In one embodiment, a device of an electric vehicle requests in-motion charging of the electric vehicle. The device receives an indication of a charging vehicle able to provide in-motion charging to the first electric vehicle. The device coordinates in-motion docking of the electric vehicle to the charging vehicle. The device supervises in-motion charging of the electric vehicle by the charging vehicle.

Electric vehicles are becoming more and more ubiquitous and provide a number of benefits over that of petroleum-fueled vehicles. First, unlike petroleum-fueled vehicles, purely electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions. This lack of pollution can have a considerable effect on the environment and can reduce or even eliminate certain environmental conditions, such as smog in an urban environment. Second, electric vehicles allow for a greater number of energy sources to be utilized. For example, an electric vehicle can be charged using electricity generated by any number of energy sources such as solar, nuclear, hydroelectric, and the like.
While electric vehicles have certain advantages over those of petroleum-fueled vehicles, transitioning the word's fleet to electric vehicles is not without difficulty. Notably, while there are many fueling stations for petroleum-fueled vehicles, there are still a comparatively sparse number of charging stations for electric vehicles. For many parts of the country, the lack of charging station availability has hindered electric vehicle adoption. Indeed, the lack of charging availability for electric vehicles remains a major technical hurdle before widespread adoption of electric vehicles can take place.

In-motion electric vehicle-to-vehicle recharging


A method for treating a bifurcation aneurysm, the aneurysm having an aneurysm neck, by positioning a first mechanically expandable device in a first bifurcation branch proximate to the aneurysm neck; positioning a second mechanically expandable device in a second bifurcation branch proximate to the aneurysm neck; and expanding the mechanically expandable devices to constrict the aneurysm neck such that blood circulation to the bifurcation aneurysm is reduced.

An aneurysm is a bulge or a weakening of a wall of an artery. An aneurysm usually occurs where one main blood vessel splits into two (bifurcation) or three smaller vessels (trifurcation). Bifurcation aneurysms account for approximately 35% of all cases of intracranial hemorrhagic disease.
Aneurysms may burst and cause bleeding into a covering around the brain called the subarachnoid space. This is referred to as a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Subarachnoid hemorrhage secondary to a ruptured aneurysm causes a severe headache.
Therefore, there is a desire for minimally invasive, less traumatic methods to treat bifurcation and trifurcation aneurysms.


Apparatus for indicating a predetermined snap-off between a circuit board and a stencil in a solder paste printing process for printed circuit boards. The apparatus includes a triangular shaped plate having a lever member, where a portion of the lever member extends through a stencil hole for engaging the circuit board. The plate further includes two support members for resting on top of the stencil. The centroid of the weight of the plate is between the two support members and the lever member to urge the plate to pivot about the two support members. On the end opposite the two support members is an indicator cone for indicating the predetermined snap-off of the circuit board relative to the stencil. Advantageously a method for positioning the stencil and the circuit board at a predetermined snap-off during the solder paste printing process for printed circuit boards is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for printing solder paste for printed circuit boards and, more particularly, to an apparatus for indicating a predetermined snap-off between a circuit board and a mask used during the solder paste printing process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the conventional solder paste printing process, solder paste is used to form the interconnections between electronic components and the circuit board. The solder paste is preferably supplied in an amount sufficient to provide both electrical and mechanical connections without producing bridging.
The basic materials used in the solder paste printing process are masks comprising a stencil or screen; squeegee; solder paste and a circuit board. Variables besides these basic materials that affect print quality are printing machine parameters or settings. Some of the machine settings or parameters comprise the following items, squeegee speed and pressure, snap-off and the relative parallelism of the circuit board, stencil/screen and the squeegee. For example, the squeegee shape and hardness will affect the end result of the solder paste printing process. Also, the type of solder paste used including its viscosity, tackiness, particle size and percent metals will effect the end result of the process.
Of the two methods of printing solder paste, stencil printing is presently the most prevalent method used though screen printing is still used in many instances. Stencil printing allows the use of solder paste with larger particle size and a higher viscosity. However, one of the more critical setup requirements for the stencil printing equipment is snap-off. Snap-off is defined as the distance between the circuit board and the stencil. One of the benefits of proper snap-off is better separation of the stencil from the circuit board after the solder paste has been deposited. Also, too much snap-off makes it difficult to maintain the X-Y alignment of the stencil and smearing becomes more of a problem. Snap-off is usually small, approximately 0.040 inches. However, as a rule of thumb the maximum snap-off used should not exceed ten times the stencil thickness.
During the solder paste printing process, the stencil completely covers up the entire circuit board leaving no access from the sides or below to determine if the proper snap-off has been achieved. One of the ways that snap-off is measured is through a hole in the stencil. Particularly, a pin is stuck down through the stencil hole until it engages the circuit board, marked and the distance on the marked pin is then measured. If the desired snap-off is not achieved, then the stencil or the circuit board is moved and the measurement taken again. If the desired snap-off is still not achieved, the stencil or the circuit board would be moved again and the measurement would be taken again.
Another method for setting the snap-off is designed for use with the Fuji GSP-II screen printer manufactured by Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company, Ltd. of Japan. In this method, the circuit board is positioned onto the vacuum plate of the GSP screen printer. The stencil is secured to a frame on the GSP screen printer. The frame, positioned above the vacuum plate, is raised. The vacuum plate holding the circuit board is then lowered to its lowest position by using the "snap-off" control hand crank. A bare board with a predetermined height equal to the desired snap-off distance of 0.040" is then centrally positioned on top of the circuit board. The frame with the stencil is lowered. The snap-off control hand crank is turned to move the vacuum plate upward until the top of the bare board "just" touches the underside surface of the stencil. This touching of the board to the stencil can be seen through the holes in the stencil. If the stencil begins to deflect upward the snap-off hand crank is backed off (moving the vacuum plate downward) to lower the circuit board. This position is then set into the memory of the GSP screen printer. The frame with stencil is then raised, the bare board removed from the circuit board, and the frame is returned to its set position. Subsequently the squeegee is used to apply the solder paste and the electronic components are then placed onto the paste. The circuit board with the paste deposited on it is then sent through an infra-red oven where it becomes liquidous and solders the electronic components in place.
An alternative to the above FUJI method for setting the snap-off is to use a 0.040 inch thick plastic 5".times.5" shim gauge with one side painted red instead of the above discussed bare board. This 5".times.5" red shim gauge is centrally positioned on the circuit board where the red painted side can be seen through the stencil holes. Both the bare board and red shim guage methods of setting the snap-off require that the entire board/guage touch the bottom of the stencil not just the corners since the board/guage may be slightly bowed. In some cases the operator is unable to determine when the shim gauge is fully engaging the stencil, making the accuracy less than desired. An easier and more accurate method to measure snap-off is desired in the industry.

Apparatus and method for solder paste printing process for printed circuit boards


A piezoelectric device, such as a surface acoustic wave filter, comprises a piezoelectric film composed of a lead zirconium titanate compound applied to a substrate formed of silicon or gallium arsenide. The device includes an intermediate film between the piezoelectric film and the substrate and composed of a lead-free zirconium titanate compound to prevent interaction between lead oxide in the piezoelectric material and the material of the substrate that would otherwise cause spalling or adversely effect the electrical properties of the substrate. The piezoelectric device is made by first applying the film of the lead-free zirconium titanate compound and thereafter applying the film of the lead zirconium titanate compound. Preferably, the lead-free zirconium titanate film is applied by sputtering and annealed to densify the material and increase the dielectric constant prior to depositing the piezoelectric material.

