Disclosed is a system and method of digesting raw animal waste using diffusers to force circulation and aerate a digesting lagoon. Several lagoons may be used in series to treat raw waste and different variations may be employed to successively digest raw waste. Aeration with slightly ozonated air facilitates a blend of aerobic and anaerobic microbes to quickly and completely digest large amounts of raw animal waste.

a. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to aerated digestion systems and specifically to aerated effluent processing systems with microbes.
b. Description of the Background
Anaerobic animal waste treatment systems are generally characterized by systems with liners or covered lagoons designed to mitigate smell and odor problems. Other systems include large biogas digesters. Anaerobic processes are very slow and rely on microbial decomposition reactions and processes that break down waste with no oxygen present. In addition, the anaerobic processes generate strong, unpleasant odors. Due to the slow process of digestion, there may be a rapid buildup of solids in the digestion ponds that must be removed and disposed of later. Further, anaerobic digestion does not remove salt content from runoff water.
Anaerobic systems are expensive to construct and may require a large capital investment to treat the effluent from a typical dairy or other farm operation. Often, covers are fitted to an anaerobic lagoon to capture and dispose of odorous gases such as H2S and ammonia. Such covers are expensive and prone to maintenance.
It would therefore be valuable to provide a system that processes waste quickly and efficiently, with a minimum of odor and as completely as possible. Further, it would be valuable to be able to process solid waste quickly enough that solid waste does not build up. Further, it would be valuable to provide a system that minimizes both the capital and recurring costs.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art by providing an aeration system coupled with a specific regimen of microbes that efficiently and effectively break down solid and liquid waste. The aeration system may function by aerating the waste from the bottom using a laminar column of fine bubbles to most efficiently circulate the waste and to maximize the oxygen transfer. The aeration system may further comprise an ozone generator and/or an oxygen generator to increase the oxygen transfer to the liquid.
Additionally, circulators in a lagoon may further enhance the movement of the effluent in a horizontal fashion. Such circulation prevents solids from collecting in various areas of a lagoon and maximizes the decomposition of solid matter.
Specialized microbes are added to the water that efficiently and effectively decompose the waste matter. The microbes are a blend of aerobic and facultative anaerobic microbes. Additionally, a blend of enzymes is added that increase the digestion rates of the waste matter.
The present invention may therefore comprise a system for the digestion of biological wastes comprising: a first lagoon with an inlet for receiving the wastes and an outlet; at least one diffuser mounted in the bottom of the first lagoon, the diffuser being adapted to produce a substantially laminar column of bubbles; a pressurized air source in pneumatic communication with the diffuser; a blend of microbes in the lagoon to aid digestion, the blend comprising at least one of the following: Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Thiobacillus; a circulator for the horizontal circulation of liquid in the lagoon; a second lagoon with an inlet in communication with the outlet of the first lagoon and an outlet; and, at least one diffuser mounted in the bottom of the second lagoon, the diffuser being in pneumatic connection with the air source and being adapted to produce a substantially laminar column of bubbles.
The present invention may further comprise a method for the digestion of biological wastes comprising: introducing the waste into a lagoon; adding a blend of microbes to the lagoon comprising at least one of the following: Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Thiobacillus; aerating the lagoon with a plurality of aerators located on the bottom of the lagoon, the aerator being adapted to produce a laminar column of bubbles; the aerators being supplied by a compressed air supply that has been enriched with ozone.
The present invention may further comprise a system for the digestion of biological wastes comprising: four lagoons, each lagoon being circular in shape with a conical bottom and being between five and twenty five feet deep; each lagoon having a sludge drain at the center of the lagoon; each lagoon being connected in series so that effluent flows serially from the first lagoon to the second lagoon to the third lagoon to the fourth lagoon; each lagoon being outfitted with a plurality of fine bubble diffusers for the aeration of the lagoons; each lagoon being outfitted with a surface circulator; an air supply in communication with the diffusers having a compressor adapted to supply air such that the diffusers produce a laminar column of bubbles and further adapted to add ozone to the air; and a sludge pit in communication with the sludge drain of each of the lagoons and a pump for moving sludge from the sludge pit to the first lagoon.
The present invention may further comprise a method for digesting biological wastes comprising: introducing the wastes into a first water filled lagoon; adding a blend of microbes to the first water filled lagoon, the blend comprising at least one of the following: Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Thiobacillus; aerating the first water filled lagoon with a plurality of aerators dispersed on the bottom of the first water filled lagoon, the aerators adapted to produce a laminar column of bubbles, the aerators being supplied by a first compressed air supply; circulating the first water filled lagoon with at least one circulator adapted to cause the first water filled lagoon to circulate; sending a portion of the water filled lagoon to a second water filled lagoon; aerating the second water filled lagoon with a plurality of aerators dispersed on the bottom of the second water filled lagoon, the aerators being supplied by a second compressed air supply; and circulating the second water filled lagoon with at least one circulator adapted to cause the first water filled lagoon to circulate.
The present invention may further comprise a system for the digestion of biological wastes comprising: a first water filled lagoon having an inlet and outlet; a compressed air supply; a blend of microbes comprising at least one of the following: Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Thiobacillus, the blend of microbes present in the first water filled lagoon; a plurality of aerators disposed on the bottom of the first water filled lagoon, the aerators connected to the compressed air supply and adapted to produce a laminar column of bubbles; a second water filled lagoon having an inlet and outlet wherein the inlet of the second water filled lagoon is connected to the outlet of the first water filled lagoon; and a plurality of aerators disposed on the bottom of the second water filled lagoon, the aerators connected to the compressed air supply.
The present invention may further comprise a system for the digestion of biological wastes comprising: four water filled lagoons, each of the four water filled lagoons having a conical bottom wherein the conical bottom comprises a sludge drain, each of the water filled lagoons further having an inlet and outlet arranged such that water may flow in succession from the first water filled lagoon to the fourth water filled lagoon; a sludge pit connected to the sludge drains of each of the four water filled lagoons; a pump adapted to move the sludge from the sludge pit to the first water filled lagoon; a compressed air supply; a plurality of aerators disposed on the bottom of the each of the four water filled lagoons, the aerators connected to the compressed air supply and adapted to produce a laminar column of bubbles; a blend of microbes comprising at least one of the following: Bacillus, Saccharomyces, and Thiobacillus, the blend of microbes present in the first water filled lagoon; and at least one surface circulator in the each of the water filled lagoons adapted to circulate the liquid in each of the water filled lagoons.
The advantages of the present invention are that a substantially less amount of energy is required to decompose solid biological wastes than with existing systems, due to the laminar flow diffusers, the large degree of circulation, and the selection of specific microbes. Further, the present invention has the ability to completely decompose solid wastes to the point that solid waste build up in the lagoons is virtually eliminated. Any solids left in the effluent after processing are held in suspension and deliver nutrients when used as fertilizer.


