in the resulting emulsion (stability, firmness), should have a certain minimum viscosity. The process of making such slurry can take e.g. from 2 to 60 minutes. Clearly, it is desired that the required mixing time is as short as possible. Mixing (of oil and fat powder) time can depend on e.g. the type of equipment, the amount of powder over the oil, the type of oil and the type of fat used for the fat powder.
Still, despite the lowering of the pressure in the vessel in which the fat powder is contacted with the oil, in case the fat powder is a microporous fat powder as is e.g. described in J. of Supercritical Fluids 43 (2007) 181-190 and EP1651338 the mixing can cause difficulties.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved mixing process of mixing liquid oil with a microporous fat powder, in which viscosity builds sufficiently fast, or in other words: that mixing to yield a desired viscosity is achieved in a reduced amount of time.
US 2011/0287160 discloses a process for the preparation of low fat spreads comprising an emulsifier. The low fat spreads are made by mixing fat powder and oil, followed by mixing with an aqueous phase. At least part of the emulsifier is added through the aqueous phase.
US 2013/0192278 discloses a process for making fat powder by spray crystallization (or cryogenic spray process) for structuring oil-containing dispersions.

Process for preparing a fat slurry and for preparing a spread with said slurry


A system and method are described for electroporating a sample that utilizes one or more sets of electrodes that are spaced apart in order to hold a surface tension constrained sample between the electrodes. The first electrode is connected to the lower body of the system while the second electrode is connected to the upper body. Both electrodes are connected to a pulse generator. Each electrode has a sample contact surface such that the first electrode and the second electrode may be positioned to hold a surface tension constrained sample between the two sample contact surfaces and the sample may receive a selected electric pulse.

Gene silencing using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) has become a powerful method for studying gene function. The use of siRNAs often accelerates applications such as target validation, gene discovery, tissue engineering and gene therapeutic approaches. siRNAs are often used by researchers to reduce the expression of specific genes in mammalian cells. Researchers may design siRNAs or purchase validated siRNAs for their target of interest and transfect them into culture cells. Human primary cells are often desired for such experiments because they are more similar to their in vivo counterparts than are immortalized cells. However, common chemical-based transfection methods that work well for cell lines often fail to transfect primary cells.
One technique that has been used with considerable success to deliver siRNA to cells (including primary cells) is electroporation. Electroporation involves applying an electric field pulse to cells to induce the formation of microscopic pores (electropores) in the cell membrane allowing molecules, ions, and water to traverse the destabilized cell membrane. The transfer of nucleic acids to cells by electroporation is an effective method for achieving high efficiency transfections in vitro and in vivo. Under specific pulse conditions, the electropores reseal and the "electroporated" cells recover and continue to grow.
Successfully delivering functional siRNA to cells typically requires that several optimum electroporation conditions be determined. To determine optimal electroporation conditions, a comprehensive set of data is usually generated from a collection of different transfection conditions including: testing various electrical wave-forms, types of electroporation buffers, different temperatures, and cell densities. Careful examination of these parameters for a new cell type typically requires lengthy processing times using standard cuvette-based electroporation methods.
In some electroporation environments successful delivery and cell viability depend on multiple electrical parameters such as: field strength (primarily voltage in relation to gap width), pulse length, and number of pulses. Determining the optimum electroporation conditions for delivering siRNA is typically a lengthy and costly process. Additional experimentation may then be carried out to test multiple different siRNAs in various amounts to modulate the target gene (or genes) to a desired level of expression.
A significant drawback to electroporation is the format in which it is conducted. Commercially available electroporation instruments use sample cuvettes and require significant amounts of preparation. This limits the number and types of experiments that can be performed, incurs the expense of using a specialized cuvette to deliver the desired pulse to the sample, and requires significant time and effort to deposit samples within the cuvettes, deposit the cuvettes in an appropriate apparatus, and to remove the electroporated sample from the cuvette.

System and method for electroporating a sample


A method of determining a required blood flow includes obtaining morphological information of a coronary artery in a cardiac image, segmenting the cardiac image into at least one myocardial region based on the morphological information of the coronary artery, and determining a blood flow required for each of the at least one myocardial region.