This invention relates to a device comprising a thin film composed of a piezoelectric lead zirconium titanate compound and applied to a substrate formed of silicon or gallium arsenide. More particularly, this invention relates to such device comprising an intermediate film formed of non-piezoelectric lead-free zirconium titanate material to improve adhesion of the piezoelectric film to the substrate.
Piezoelectric materials are utilized in many types of electronic devices. For example, a surface acoustic wave filter, commonly referred to as a SAW filter, typically comprises spaced transducers attached to the surface of a piezoelectric film. An oscillating electrical signal applied to a first transducer creates acoustic waves that transverse the piezoelectric surface and, depending upon frequency and spacing, stimulates a second transducer to produce an output electrical signal. Such filters are effective to select signals having frequencies within a relatively narrow passband from a broad spectrum.
A preferred piezoelectric material is composed of lead zirconium titanate compound. As used herein, lead zirconium titanate refers to an oxide containing, as metallic constituents, predominantly lead, zirconium and titanium and optionally containing a minor amount of lanthanum, niobium, antimony, tungsten, tantalum, barium, strontium, neodymium, tin or other metallic agent in substitution for a portion of the lead to enhance particular electrical properties thereof. A thin film of the compound is sputtered onto a substrate, after which it is necessary to anneal the film at a temperature between about 500.degree. C. and 750.degree. C. to form a fine crystalline microstructure that brings about the desired piezoelectric properties. It has been proposed to deposit the piezoelectric film onto a silicon substrate of the type used in forming an integrated circuit die to permit the film to be combined with other electrical features. However, the compound contains lead oxide that reacts with silicon at the relatively high temperatures required to anneal the lead zirconium titanate and produces a glass phase at the interface that tends to crack, even during cooling following anneal, resulting in spalling of the piezoelectric film. This problem is exasperated by stresses created by differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion between the lead zirconium titanate compound and the silicon. Lead zirconium titanate similarly exhibits poor adhesion when applied to a substrate formed of gallium arsenide, an alternate material for integrated circuit die. Moreover, diffusion of lead into the gallium arsenide significantly affects the electrical properties of the substrate.
It has been proposed to apply platinum and titanium layers to separate the lead zirconium titanate and the substrate. The lead zirconium titanate is deposited onto the platinum layer to prevent interaction with the silicon, whereas the titanium forms a protective barrier to inhibit interaction between the platinum and the silicon that would otherwise occur at the lead zirconium titanate annealing temperature and lead to crack formation. These dual layers not only contribute significantly to the cost, but also, being formed of conductive metal, may affect electrical features in the substrate. Moreover, at the annealing temperatures, interaction between the titanium and the platinum layers tends to produce a rough surface in the piezoelectric layer that causes significant acoustic losses. Thus, there remains a need for a piezoelectric device that permits the preferred lead zirconium titanate compound to be applied to a substrate formed of silicon or gallium arsenide without requiring a metallic barrier and without reducing the acoustic properties of the piezoelectric layer.

Piezoelectric lead zirconium titanate device and method for forming same


A process for the preparation of chlorine and sodium sulphate which contains the steps of reacting sulphuric acid with sodium sulphate and ferric oxide or alumina, crystallizing and drying the resulting double salt trisodium-iron(III) sulphate or trisodium-aluminum sulphate and roasting the obtained trisodium-iron(III) sulphate or trisodium-aluminum sulphate with sodium chloride under the influence of oxygen thereby forming sodium sulphate, chlorine and ferric oxide or alumina.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for the preparation of chlorine and sodium sulphate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,254,014 (filed Nov. 21, 1939); 2,276,079 (filed July 29, 1939) and 2,445,117 (filed Dec. 23, 1939) are disclosed processes, whereby chlorine and sodium sulphate are produced. A disadvantage of the processes is that the chlorine produced is contaminated with sulphur dioxide, generally in equimolar amounts as can be easily seen from the reaction equations.

Production of chlorine and sodium sulphate


An axial field motor/generator having a rotor that includes at least three annular discs magnetized to provide multiple sector-shaped poles. Each sector has a polarity opposite that of an adjacent sector, and each sector is polarized through the thickness of the disc. The poles of each magnet are aligned with opposite poles of each adjacent magnet. Metal members adjacent the outermost two magnets contain the flux. The motor/generator also has a stator that includes a stator assembly between each two adjacent magnets. Each stator assembly includes one or more conductors or windings. Although the conductors may be formed of wire having a round, uniform cross-section, they may alternatively be formed of conductors having a tapered cross-section that corresponds to the taper of the sectors in order to maximize the density of the conductor in the gap between axially adjacent poles. The conductors may also alternatively be formed of traces in a printed circuit, which may have one or more layers. Each stator assembly may be removably connectable to another stator assembly to provide modularity in manufacturing and to facilitate selection of the voltage at which the motor/generator is to operate. Electrical contacts, such as pins extending from the casing, may removably connect the conductors of adjacent stator assemblies. A magnet may be dynamically balanced on the shaft by hardening a thin ring-of cross-linked resin between the magnet and the shaft while the shaft is spun, using ultraviolet light to polymerize the resin.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electric motor/generators and, more specifically, to a permanent magnet, axial field motor/generator.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electric motor, which is a machine for converting current into motion, typically includes a rotor that rotates within a stator in response to a magnetic field. In a permanent magnet motor, the rotor or stator, typically the stator, includes one or more permanent magnets that generate a magnetic field. Permanent magnets may be made of ferrous metals or ferroceramic materials. Because the machine may also be used to convert motion into electric current, the machine is often referred to in the art as a motor/generator or a dynamo. Therefore, although the term "motor" is used herein for convenience, it should be understood that the same machine may be used as a generator.
The rotor or stator of a permanent magnet motor, typically the rotor, includes conductors, such as copper wire, wound around a form. These windings typically have numerous turns of the wire in order to maximize the magnitude of the magnetic field.
In certain permanent magnet motors, the stator includes a metal casing that holds two or more magnets and completes the magnetic circuit between them. The casing typically comprises metal plates or laminations to minimize eddy currents. Increasing the amount of metal in the casing lowers the reluctance of the circuit, thereby increasing the proportion of magnetic flux in the gaps between the magnet poles through which the rotor windings move.
Common motor magnet materials include iron, an aluminum-nickel-cobalt alloy known as Alnico, and rare-earth materials, such as a samarium-cobalt alloy. These materials provide a strong magnetic field but are quite heavy.
Motor magnets commonly must be magnetized in-place, i.e., after they have been assembled into the metal motor casing, to minimize demagnetization upon assembly. If a magnet is removed from the casing (or inserted into it), the act of removing (or inserting) it generally demagnetizes it to some extent. Replacing the magnet would result in diminished performance. To minimize demagnetization, a metal "keeper" may temporarily be attached to a magnet prior to mounting it in a motor or other device.
Practitioners in the art have developed axial field motors having magnets disposed on a rotor with their fields aligned parallel to the axis of rotation of the motor. Axial field motors do not require heavy metal casings to contain the field. Practitioners in the art have developed small axial field motors that include economical ferroceramic magnets. Unlike rare earth magnets, ferroceramic magnets can readily be magnetized into multiple poles because they have a relative permeability (".mu.") on the order of 1. (Permeability is defined as the ratio between the magnetic field density (B) of a material to its magnetic field intensity (H). Air, by definition, has a relative permeability of 1.) In certain such motors, each rotor disc is magnetized into multiple sector-shaped poles. Each sector has a polarity opposite that of an adjacent sector, and each sector is polarized through the thickness of the disc. The rotor is disposed adjacent to the stator on a common axis. The stator of such a motor typically consists of multiple toroidal windings. The magnetic field through which the windings pass is concentrated between two adjacent sectors of the same disc.
Motors having ferroceramic magnets produce lower torque than motors having magnets made of high-permeability materials, such as iron, Alnico and rare earth materials, because ferroceramic magnets exhibit a lower flux density. To obtain an increase in torque, the rotor may have two disc magnets, one on each side of the stator. Half of each toroidal winding of the stator thus passes through the magnetic field generated by one magnet of the rotor, and the other half of the winding passes through the magnetic field generated by the other rotor magnet. Nevertheless, the density of the flux through which each winding half moves is limited to that produced by the disc magnet to which it is closest. The use of multiple pole ferroceramic magnets is therefore largely confined to small, low-torque motors, such as stepper-type motors used in disk drives.
It would be desirable to provide an economical motor that has a high power-to-weight or efficiency ratio. These needs are clearly expressed in the art and are satisfied by the present invention in the manner described below.

Method for selectively coupling layers of a stator in a motor/generator


A waterproof assembly includes a casing, a gasket, and a cap. The casing has an opening. The gasket includes a main body and a protruding portion. The main body has a first circular raised structure configured to abut against an inner surface of the casing. The protruding portion is connected to the main body and is configured to at least partially protrude out of the casing through the opening. The cap is configured to abut against a side of the main body away from the opening. The cap has a through hole configured to be aligned with the protruding portion. The casing further has a plurality of fixing members configured to abut against a side of the cap away from the gasket.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a waterproof assembly, and particularly to a waterproof assembly applied to an outdoor network device.
Description of Related Art
Outdoor electronic devices are required to be waterproof and dustproof, so as to function normally under bad weather conditions such as rain. Buttons of outdoor electronic devices are usually equipped with waterproof structures to prevent liquid from penetrating through the gaps of the casings. Outdoor electronic devices that are commercially available usually implement waterproof function by adding a waterproof cover on the outside of a button. A drawback of such approach is inconvenience, as the waterproof cover has to be opened each time before using the button, and has to be closed after that.
In addition, there are also waterproof techniques involving the usage of waterproof gaskets. However, waterproof gaskets are required to be fixed into place by screwing through assembly, making electronic devices inconvenient to assemble. Furthermore, screwing renders waterproof gaskets prone to deformation and become loose after being used for a period of time, thereby affecting their waterproof capability.
Consequently, how to provide a waterproof assembly to resolve the aforementioned issues is one of the directions that should be urgently endeavored.


An electromagnet control device includes a current value determining circuit configured to execute a second process for determining, based on a second function, a value of the current, in the case that the magnetic flux density is to be decreased from that in a first magnetization state, and a fourth process for expanding or reducing the second function by use of a first scaling ratio for transforming it to a fourth function, and determining, based on the fourth function obtained after above transformation, a value of the current, in the case that the magnetic flux density is to be decreased from that in a third magnetization state. The current value determining circuit is further configured to determine the first scaling ratio in such a manner that the second function fits measured data that are obtained in advance by decreasing the magnetic flux density from that in the third magnetization state.