The idea of the present invention is to enable the transmission of control information via several logical channels and to select the transmission channel dynamically by using a predefined selection rule. There are at least two logical channels that can be selected for the transmission of information. These logical channels should preferably include at least one signalling channel which is allocated in a connection-specific manner. The signalling channels which are allocated in a connection-specific manner can be signalling channels which use the capacity of the traffic channel or independent signalling channels which are allocated separately from traffic channels. At least one of the logical channels available for selection should preferably also be a shared channel allocated to several connections for joint signalling. The parameters of the selection rule used in the logical channel selection can include, for example, the effect of the use of the logical channels on the quality of service of the connection which uses the traffic channel, the current usage rate of the logical channels, the number and priority of messages to be sent, and an estimate of the number and priority of messages to be sent in the near future.

In addition to actual information, telecommunications systems must transmit control information to guarantee successful flow of information between the sender and the receiver. The required control information includes, for example, channel addressing, which indicates the transmission channel to the receiver. Additionally, the parties of the connection must agree upon connection set-up before data transmission and connection set-down after the transmission. In mobile communications systems, for example, the base station system must also locate the mobile station before connection set-up.
Channels can be defined as logical and physical channels. The term "logical channel" refers to a channel whose use is in some way determined. For example, traffic channels are used for transmitting user information and signalling channels for transmitting control information required for connection management. Signalling channels can be further divided into connection-specific channels and shared channels. In the case of a connection-specific channel, the channel itself determines the receiver of the message. In the case of a shared channel used by several connections, the receiver's identity is indicated by adding the receiver's identifier to the message. As a result, messages are slightly longer in shared channels than in connection-specific channels even though the actual information content is the same.
Connection-specific and shared signalling channels can be further divided, when necessary, into subcategories. In a mobile communications system, for example, shared signalling channels can be divided as follows: the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) intended for transmitting network managing information for all mobile stations, the Paging Channel (PCH) which is used to send paging messages to specific mobile stations, and the Access Grant Channel (AGCH) which is used in call set-up.
The term "physical channel" refers to a specified section of the transmission band. In an FDMA/TDMA (FDMA=Frequency Division Multiple Access, TDMA=Time Division Multiple Access) system, for example, the physical channel consists of a specific frequency and time frame interval. Logical channels are mapped to physical channels so that a specific physical channel always provides for a specific logical channel. The information about the mapping of logical channels to physical channels must naturally be known both by the sender and the receiver, and, therefore, this information must be transmitted, during connection set-up phase, via predefined signalling channels, such as AGCH.
In known systems, there is a specific logical channel for each message that transmits control information. An example of such a system is shown in FIG. 1. The figure displays the transmission of four different types of control information in a mobile communications system from the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) to the Mobile Station (MS). The message that conveys the Power Control (PWC) command for the Mobile Station, is sent via the Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH). Correspondingly, all messages which relate to handover are sent via the Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH). Messages which are related to paging of Mobile Stations are sent via the Paging Channel (PCH), and messages which are related to connection set-up before the allocation of a connection-specific channel are sent via the Access Grant Channel (AGCH).
In this example, intervals 0 through 22, defined by the physical channel are in connection-specific use of the connection under study, and intervals 23 and 24 are used by signalling channels shared by several connections, and interval 25, which defines the end of the frame, is empty. The SACCH is set, in accordance with system specifications, in interval 12 of a frame which consists of 26 consecutive intervals. In the figure, interval 12 is indicated by the symbol S which also signifies the logical channel. Thus, the receiver always knows that the information received through interval 12 belongs to the SACCH, and, on the basis of that knowledge, can interpret the message correctly. Correspondingly, all messages received through interval 23 belong to the logical Paging Channel (PCH), and all messages received through interval 24 belong to the logical Access Grant Channel (AGCH), and, on the basis of this knowledge, the receiver can interpret them correctly.
