One end face of an outer roller is provided with an annular rib that protrudes radially inward and that retains an inner roller and rolling elements. The other end face-side portion of the outer roller is provided with an inner component retaining portion that retains the inner roller and the rolling elements. In a roller unit in which the inner roller and the rolling elements are retained in the outer roller by the rib and the inner component retaining portion, an inner peripheral face of the inner roller through which a tripod shaft portion is passed is provided with a tripod shaft portion insertion restricting portion that allows the tripod shaft portion to be passed through the inner roller only from an end face side of the roller unit, on which the rib of the outer roller is not provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a double-roller-type tripod constant-velocity joint used in, for example, a power transmission mechanism of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A double-roller-type tripod constant-velocity joint (hereinafter, simply referred to as "constant-velocity joint") has been conventionally used as, for example, a drive shaft that transmits rotary driving force for vehicle travel, to vehicle wheels. A conventional constant-velocity joint includes a conventional roller unit 130 illustrated in an example in FIG. 6. As illustrated in FIG. 7A, a tripod shaft portion 11A is passed through the roller unit 130, that is, the roller unit 130 is fitted onto the tripod shaft portion 11A. In the roller unit 130, as illustrated in a sectional view in FIG. 6 in which the roller unit 130 has been assembled, an inner roller 134 is placed into an outer roller 131 from a side of the outer roller 131, on which a rib 131B is not formed. A plurality of needles 133 is disposed in an annular space formed between the outer roller 131 and the inner roller 134. A ring groove 131A is formed in an inner wall of the outer roller 131. A snap ring 135 is fitted in the ring groove 131A, so that the snap ring 135 is fitted to the outer roller 131. One end face of the outer roller 131 is provided with the rib 131B that extends radially inward and that has an annular shape. The rib 131B retains the inner roller 134 and the needles 133 so that the inner roller 134 and the needles 133 do not slip off the outer roller 131 from the one end face side. The snap ring 135 is fitted to the other end face side-portion of the outer roller 131. The inner roller 134 and the needles 133 are retained by the snap ring 135 so as not to slip off the outer roller 131 from the other end face side.
In the roller unit 130 having the above-described configuration, the diameter of a portion through which the generally spherical tripod shaft portion 11A is passed (in this case, the inside diameter of the inner roller 134) is constant in the direction of a roller rotation axis Z130. As illustrated in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, an outside diameter D11 of the tripod shaft portion 11A is the maximum outside diameter of the generally spherical tripod shaft portion 11A at a position near the center of the tripod shaft portion 11A. The outside diameter D11 is set slightly smaller than an inside diameter D134 of the inner roller 134. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, it is possible to fit the roller unit 130 onto the tripod shaft portion 11A from the snap ring 135 side (see FIG. 7A), and it is also possible to fit the roller unit 130 onto the tripod shaft portion 11A from the rib 131B side (see FIG. 7B). However, the roller unit 130 is not symmetrical in shape in the direction of the roller rotation axis Z130, as illustrated in FIG. 6, FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B. The rib 131B is located on the one end face side, and the ring groove 131A and the snap ring 135 are located on the other end face side. The rib 131B is formed at such a position as to be flush with the one end face. The snap ring 135 is provided at a position that is slightly offset from the other end face toward the rib 131B in the direction of the roller rotation axis Z130. The roller unit 130 is not symmetrical in shape in the direction of the roller rotation axis Z130. As a result, there are differences in, for example, strength and performance between the case where the roller unit 130 is fitted onto the tripod shaft portion 11A from the snap ring 135 side as illustrated in FIG. 7A, and the case where the roller unit 130 is fitted onto the tripod shaft portion 11A from the rib 131B side as illustrated in FIG. 7B. In the examples illustrated in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, in the case where the roller unit 130 is fitted onto the tripod shaft portion 11A from the snap ring 135 side as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the snap ring 135 does not come into contact with the tripod shaft portion 11A even if the tripod shaft portion 11A is largely tilted. On the other hand, in the case where the roller unit 130 is fitted onto the tripod shaft portion 11A from the rib 131B side as illustrated in FIG. 7B, there is a possibility that the tripod shaft portion 11A and the rib 131B will come into slight contact with each other if the tripod shaft portion 11A is largely tilted. Thus, there are differences in, for example, strength and performance between these two cases.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-151158 (JP 7-151158 A) describes a double-roller-type tripod constant-velocity joint that includes an inner roller and an outer roller. According to JP 7-151158 A, a tripod shaft portion is passed through a roller unit in which the outer roller is fitted on the inner roller, from one end face side of the roller unit, on which a pressure disc is provided. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-208858 (JP 2008-208858 A) describes a tripod constant-velocity joint that includes, instead of an inner roller, a cylindrical holder having a flange that holds an outer roller. An outer member of the tripod constant-velocity joint is compact and configured such that a resin boot is easily fitted to the outer member.
In the double-roller-type tripod constant-velocity joint, the roller unit 130 illustrated in FIG. 6 is not symmetrical in shape in the direction of the roller rotation axis Z130. In the case where the tripod shaft portion 11A is passed through the roller unit 130 from the snap ring 135 side as illustrated in FIG. 7A, strength and performance are higher than those in the case where the tripod shaft portion 11A is passed through the roller unit 130 from the rib 131B side as illustrated in FIG. 7B. Therefore, a configuration that allows the tripod shaft portion 11A to be passed through the roller unit 130 only from the snap ring 135 side is required. In the related art described in JP 7-151158 A, the tripod shaft portion is passed through the roller unit in which the outer roller is fitted on the inner roller, from the one end face side on which the pressure disc is provided. With this configuration, however, the tripod shaft portion may also be passed through the roller unit from the other end face side on which no pressure disc is provided. This may cause a possibility of wrong assembly. In the related art described in JP 2008-208858 A, the tripod shaft portion may be passed through the roller unit in which the outer roller is fitted to the holder, from either end face side. This may cause a possibility of wrong assembly. Note that neither JP 7-151158 A nor JP 2008-208858 A has description regarding a configuration that allows the roller unit to be fitted to the tripod shaft portion only from a specific end face side of the roller unit.

Double-roller-type tripod constant-velocity joint


The present invention features processes and compositions for producing a metallic-looking image on a substrate having a reflective or luminescent surface. The process utilizes an opaque coating composition containing an opaque coating agent comprising a mixture of a polyacid and a polybase. When applied to a light-emitting, reflective or luminescent substrate, the opaque coating composition at least partially masks the light-emitting reflective or luminescent surface of the substrate, but becomes increasingly translucent or transparent when contacted with a recording liquid such as an ink, revealing the light-emitting, reflective or luminescent surface.