In a plasma processing device (for example, a plasma etching device and so on) in prior art, an etching method using magnetron discharge has been developed to be practically used. The above method is that for efficiently etching a surface of a wafer, in a chamber into which an etching gas is introduced, by applying an electric field in a direction and a magnetic field in another direction which are orthogonal to each other, and using drift motion of electrons that occurs when the above fields are applied.
In such an etching device, for controlling distribution of plasma density in a chamber, the generated magnetic field is controlled by a magnet positioned outside the chamber. Regarding methods for controlling magnetic fields, a method in which a permanent magnet is mechanically moved and a method in which current applied to an electromagnet is controlled have been known, for example. In the method in which a permanent magnet is mechanically moved, it is difficult to finely adjust plasma density distribution, since strength of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet is fixed. Accordingly, in prior art, a method in which current applied to an electromagnet is controlled has been adopted.
On the other hand, regarding an electromagnet, it has been known that magnetic hysteresis (hereinafter, this is simply referred to as "hysteresis") exists between the controlled current applied to the electromagnet and the generated magnetic flux density. That is, since the magnetic flux density obtained as a result of application of current to the electromagnet is affected by a residual magnetic field, it may not be always true that the same magnetic flux density value is reproduced when the same current is applied.
One of methods for reducing the effect of residual magnetism, such as that explained above, is a method in which a current value is corrected by taking a hysteresis characteristic into consideration (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2017-084563).

Electromagnet control device and electromagnet system


A method and apparatus are provided for removing gelatinous tissue, such as cataractous lens tissue, from a patient. A probe-like instrument is provided which includes a thin, perforated plate mounted to an end thereof. A rotatable cutting tool is positioned within the probe and includes a cutting edge which bears against the perforated plate. The plate is moved into contact with a tissue mass, thereby causing portions of the tissue mass to project through the perforations in the plate. Rotation of the cutting tool causes the tissue mass to be sheared into small fragments which can be removed by aspiration.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to methods and apparatus for removing gelatinous or other relatively soft tissue during a surgical procedure.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The presence of certain types of soft tissue masses in the body often necessitates surgery. Lens tissue, which is generally a clear, transparent tissue located posterior to the pupil and iris, should be removed if it becomes opaque or milk-white in appearance. This condition is known as cataract, and can cause partial or total blindness.
A number of different techniques have been employed for removing cataractous tissue. U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,363 discloses a method for removing cataracts known as phacoemulsification. An ultrasonically vibrated tool is used in this method to break up the cataractous tissue. The tissue is then aspirated out of the eye by means of a suction device. An instrument for performing phacoemulsification is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,420. A small limbal incision, preferably three to four millimeters in length, is made into the anterior chamber of the eye if this instrument is employed.
Other types of cutting instruments are also known for performing surgery. U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,375 discloses an instrument for removing tissue which includes a fluted cutter drill housed in a probe. In use, the probe is inserted within an incision and the cutter drill caused to rotate with respect to the shearing edges of an opening in the probe. Suction is applied through the probe to draw tissue into the opening. A shearing cut is made between the cutter drill and the opening, and the tissue is removed through a passage within the probe.
Other types of surgical cutting instruments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,732,858, 3,844,272, 3,937,222, 3,976,077, and 4,368,734.

Method and apparatus for removing gelatinous tissue


The invention relates to a device for implementing a block-ciphering process using an encryption/decryption arithmetic-logic module (3) which is supplied with the data stream of word length jxe2x89xa6n to be ciphered. The invention is characterized in that the arithmetic-logic module (3) includes a plurality of encryption/decryption elements (5), each of which forms a stage of a computing pipeline, the stages being designed such that they operate independently of each other in different modes of operation and with different keys. Supported by further components and data paths surrounding the encryption/decryption arithmetic-logic module (3), the invention allows up to p data streams, each with independently selectable word lengths jxe2x89xa6n and modes of operation, to be encrypted or decrypted simultaneously. In addition, the architecture of the device permits different logical data streams to be processed directly consecutively and free of conflict on the physical channels provided by the hardware resources.

The present invention relates to a device for implementing a block-ciphering process using an encryption/decryption arithmetic-logic module which is supplied with a data stream of word length n that is to be ciphered.
The German Patent No. 4016203 describes a device of this type for implementing a block-ciphering process. The conventional arithmetic-logic module has a plurality of encryption/decryption elements, each of which forms a stage of a computing pipeline. The individual stages of the computing pipeline are able to operate with different keys.
The disadvantage of the conventional device is that different operating modes are not executable, to be named in particular being the operating modes defined in the ISO-10116 standard (ECB, CBC, CBC-MAC, CFB, OFB).
The European Patent No. 0 454 187 describes a random-data generator, usable for ciphering operations, having an arithmetic-logic module with a pipeline structure which is subdivided into a plurality of processing channels. When generating the random data in this generator, the data in all channels are linked to one another. It is not possible to process a plurality of input-data streams simultaneously.
Therefore, an object of the invention is a device capable of encrypting/decrypting different data streams in various ISO-10116 modes of operation simultaneously.
According to the present invention, upstream of an arithmetic-logic module is an exclusive OR gate that carries out a bit-by-bit logical combination of two input words of word length n, one input of the exclusive OR gate is connected to a first multiplexer device, and the second input is connected to a second multiplexer device. According to the present invention, the input-data stream is fed to the first multiplexer device. In addition, the present invention provides for one input of the second multiplexer device to be connected to an output of a temporary storage device designed to store a plurality of start and initialization values for the ciphering process, as well as data-input and feedback values. Because a plurality of start and initialization values, i.e., data-input and feedback values for the ciphering processes are held ready in the temporary storage device, it is advantageously possible to provide a single device that can be operated in different operating modes. Furthermore, the temporary storage of data-input and feedback values by the temporary storage device provided in the present invention also makes it possible to switch over to a different operating mode within a data stream to be ciphered. Therefore, the device according to the present invention makes it possible to provide the ISO-10116 operating modes in terms of hardware. Moreover, due to the layout of the data paths according to the present invention between the devices connected in incoming circuit to the arithmetic-logic module, in particular the exclusive OR gate and a first and second multiplexer device, and due to the provision according to the present invention of a temporary storage device, it is also possible to encrypt and/or decrypt different data streams in different ISO-10116 operating modes simultaneously. In addition, a conflict-free change of the operating modes for the various data streams to be processed is possible without at the same time interrupting the processing. Particularly because of the provision of a temporary storage device, it is also possible to take advantage of the processing of a plurality of data streams in time-division multiplex operation. Security is also advantageously increased, such that decryption by unauthorized persons is nearly ruled out, since using an operating mode (CBC, CFB, OFB), and given the same key, a greater xe2x80x9cscramblingxe2x80x9d of the data is achieved due to the feedback of (intermediate-) results than in the case of the simpler ECB operating mode.
Owing to the multi-stage computing pipeline, hardware resources are made available for simultaneously processing a number of data streams, corresponding to the number of stages, which are independent of one another and shall be designated as physical channels.
The independence of the physical channels makes it possible to create independent logical channels and to map them onto the physical channels. It is possible for the number of logical channels to exceed the number of physical channels. The use of the physical channels by the logical channels takes place in time-division multiplex operation. Such a logical channel is characterized by a data stream for the encryption/decryption of the respective mode of operation, as well as the associated key and, if applicable, a start/initialization value. In order to make a clearer distinction, in the following, the logical channels are also referred to as contexts.
The device according to the present invention allows ISO 10116 modes of operation to be implemented in encryption processes, the computing pipeline is operated in several rounds for carrying out the encryption/decryption operation. Typical examples of encryption processes are the IDEA (International Data Encryption Algorithm) or the DES (Data Encryption Standard) processes.
A further advantage of the device according to the invention is that it is hot necessary to observe any restrictions whatsoever with regard to the combinations, occurring in the event of a context change, of the preceding mode of operation (for a context which is to be swapped out) and the following mode of operation (for the context to be newly initialized).
In an appropriate design of the device on conflict-free data transmission paths, given the simultaneous conclusion of operation in one context (transmission and securing of the results or of the start value for restarting the encryption/decryption process in the context now ended) and the start of operation in the new context, no additional delay is needed in the event of a context change.
Context changes without additional delays are achieved by an operation-overlapping change of subkey or key. The subkeys or keys required for the new context are loaded in the storage elements allocated to the encryption/decryption elements in such a manner that keys, which have already been executed by the presently still active context, are overwritten in the storage elements.
During normal operation (start/continuation/end of a further encryption/decryption in a currently active context without a directly preceding/following change of context), all data paths outside the arithmetic-logic module are assigned to a channel for the duration of a clock-pulse period. Conversely, when there is a change of context (the old logical channel is ended, its newly calculated start value is stored outside the present device for a resumption of the context, and the new logical channel is initialized and commences execution in the same clock pulse), both the old context to be swapped out (in the output area of the device) and the new context to be swapped in (in the input area of the device) are simultaneously active.
The incorporation of data-valid information for characterizing the data located in a pipeline stage guarantees continuous operation even in cases where, due to different data rates in the different active contexts, temporarily no valid input data is available for one or more channels. In such cases, the computing pipeline is not stopped, but continues in operation while the channel(s).without valid input data is (are) marked. The incorporation of valid-data bits and the mode of operation in each channel of the pipeline (i.e. in a separate lookup table) is necessary for the conditional storage of intermediate results in the register elements provided, or in a data buffer connected to the data output and also in order to determine the data paths used by the channel.