Contrary to other logical channels, the mapping of the Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH) to a physical channel has not been set by signalling or system specifications. Instead, it can use any interval T allocated to the traffic channel. In this case, the logical channel used in the interval must be indicated in the actual information sent through the interval. Known methods of separating the FACCH from the Traffic Channel are shown in Figure.
FIG. 2 shows a burst used in the call traffic across the radio interface between a Mobile Station and a Base Station Subsystem in a GSM system. The effective part of the burst consists of the first and second half-burst, their two signalling bits ("stealing bits"), and the instruction sequence used to estimate the channel characteristics. In this burst type, the first half-burst belongs to the signalling traffic of the logical FACCH channel if the first signalling bit is 1, and otherwise to the traffic of the Traffic Channel (TCH). Correspondingly, the second half-burst belongs to the signalling traffic of the logical FACCH channel if the second signalling bit is 1, and otherwise to the traffic of the Traffic Channel (TCH). Thus, it is possible to use the traffic channel burst for signalling either partially or entirely.
Different logical channels have different characteristics. Because of its limited physical channel capacity, the Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH) is slow, and, therefore, it can only be used to transfer relatively small and delay-tolerant information streams. Another problem for this logical channel is that the channel reserves transmission resources available to the system even when it does not have any messages to carry. In a GSM system, for example, SACCH is used for downlink control of power and timing advance (from the Base Station Subsystem to the Mobile Station), and for uplink reporting of received signal measurements made by the Mobile Station (from the Mobile Station to the Base Station Subsystem).
The Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH) is considerably faster than the Slow Associated Control Channel SACCH, because it can use the bandwidth allocated to traffic channels. On the other hand, the bandwidth adopted by FACCH from the Traffic Channel is no longer available to the Traffic Channel, resulting in the deterioration of the Quality of Service (QoS) of the Traffic Channel. In a GSM system, for example, FACCH is used to send information, such as messages related to call setup, authentication and handover.
The capacity of shared channels is limited and used by several Mobile Stations. In some cases, this can increase the transmission delay of messages sent via a shared channel. This is the reason why shared channels are used, in an existing GSM system, for example, only for sending messages before connection set-up between the transmitter and receiver. Such messages include paging messages and connection set-up messages.
The problem with solutions that are in accordance with the prior art is the rigidity of the signalling method described above. When large numbers of messages are transmitted via the Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH), which uses the capacity of the Traffic Channel, the quality of the connection using the Traffic channel deteriorates. Other connection-specific channels reserve transmission capacity available to the system. Choosing the level of this capacity is a compromise between the signalling speed and the bandwidth allocated to channels. This results in slow signalling when a relatively large number of messages is generated. Because of slow signalling, the system control capacity deteriorates which, in turn, results in the non-optimal use of other resources. Correspondingly, when only a few signalling messages are sent, a separate channel allocated to signalling is a waste of system resources. Additionally, slow signalling channel allocation is typically connected to traffic channel allocation. As a result, the use of a slow signalling channel may, in some cases, cause a need to maintain the Traffic Channel even though the Traffic Channel is no longer needed for the transmission of user data.
If the shared signalling channels are to transmit messages at the rate required by the system, they must be allocated a fixed share of the transmission capacity available to the system. This capacity cannot be allocated to traffic channels. Because the transmission of messages via a shared channel is statistical in nature and varies considerably over time, some of the transmission resources allocated to the shared channel are left unused.
Thus, the problems in systems which are in accordance with the prior art include slowness of signalling, deterioration of connection quality, and non-optimal use of the transmission band.
The purpose of this invention is to remove or at least alleviate the problems caused by the above-mentioned solutions that are in accordance with the prior art. This goal can be attained by using the method and equipment described in an independent patent claim.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Logical channel selection for information transmission in a telecommunications system