The present invention relates generally to compositions and methods for preparing images on substrates having an opaque surface that becomes transparent upon printing. More particularly, the invention relates to utilizing such compositions and methods for the preparation of light-emitting, highly reflective, and/or metallic-looking images on glossy, light emitting, reflective or luminescent substrates. The invention also relates to dry substrates having light-emitting, highly reflective and/or metallic looking images prepared thereon.
Many methods have been used to produce a metallic-looking image on a substrate. For the most part, these methods involve the use of metallic pigments and metal-containing inks. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,233,195 to Mills, 5,912,283 to Hashizume et al., 5,662,738 to Schmid et al., and 5,766,335 to Bujard et al. describe pigments and ink formulations that incorporate metallic, usually aluminum, particles. While different approaches have been followed to provide enhanced color and pigment variation, the inks and pigments used are typically costly and require complicated and expensive procedures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,976 to Williamson et al. describes a metallic color printing process wherein the image is produced using a four-color separation process, involving metallic gold and/or metallic silver separations, and an electronic masking system.
Other processes have been developed for producing a metallic-looking image without the use of metallic pigments. U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,331 to Kline, for example, describes a printed substrate having a metallic finish where the metallic appearance is achieved by applying a first layer having the desired final color pattern, a second layer comprising a moire dispersion pattern and a third coating of water pearl. Complex thermal processing methods have also been used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,843 to Kawaguchi describes a method of producing a reflective image by printing the image on the surface of a film using a thermal print head and then affixing the film onto a reflective surface.
Reflective surfaces to form metallic-looking images have also been used, primarily in the marketing and display industries. U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,126 to Longobardi et al. describes a process for reverse printing on a transparent facing material such as a MYLAR(copyright) polyester sheet or a glass sheet. The printing must be done as a mirror image and the printing steps must be performed in an order that is the reverse of the order used in conjunction with conventional printing, making it difficult to use standard printing equipment without substantial modification. Also, this method is quite costly.
A more direct method is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,634 to Karel wherein a metallic-looking image is generated by first applying a coating of a white pigment to the surface of a reflective substrate, wherein the applied pigment has varying density across the surface, and then applying a coating of a colored pigment, also in varying density across the surface. Those surface areas having a lower density of white and colored pigments have a metallic-looking appearance, as the reflective substrate is visible through the coating layers. This method is effective, it requires a separate screened application of the white dots and is not suitable for use in conventional ink-jet printing or in any other consumer usable image production method.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a simple and inexpensive process for the printing of light-emitting, reflective or metallic-looking images.
The present invention features a novel process for producing a light-emitting, glossy, reflective or metallic-looking image utilizing opaque coating compositions on a reflective, glossy, or luminescent substrate wherein the original surface of the substrate is initially masked but, after contact with a recording liquid, becomes transparent, revealing the glossy, reflective or luminescent substrate through the contacted, coated area. The opaque coating compositions are composed of a mixture of a polyacid and a polybase and may be used to treat a substrate either during or after manufacture. Substrates treated with the present opaque coating compositions can be used to yield high quality light-emitting, glossy, reflective, or metallic-looking images.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a method for producing a light-emitting, glossy, reflective or metallic-looking image comprising the steps of applying an opaque coating composition to the surface of a light emitting, glossy, reflective or luminescent substrate and contacting the coated substrate with a recording liquid, wherein the opaque coating comprises a mixture of a polyacid and a polybase.
Another object of the invention is to provide opaque coatings for the treatment of glossy, reflective or luminescent substrates, which provide a light-emitting, reflective, glossy, or metallic-looking image when contacted with a recording liquid.
A further object of the invention is to provide an opaquely coated reflective or luminescent substrate wherein the opaque coating provides a light-emitting, reflective, glossy, or metallic-looking image when contacted with a recording liquid.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
In a first embodiment, then, a process is provided for producing a light-emitting, reflective, glossy, or metallic-looking image comprising the steps of (1) applying an opaque coating composition to the surface of a substrate wherein the surface is selected from the group consisting of glossy surfaces, reflective surfaces and luminescent surfaces and (2) contacting the coated substrate with a recording liquid, wherein the opaque coating composition is such that it becomes transparent upon contact with a recording liquid.
In another embodiment of the invention, a substrate is provided having a surface selected from the group consisting of glossy surfaces, reflective surfaces and luminescent surfaces, coated with an opaque coating composition that becomes transparent upon contact with a recording liquid.
In a further embodiment of the invention, a process is provided for producing a light-emitting, glossy, reflective or metallic-looking image comprising the steps of (1) forming a preselected image or color scheme on top of the surface of a substrate having a surface selected from the group consisting of reflective surfaces and luminescent surfaces, (2) applying an opaque coating composition on top of the preselected image or color scheme, and (3) applying a recording liquid to the coated substrate, wherein the opaque coating composition becomes transparent upon contact.
In a still further embodiment of the invention, a substrate is provided having a surface selected from the group consisting of reflective surfaces, glossy surfaces, and luminescent surfaces, having a preselected image or color scheme on the surface and additionally coated with an opaque coating composition that becomes transparent upon contact with a recording liquid.

Preparation of images on a substrate surface utilizing an opaque coating composition that becomes transparent upon printing


In order to avoid an improper bending-open of a sealing element on the door and thus an access gap for a tool, a corner plate is provided in the miter corner of the door. The corner plate is held in the door frame by way of a safety catch, so that the sealing element cannot be pulled out of the member profile of the door.

This application claims the priority of German Patent Document DE 101 15 124.1, filed Mar. 27, 2001, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a safety device for a door window of a vehicle, a sealing element being held clamped into a door frame, in which a displaceable window is guided on an exterior side in lateral integrated guides, said window being held so that the window is movable on a face side into an upper guide of the sealing element.
From German Patent Document DE 693 07 117 T2 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,832, a door frame is known which has a filling corner piece in a miter corner, which corner piece, on the one hand, follows the physical course of the angular exterior door opening and, on the other hand, has an interior bent edge which corresponds to the outer radius of the bent area of the member profile of the door.
It is an aspect of the invention to provide a safety device for a door window of a motor vehicle which can easily be mounted between a door frame and a sealing element and ensures a stable positioning of the window in a closed window position.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, this object is achieved by that in at least one miter corner of the door frame, the safety device is arranged which comprises a corner plate, which can be connected with the door frame, and a safety catch which is held in the sealing element, reaches in areas over the corner plate and holds the corner plate between the sealing element and the safety catch. Additional advantageous characteristics are contained in other preferred embodiments.
The principal advantages achieved by way of certain preferred embodiments of the invention are that the sealing element for the window is held in the door frame by way of the safety device and an improper encroachment into the vehicle interior is therefore impossible, in order to, for example, introduce a device for opening the door illegally. For this purpose, a safety device is arranged in a miter corner of the door frame and comprises a corner plate, which can be connected with the door frame, as well as a safety catch held in the sealing element. The safety catch reaches in areas above or below the corner plate, and the corner plate is arranged between the sealing element and the safety catch.
The corner plate is arranged directly in the miter corner of the door and fills a clearance occurring from the sealing curvature to the angular profile frame. In particular, the corner plate has a triangular shape and is held in the door frame between bent legs of the door profile and an interior boundary frame of the door profile by way of corresponding clamping devices and molded-on sections. For fixing the plate, the safety catch reaches over a surface tip of the corner plate so that the latter is arranged between the sealing profile and the door profile.
So that a sealing element, which is held in a more stable manner and cannot be bent open by the effect of force, can be achieved in the door frame, the safety catch includes an angle element arranged in a corner of the sealing element, which angle element has a plane locking plate having a bend. The locking plate is arranged at a receiving distance with respect to the supporting surface of the member profile in order to be able to receive the surface tip of the corner plate. An integrated arrangement of the safety catch in the sealing element of the window is achieved in that the safety catch can be fixed by being sprayed into the sealing element by way of a rubber connection.
For fixing the corner plate in the profile frame, the corresponding clamping devices on the corner plate include nose-type molded-on sections which are opposite molded-out sections on the door profile. The molded-out sections reach over the molded-on sections. Additionally, flexible tongues are arranged on the corner plate and are elastically supported on the legs of the door profile. Furthermore, the corner plate has a rounded-out edge on the frontal side, which edge is provided with a profile edge and, at a distance thereto, is provided with opposite projecting molded-on devices, and an edge of the member profile is arranged between the profile edge and the molded-on sections.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Safety device for a door window of a motor vehicle and method of making same


A tractor is provided for suppressing pitching in which a front part of a traveling vehicle body is lifted upward, while a suspension mechanism functions when work is carried out with a ground implement. When a raise control signal for raising the plow is detected in draft control for elevating/lowering the plow based on a draw load value detected by a draw load sensor, mode switching means suppresses or limits the suspension function, via control of the suspension control means to suppress an event in which the front part of the traveling vehicle body is lifted upward. When the raise control signal is not detected, the mode switching means causes the suspension mechanism to function via control of the suspension control means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tractor in which front wheels are supported by a suspension mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2009-255697 (JP 2009-255697 A) discloses, as a tractor configured in the manner described above, a suspension mechanism provided with: a hydraulic cylinder in which the front wheels and front axle case are supported by a traveling vehicle body so as to be capable of moving vertically, and which extends and contracts in coordination with the vertical movement of the right and left front wheels; a fluid line system for controlling the hydraulic fluid fed to and discharged from the hydraulic cylinder; and an accumulator provided to the fluid line system.
In JP 2009-255697 A, a control mode is described in which the fluid line system includes a switching valve having an orifice part that limits the flow rate of hydraulic fluid that flows to the accumulator when the hydraulic cylinder contracts, and an orifice of the switching valve is selected by the weight of an implement coupled to the traveling vehicle body, whereby the spring constant of the hydraulic cylinder is set as desired. Also, in JP 2009-255697 A, a control mode is described in which the feed and discharge of hydraulic fluid to and from the hydraulic cylinder is limited by an operation that further reduces (the cross section of) the orifice of the switching valve to suppress the vertical movement of the front part of the vehicle body when a brake operation is carried out.


A number of embodiments of acoustical devices for improving either or both the intake and exhaust sounds emanated from an internal combustion engine. This is achieved by employing acoustical devices which are configured so as to discharge the desired sound waves to the atmosphere rather than by attempting to dampen the undesired sound waves generated in the system.

This invention relates to an acoustical device for an internal combustion engine and more particularly to an improved device for generating the desired sounds from either or both of the engine induction system and the engine exhaust system.
Various devices have been proposed for use in conjunction with internal combustion engines so as to provide the desired sound in either or both of the induction system and the exhaust system. Generally, the desired sound has been achieved by providing acoustical devices that will tune or minimize the frequencies which are not desired so as to retain the desired frequencies. The problem with these systems is that they require multiple devices to tune out multiple frequencies other than the frequency or frequencies desired. Various types of silencing devices have been employed for attempting to cancel out or reduce the objectionable or undesirable frequencies and these include such things as side branch, resonators and Helmholtz resonators.
It is, therefore, a principal object to this invention to provide an improved acoustical device for an engine that will be capable of rather than tuning out undesired frequencies, amplifying the desired frequencies so as to simply the system.
It is a further object to this invention to provide such an acoustical device for either or both of the engine induction and exhaust systems.
This invention is adapted to be embodied in an internal combustion engine comprised of an engine body forming at least one combustion chamber. An induction system is provided having an atmospheric communication opening for introducing at least an air charge to the combustion chamber. An exhaust system is also provided for discharging exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber through an atmospheric communicating opening. An acoustical device for amplifying sounds of a predetermined frequency is provided in at least one of the induction and exhaust systems and has an opening facing the atmospheric communicating opening of the system.