Device for implementing a block-ciphering process


A detection element can obtain a high-resolution radiation image having a high signal intensity and a high S/N ratio. A detection element including a substrate having a through hole, an insulating layer arranged inside of the through hole, a through electrode arranged further to the inner side of the through hole than the insulating layer, a resin layer having insulating properties and having an opening portion exposing the through electrode, a first electrode arranged above the through electrode and the resin layer, the first electrode being connected to the through electrode through the opening portion, and a second electrode arranged above the resin layer, the second electrode being separated from the first electrode.

Research into gas electron amplification type radiation detectors using pixel type electrodes is proceeding. In radiation detection by a conventional detector, large area and real-time imaging can not be sufficiently realized in image imaging of the detection region. On the other hand, the gas electron amplification type radiation detector is characterized by being capable of real-time image imaging with a large area.
Regarding the structure of the gas electron amplification type radiation detector, for example, reference can be made to Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Publication No. 2015-111057, Japanese Patent No. 3354551, Japanese Patent No. 4391391 and Japanese Patent No. 3535045.
In the radiation detector of Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Publication No. 2015-111057, as is shown in FIG. 6 of Japanese Laid Open Patent Application Publication No. 2015-111057, for example, a through hole is filled with a through electrode and an upper end is constricted by an insulating resin layer so that an anode electrode having a size smaller than that of the through electrode within the through hole is formed. However, in this structure, since the upper end part of the anode electrode where an electric field is the most concentrated is in contact with the resin layer, problems occurred such as an inability to obtain a sufficient electric field intensity or disorder of an electric field. As a result, it was difficult to stably obtain a high gas amplification ratio. That is, it was difficult to realize a radiation detector which could obtain a high-resolution radiation image having a high signal intensity and a high S/N ratio.


A system includes a remote controller, such as a fob, and a base station at a target device, such as a vehicle. The remote controller and the base station are configured to communicate authorization communications and time-of-flight (ToF) communications between one another over a common communications channel. The base station is further configured to confirm from the authorization communications whether the remote controller is authorized for controlling a function of the target device and to confirm from the ToF communications whether the remote controller is within a predetermined range of the target device. The base station is further configured to prevent the function from being controlled by the control unit when the control unit is not within the predetermined range of the target device.

Passive entry and/or passive start (PEPS) systems include a portable remote controller and a base station. The remote controller, for instance, a key fob ("fob"), is carried by a user. The base station is at a target device such as a vehicle. The fob and the base station wirelessly communicate with one another for remote control of the target device.
Passive entry functions provided by a vehicular PEPS system include automatically unlocking vehicle doors when an authorized fob is brought into the vicinity of the vehicle. The PEPS system may detect for an authorized fob in response to a vehicle door handle being touched. Passive start functions provided by a vehicular PEPS system include automatically starting the vehicle upon a user in possession of the authorized fob pressing a start button near the driver's seat.
A "relay attack" is a process for deceiving a vehicular PEPS system. A relay attack is typically carried out by two thieves while the vehicle user is remotely located away from the vehicle. Each thief has a transceiver. A first thief stands next to the vehicle. The second thief stands near the vehicle user, whom is carrying an authorized fob. The relay attack begins with the first thief actuating the door handle or pressing the start button. The base station of the PEPS system responds by transmitting a short range communication pursuant to the ordinary authorization process. Unlike the first thief transceiver, the fob is too far away to receive the communication. The first thief transceiver relays the communication to the second thief transceiver. The second thief transceiver retransmits the communication to the fob. The fob responds by replying with authorization information. The second thief transceiver relays the authorization information to the base station. In turn, the base station causes the door to be unlocked or the vehicle to be started. A relay attack thus includes relaying short range PEPS communication over a relatively long distance without permission of the vehicle user.

Passive entry passive start (PEPS) system with integrated authorization and ranging communications


It has been found that target optics produce non-specular, augmented optical returns when interrogated by a laser pulse. This non-specular radiation is detected by an active laser search system employing a direct-reading, thresholded focal plane detector that is able to detect non-cooperating targets with optics that employ a detector or optical element at the focal plane of their receiving optics. The pulses returned from such target optics have a width commensurate with the original transmitted pulse width, whereas passive background noise and the spread out active returns from the ground exhibit temporally long returns. By setting the sensor threshold sufficiently high, the system discriminates against noise and clutter while at the same time reducing the number of sweeps required to detect a target within the search area.

As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,603,134 issued to Norman R. Wild and Paul M. Leavey, Jr. on Aug. 5, 2003, assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference, a system for detecting target threats is described in which a high-energy laser is scanned across an area on the ground and retroreflections from the human eye or the focal plane associated with an optical system are detected, thus to give an indication of the presence of the target within the scanned field.
As described in the Wild patent, Wild et al. were the first to discover that any kind of focusing device in combination with a surface exhibiting any degree of reflectivity and positioned near the focal plane of the device acts as a retroreflector. This applies not only to the human eye, but to any optical system used by a threat or target. A typical, though not exclusive list of examples includes night vision goggles, telescopic sights of any kind, ordinance-aiming devices using optics, tracking sensors or missile guidance systems employing focal plane arrays. It is noted that such systems involve augmented optical returns due to the fact that reflected light emanating from the focal plane is focused out of the optics as a collimated beam. The same optical behavior that transforms incoming light into an image at the focal plane guarantees that reflections at this surface are collimated into a beam and sent directly back to the source of the incident light.
In such active search systems, a laser pulse is scanned across a given area, usually from an aircraft onto the ground, and retroreflection of the type described in the Wild et al. patent is detected, thus to detect the presence of an enemy or non-cooperative threat or target. As will be appreciated, the collimated retroreflected beam will come back to the interrogating laser only a small percentage of the time due to the fact that it is focused in only one direction, necessitating a large number of sweeps or scans in order to make sure that if there is a threat in the search area it will be detected. This requires extended dwell times in order to execute the large number of sweeps required to ensure that if there is a threat in the search area, it will be detected. Thus, looking for retroreflections is at best problematical.
What makes such a system more problematical is the fact that most optical designers tilt the focal plane associated with the optical system with respect to the optical axis or boresight of the system. This can be done for a number of reasons. However, since the development of the Wild et al. optical detection system, there are those who have sought to thwart the system by tilting the focal plane such that incoming radiation from a search laser is directed off the optical axis and is not retroreflected out along the optical axis. Thus even a large number of laser sweeps can fail to detect a target of interest if such angled focal planes are employed.
It is noted that the focal plane need not be angled by a great amount in order for there to be no retroreflection or specular reflection out of the optical system. The term specular reflection is used herein to refer that the reflection is in accordance with the Law of Reflection; i.e. a specular reflection in which the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.
Thus there has been a question as to whether one could even detect a target in which no specular reflection reached the interrogating laser.
As mentioned above, the Wild et al. system, which relies upon retroreflection, also suffers from the problem that the optical axis of the target optic usually is not pointed in the direction of the interrogating laser. Even when the target uses scanning optics, the retroreflected or specularly reflected energy is not returned to the interrogating laser more than momentarily, for instance, less than 1% of the time. Thus, when using an active search system to scan a given area on the ground, the probability of detecting such a specular reflection is exceedingly low due to the small amount of time that the target optics are pointed at the interrogating laser.
More particularly, there are several factors that may have prevented the widespread use of the techniques discovered by Wild et al. in active search applications. In such active search systems, a laser pulse is scanned across a given area, usually from an aircraft onto the ground, and retro-reflection of the type described in the Wild et al. patent is detected, thereby revealing the presence of a potential enemy threat or non-cooperative target.
It is noted that Wild et al. focused on a particular subset of optical systems, and by doing so, made implicit assumptions about the nature of the retro-reflections being produced by their technique. Specifically, they describe providing persistent, high-amplitude returns. Persistence refers to the fact that the return is always produced when the optic is illuminated. High-amplitude refers to a reliance on direct specular reflection. The term specular as used herein denotes the portion of reflected energy that behaves according to the elementary law of reflection equating the incident and reflected angles.
By intentional design and or technological advances, the landscape has now broadened to include devices and conditions not considered by Wild et al. What follows are several of the practical limitations of such advances, as well as the manner in which the subject method overcomes them.
First among these are developments in optical design that suppress the retro-reflections from optical systems. Whether done intentionally to counter the effects discovered by Wild et al., or simply to solve unrelated engineering challenges, techniques such as focal plane tilting can dramatically reduce optically augmented returns. The result of these developments is a lower detection probability. This is turn translates into longer search times and/or higher laser power requirements for active search systems.
The second effect is the low probability of observing specular returns from scanner devices like line arrays, reticles and rosettes. As mentioned above, a Wild et al. system relies upon on persistent specular returns. Since scanning systems have a low temporal duty cycle, their returns are intermittent, providing large returns only momentarily during each scan pattern. Thus when using an active search system to scan a given patch of ground, the detection probability is low indeed due to the small amount of time that the target optics and interrogating laser are mutually co-aligned. Those familiar with analogous radar systems will recognize this effect as the scan-on-scan problem.
The third series of effects are environmental factors encountered in operational environments. Clear air turbulence, for example, further exacerbates the intermittent return problem. In fact, it can even make the specular returns from staring sensors fade in and out over time. This requires extended dwell times or an increased number of sweeps over the same area in order to ensure the detection of existing targets.
Finally, ground clutter is a problem and is a consequence of the preceding effects. The lowered, intermittent and generally degraded optical returns are forced to compete with the comparable returns from ground bounces. It is from such a cluttered background that optical signals must emerge if they are to be detected.
Other factors which have a bearing on the need for an improved active search system and a method for its use include the following: 1. The large power requirement for active search lasers used over long ranges and wide search areas; 2. The high noise levels of conventional detector arrays; 3. The poor match between detector array temporal characteristics and requirements for active search receivers; and 5. The difference between ground and tracking sensor returns.
These circumstances have led to the failure of previous active search systems intended to find passive tracking sensors. Furthermore, they have limited systems in development to using passive means such as missile launch detection to perform the initial acquisition. There is therefore a need for an improved active sensor and a method for its use that provides a solution to the problems of the prior art.