A method for automatically connecting together packages of fan-folded towelling in a dispenser. A pattern of adhesive tape or glue is applied to the lower-most surface of an upper package and a corresponding pattern of adhesive tape or glue is applied to the upper-most surface of a lower package. When the two packages are placed on top of each other, the adhesive patterns adhere to each other, thereby connecting both packages together. Thus, when the lower package is exhausted, the upper package is automatically drawn through the dispenser opening and is available for the user.

The present invention generally relates to the field of paper toweling and paper towel dispensers. More particularly, the invention is directed to a method of automatically attaching the ends of fan-folded paper towel stacks in a dispenser.
Paper towel dispensers are well known in the art as a convenient and sanitary way of providing a supply of towels in washroom and other facilities. By using a fan-folded stack of individual towel sheets, a number of problem encountered with a rolled web of toweling is avoided. For example, no inertial force must be overcome to start rotation of a roll and no arresting force is necessary to stop the rotation of the roll once it has begun. Thus, towels arranged in a fan-folded stack for dispensing does not have to have great physical strength which usually is inconsistent with the desired characteristics of softness, bulky feel and absorbency. Accordingly, such toweling does not require elaborate transfer mechanisms to facilitate dispensing.
Fan-folded towel dispensers usually are designed to receive a stack of toweling 1 as generally shown in FIG. 1. The leading edge of the bottom-most towel 2 in the stack is treaded through a dispensing opening within the dispenser case 3. Some fan-folded towel dispensers are designed with a simple feed wheel mechanism as illustrated by feed wheel 4 in FIG. 1 while other dispensers merely have an elongated opening at the bottom of the dispenser case. When the towel is grasped and pulled from the dispenser by a user, the fan-folded arrangement of the towel stack causes the leading edge of the next towel to be automatically drawn through the dispensing open for the next user. When the stack of towels is exhausted, a fresh stack is installed in the dispenser with the leading edge of its lower-most towel manually threaded through the dispensing opening.
The use of fan-folded stacks of toweling in a conventional dispenser is in most cases satisfactory except when the supply of towels is exhausted or the leading edge of the lower-most towel has not been properly threaded through the dispensing opening. The design of most dispensers makes it difficult to thread the leading edge of the lower-most towel through the dispenser opening without access to the inside of the dispenser.
Towel dispensers usually are designed with a lock which can only be opened by an attendant. While locking the dispenser serves a useful purpose in preventing pilferage and waste, the disadvantage is that the dispenser cannot be readily opened to replenish the towel supply or to properly thread the leading edge of the lower-most towel through the dispensing opening. Accordingly, toweling is not always available to the user when needed. Thus, the user becomes frustrated, especially since the most users only turn to the dispenser when in immediate need of a towel, e.g., to dry their hands. Placing free-standing stacks of toweling outside of the dispenser also is not a practical solution because to do so also invites pilferage and waste as well as leads to litter.
Frequent servicing of conventional fan-folded towel dispensers also is not a good solution due to the high labor cost involved. Servicing of the dispenser also involves two conflicting goals. The first is that the dispenser should be adequately stacked so that its supply of towels is not exhausted before the next service call. The second goal is to avoid waste of toweling. The first goal can be realized at the expense of the second goal by replacing partially used stacks with a fresh stack of towels. Discarding partially used stacks is not an economical alternative.