1. Field
The following description relates to a method of determining a required blood flow based on a medical image, a method of producing a blood flow image, and a method of processing a myocardial perfusion image.
2. Description of Related Art
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a disease characterized by reduced blood supply of the heart muscle, usually due to coronary artery stenosis. Diagnosing IHD may be largely based on detection of an abnormality in a motion of the heart wall, determination of a degree of cardiac stenosis based on a shape of a coronary artery, and quantitative measurement of a blood flow to the myocardium.
To detect an abnormality in a motion of the heart wall, echocardiography (ECG), cardiac cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art may be used. To determine a degree of cardiac stenosis based on a shape of a coronary artery, coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography, magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, catheter coronary angiography (CAG), intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and other techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art may be used. To measure a blood flow to the myocardium quantitatively, a pressure guide wire, positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), perfusion MRI, and other techniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art may be used.
Use of image processing techniques in diagnosing of IHD has advanced at a rapid rate. Applications of these image processing techniques in a medical image of the heart or cardiovascular system may achieve an accurate, simple, convenient, and non-invasive diagnosis of IHD.

Method and apparatus for determining blood flow required, method and apparatus for producing blood flow image, and method and apparatus for processing myocardial perfusion image


According to a general aspect, a method can include receiving a request, triggered via a consumer account, to access, using a social media application, a plurality of sharer content. The sharer content can be associated with a sharer account using the social media application. The method can include retrieving, in response to the request, a consumer value and a relationship value. The consumer value can represent an interaction with the social media application via the consumer account and the relationship value can characterize a relationship between a consumer identifier of the consumer account and a sharer identifier of the sharer account. The method can include selecting a subset of sharer content from the plurality of sharer content based on a combination of the consumer value and the relationship value, and can include defining a portion of a presentation customized for the consumer account using the selected subset of sharer content.

Several known social media applications are available for sharing of content (e.g., image content, audio content, textual content) through, for example, the Internet. A user of one of these known social media applications can share content via the social media application with another user of the social media application. A user sharing content using the social media application can be referred to as a sharer, and a user consuming content using the social media application can be referred to as a consumer. Because the volume of the content shared via the social media application by the sharer can be relatively large and/or diverse, sifting through the content to pick and choose content that would be of interest to the consumer can be unpleasant and/or time-consuming for the consumer. The sifting may be undesirable because, for example, large portions of the content shared by the sharer through the social media application may not be relevant to the consumer or duplicative of other content already consumed by the consumer. Thus, a need exists for systems, methods, and apparatus to address the shortfalls of present technology and to provide other new and innovative features.

Customized presentations associated with a social media application based on relationships


An image sensor module having a light gathering region and a light non-gathering region includes an image sensor, a light blocking spacer, a lens layer and a fixing shell. The light blocking spacer is disposed on the image sensor and located in the light non-gathering region. The light blocking spacer has a through hole exposing a portion of the image sensor in the light gathering region. The lens layer is disposed on the light blocking spacer and covers the through hole. The lens layer includes a transparent substrate and a lens disposed on the transparent substrate and located in the light gathering region. The fixing shell located in the light non-gathering region wraps the sidewalls of the image sensor, the light blocking spacer and the lens layer continuously. The material of the fixing shell includes a thermosetting material. A method for manufacturing the image sensor module is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image sensor module and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to an image sensor module having high structure strength and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
With the trend of the module miniaturization and low-cost of the electronic product, the appearance of the wafer level module (WLM) technology draws people's attention. The WLM technology miniaturizes the size of the electronic product and reduces the manufacturing cost by mainly the wafer level manufacturing technology. The WLM technology may be applied to the manufacture of the lens module of the image sensor module such that the size of the lens module may be reduced comparing to the traditional lens module and maybe applied to the camera module of the electronic device, such as notebooks, mobile phones, etc.
FIG. 1 shows the cross-section view of the conventional image sensor module using the WLM technology. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional image sensor module 100 has an image sensor device 110, a spacer 120 and a lens device 130. The spacer 120 has a through hole 122 such that the light emitted to the lens device 130 may be emitted to the image sensor device 110 through the through hole 122.
The bonding area between the image sensor device 110 and the spacer 120, or the spacer 120 and the lens device 130 is smaller conventionally. Therefore, the problem of insufficient bonding strength to each other easily occurs. In addition, during the subsequent process or transportation, when the image sensor module 100 sustains an impact, the image sensor device 110 and the spacer 120 (or the spacer 120 and the lens device 130) are easily displaced or even separated such that the imaging quality of the image sensor module 100 is lowered or the image sensor module 100 is damaged. Moreover, the conventional spacer 120 is usually made of the transparent material, such as glass or plastics. Therefore, the flare passes through the spacer 120 easily during optical imaging such that the noise ratio of optical imaging of the image sensor module 100 becomes significant to lower the imaging quality.

Image sensor module and method of manufacturing the same