Active search sensor and a method of detection using non-specular reflections

BAE Systems Information and Electric Systems Integration Inc.


An individual ising device connected to common buses includes neuron circuits, a memory, and a router. The memory holds connection destination information per neuron circuit. An individual item of connection destination information includes first address information identifying one of a plurality of connection destination neuron circuits of a neuron circuit and second address information identifying a first ising device including at least one of the connection destination neuron circuits, the first and second address information being correlated. The router supplies, when an output signal of a connection destination neuron circuit changes and when the router receives the first address information identifying this connection destination neuron circuit via a bus, an update signal based on the changed output signal to one of the neuron circuits in accordance with the received first address information, the previously specified second address information identifying the first ising device, and the connection destination information.

Neumann computers are not very suitable for solving multivariable optimization problems. However, to solve these problems, there is a method which uses an ising device (also referred to as a Boltzmann machine) that uses an ising energy function. Such an ising device performs calculation by replacing a problem to be calculated with an ising model, which is a model representing the behavior of a ferromagnetic spin.
An ising device may be modeled by using a neural network, for example. In such cases, each of the units (bits) included in the ising device functions as a neuron that outputs 0 or 1 on the basis of the states of the other bits and weight values (also referred to as coupling coefficients) each of which indicates coupling strength with one of the other bits. For example, by performing simulated annealing, the ising device obtains, as a solution, a combination of bit states from which a minimum value of the above energy function (also referred to as a cost function, an objective function, etc.) is obtained.
In addition, there is a known technique for performing a large-scale operation. In this technique, a neural network is established by combining a plurality of chips or a plurality of processors with each other. One example of this technique is a method in which a neural network is established by allocating a plurality of kinds of virtual processors, such as virtual processors corresponding to neurons and virtual processors corresponding to synaptic connections, to a plurality of real processors. There is also a method in which a plurality of chips with different configurations are arranged in an array. Since the maximum number of neurons a neuron is connected to varies depending on where it is located, a chip having a different circuit configuration is used depending on whether it is located on the periphery of the array or inside the array.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-250102
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 5-250346
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2-3 06365
C. R. Schneider and H. C. Card, "Analog CMOS Deterministic Boltzmann Circuits", Journal of Solid-State Circuits, pp. 907-914, 1993
However, these conventional techniques in which a neural network is established by connecting a plurality of chips or a plurality of processors with each other could complicate the wiring. In addition, these conventional techniques require much time and effort or many man-hours for preparing a plurality of kinds of processors or chips. Thus, it is difficult to realize hardware that calculates large-scale problems.

Information processing apparatus, ising device, and control method for information processing apparatus


Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for RF filtering. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.

A radio receiver may handle large out-of-band interferers (blockers) and recover a weak desired signal in presence of other in-band and out-of-band interferers. As such, the receiver may need to be able to process the desired channel while sufficiently rejecting strong-in-band and out-of-band interferers. These interfering signals near the desired signal may need to be suppressed. To that end, a band selection filter may provide attenuation for out-of-band signals, and a subsequent baseband lowpass channel filter may provide channel selection. Some currently available filters may not be able to provide channel selection at the radio frequency (RF)-level because of the extremely high quality (high-Q) requirements required to perform channel selection. Moreover, some band selection filters may not be tunable across a plurality of bands.


A tracking device obtains container position information, which is communicated wirelessly to a remote site. It is determined if the container is in proximity to an aircraft by detection of electromagnetic fields, and if so, the communication is disabled. Re-enabling of the communication is allowed if simultaneously no electromagnetic fields are detected and the tracking device is able to determine a container position. Re-enabling is also allowed if the lack of characteristic electromagnetic fields has lasted for a time period exceeding a predetermined value. This predetermined value is preferably larger than a maximum flight time from a globally most remote flight position. Alternatively, the predetermined value is larger than a maximum flight time on battery backup. The positioning information is preferably performed using GPS positioning. The detection comprises detection of electromagnetic field frequencies in the range of 400 Hz.

Today, aircraft transports huge amounts of goods. Although the reliability and safety concerning the shipments generally is good, a part of the goods will always be misrouted or stolen. Many shipping companies provide various types of additional shipping service for goods and materials. One possibility is to place tracking information on the container housing the shipped goods so that the container can be tracked during shipment at various points. This allows the shipping company to determine the last geographic location of the container as it moves between the origination and destination points and to monitor whether the goods inside the container are on time, late, or somehow misplaced. However, such systems still rely on manual operations to certify the shipment.
In order to provide a more continuous and reliable, containers can be provided with a tracking device. The tracking device automatically determines the position of the shipment container, intermittently or continuously. Preferably, the tracking device also comprises a remote communication equipment. This enables the tracking device to report the container position to a remote site. In such a way, the shipping company will be able to follow the shipment continuously and immediately detect any delays or misrouting. One example of such a tracking system is disclosed in the published international patent application WO 0175700.
Most remote communication equipments are based on communication via electromagnetic signals in the radio frequency range. Unfortunately, emission of radio frequency electromagnetic signals may interfere with vital systems in the aircraft, such as navigation and communication systems. In order to insure undisturbed operation of such systems, different aviation administrations have issued restrictions on use of certain electronic devices emitting radio frequency electromagnetic signals on an aircraft during its operation.
In order to follow such restrictions, container tracking devices are provided with proximity detectors, which detects if the container is in the vicinity of a transport vessel, in particular an aircraft. If the proximity to an aircraft is detected, the radio-frequency electromagnetic signal emitters in the tracking devices are deactivated, in order not to disturb the aircraft system. There are many different possible proximity detectors. Some of them are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,797.
The most attractive proximity detector approach is to detect the occurrence of a 400 Hz electromagnetic field. Aircrafts in general has a main electrical distribution system that operates with a higher frequency—around 400 Hz—than used in a normal domestic power system. The main electrical distribution system gives rise to an emission of an electromagnetic field, which radiates out throughout the aircraft. If a container is brought into vicinity of a powered aircraft, the proximity detector will detect a 400 Hz electromagnetic field. In response to such detection, the radio-frequency electromagnetic field emitting devices, e.g. the radio communication means, are deactivated.
When the container is brought out from the aircraft, the 400 Hz electromagnetic field will disappear again, and the radio communication can be re-established.
A problem with this approach appears in cases where the main power system of the aircraft ceases to operate during a flight. In such a case, the power supply of the aircraft functions switches over to a battery operation. This battery backup is sufficient to supply the vital functions until the aircraft reaches the closest airport. Emissions from a direct current power system are uniform and cannot be distinguished. A prior-art proximity detector will in such a case notice a disappearance of the 400 Hz electromagnetic signal and will interpret this as if the container has left the a cargo room of the aircraft. Radio-communication from the tracking device will be allowed, which may disturb the aircraft systems, which already are put into an emergency operation.


Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with business process diagram (BPD) component analysis are described. One example method includes accessing a BPD having a BPD component for which a mapping to a business process execution language (BPEL) component is to be automatically produced by a computer. The example method may also include detecting a join gateway in the BPD. The example method may also include manipulating the mapping to identify that resolution of the join gateway is to be determined by gateway resolution upon determining that the join gateway is not going to receive a loop back edge.

Most organizations have some business processes that facilitate their business. Examples of business processes are the process for vacation approval, where an employee requests a vacation and the request goes through an approval process and then is rejected or approved. Another example is some sales process, where some purchase order is received and priced and items shipped and fulfilled, an invoice sent and payment received. These business processes are critical to the functionality of the organization. There exist industry standards to capture these business processes and to draw them. These are generally termed Business Process Diagrams (BPD). Two standards are Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and Business Process Execution language (BPEL).
There are some differences in BPMN and BPEL. One difference is that BPEL has standard programming constructs like if-then-else or while or switch, and falls into the category of block structured languages because there are well defined blocks in the business diagram. BPMN, on the other hand, offers more flexibility and does not always follow block structures, the diagrams are more unstructured and graph like. For example, in BPEL all the branches of a switch would join back together, while in BPMN one of the branches may end in a terminate event. BPMN falls into the category of flow structured languages.
BPEL provides a formal mechanism for the definition of business processes. BPEL is optimized for the operation and/or interoperation of business process modeling (BPD) systems. But BPEL is ill-suited for use by many business analysts. While useful for programming a computer, from the point of view of a business analyst, sets of BPEL statements may appear to organize a complex business process into complex, disjointed, unintuitive formats that are understandable by computers but perhaps not so understandable by business analysts, managers, and so on. These analysts, managers, and so on may be more comfortable with flowcharts associated with BPMN. Thus, BPMN provides a BPD designed for humans and provides a formal mapping to a BPEL.
BPMN is a new standard and many organizations have investments in BPEL engines. Thus, it may be desirable to convert BPMN processes to BPEL processes. The conversion may be desired because a human (e.g., business analyst) may prefer to interact with a BPMN while a computer may be programmed using BPEL. But this is inherently challenging to convert a flow language to block language. If the BPMN process is not very unstructured and is balanced, then existing algorithms that are defined as part of the BPMN standard can help in the conversion to BPEL. A component analysis is done on BPMN processes and structures (e.g., while, switch) are identified and corresponding BPEL structures are generated. This uses a token flow algorithm. Token analysis includes creating and tracking tokens through different execution paths to discover the boundaries of well-structured components.

Business process diagram (BPD) component analysis


The present invention discloses a method and device for processing an alarm in a ring optical transport network. The method comprises detecting alarm information in the ring network in real-time, and when generation of only an working ODUk alarm in the ring network is detected, performing a switching process of a 1+1 protection protocol on services carried on a working channel on which an alarm is generated; in the event that one working ODUk alarm has existed in the ring network, when generation of an alarm at a protection ODUk corresponding to the working ODUk on which the alarm has been generated is also detected, or when an optical multiplexed segment layer alarm is generated in the ring network, triggering a switching process of a channel shared protection protocol. The device comprises an alarm detection module and a switching triggering module.

The OTN is a transport network which is on the basis of the wavelength division multiplexing technology and in the optical layer organization network, and is the next generation backbone transport network. For the OTN, since the rate of the transmitted signals is higher, the amount of carried information is larger, and the wavelength/sub-wavelength service scheduling capability is provided, thus network protection of the OTN becomes more important for traditional network protection, and the protection capability is also stronger.
In the OTN, an ODUk (Optical Data Unit k) layer generally is required to provide end to end sub-network link protection. At present, protection methods commonly used in the industry include 1+1 protection, 1:n protection and channel shared protection, etc. In selecting a protection scheme, a choice is often required to be made based on bandwidth utilization ratio, protection robustness and switching time.
The 1+1 protection may provide a dedicated backup channel for each sub-network link, and same signals are transmitted in a working channel and a protection channel. Thus such protection method has the strongest robustness and the shortest switching time. However, the bandwidth utilization ratio is only 50%, and the bandwidth is wasted severely in the case of very low network alarm ratio.
The channel shared protection is a protection method where all services share backup resources and is applied in the ring network, thus its bandwidth utilization ratio is much higher than that of the 1+1 protection method. Its robustness is also higher than that of the 1:n protection, since working resources and protection resources are separated. However, when the nodes in the ring gradually increase, its stability is decreased thereupon too. Especially when alarms occur at multiple ODUks, a phenomenon of service misconnection will occur; even if misconnection does not occur, for the alarms occurring at multiple ODUks, the channel shared backup resources can only provide one service for switching such that a plurality of services with failures can not be protected simultaneously. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a case where service protection is performed using a channel shared protection way when a single ODUk alarm occurs in the ring network. It can be seen from the figure that services will be triggered to switch at two ends when an alarm of an Optical Channel (OCH) layer is detected, and services that are also clockwise (anticlockwise) share the same inverse anticlockwise (clockwise) ring channel. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a case where a channel shared protection way cannot be used to perform service protection when multiple ODUk alarms occur in the ring network. It can be seen from the figure that if two or more ODUk alarms are detected in a direction, for example, in a clockwise ring, the channel shared protection is unable to switch more than two services to the shared protection channel, resulting in protection failure.

Method and device for processing failure of multi-span working channel in ring optical transmission network


Calibrating a filter is disclosed. The filter is reconfigured as an oscillator during calibration. Switches and/or other implementations of reconfiguring a filter are used to reconfigure the negative feedback loop of the filter to a positive feedback loop. The oscillation parameters are then measured to adjust the components of the filter to achieve an oscillation that corresponds to a desired filter characteristic.

The effects of process variations, operation temperature variability, aging, and other environmental variables contribute to performance characteristics deviance from the designed specifications of existing filters used in communication devices. Absolute values of on-chip RC time constants may vary by as much as one hundred percent due to these effects. To account for these variabilities, a number of methods have been proposed to allow on-chip calibration of filters. Current methods include both direct and secondary methods. Direct methods include measuring performance characteristics of actual filter components to calibrate the filter. Secondary methods include measuring performance characteristics of components on a separate on-chip test circuitry not attached to the filter. Commonly in secondary methods, test circuit component measurements are assumed to be consistent throughout the chip and used to tune all of the components on the chip, including the components of the filter. In actuality however, characteristic values can vary significantly on different areas of the same chip, thus potentially leading to an inaccurate filter component value approximation. Actual filter characteristics of the filter can also be measured with direct methods. Test signals generated on the chip are sent through the filter to be measured and analyzed. These measurements are then used to tune filter components. Although this method results in an accurate filter calibration, signal generation and analysis mechanisms can be complex and costly to implement. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a cost effective and simple, yet accurate way of calibrating filters.