Method of automatically attaching the ends of fan-folded web material


The present invention relates to a simple to use intuitive interface for mobile devices and, in particular, to a method and apparatus to permit the motion of a mobile device to serve as an input to the mobile device. In various embodiments, the relative and/or absolute motion, distance and/or acceleration for instance, of the mobile device may be mapped to correspond to particular commands. In one embodiment, this permits the display screen of the mobile device to serve as a virtual window to view a large data set by modifying the view of the displayed data according to the motion of the mobile device. In another embodiment, the present invention allows the user to navigate a virtual space, displayed on the screen of the mobile device, by the motion of the mobile device in real space. Additionally, the user may also control the different displayed views of virtual objects by the relative and/or absolute motion of the mobile device.

As the demand for information and connectivity has grown, mobile computing devices have been increasingly deployed to provide convenient access to information. The term mobile computing devices, or mobile devices, as used herein, includes mobile phones, beepers, hand held computers and/or devices, personal digital assistants, and any other type of mobile user electronic device with a display area of some form.
The small size and lightweight of mobile computing devices gives the user a sense of intimacy and control. However, these same advantages require that the screen size of mobile devices be small so that they can be hand held. This leads to cumbersome user input interfaces since conventional interfaces, such as keyboards and mouse devices, usually hinder mobility.
Typically, users are limited to using touch screens, stencils, or buttons as input interfaces to mobile devices. Such input interfaces are cumbersome requiring the use of both hands, one to hold the mobile device and the other to enter data.
Another difficulty with the small display screens of mobile devices is controlling the view and/or movement of representations of data and/or objects, also referred to as the virtual space. Indicating the desired movement in the virtual space may be cumbersome and slow using a stylus or touch screen. For example, indicating the desired motion in a three-dimensional virtual space may be awkward using two-dimensional interfaces such as stylus or touch screens. Moreover, controlling movement in a virtual space by using a stylus or touch screen may conflict with other modes of operation of the input interface.
The small screen sizes and cumbersome interfaces limit the display of larger data sets. Some of these data sets may include two-dimensional data, such as text, three-dimensional data, such visual objects, or four-dimensional data, such as visual objects that change over time. The user may be limited to viewing small documents or objects or small parts of a large document or objects.

Intuitive mobile device interface to virtual spaces


The acne treatment devices use an array of LEDs, which emit monochromatic light substantially at a wavelength of 405 nanometers, which is coincident with the peak absorbance of light by acne porphyrins. The emitted light is directed from the light source to an acne area of the skin. The device can either be hand-held, with the LEDs mounted on a handle portion, or an LED can be mounted on a patch-like mounting element, which is adapted to be secured to the skin for longer exposure at less intensity.