There is provided a composition comprising    (a) one or more cyclopropene complex, and    (b) 0-10% water by weight based on the weight of said composition,wherein the mole ratio of cyclopropene in said composition to molecular encapsulating agent in said composition is 0.92:1 or higher, or wherein the composition is in the form of a powder and, in a two-dimensional image of a representative sample of said powder, 20% or more of the area of the images of the particles of said cyclopropene complex, based on the area of all the images of all the particles of said cyclopropene complex in said image of said sample, is in the form of particles of said cyclopropene complex that have width dimension of 10 micrometers or larger. Also provided is a process for making a composition comprising cyclopropene complex.

It is often useful to provide a cyclopropene complex (i.e., one or more cyclopropene encapsulated by one or more molecular encapsulating agent). Cyclopropene complexes are sometimes made by dissolving molecular encapsulating agent in water and then introducing cyclopropene into the liquid solution. Usually, the water is then removed from the mixture so that the cyclopropene complex can be stored, transported, and handled as a powder. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,953,540 discloses a continuous method to prepare encapsulated cyclopropenes.
A common drawback to such previously-known processes is that the operation of removing water releases some of the cyclopropene from the cyclopropene complex. Cyclopropene that is released from the cyclopropene complex is normally lost, either through diffusion into the atmosphere, through decomposition due to collision with other molecules, through other mechanisms, or through a combination thereof. It is desired to provide compositions that contain cyclopropene complex, that contain low level of water, and that have high levels cyclopropene.


Multiple dropdowns on a graphical user interface (GUI) are dynamically linked at runtime. The dropdowns are associated with inter-related attributes of an object displayed on the GUI. The content of each dropdown includes a list of values of an attribute and is entirely or partially hidden until the dropdown is selected. The list of values of each dropdown are dynamically generated and rendered at runtime, using stored data that links the attributes to their parent attributes. The stored data can be dynamically updated to reflect currently-available attribute values and the relationship of the attributes.

A graphical user interface (GUI) is a user interface that allows users to interact with a computing device by directly manipulating displayed GUI elements, such as graphical icons and visual indicators (e.g., buttons, tabs, etc.). One of the common GUI elements is a dropdown menu, or equivalently, a dropdown list or a dropdown. The content of a dropdown typically includes a list of values selectable by a user. In one scenario, a dropdown hides the display of its content until the dropdown is selected by a user. In some other scenarios, a dropdown displays a default values (which is one of the values in the list) before a user selects the dropdown, and displays the list of values when a user selects the dropdown. The use of dropdowns simplifies the task of data entry, because a user does not need to type the data but can select the data. This prevents potential user mistakes and data errors.
In some scenarios, the contents of one dropdown may be dependent on the selection of one or more other dropdowns. For example, a company may be spread over multiple geographical locations, and the divisions in one location may be different from the divisions in another location. The company's Web page may include a first dropdown that shows the different locations, and a second dropdown that shows the divisions. The content of the second dropdown is dependent on the selection of the first dropdown.
Currently, most applications build relationships among multiple dropdowns statically at design time. Generally, the relationship and the candidate values in the dropdowns are hard-coded. Adding new dropdowns, adding new linkages among dropdowns or altering relationships between linked dropdowns would necessitate extensive custom code and programming efforts.

Handling multiple dynamically-linked dropdowns in online applications


A mobility assistance device that employs a movable handle assembly and an extension support, both of which are movable between retracted and extended positions. The handle assembly is positioned when extended above a seating surface and provides leverage for a user to use his/her hands to assist in rising. The extendable support extends from a guide element along the floor beyond the center of gravity of the device and user to prevent tipping and to provide stability. When the extendable support and handle are disposed in the retracted position, the device is used like a typical cane, walker or rollator.

Many people suffer disabilities that make it difficult for them to move about their environment. In particular it can be difficult for these people to sit and rise; for example getting down to and up from chairs, couches, toilets, benches and beds. There is a need for devices that can assist these individuals in walking around their environment and also assist them in sitting and rising. There are many devices targeted at assisting people with disabilities but unfortunately these devices have many limitations, drawbacks and inadequacies.
Current mobility assistance devices can be grouped into seven categories as outlined below—each with their own target users and associated limitations, drawbacks and inadequacies.
Category 1: Dedicated Devices for Assisting People to Sit and Stand
Devices in this category assist individuals in sitting and standing, but do not help with walking, and are generally difficult to move, thus requiring a device at each object (chair, couch, etc.) at which an individual needs to sit and rise. Many of these devices contain a platform that goes under an object or a frame that goes around the object. Some of these devices also assist people in transferring to a walker but do not themselves provide a means to assist the person in walking. In addition, people with limited mobility are not usually able to install the devices themselves and therefore need assistance with installation. For these reasons many people who could benefit from these devices do not purchase them and simply continue to struggle.
Category 2: Devices With Passive Features to Assist People to Stand
Devices in this category add design features into a standard assistive device (cane, walker, etc.) that are intended to assist people to stand, but have limited usefulness since the features need to fit within the constraints of the original device, and usually compromise the basic utility of the device itself. For example multi-level handles may be easier to grab when rising, but provide limited area to hold the handles while walking. Likewise, surfaces for users to place their feet to anchor a walker when rising can interfere with normal operation and even cause a fall hazard.
Category 3: Devices With a Movable Support to Assist People to Stand
Devices in this category have a support that moves into place for a person to hold onto when rising. These devices have the fundamental problem that the hand support extends beyond the center of gravity of the device and/or user, which can result in the device tipping unless the user holds the device at an awkward angle, or shifts his/her weight in an unnatural way. Some of these devices are intended to rest on the seating surface of a chair or couch, but are unstable on soft cushions and may not be at the correct height to help facilitate standing.
Category 4: Weight Leveraging Lifts and Walkers
Devices in this category utilize counter balances, hydraulics, or springs in mechanisms that are intended to assist a person in sitting or rising. These devices tend to be large, expensive, and complicated items that are not appropriate for the average person needing assistance with sitting and standing, and typically find limited use for severely disabled individuals.
Category 5: Transfer Assistance Devices
Devices in this category provide assistance to a person in transferring from one object to another—for example from a wheelchair to a bed. These devices have limited functionality, and are not appropriate for the average person needing assistance with sitting and standing. The devices are typically designed for use with wheelchair bound individuals and are of no, or limited, utility for people who simply need assistance in walking and do not require a wheelchair.
Category 6: Powered Assistance Devices
Devices in this category use motors, compressed gas, or other power sources to actively raise and/or lower a person, resulting in a device that is heavy, large, and expensive, and that needs to contain, or be connected to, a power source. Thus these devices are not appropriate for the average person needing assistance with sitting and standing, and typically find limited use for severely disabled individuals and in limited environments.
Category 7: Supportive Canes
Devices in this category utilize legs, platforms, and/or supports to provide some additional stability to a cane. While these devices do provide additional support to a person for walking, the devices do not provide adequate stability or leverage to provide significant assistance to a person in sitting or standing.
As evidenced by the large number and type of devices that have been invented and that are available commercially, there is obviously a significant need for mobility assistance devices. Different types of devices suit people with different needs and different types of disabilities adding to the breath of devices. Despite the significant need, decades of invention, and numerous products being brought to market, there is currently no adequate device to both assist disabled individuals in walking around their environment and also assist them in sitting and rising.