Systems and methods for calibrating a filter


The present invention provides methods for improving cognitive function, improving mood, and decreasing aggression in a normal adult subject, and in a subject having symptoms characteristic of a neurological disorder, by administration of a nutriceutical formulation of the invention to the subject. The invention additionally features methods of treating neurological disorders, depression, and aggression using nutriceutical formulations. Nutriceutical compositions and formulations for use in the methods of the invention, and kits containing nutriceutical compositions and formulations, are also provided.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), also known simply as Alzheimer's, is a neurodegenerative disease that, in its most common form, is found in people over age 65. Approximately 24 million people worldwide have dementia, of which the majority (˜60%) is due to Alzheimer's (Ferri C. P. et al. (2005) Lancet 366(9503):2112-2117). More than 5 million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer's disease, and it is projected that this number will increase to 14.3 million by mid-century, representing a 350 percent increase from 2000.
The ultimate cause of Alzheimer's is unknown. Characteristic clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include progressive cognitive deterioration, declining ability to participate in daily activities, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and behavioral changes. Plaques containing misfolded proteins, called beta amyloids, form in the brain many years before the clinical signs of Alzheimer's are observed. Together, these plaques and neurofibrillary tangles form the pathological hallmarks of the disease. These features can only be discovered at autopsy and help to confirm the clinical diagnosis.
The first readily identifiable symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are usually short-term memory loss and visual-spatial confusion. These initial symptoms progress from seemingly simple and often fluctuating forgetfulness and difficulty orienting oneself, to a more pervasive loss of short-term memory and difficulty navigating through familiar areas such as one's neighborhood, and ultimately progressing to loss of recognition of objects and persons. Aphasia, disorientation, and disinhibition often accompany the loss of memory. In later stages of the disease patients experience deterioration of musculature and mobility, leading to bedfastness, inability to feed oneself, and incontinence. While the onset, advancement, and severity of these conditions are highly variable in nature, the types of symptoms are common, including behavioral changes (e.g. depression and agitation), and loss of the ability to carry out basic daily activities (e.g. grooming, dressing, walking, etc.).
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease. Current pharmacological treatments for mild to moderate AD include selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as Donepezil, and uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists, such as Memantine (Reisberg 2006, Feldman 2004). Clinical studies of these treatments have demonstrated efficacy relative to their mean rate of decline with a placebo (Johannsen 2006); however, in addition to a host of adverse events that accompany these treatments, there still remains a steady decline in performance on neuropsychological exams and caregiver's assessments over the course of these studies. Moreover, the average monthly costs of these treatments can exceed $1000 (Plosker 2005, Feldman 2004). At over $100 billion per year, AD is the third most costly disease in the U.S., after heart disease and cancer. There is therefore a current and growing need for an inexpensive, over-the-counter formulation that can improve symptoms commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) often accompany Alzheimer's Disease, and generally worsen as the illness advances. The presence of non-cognitive behavioral symptoms such as mood disorders, psychosis, and aggressive behavior, can be equally or more taxing to caregivers as cognitive decline, and is often a deciding factor in the decision to institutionalize a patient. Aggressive behavior has been correlated with genetic risk factors, particularly the presence of the E4 allele of ApoE, known to confer considerable risk for onset and rapid progression of AD. Mice expressing the human ApoE4 allele have served as a useful animal model of AD. Cholinergic deficits have been linked to both cognitive decline and BPSD, in part by exacerbating vulnerability to the effects of other neurochemical imbalances. The highest level of cholinergic innervation is received by the limbic system, an area of the cortex affiliated with BPSD. Treatments for behavioral symptoms have traditionally included antipsychotic medications and benzodiazepines. These medications are, however, prescribed with caution due to the increased susceptibility of the elderly to a host of adverse side effects. Alternative treatments that are effective in treating the behavioral symptoms of AD are therefore highly desirable.
Poor nutrition has been shown to accelerate many symptoms associated with AD. For example, folate deficiency increases neuronal oxidative stress, in part by increasing levels of the neurotoxin homocysteine, which is related to the progression and severity of AD. Studies described herein demonstrate that folate deprivation potentiates at least 7 additional risk factors for AD; these include potentiation of genetic risk factors (presenilin-1 (PS-1) and ApoE deficiency), increased generation of the neurotoxic peptide amyloid-Beta and increased activity of the enzyme responsible for its generation (gamma secretase), an increase in hyperphosphorylation of tau (the precursor of neurofibrillary tangles) and a decline in the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, leading to impaired cognitive performance and increased aggression. As such, the development of a nutriceutical formulation that improves symptoms and slows the progression of AD would provide a safe and cost-effective addition to current therapeutic strategies used to manage AD.
Given that AD is the most common form of dementia to afflict our rapidly aging society, there is a drive to not only treat patients diagnosed with AD, but also to initiate preventative measures to slow or prevent the onset of the disease (Mattson 2004, Post 1999). While attention has recently been given to pre-symptomatic AD detection, this attention has been devoted to defining and targeting the high-risk population. Although this is a logical approach, preventative measures for all aging individuals should be made, as the elderly is the fastest growing segment of the population. A nutriceutical formulation that is beneficial for patients with AD may additionally be useful as a preventative measure, and would be safe for administration to normal adults. Such a nutriceutical formulation may also be valuable for normal adults unaffected by AD who are nonetheless seeking to improve cognitive performance, improve mood, reduce depression, and reduce aggression.

Over-the-counter vitamin/nutriceutical formulation that provides neuroprotection and maintains or improves cognitive performance in alzheimer's disease and normal aging


Provided is a flame retardant adhesive composition including (A) a halogen-free epoxy resin, (B) a thermoplastic resin and/or a synthetic rubber, (C) a curing agent, (D) a phytate compound, and (E) a curing accelerator. Also provided are an adhesive sheet having a layer including the above composition, and a protective layer for covering the layer including the composition; a coverlay film having an electrically insulating film, and a layer including the above composition provided on top of the film; and a flexible copper-clad laminate having an electrically insulating film, a layer including the above composition provided on top of the film, and copper foil. Further provided are a process for producing the adhesive sheet, a process for producing the coverlay film, and a process for producing the flexible copper-clad laminate. The halogen-free adhesive composition yields a cured product, on curing, that exhibits excellent flame retardancy and electrical characteristics (anti-migration properties). The composition can be used for producing an adhesive sheet, a coverlay film, and a flexible copper-clad laminate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adhesive composition that is halogen-free and yields a cured product, on curing, that exhibits excellent flame retardancy, and also relates to an adhesive sheet, a coverlay film, and a flexible copper-clad laminate that use such a composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, the adhesives used in electronic materials such as semiconductor sealing materials and glass epoxy-based copper-clad laminates have included a bromine-containing epoxy resin or phenoxy resin or the like in order to ensure a superior level of flame retardancy. However, because compounds containing halogens such as bromine release toxic gases such as dioxin-based compounds when combusted, in recent years, the use of halogen-free materials in adhesives has been keenly investigated.
On the other hand, flexible copper-clad laminates, which are thinner than the glass epoxy-based copper-clad laminates mentioned above, and offer additional flexibility, are now being widely used, and the size of this market continues to expand as electronic materials become thinner, and move to even higher density packaging. Flexible copper-clad laminates are copper-clad laminates with improved flexibility, which are produced by bonding a polyimide film and a copper foil together with an adhesive, and then heating and curing the adhesive. In a similar manner to the adhesives used in the electronic materials described above, the use of halogen-free materials in the adhesives used in these flexible copper-clad laminates is also being investigated.
Furthermore, once the copper foil of a flexible copper-clad laminate has been processed to form a wiring pattern, an electrically insulating film (a coverlay film) such as a polyimide film coated with an adhesive film is used to cover the surface on which the wiring pattern has been formed, thereby protecting the wiring. The properties required for the materials for these flexible copper-clad laminates and coverlay films include favorable adhesion between the electrically insulating film and the copper foil, as well as favorable heat resistance, solvent resistance, electrical characteristics (anti-migration properties), dimensional stability, storage stability, and flame retardancy. In addition, when flexible printed wiring boards prepared by crimping a coverlay film are bonded together to form multilayered structures with increased density, the adhesive films (adhesive sheets) used for bonding the boards together require the same characteristics as those required by flexible copper-clad laminates and coverlay films.
Examples of known materials that satisfy the above requirements include adhesive compositions comprising an epoxy resin, an aromatic phosphate ester, a curing agent, and a high-purity acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, as well as flexible copper-clad laminates and coverlays that use such adhesive compositions (see patent reference 1), but high-purity acrylonitrile butadiene rubber is extremely expensive, meaning that with the exception of certain special applications, large-scale use of this material is impossible. In addition, adhesive compositions comprising an epoxy resin, an aromatic phosphate ester, a nitrogen-containing phenol novolac resin, and a normal purity acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, as well as flexible copper-clad laminates and coverlays that use such adhesive compositions, are also known (see patent reference 2), but because these materials use normal purity acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, the anti-migration properties tend to deteriorate.
[Patent Reference 1] JP 2001-339131A
[Patent Reference 2] JP 2001-339132A

Flame retardant adhesive composition, and adhesive sheet, coverlay film and flexible copper-clad laminate using same


A bidirectional self-contained end-of stroke snubbing device (20) includes a housing (21), a rod (22) movable relative to the housing, a single fluid-filled variable-volume chamber (23) communicating with a fluid sump (24) through an orifice (65), and a lost-motion mechanism for selectively reducing the volume of the chamber proximate either end of the stroke of the rod-like member. The mechanism will force fluid from the chamber through the orifice to decelerate and cushion movement of the rod-like member relative to the housing proximate either end of its stroke.

The present invention relates generally to hydraulic snubbers, and, more particularly, to an improved self-contained end-of-stroke hydraulic snubber that is intended to decelerate and cushion movement of an actuator rod at either end of its stroke.
Hydraulic actuators are frequently fitted with separate snubbing mechanisms to decelerate and reduce the impact of the piston hitting the end of the cylinder at either end of its stroke. With the advent with electro-mechanical screw actuators, separate hydraulic snubber assemblies are frequently added to decelerate and cushion both ends of the actuator rod movement.
Hydraulic actuators used in flight simulator motion systems have been using end-of-stroke cushions integrated into the hydraulic cylinder for many years. When electrical actuators began to be used in motion systems in the early 1990""s, there was a need to incorporate snubbers to perform this cushioning function. In a hydraulic actuator, it is straight-forward to incorporate snubbing. In an electro-mechanical actuator, however, snubbing requires a separate add-on device for that purpose. One approach has been to use separate snubber cylinders packaged either inside or outside of the actuator at each end.
Details as to such prior art snubbers are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,931,739, 5,720,368, 5,509,511, 5,387,083, 5,271,485, 3,766,798 and 3,200,664, the aggregate disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
With parenthetical reference to the corresponding parts, portions or surfaces of the disclosed embodiment, merely for purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation, the present invention broadly provides (e.g., in FIG. 1) an improved single self-contained bidirectional end-of-stroke hydraulic snubbing device (20) that is operative to decelerate and cushion movement of an actuator rod (22) at either end of its stroke. The improved snubber broadly includes: a housing (21), a rod (22) movable relative to the housing; a single fluid-filled variable-volume chamber (23) communicating with a fluid sump (66) through an orifice (65), and a lost-motion mechanism (25) for selectively and controllably causing a reduction of the volume of the chamber by motion of the member approaching either end of its stroke; whereby the mechanism will force fluid from the chamber through the orifice to decelerate and cushion movement of the rod relative to the housing proximate either end of its stroke.
The chamber may possibly be defined between a piston and a cylinder, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the chamber may be defined between a cylinder and two pistons, as shown in FIG. 2. The cylinder may be concentric with the rod. The fluid sump may include an accumulator (68), which may be pressurized if desired. The lost-motion mechanism may include a first abutment member (26) mounted on the member to engage one portion of the wall of the chamber, and a second abutment member (28) mounted on the member to engage another portion of the chamber wall.
Accordingly, the general object of this invention is to provide an improved end-of-stroke snubbing device.
Another object is to provide a single snubbing device which may be mounted on an electro-mechanical actuator, and which may selectively and controllably decelerate and cushion movement of the actuator rod proximate either end of its stroke.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the foregoing and ongoing written specification, the drawings, and the appended claims.