A plurality of plane antennas 6-1 and 6-2 are embedded in the equipment body section 1, and every time occurrence of reception failure is detected by the internal electronics circuit, switching between the antennas used is established. Spatial diversity through selectively switching and using the plurality of plane antennas 6-1 and 6-2 is performed. Through this, even when reception sensitivity of one antenna in use deteriorates, good reception sensitivity can be gained through switching to another antenna. Thus, this can avoid inconvenience where calls are cut off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wristwatch type cellular phone. In particular, it is suitable as a wristwatch type cellular phone that has a equipment body section having clocking functions of a clock and a wrist band so as to enable the equipment body section to be placed on or pulled out of a wrist, and where the equipment body section incorporates an electronic circuit of the phone section that transacts dialing functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, cellular phones have become smaller and lighter, and a wristwatch type cellular phone has been also developed. The wristwatch type cellular phone has a portion equivalent to a clocking section of a wristwatch, and a portion equivalent to phone section necessary for cellular phone functions (communications section, operation section, transmitter section (microphone), and receiver section (speaker), etc.). Various devices have been made regarding this type of wristwatch type cellular phone in light of operationality for making a phone call, and user-friendliness of transmitting or receiving a phone call, etc. (for example, refer to patent documents 1-8: Patent document 1 (JP patent laid-open No. 5-276056), Patent document 2 (JP patent laid-open No. 6-232950), Patent document 3 (JP patent laid-open No. 9-55679), Patent document 4 (JP patent laid-open No. 11-177663), Patent document 5 (JP patent laid-open No. 2000-286939), Patent document 6 (JP patent laid-open No. 2001-28620), Patent document 7 (JP patent laid-open No. 2001-45122), and Patent document 8 (JP patent laid-open No. 2001-345907).
However, regarding a conventional wristwatch type cellular phone, the operation section relating to phone functions is allocated on the surface or backside of the clocking section body, or on the wrist band as a hardware switch. When considering operationality, the operation section cannot be made in a too small manner. Thus, this causes a problem where the clocking section body or wrist band in which the operation section is mounted becomes larger than a normal clock not having phone functions, and mounting become remarkably worse.
Additionally, the conventional wristwatch type cellular phone has a problem involving antenna installation. It is relatively easier for a normal cellular phone to preserve sufficient space that can incorporate a retractable antenna into the chassis thereof. However, regarding wristwatch type cellular phone, the clocking section body is remarkably smaller than the cellular phone. Therefore, it is difficult to preserve sufficient space that can incorporate a retractable antenna. When intending to forcedly mount a retractable antenna, the clocking section body must be made larger. Nonetheless, mounting becomes worse.
Additionally, the aforementioned patent document 1 includes that a wrist band made with antenna material having adequate elasticity is formed and a loop formed when the wrist band is placed on the wrist is used as an antenna. However, this method is based on a condition where users make a phone call by putting the wrist band on their wrists. This dialing method is not suitable because the distance between the transmitter section and receiver section becomes less, and making a phone call becomes difficult.
In order to avoid such difficulty when making a phone call, it is proposed that the transmitter section and receiver section be positioned at the edge of the wrist band (for example, refer to the aforementioned patent documents 4, 7, and 8). In such case, calls are executed in a condition that the wrist band is removed from the wrist. However, under such condition, the loop antenna cannot be formed, and receiver sensitivity worsens. In particular, many calls are executed while in transit, when receiver sensitivity worsens due to a change of surrounding conditions, calls are cut off.
Additionally, the conventional wristwatch type cellular phone diverts the battery incorporated in the backside of dial plate for the use of clock, etc. and operates the phone functions. Thus, the battery of such wristwatch type cellular phone becomes used up to a greater extent than that of a normal clock without phone functions. Normally, the battery for the clock is compact and has a low capacity, and the battery must be frequently exchanged. Moreover, such battery exchange is required to be preformed by using specialized tools. Thus, this causes a remarkably troublesome issue.


A method for verifying a speaker by a computer is specified in which the speaker utters at least one code word consisting of a random combination of syllable units previously supplied by the speaker. A comparison of this uttered code word with at least one pattern verifies the speaker if the at least one pattern matches the uttered code word with a predetermined minimum quality. The code word is designed in such a manner that it has at least two syllable units, at least one syllable unit being a component of a further code word.

The invention relates to a method and a system for verifying a speaker by a computer.
In a speaker verification, a speaker is to be identified or authenticated to a system, for example during an access check, by using his voice. In the verification, it is of particular importance to also ensure that the correct user is speaking and the characteristics of the speaker thus authenticate him to the system.
A device suitable for this purpose is known from DE 199 07 854 A1. In this document, it is also proposed that the speaker is only verified if the quality of the code word input is above a predetermined threshold of acceptance.
Problems are presented by the fact that for an unauthorized user (attacker) to outsmart the system (e.g. the access check), it may be sufficient to record the password input of the authorized user and to gain unauthorized access by replaying the recording. This attack is particularly simple when each speaker who authenticates himself to the system has his own password which is compared with patterns of the same password of the same speaker in the form of speech and access to the system is granted if the match is sufficiently good.
It is thus disadvantageous that a relatively simple attack of the unauthorized person can lead to success and thus contributes to a quite low acceptance of the verification of the speaker by his utterance.
In Furui S. et al. "Phoneme-Level Voice Individuality Used in Speaker Recognition", Yokohama, Japan, 1994, Yokohama: ASJ, pages 1463-1466, a method for verifying a speaker by a computer is specified in which phonemes are used, that is to say the smallest semantically distinguishable sound units. As a result, the possible vocabulary which a speaker is allowed to speak is not predetermined. On the other hand, using phonemes according to the method disclosed makes it mandatory to use relatively computationally complicated methods such as, for example, HMMs in order to model the speakers.

Verifying a speaker using random combinations of speaker's previously-supplied syllable units


A marking tool comprising bottom, base and top polyhedral shaped portions integrally joined such that the top and bottom portions are skewed with respect to each other and the base, such that a plurality of selected spaced distances are defined between adjacent walls of the top and bottom portions relative to walls of the base portion.

The present invention is directed to a tool for allowing a carpenter or other craftsmen to quickly and accurately mark distances from an edge and, in particular to a marking block having a base with a polyhedral shape and smaller top and bottom portions having the same polyhedral shape but of a smaller size and offset with respect to the base.
Carpenters, such as cabinet makers, must make frequent and accurate dimensional measurements to provide a guide as to where to make a cut with a saw, where to drill, where to place pulls or handles and the like. Many of these measurements are in the range of one sixteenth of an inch to one inch in one sixteenth with increments in the American system using inches or in one tenth of a centimeter increments in systems using the metric system.
It is often difficult to accurately measure such short and precise measurements with a tape measure or rule and when using such a device, multiple marks must be made and a line drawn between them to provide a guide line. Further, prior art measuring devices, such as tape measures and rulers with positioning slides, are often difficult to uniformly position or to use in getting highly repetitive and accurate measurements.
Consequently, it is desirable to have a tool that allows a carpenter to very quickly and easily position a guide line or mark, a desired distance from the edge of a board or other material being worked.


Methods, systems, and computer program products for determining optimal compute resources for distributed batch based optimization applications are provided herein. A method includes obtaining a size of an input dataset, a size of a model, and a set of batch sizes corresponding to a job to be processed using a distributed computing system; computing, based at least in part on the set of batch sizes, one or more node counts corresponding to a number of nodes that can be used for processing said job; estimating, for each given one of the node counts, an execution time to process the job based on an average computation time for a batch of said input dataset and an average communication time for said batch of said input dataset; and selecting, based at least in part on said estimating, at least one of said node counts for processing the job.

Many optimization applications such as those based on Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD), work iteratively on batches of input data to learn a model that minimizes (or maximizes) an objective function. It is common for batch based optimization applications (such as Deep Learning (DL) jobs) to take days or even weeks for training on datasets. Training time increases as datasets grow larger and models become deeper and more complex. DL jobs, for example, are increasingly being run on DL clouds that are customized for this purpose. Currently, users predetermine the number of computing units (GPUs/nodes) and are charged based on a per hour per compute unit cost.

Determining optimal compute resources for distributed batch based optimization applications

International Business Machines Corporation


A disc harrow implement has gang assemblies each having aligned disc gangs carried by a support bar. Each disc gang has disc blades spaced along an axis of the disc gang. The disc gangs of each gang assembly are coaxially aligned to create a line of substantially equally spaced disc blades. A plugging detection system alerts an operator if one or more of the disc gangs are rotating at a rotational speed that is slower than rotational speeds of the remaining disc gangs. The plugging detection system includes a gang rotation sensor for each of disc gangs. Each gang rotation sensor is configured to measure the rotational speed of the connected disc gang. A control module compares the rotational speed of each disc gang to the rotational speed of the disc gangs and generates an output that indicates when a disc gang is rotating more slowly that the other disc gangs.

Modern farms are faced with a variety of problems, including increased concern for soil erosion, crop residue management and rising production costs with stagnant crop prices. One way farmers are successfully addressing each of these concerns is to reduce, as far as possible, the number of passes which a farmer must make over his fields. In corn growing operations, after the corn is harvested, it is important for the farmer to conduct fall tillage to bury the crop residue (e.g., stocks or stubble) from the harvested crop and to break up sub-soil compaction in preparation for spring planting. In order to accomplish both of these tasks in a single pass, disc harrow implements have been developed.
Disc harrows contain a set of rotating blades that cut and incorporate residue into the soil. The rotation of the blades is created by the forward travel of the implement being pulled through the field by a tractor. One typical disc harrow has a pair of wings, each having multiple gangs of disc blades, mounted on the front of the implement with the wings angled inward and rearward toward each other followed by another pair of wings having disc gangs which are angled inward and forward toward each other.
The process of moving soil and residue in various soil types and various soil conditions with a disc harrow can lead to plugging problems. This plugging typically occurs when residue gets stuck between the disc scraper and the disc blade, or when residue builds up around the disc gang connection points. Once this plugged condition occurs, the operator must take quick action to prevent building up a large pile of dirt and residue in front of the disc harrow. The pile of residue is undesirable as it impacts planting conditions and has the potential to reduce the lift of the disc harrow.

Disc harrow with gang plugging detection


Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and apparatus for predicting a passenger flow. A specific implementation of the method includes: acquiring, based on a received prediction request for a passenger flow value of a target traffic route in a preset time period, route information of the target traffic route and a passenger flow sequence corresponding to a preset number of consecutive time periods before a current time; encoding the route information to generate encoded route information; and inputting the encoded route information and the passenger flow sequence into a pre-trained passenger flow prediction model to obtain a passenger flow prediction value of the target traffic route in the preset time period, the passenger flow prediction model being used to represent a corresponding relationship between both the encoded route information and the passenger flow sequence and the passenger flow prediction value of the target traffic route.

With the development of information technology, the interaction between various platforms facilitates the acquisition of data. Big data-based information technology may be applied in various industries. The various industries analyze acquired historical data through data platforms, thereby realizing the prediction of future information.
In the related technology applied to passenger flow prediction, the acquired historical data is usually analyzed by manual labeling to obtain a passenger flow prediction value. Or, passenger flow information is predicted by manual prediction.

Method and apparatus for predicting passenger flow

BEIJING BAIDU NETCOM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The present invention relates generally to a method for supplying high purity hydrogen through a hydrogen supply system comprising in fluid communication one or more storage caverns, multiple hydrogen production sources, and a pipeline distribution system capable of delivering hydrogen to a plurality of hydrogen demand points which coordinates the operation of the cavern, hydrogen plants, and pipeline distribution system to meet the real time dynamic demand profile.

The worldwide demand for hydrogen has been increasing at rapid rates and its scope of industrial uses continues to expand. To meet such demand, hydrogen delivery systems have been developed which integrate multiple hydrogen production sources, typically large hydrogen plants, by connecting to a pipeline distribution system which transfers the hydrogen gas from points of production to points of use, typically after product compression to meet delivery pressure constraints. These pipeline and storage delivery systems are large, complex and designed to meet the varied requirements of multiple use points which include customers such as refineries, chemical plants, fertilizer plants, and other industrial users.
Automated control systems have been used to control the operation of hydrogen plants at both the individual plant level and the system level to address the various needs of the use points and maintain efficient plant operation. The variables addressed include demand swings; production requirements including feed and power costs; and operational requirements such as flow, pressure, emissions control, down time, and transportation constraints. Typically, individual hydrogen plants are optimized to meet variable demand by turning down the plants at low demand requirements to reduce production costs and turning them up at peak demands requirements. Such swings in production add excessive wear to the plants and can limit the extent of optimization that can be achieved. When multiple hydrogen plants are linked to an integrated gas delivery system that includes an underground hydrogen storage complex, the operational pressure of the pipeline can be controlled to minimize the impact on individual plants. It is also noted that real optimization can be achieved by looking at the entire system and understanding the relative shadow prices associated with each constraint imposed on the system.
Underground caverns or related storage sites have been used in the past for collecting inventories of gases, most commonly natural gas. For example, natural gas has been stored in various geological formations such as depleted reservoirs in oil and/or gas fields, aquifers, and salt cavern formations. More recently, hydrogen has been held in underground salt caverns and proposed for storage in these other geological formations.
High purity hydrogen (e.g. above 96% and preferably above 99%) storage within solution mined salt caverns presents several challenges. For example, storing large quantities (e.g., greater than 100 million standard cubic feet) of high purity gaseous hydrogen in underground caverns consisting of a minimum salt purity of 75% halite (NaCl) or greater without measurable losses is difficult based on the properties of hydrogen. Hydrogen is the smallest and lightest element within the periodic table of elements, having an atomic radius measuring 25 pm+/−5 pm.
Further, hydrogen is flammable, and therefore a very dangerous chemical if not handled properly. Salt caverns consist of salt that have various ranges of permeability (e.g., 0-23×10−6 Darcy) that if not controlled properly could easily allow gaseous hydrogen to permeate through the salt and escape to the surface of the formation. If the stored hydrogen within an underground salt formation was to escape and permeate through the salt formation to the surface, a dangerous situation could arise. Consequently, high purity hydrogen is typically considered one of the most difficult elements to contain within underground formations and there are currently very few hydrogen storage caverns in commercial use containing high purity hydrogen.
Hydrogen storage caverns have recently been integrated into pipeline distribution systems which include integration to hydrogen production sources. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,078,011 B2, 8,690,476 B2 and 8,065,243 B2 which show or discuss hydrogen storage caverns integrated into pipeline systems. But the operation of the hydrogen production sources as disclosed therein were not integrated into the operation of the cavern. Secondly, the optimization approach did not address the extensive method of optimizing a contribution (or profit) margin in real-time subject to imposed system constraints. It has now been found that an integrated hydrogen system can be operated in a manner that optimizes the operation of each of the hydrogen sources, both individually and collectively, through the integrated use of the cavern. In addition, it has also been found that the operation of an underground high purity hydrogen storage cavern can be safeguarded against unexpected rises in pressure due to geologically induced creep closure, by relieving excess pressure formation by instantaneously withdrawing the stored hydrogen into a pipeline distribution system and decreasing the quantity of hydrogen being produced from the various hydrogen production sources co-located on the hydrogen pipeline system.
The present invention greatly increases the flexibility of the integrated supply operation and maximizes the profitability of the system while ensuring the efficient operation of the plants in a way not available without the use of the one or more underground hydrogen storage caverns. This coordinated operation of the entire integrated hydrogen supply system, including multiple hydrogen sources and one or more caverns, permits the operation of the individual hydrogen plants to be optimized to minimize the variable costs while continuing to meet the variable demand and pressure requirements of the multiple use points. Lastly, the coordinated operation of the integrated hydrogen storage and production sources in connection with the pipeline distribution system permits the enhanced operation of an underground hydrogen storage cavern and enables further optimization of hedging various hydrogen related feed stocks.

Method of supplying hydrogen through an integrated supply system


A technique for multiresolution consistent rasterization in which a setup unit calculates universal edge equations for a universal resolution. A rasterizer evaluates coverage data for two different resolutions based on the edge equations. The rasterizer evaluates coverage data for different effective pixel sizes—a large pixel size and a small pixel size. Optionally, the rasterizer may determine a first set of coverage data by performing conservative rasterization to determine coverage data for large pixels. Optionally, the rasterizer may then determine a second set of coverage data by performing standard rasterization for small pixels. Optionally, for the second set of coverage data, the rasterizer may evaluate only the small pixels that are within large pixels in the first set of coverage data that evaluate as covered.

Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to three-dimensional (3D) graphics processing, and, more particularly, to multiresolution consistent rasterization.
Description of the Related Art
A graphics processing pipeline converts input graphics data that is typically associated with three-dimensional objects into pixel data that is associated with a two-dimensional surface. In conventional implementations, a world-space portion of the graphics processing pipeline is responsible for processing the input graphics data, which is usually composed of a collection of triangles and related vertices, prior to when the data is converted into pixel data. A screen-space portion of the graphics processing pipeline is responsible for processing the converted pixel data and generating final pixel values for display.
One of the stages in the graphics processing pipeline is the rasterization stage, which typically involves converting the graphics data processed by the world-space portion of the pipeline into pixel data. Rasterization may involve generating edge equations that describe the edges of triangles processed in the world-space portion of the pipeline, determining coverage information for those triangles, and computing attribute values for the pixels and fragments covered by the triangles. The calculations involved in rasterization are generally fixed point calculations that are normally performed with a fixed fractional-pixel precision. Thus, the results of fixed point rasterization calculations can be thought of as "snapped" to a grid, where the boxes of the grid correspond to boxes of fractional-pixel size.
In many implementations, a graphics processing pipeline may rasterize the same three-dimensional object at different resolutions. For example, a triangle may first be rasterized at a low resolution to make certain determinations about the triangle, such as what general portions of a surface are covered by the triangle. The triangle may subsequently be rasterized at a higher resolution to generate image data for display. However, rasterization conducted at a lower resolution generally provides results that are "snapped" to a coarser grid than rasterization conducted at a higher resolution. Therefore, lower resolution rasterization may produce coverage results that do not properly align with the coverage results of higher resolution rasterization. For example, if memory is allocated based on the results of low resolution rasterization, memory may be over-allocated or under-allocated due to the fact that the results of lower-resolution rasterization are snapped to a coarser grid. More specifically, memory may be allocated for blocks for which no allocation is necessary, or memory may fail to be allocated for blocks for which allocation is in fact necessary.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more effective way to rasterize graphics data at different resolutions.


In some embodiments, alerts are sent to appropriate parties if an insulated container is not properly packed out to insure the approximate safe temperature of the materials. In other embodiments, a countdown timer is used to keep track of the time that the biologic has been in transit, and ensure that the amount of time does not exceed the known shelf life of the biologic. In still other embodiments, the payload container is equipped with its own sensors, such as temperature sensors, and communications devices, such as a close range communication device, capable of transmitting information regarding a range of parameters, including, but not limited to, temperature, humidity, location and time, from the payload container to an end user. In other embodiments, shielding and/or radiation sensors are included in insulated shipping or storage containers, or payload containers, to shield and monitor the radiation exposure of the payload.

Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of transport and storage of biologic-based medicines and other biologics. More particularly, the invention pertains to biologic stability, delivery logistics and administration of time and/or temperatures sensitive medicines and other biologic based materials.
Description of Related Art
Most all biologic-based materials including medicines, vaccines, cell and gene therapies and engineered tissue products are subject to hypothermic storage of varying duration to attempt to ensure survival, recovery during an ex vivo storage interval, and return to normal biologic function following an ex vivo storage interval. All vaccines and 70% of biologics are temperature sensitive. Regenerative medicine therapies require precise thermal protection during shipment. Current methods deploy various insulated shipping containers, biopreservation media of varying formulas, and data loggers that record the container temperature and store this on fixed media.
Temperature sensitive biologic-based medicines and other biologics that are subjected to temperature excursions may suffer degradation so as to render them ineffective.
One of the common causes of temperature excursions in temperature sensitive packaging and shipping is due to failure of the pack out personnel to follow the prescribed procedures for packing out a shipment, resulting in pack out errors. In addition, traditional shipping containers have limited temperature stability.
The consequences of these errors can be extremely costly, when a biologic based medicine cannot be administered due to temperature excursions outside a validated temperature range, or if the shipment is delayed and the medicine cannot be administered once the dosage has exceeded its validated stability period. Cell viability declines or lost and unusable doses of the medicines are also possible. Administering a thermally sensitive biologic dose that was exposed to unknown temperature excursions, pack out errors or has exceeded it stability period is dangerous. Clinical impacts can potentially include the loss of life of a patient, who may be dependent on a biological, or temperature sensitive material achieving its desired therapeutic effect. Additional clinical impacts include negative impacts on clinical trial outcomes due to poor biologics management. There is also potentially a large economic burden from waste and scrapping of unusable biological materials due to errors in shipping.
An additional challenge for the successful shipment of a temperature sensitive material is the monitoring of the temperature and a range of other important parameters, which, if they vary outside of accepted and/or validated ranges, may harm the material being transported.
A further risk relating to the safe and proper handling of the shipment of these materials relates to the time window for use of the materials. Many biological materials may only be used for treatment within a specific time window, or stability period.
Prior art foam shipping containers such as extruded or expanded polystyrene have limited performance, can only be used a single time, and have a negative environmental impact. In addition, it is difficult to control the temperature in these containers.
Prior art vacuum panel shippers have a very large footprint, and are heavy. They also have a complicated assembly or pack out procedure and are expensive to ship. The insulating materials used in these shippers must be preconditioned to multiple temperature ranges prior to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,154,421, issued Apr. 10, 2012, entitled "REAL TIME TEMPERATURE AND LOCATION TRACKER", herein incorporated by reference, discloses a shipper having an outer housing with a temperature sensitive payload and a temperature/location tracker. The payload and temperature/location tracker are within a compartment of a body of the shipper. The temperature/location tracker has a first temperature probe, a GPS receiver, a cellular modem, and a GPS antenna. The tracker monitors and periodically transmits temperature and location values of the shipper over a cellular communication network.
Various causative agents, including radiation exposure, may also impact the viability and functionality of biologics. Biologics that are utilized for research and clinical applications (regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and biobanking) include, but are not limited to, cells or cell types that are generally shielded from natural and medical/industrial radiation by tissues, fat, bones, organs, etc. in their normal conditions. When packaged for therapeutic doses, these isolated cells and tissues are more vulnerable to radiation, and the impact of radiation exposure may result in lethal and sub-lethal cellular responses.
Lethal radiation, at the minimum of assessment parameters, results in failure of the biologic for its intended use. The loss of biologic integrity results in the biologic product not being utilized in the research or clinical application. The immediate consequences of lethal radiation would include loss of product for the patient or customer, loss of time in the clinical/research workflow, and/or loss of cost-of-goods and revenue. Generally, the recognition of altered product due to lethal radiation exposure would result in scrapped product and non-usage. Perhaps even more problematic would be the lack of recognition of negative impact to the biologic, which may result in usage within the research/clinical application. Negative consequences of use of the impacted biologic include patient reactions and altered research results.
Sub-lethal radiation can also cause alterations and altered activity in biologics. One risk with exposure to sub-lethal radiation is that biologic alterations may not be recognized via superficial assessment methods, and may be delayed in manifesting their alterations outside of routine assessment timing parameters. Furthermore, the biologic alterations from sub-lethal radiation may result in altered biologic responses that can vary from mild to extensive consequences. Protection from radiation that may result in sub-lethal exposure would also be beneficial for maintaining the integrity and quality of biologics.
Within regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and biobanking, cells and tissues may be of particular concern regarding radiation exposure, as their utility is related to maintenance of yield, viability, and functionality. Furthermore, lethal and sub-lethal radiation exposure can elicit cellular responses resulting in negative consequences beyond simple inactivation of the cell/tissue product. In addition, cells and tissues may be subjected to biopreservation steps (hypothermic preservation, cryopreservation) with inherent sensitivities that can instill cumulative stresses and sensitivities in combination with radiation exposure.
The effects of radiation in mammalian cells include, but are not limited to, gene mutation, chromosomal rearrangement, cellular transformation, cell death via apoptosis, necrosis, and secondary necrosis, and carcinogenesis. Deleterious effects of ionizing radiation (IR), including mutation and carcinogenesis, are due to cellular level damage, often at the point of the nuclear DNA via direct absorption of radiation energy, with surviving irradiated cells expressing alterations, and cell death of other cells resulting from direct cellular damage.
Radiation damage to the cell can be caused by the direct or indirect action of radiation on the DNA molecules. In direct action, the radiation disrupts the molecular structure of the DNA by targeting the DNA molecules directly. These disruptions lead to cell damage or cell death. Surviving damaged cells may later induce abnormalities or carcinogenesis. In indirect action, water molecules and other organic molecules in the cell (where free radicals such as hydroxyl and alkoxy are produced) are targets of the radiation. Since water makes up nearly 70% of the cell composition, most radiation induced damage results from indirect action. Direct and indirect effects cause biological and physiological alterations that may surface immediately or only after a prolonged period of time, such as decades or even longer. Specific cellular responses seen in response to low dose or low dose rate radiation include the radioadaptive response, the radiation-induced bystander response, low dose hyper-radiosensitivity, and genomic instability. (Desouky et al., "Targeted and Non-Targeted Effects of Ionizing Radiation", Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences, 2015, pp. 247-254, herein incorporated by reference)
The deleterious effects of radiation can also occur in the progeny of irradiated cells after a delay. These deleterious effects are generally categorized as radiation-induced genomic instability (RIGI). Genomic instability is considered one of the most important aspects of cancer. (Huang et al., "Radiation-induced genomic instability and its implications for radiation", Oncogene (2003) 22, 5848-5854, herein incorporated by reference).
Humans and other organisms respond differently to low dose/low dose-rate radiation than they do to high dose/high dose-rate radiation. Non (DNA)-targeted effects include radiation-induced bystander effects (RIBE), genomic instability (GI), adaptive response, low dose hyperradiosensitivity (HRS), delayed reproductive death and induction of genes by radiation. "Non-targeted" effects do not require that nuclear DNA is directly exposed to irradiation to be expressed and they are particularly significant at low doses. Radiation-induced bystander effects (RIBE) are occurrences of biological effects in non-irradiated cells as a result of exposure of other cells in the population to radiation. Bystander effects have been mainly observed in high density cell cultures where only a small fraction of cells is irradiated. RIBE have been observed in DNA damage induction, the induction of mutations, micronuclei (MN) formation, sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), chromosomal instability (CIN), transformation, cell death (secondary necrosis or apoptosis), altered gene expression, differentiation, and alteration in the microRNAs (miRNAs) profile. One mechanisms of RIBE is gap-junction mediated intercellular communication (GJIC) which depends on the intercellular gap junctions' ability to transmit signals from irradiated to non-irradiated cells. (Desouky, 2015).
Radiation induced Genomic Instability (RIGI), observed in the progeny of irradiated cells, is a delayed appearance of de novo chromosomal aberrations, gene mutations and reproductive cell death. There is significant overlap between RIGI and the GI (genomic instability) observed in some (non-radiation-induced) cancers. Bone marrow cells irradiated with a low dose of ionizing high-LET alphaparticles (with a mean of one particle per traversed cell) resulted in significant expression of Chromosomal Instability (CIN) in vitro and in vivo. RIBE, observed in non-irradiated cells, may occur as a result of cells receiving signals from irradiated cells through gap junction communications or media from irradiated cells via diffusible factors. RIBE has been observed in a range of cell types, following a variety of radiation types and exposure procedures, particularly at low dose exposure. (Kadhim et al., "Non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation—implications for low dose risk", Mutat Res. 2013; 752(1): 84-98, herein incorporated by reference).
Irradiated cells may induce bystander mutagenic response in neighboring cells not directly exposed to radiation. (Zhou et al., Induction of a bystander mutagenic effect of alpha particles in mammalian cells", PNAS, 2000, vol. 97 no. 5, pp. 2099-2104, herein incorporated by reference). It is also noteworthy that bystander effects mediated via the surrounding media and gap junctions may also be mediated via the biopreservation media that is utilized for non-frozen preservation and cryopreservation of the cells and tissues. It is also possible that the composition of the biopreservation media may modulate the extent of radiation-induced cell damage. Intracellular-like biopreservation media has been shown to modulate biopreservation-induced cell damage and cell death (U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,990, herein incorporated by reference. Additionally, intracellular-like media has higher viscosity and generally contains high molecular weight components, in comparison to isotonic media, that may impede extracellular radiation-induced signaling factors that may result in bystander effects via media transfer and gap junction interactions.
Most cells being shipped or stored are subjected to hypothermic preservation or cryopreservation. Shipped cells may likely be exposed to some level of radiation during transport conditions and protocols. As discussed above, exposure to radiation during shipping/transport may be deleterious to cells. Furthermore, hypothermia and cryopreservation have the potential to have deleterious effects in isolation of radiation, and that might be noteworthy in combination with radiation exposure. Radiation-based DNA damage is potentially cumulative to, or amplification of, existing DNA damage from biopreservation of cells.
Hypothermia has been shown to enhance the radiation sensitivity of some cell types (Xiang et al., "Effects of anesthesia-induced modest hypothermia on cellular radiation sensitivity", Science in China (Series C), Vol. 45, No. 1, 2002, herein incorporated by reference). Cryopreservation significantly increased (up to 140%) DNA damage in cells compared with that observed in fresh samples. A source of antioxidants may also provide reduction in DNA damage. (Del Bo et al., "Comparison of DNA damage by the comet assay in fresh versus cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained following dietary intervention", Mutagenesis, 2015, 30, 29-35, herein incorporated by reference).
Telomere shortening is related to cell aging, senescence, and onset of cell death. Cryopreservation generates single-strand breaks in telomeric DNA. An increase of single-strand DNA breaks in terminal restriction fragment (TRF) were found in cryopreserved cells after thawing. The rate of mean TRF length shortening was accelerated after cryopreservation. (Honda et al., "Induction of Telomere Shortening and Replicative Senescence by Cryopreservation", Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 282, 493-498, 2001, herein incorporated by reference).
Bystander effects cause damage in non-irradiated cells, which exaggerates the effect of low doses. There is also evidence of an adaptive response, where some cells exposed to low dose radiation have reduced sensitivity to subsequent stresses. (Zhou et al., "Interaction between Radiation-Induced Adaptive Response and Bystander Mutagenesis in Mammalian Cells", Radiat Res. 2003, 160(5): 512-516, herein incorporated by reference). This may cause cells intended to have transient therapeutic lifespans to remain in the body longer than intended, with continued activity, and/or be resistant to suicide switches to prevent progression into cancer cells or intended to inactivate cells causing Graft vs. Host Disease (GHVD) or cytokine overload. Although much focus is on the potential for radiation-induced effects resulting in cell damage or cell death, there is also concern for radiation-induced cellular changes that may result in pro-survival activity and proliferation beyond normal cell control mechanisms. Development of cell-based therapies takes into consideration the potential for cellular changes that result in cell degradation, but they also take into consideration the potential for uncontrolled cellular activity that may also lead to overall negative consequences for research and clinical applications.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Biologic stability, delivery logistics and administration of time and/or temperature sensitive biologic based materials