Self-contained bidirectional end-of-stroke hydraulic snubber


The present invention relates to the field of prodrugs of chemotherapeutic agents and method of use thereof.

The present invention relates to the field of prodrugs of chemotherapeutic agents and method of use thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,495 to Bird discloses flurbiprofen and salts thereof in admixture with an excipient encompassing fatty acid esters such as polyol esters of polyethylene glycol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,964 to Ashton relates to soluble ester prodrugs of polyethylene glycol and various chemotherapeutic agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,751 to David discloses polyethylene glycol type solubilizers for flurbiprofen U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,505 to Mizushima discloses esters of flurbiprofen which may be dissolved in a vegetable oil and emulsified.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,489,080 and 4,443,476 to Lomen discloses alkyl esters of flurbiprofen.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,468 to Heckler discloses the systemic administration and topical application of flurbiprofen, salts thereof and esters thereof. The esters are (C1-C8) alkyl esters and are prescribed for the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of herpes type II virus. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,473,584, 4,443,476 and 4,439,451 are related to U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,468.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,994 to Sloan discloses hydroxamic derivatives of flurbiprofen as prodrugs
U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,220 relates to compounds that are similar to those of U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,994. These compounds are aminoxy derivatives of, e.g., flurbiprofen.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,283 to Herr et al discloses lower alkyl esters of flurbiprofen. The esters are lower alkyl esters.
Canadian Patent CA 1,148,165 and German Patent DE 3,811,118 disclose esters of flurbiprofen.
The anti-inflammatory agent, flurbiprofen, produces local irritation when applied for treatment of inflammation. Various techniques have been used to lower the dosage of flurbiprofen to the patient, such as techniques for rapid release of flurbiprofen into the body. Nevertheless, there exists a need in the art for compositions that achieve the desired effects of flurbiprofen without the concomittant local irritation. This is particularly true in the application of the flurbiprofen anti-inflammatory agent to the eye.
An advantage of the present invention is to provide covalent conjugates of chemotherapeutic agents with mono- di- and polyoxaalkanoic or thiaalkanoic acids.
A further advantage of the present invention is the ability to adjust the solubility of steroidal molecules, lipophilicity and their half-life in the body and thus, bioavailability, by altering the structure and length of the oxaalkanoic acid or polyoxaalkanoic acid chain.
A further advantage of the present invention is to provide compounds having a chemotherapeutic effect which avoids or reduces the local irritation brought about by administration of the parent drug.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound having a chemotherapeutic effect, but a reduced local irritation as compared to that produced by the parent drug.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is the ability of the prodrugs to permeate biological membranes, for example, the stratum corneum, and remain there until enzymatically cleaved, can be enhanced.
Additional advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from the practice of the present invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other advantages are achieved in part by providing a prodrug composition comprising a chemotherapeutic agent linked to a variety of oxaatkanoic acids of the formulas shown in Structures 1 and 2 wherein n=1-12. In a preferred embodiment n=1-6.
Additional advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein embodiments of the present invention are described simply by way of illustrating of the best mode contemplated in carrying out the present invention. As will be realized, the present invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

Permeable, water soluble, non-irritating prodrugs of chemotherapeutic agents with oxaalkanoic acids

University of Kentucky Research Foundation


Apparatuses, methods, kits, and systems relating to transferring electromagnetic energy to an energy application zone via a source of electromagnetic energy are disclosed. Some apparatuses may include a processor configured to determine a preliminary amount of energy to be dissipated in an object located at least partially in the energy application zone and determine a corrected amount of energy based on the preliminary amount of energy and calibration information. The processor may be further configured to estimate an amount of energy dissipated in the object. The processor may also be configured to cause the source to transfer energy to the energy application zone at least until the energy dissipated in the object as estimated equals the corrected amount of energy.

Electromagnetic waves may be used to apply energy to an object. For example, such an object may be placed in a cavity of a device configured to transfer electromagnetic energy to the cavity from a source of electromagnetic energy. The source of electromagnetic energy can be activated such that electromagnetic radiation is transferred to the cavity, and thus, some of the energy of that radiation may be dissipated in the object. In some cases, it may be desirable to dissipate a particular amount of energy in the object. For example, through dissipation of a particular amount of energy in the object, various properties or characteristics associated with the object may be adjusted or altered. Values for various parameters associated with the energy delivery process (e.g., a length of time of energy delivery, a power level of radiation incident upon the object, etc.) may be selected with the intent of providing a desired set of properties or characteristics in the object either during processing or upon completion of an electromagnetic energy transfer process.
Many factors can result in variations in energy delivery and dissipation. Each source of variation can potentially yield unexpected and undesirable results. Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and method that can at least partially account for such variations in an electromagnetic energy delivery process.


Thermoplastic resin compositions suitable for laser welding are disclosed, which include a mixture of neutral anthraquinone blue dye with other red dye to absorb visible light with wavelength less than 700 nm and transmit a laser beam with wavelength at 800 nm to 1200 nm and to enhance weldability.

It is known in the art to join together two articles of resins (and respectively opaque and transparent) by positioning them in contact with each other, transmitting a predetermined amount of laser beam focusing on the junction of them and causing the junction portion to be melted and joined together ("laser welding"). Several advantages flow from laser welding versus conventional methods of joining plastic parts.
For example, laser welding is widely known for its simple operation, labor savings, improvement of productivity, clear joints, and reduction of production cost. It is useful in various applications including the preparation of molded articles, including hollow shapes, in automobile industries and electric and electronic industries. Recently, work has intensified in the area of blends of thermoplastic resin and a colorant containing an organic dye or pigment. Better control of the conversion of laser energy to heat is achieved by the addition of such colorants to the resins. Laser beams penetrate through transparent articles positioned closer to the laser beam source, and are largely absorbed in the opaque article, which has a relatively higher absorption coefficient in comparison with the aforementioned transparent article. Careful attention to the amount of the colorants therein results in the junction portion being melted and the articles joined together.
See for example Japanese Published (Koukoku) Patent No.62-49850, and Japanese Published (Koukoku) Patent No.5 (93)-42336. Other resin compositions associated with the laser welding are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,959 which discloses transparent and opaque workpiece parts welded together by a laser beam along a joining zone. Both parts contain black dye and pigments such as carbon black to cause them to offer a substantially homogenous visual impression even after welding.
Other illustrations of the laser welding of compositions are found in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,959. For example, the color of the thermoplastic components may be black (carbon black or nigrosine), which is commonly and widely used in the automobile industries and other applications. However, carbon black and nigrosine can not transmit a laser beam with a main wavelength in infra-red region (1200 nm to 800 nm), such as Nd:YAG laser and a diode laser which are of wide use in industries.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that thermoplastic resin compositions both black in appearance can be used for laser-welded molded articles, and both for the transparent and opaque parts subjected to the laser beam. A significantly improved transmission to near-infrared light of the laser beam, with excellent and balanced heat-resistance and mechanical properties as required in automobile applications is achieved by including a specific weight percentage of black dyes.
The object of the present invention is to offer a thermoplastic resin composition capable of offering moldings which appear in black, offer excellent thermal resistance, and are transparent to a laser beam, in particular to the near-infrared light region. A further object of the invention is to provide select anthraquinone blue dyes which offer minimal discoloration during molding and in high temperature applications. A feature of the invention is the compositions herein can provide a substantially homogenous visual black impression of transparent and opaque articles that appears in black and absorbs the laser beam largely by containing black dyes, welded together by the laser beam, and possess excellent and balanced heat-resistance and mechanical properties as required in automotive parts, electric/electronic components, mechanical components, and many other applications. The aforementioned objects, features and advantages will become better understood upon having reference to the following description of the invention herein.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Colored thermoplastic resin compositions for laser welding, specific neutral anthraquinone dyes as colorants therefor, and molded product therefrom