An eyeglass strap apparatus (10) for frictionally securing the arms (101) of a pair of eyeglasses (100) to the sides of a user's head wherein the apparatus includes an elongated strap member (13) having a pair of friction members (17) formed on opposite ends wherein the combined length (L, L') of the strap member (13) is chosen so as to be loosely suspended from the arms (101) of the eyeglasses (100) and/or such that the intermediate portion (20) of the strap member (13) may be wrapped in turban fashion around the user's head to serve as a sweatband.

The present invention relates to an improved version of the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,861 which issued on July 18, 1989 and was entitled "Earpiece Cushion Apparatus for Eyeglasses", and a novel variation of the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,604 which issued to Robert B. Fuller on Jan. 9, 1979 and was entitled "Eyeglass Retainer".
As can be seen by reference to the patent, this eyeglass strap comprises a length of resilient material which is joined together at its ends to create tubular members which are dimensioned to frictionally engage the earpiece arms of a pair of eyeglasses wherein the length of material is specifically dimensioned to create resilient force on the ends of the earpieces when the eyeglass strap is stretched across the back of the user's head.
While the Fuller device is more than adequate for serving the particular function for which it was specifically designed and constructed, this particular device is not particularly well suited for those individuals who are bothered by rearward pressure being exerted on the bridge of their noses by the resilient force applied by the device.
In addition, there are also many people who would prefer to have their eyeglasses suspended from their necks a substantial distance below the level possible through use of the relatively short strap length provided by Fuller.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among people who wear eyeglasses for a new eyeglass strap construction which will not only provide a secure frictional engagement between the ends of the eyeglass strap and the user's head without creating a rearward pressure on the user's nose while deployed in its operative disposition and, which also will allow the user to suspend their eyeglasses fairly low on their upper torso when they are not using their glasses.
Furthermore, there has been an equally pressing need for an eyeglass strap construction which will serve a utilitarian function above and beyond those currently served by any other existing eyeglass strap construction and the provision of such a device is a stated objective of the present invention.


The present invention relates to the use of a fatty acid (meth)acrylic acid salt in a golf ball layer. The fatty acid (meth)acrylic acid salt may be added to one or more portions of a golf ball including a core, intermediate, or cover layer. For example, in one embodiment, the fatty acid (meth)acrylic acid salt may be blended with a polybutadiene rubber material. In another embodiment, the fatty acid (meth)acrylic acid salt of the present invention may be blended with an ionomer. In some embodiments, the fatty acid (meth)acrylic acid salt may be blended with a formulation including both a polybutadiene rubber component and an ionomer.

Golf ball manufacturers routinely experiment with different materials in an effort, to impart specific properties and features to the balls and/or individual components/layers within the ball. For example, the resiliency and rebounding performance of the golf ball is based primarily on the core of the ball. Thus, the core is commonly made of a rubber material such as natural and synthetic rubbers, styrene butadiene, polybutadiene, poly(cis-isoprene), poly(trans-isoprene), or highly neutralized acid copolymers. However, the durability required for repetitive play is often based on the cover of the ball. Because of their toughness and durability, the cover is commonly made of ionomer resins, polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes, or polyureas.
While these materials are commonly used in golf balls, polybutadiene rubber core compositions and ionomeric core/cover compositions have room for improvement in terms of performance and durability. For instance, polybutadiene rubbers of high molecular weight have better resilience than polybutadiene rubbers of low molecular weight. However, as the molecular weight of the polybutadiene rubber increases, the milling and processing properties of the polybutadiene rubber deteriorate. Similarly, while ionomer resins are more durable than other types of golf ball layer materials, the same properties that result in durability also provide a hard "feel" and generally result in a lower spin rate and, thus, lower control, due to the hardness of the material.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the golf ball manufacturing art to provide compositions with improved properties and processability that are useful in golf ball components. Advantageously, the blends of the present invention provide golf ball compositions having superior physical properties, as well as better processability, mold release, and moisture insensitivity characteristics.

Golf ball layers including a fatty acid (meth)acrylic acid salt


The present disclosure provides an arithmetic processor comprising: an arithmetic logic unit having a plurality of arithmetic circuits each for performing a group of associated arithmetic operations, such as finite field operations, or modular integer operations. The arithmetic logic unit has an operand input data bus, for receiving operand data thereon and a result data output bus for returning the results of the arithmetic operations thereon. A register file is coupled to the operand data bus and the result data bus. The register file is shared by the plurality of arithmetic circuits. Further a controller is coupled to the ALU and the register file, the controller selecting one of the plurality of arithmetic circuits in response to a mode control signal requesting an arithmetic operation and for controlling data access between the register file and the ALU and whereby the register file is shared by the arithmetic circuits.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing finite field and integer arithmetic.
Elliptic Curve (EC) cryptography over a finite field requires the arithmetic operations of addition, multiplication, squaring and inversion. Additionally, subtraction operations are also required if the field is not of characteristic two. Modular arithmetic operations are also required, for example in computing signatures, however these operations are required less frequently than the finite field operations. EC cryptography as an example, requires the full complement of modular and finite field operations, addition, subtraction, multiplication and inversion.
Field sizes for cryptography tend to be relatively large, requiring fast, dedicated processors to perform the arithmetic operations in an acceptable time. Thus there have been numerous implementations of either fast modular arithmetic processors or dedicated processors for performing arithmetic operations in F2n. The use of special purpose or dedicated processors is well known in the art. These processors are generally termed coprocessors and are normally utilized in a host computing system, whereby instructions and control is provided to the compressor from a main processor.
Traditionally RSA was the encryption system of choice, however with the advent of superior and more secure EC cryptography the need for processors that perform modular exponentiation exclusively is becoming less imperative. However, while users are in transition from RSA cryptography to EC cryptography there is a need for an arithmetic processor that supports both these operations, with little or no penalty in performance and cost.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate some of the above disadvantages.
In accordance one aspect of the present invention there is provided an arithmetic processor comprising:
a) an arithmetic logic unit to perform field operations in an underlying finite field;
b) at least one register to contain a representation of an operand; and
c) a control unit to control operations of said arithmetic logic unit on said operand.
The register has at least one control bit in a predetermined location in the register and co-operates with the arithmetic logic unit to compensate for variations in the size of the underlying finite field.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is provided an arithmetic processor for performing cryptographic operations comprising a first arithmetic logic unit for performing finite fields operations, a second arithmetic logic unit for performing a different cryptographic operation and a set of registers to hold representations of operands to be operated upon by the arithmetic logic unit during the cryptographic operations. The set of registers is operably connected to each of the arithmetic logic units for making the contents of the registers available to one of the arithmetic logic units.
In accordance with a yet further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arithmetic processor for performing finite field operations and including an arithmetic logic unit having a finite field arithmetic circuit comprising a finite field multiplier circuit having a plurality of registers for receiving representations of first and second operands and a further register for receiving a representation of a modulus and an accumulator for containing a finite field product of the operands, logic circuitry for establishing connections from respective cells of the registers to the accumulator and a sequencing controller operatively associated with the registers and the logic circuit for implementing a sequence of steps to derive the finite field product.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arithmetic processor comprising:
a) an arithmetic logic unit having a plurality of arithmetic circuits each for performing a group of associated arithmetic operations, the arithmetic logic unit having an operand input data bus for receiving operand data thereon and a result data output bus for returning the results of the arithmetic operations thereon;
b) a register file coupled to the operand data bus and the result data bus; and
c) a controller coupled to the arithmetic logic unit and the register file, the controller selecting one of the plurality of arithmetic circuits in response to a mode control signal requesting an arithmetic operation and for controlling data access between the register file and the arithmetic logic unit and whereby the register file is shared by the arithmetic circuits.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arithmetic processor for performing cryptographic operations comprising:
a) an arithmetic logic unit to perform field operations in an underlying finite field, the arithmetic logic unit having a special purpose register to contain an operand and an accumulating register, the accumulating register being coupled to the special purpose register to receive the operand therefrom;
b) a register file coupled to the special purpose register to provide the operand thereto, and thereby provide the operand to the accumulating register; and
c) a control unit to control operations of the arithmetic logic unit on the accumulating register;
the special purpose register cooperating with the arithmetic logic unit to compensate for variations in the size of the underlying finite field.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arithmetic processor for performing cryptographic operations comprising:
a) an arithmetic logic unit perform field operations in an underlying finite field;
b) a register file coupled to the arithmetic logic unit to provide an operand thereto;
c) a first control signal indicative of the size of the finite field;
d) a second control signal indicative of an operation; and
e) a controller to provide the control signals to the arithmetic logic unit and thereby perform the operation and compensate for variations in the size of the finite field.


A greeting card with removable bookmark combination comprises a sheet forming at least one leaf, an ornamented, preferably rigid sheet and a connector for removably attaching the ornamented sheet to a leaf of the card without substantially increasing the thickness of the card. Preferably, a threaded loop is wound through perforations in the leaf of the folded sheet and receives an elongated tassel tied to the ornamented rigid sheet forming the bookmark. Alternatively, the bookmark may-be retained in a relatively fixed position with respect to the sheet forming the card by slits within the sheet to form a retainer for the bookmark. The slits may be made in pairs, and multiple pairs may form straps that removably connect the bookmark ornamental indicia to the card leaf.

There are numerous designs and constructions of greeting cards. However decorations other than imprints applied to previously known cards often substantially increase the bulk or thickness of the greeting card. As a result, the envelope for the card must be specially designed to accommodate the attachment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,547,359 to Bacharach discloses a combination greeting card and frame picture which multiplies the thickness of the greeting card formed by the folded sheets to a dimension several times the combined thickness of the leaves forming the greeting card.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,941 to Halperin discloses a greeting card with a removable and reusable insert in the form of an embroidered emblem. This greeting card construction requires the additional thicknesses of an adhesive bonding layer, a thermal plastic adhesive layer and the embroidered emblem in addition to the layers of sheet material forming the card. Furthermore, the sheet is specially indented by moving thickened portion rearwardly to produce a uniform surface at the face of the card. Therefore, the card requires a substantially larger envelope than would ordinarily be required for a folded sheet forming the card.
Other known greeting cards have been particularly designed to fit within the standard or conventionally-sized envelope designed for the folded sheet forming the greeting card, by forming ornamental features from the leaves forming the card. The leaves include perforated areas which can be partially or wholly punched out from the plane of the leaf. However, the perforated areas cannot be removed from the sheet without destroying the structure and ornamentation of the card. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,616,199, 3,191,328, 3,235,988 and 4,055,690 all disclose separatable portions of greeting cards, which when removed, would adversely affect the structure and ornamentation of the card.
Moreover, when ornamentation is imprinted on the greeting card, it is often discarded along with the card within a short time after the event elapses for which the greeting card was sent. The affixed message has relevance only for a relatively short time period. Thus, manufacturers of cards with previously known constructions and the packaging for cards may be more concerned with simplicity and economic considerations rather than the aesthetic value of artistic presentations on the ornamentation. While the ornamentation may be appreciated by the receiver, the limited life of the imprinted message substantially reduces the enjoyment of the ornamentation regardless of its aesthetic or artistic value to the receiver. Accordingly, the typical life of enjoyment for ornamentation applied to greeting cards is typically very short regardless of the craft or beauty employed in ornamenting the cards and it does not encourage the application of artistry on commercial greeting cards.


A circuit for driving a semiconductor laser, in particular a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser that comprises a differential amplifier for driving the semiconductor laser directly. The semiconductor laser is differentially driven by means of the differential amplifier, a first output of the differential amplifier being direct-current-coupled to a first terminal of the semiconductor laser and a second output of the differential amplifier being alternating-current-coupled to a second terminal of the semiconductor laser.

The present invention relates to a drive circuit for and a method of operating a semiconductor laser, in particular a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).
The drive circuit according to the invention is, in particular, suitable for driving various types of VCSEL, i.e. VCSELs having different characteristics.
VCSELs are semiconductor laser diodes that emit their light vertically with respect to the surface of the wafer. They have many advantages compared with other semiconductor lasers. Mention may be made, for example, of the very high modulation rates, the very low power consumption, a high efficiency for optical coupling to optical fibres, and also photolithographically defined geometries. In addition, VCSELs are inexpensive. Compared with DFB lasers, the cost factor is, for example, approximately 100. However, VCSELs have a limited output power and a marked temperature dependence. Application fields for VCSELs are, for example, 10 Gbit Ethernet networks, in-office systems and also transmission systems in the short-link field, such as Metro networks. VCSELs having a laser wavelength in the region of 850 nm have been known for a fairly long time. Recently, VCSELs having a laser wavelength of 1300 nm have also been marketed. In contrast to DFB lasers, which are normally operated in the continuous-wave mode and whose laser light is modulated for information transmission via an external downstream modulator, VCSELs are modulated directly.
A circuit for driving a VCSEL having an emission wavelength of 850 nm is known that is a differential amplifier. In this instance, one terminal of the VCSEL is connected to ground or chassis respectively and the other terminal of the VCSEL to an output of the differential amplifier. Such a connection arrangement is also termed "single-ended". The VCSEL is operated with direct modulation by means of the differential amplifier. VCSELs having an emission wavelength of 850 nm have a relatively high threshold voltage of approximately 1.8 V, a threshold current of approximately 3 mA and a limit current of approximately 10 mA. Its differential resistance is in the order of magnitude of 60 Ω. To avoid distortions, the connecting line between the drive circuit and the VCSEL chip is normally matched to the differential resistance of the VCSEL.
The recently developed VCSELs having an emission wavelength of 1300 nm have a threshold voltage of 1.3 V but a differential resistance in the order of magnitude of 120 Ω. In contrast to connecting lines having an impedance of 120 Ω, the use of connecting lines having an impedance of 55-85 Ω does not present a problem from technical and economic points of view. The above-described drive circuit of the prior art has the disadvantage that, if in general only to a limited extent, it is usable for VCSELs having a high differential resistance.

Drive circuit and method of operating a semiconductor laser


A solid-state imaging device includes a semiconductor substrate having a photodiode formed therein, and a lamination structure of an insulating film and a wiring. The solid-state imaging device includes a partition wall formed on a wiring layer, constituted by an inorganic material and formed in a portion corresponding to a portion provided between the adjacent photodiodes, and a color filter constituted by an organic material and formed between the adjacent partition walls. The solid-state imaging device includes an adhesion layer constituted by an organic material and formed between a side surface of the partition wall and the color filter. An adhesive property of the adhesion layer to the color filter is higher than that of the partition wall to the color filter, and an adhesive property of the adhesion layer to the partition wall is higher than an adhesive property of the color filter to the partition wall.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a structure of an adhesion layer formed between a color filter and a partition wall.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of a solid-state imaging device according to the related art, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H03-282403 describes solid-state imaging device 900 shown in FIG. 11, for example. Solid-state imaging device 900 having a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally includes semiconductor substrate 910 and insulating film 920 formed on semiconductor substrate 910. Color filters 950, 952, 954 and 956 are formed on insulating film 920, and partition wall 930 is formed between color filters 950 and 952, 952 and 954, and 954 and 956 which are adjacent to each other.
With the structure, adjacent color filters 950 and 952, 952 and 954, and 954 and 956 are separated from each other and a contact surface with each other is not provided. For this reason, even if light incident on color filter 952 is scattered or reflected in color filter 952 and advances in an oblique direction, for example, the light enters adjacent color filters 950 and 954 with difficulty so that a crosstalk is suppressed.