There are many well-known bacteria which cause various medical conditions. The bacteria P. acnes has been indicated to be responsible for the acne skin condition in humans, generally known as acne vulgaris, which is the most commonly treated skin condition in the United States. Acne has long been problematic for young adults, but older adults are often affected as well. Effective acne treatment is emphasized, particularly for young people, because of the often long-term consequences, both physical and emotional, which occur due to the unsightly acne skin condition.
Because acne primarily occurs during adolescence, when self-image is being formed, even a mild case can have a profoundly negative effect on the psychosocial development of the individual, including school performance. Further, a moderate to severe acne condition, with its usual long-term scarring effects, can cause disfigurement, often significant, that persists throughout lifer which can affect career choice and employment opportunities.
While, as indicated above, acne occurs most frequently in young (adolescent) adults, it is not always resolved by the end of the teenage years and may persist into the 40's for certain individuals. In some cases, the onset of acne may not occur until the mid-20's.
For all the above reasons, it is important to recognize that acne is a significant medical condition, and that it affects a significant part of the population, and many age groups.
Acne treatment includes diet restrictions, antibiotics (both oral and topical), as well as exposure to sunlight and other light sources. Retinoids and hormonal manipulation treatment are also used. Diet restrictions are typically problematic, with unpredictable results. Oral antibiotics have been successfully used to treatment acne, but can have disadvantages, including yeast vaginitis, gastrointestinal side effects and photosensitivity. Retinoids are not advised for women of child-bearing potential and often cause xerosis (dry skin), erythema, cheilitis, conjunctival irritation and alopecia, while hormonal therapy expose the patient to risk of thromboembolism, feminization (in men) and other undesirable effects. Topical antibiotic applications are also used for acne treatment, including retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid and antibiotics. Each of these has their specific undesirable side effects, including undesirable skin surface reactions in some cases.
Light therapy has also been used for acne treatment, including exposure to sunlight. While ultraviolet light has been used in the past in clinical situations to treat acne, such treatment is no longer recommended because of the risk of skin cancer. Existing clinical devices using ultraviolet light are expensive and sufficiently risky that they must be used by medical professionals. The effect of light treatments has in some cases been enhanced by the use of selected photosensitive chemicals. However, such therapy, using a combination of light and selected chemicals, is often uncomfortable, causing stinging, erythema, epidermal exfoliation and hypersensitivity.
New developments in acne treatment involve narrow band light. These developments are illustrated in the following patents and patent applications: U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,660 to Mendes et al uses a light source with a wavelength of 660 nanometers. This, however, has not proven to be particularly effective. Patent Applications No. 20010028227 and 20010023363 to Lys and Harth teach, respectively, the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and 400 watt metal halide lamps which are filtered to emit light in the 407-420 nanometer wavelength range, which has been shown to be effective against certain acne bacteria. The lamps are used to illuminate the entire face. They are large and expensive. LEDs on the other hand are small (on the order of 0.100″) and relatively low cost.
Further, metal halide lamps are inefficient relative to power required and create significant problems in the skin area being treated. A clinical setting and supervision are required. In contrast, LEDs have efficiencies of 15-20%.
There is no effective home use treatment for acne using light. It is hence desirable that an effective treatment of acne using light be developed which is safe, inexpensive and simple to use at home.

System for treatment of acne skin condition using a narrow band light source


Systems and methods are provided for performing an in-system measurement of power consumption without exclusive use of an in-line current-sense resistor. Indeed, these systems and methods may take advantage of existing parasitic resistances in an electronic device—such as resistances that might vary over time and under different operating conditions. To perform an in-system measurement, a digital value of a first voltage caused by an unknown amount of current flowing into a power-consuming component over an unknown resistance may be measured. Before or afterward, a current source may be activated to add or subtract a known amount of current to the unknown amount of current, resulting in a second voltage over the unknown resistance, and a digital value of the second voltage over the unknown resistance may be measured. The power consumption by the power-consuming component can then be calculated from these values.

This disclosure relates to measuring power consumption by a component of an electronic device without necessarily adding an always-on, power-consuming in-line current-sense resistor.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Electronic devices have become ubiquitous features of the modern world. Computers, mobile phones, televisions, smart home devices, and cars represent some of these electronic devices. These electronic devices—namely, the various components of the electronic devices—consume power during operation. In one example, electronic displays may consume comparatively large amounts of power. Tracking and measuring how much power electronic displays or other components consume within an electronic device would be useful for debugging and/or monitoring overall power consumption.
Many methods for measuring the amount of power consumed by a component of an electronic device may have severe drawbacks. In one example, a current-sense resistor having a known resistance may be placed in series from a power supply of the electronic device to the component of the electronic device. A voltage may be measured across that resistor. Because the resistance of the current-sense resistor is known, the current through the resistor can subsequently be calculated. Multiplying the measured voltage by the calculated current gives the value of the amount of power consumed by the component. An in-line current-sense resistor, however, constantly dissipates additional power in the form of heat any time the component of the electronic device is consuming power, regardless of whether power is currently being measured. Losing additional power and increasing the amount of ambient heat, however, are undesirable in an electronic device.


An analog-to-digital-converter includes an input signal connector, an output signal port, two or more sub-ADCs, and a digital signal processing block. The result from each sub-ADC is used by the digital signal processing block to output data with increased performance.

Several electronic systems require analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for their function. Depending on the characteristics of the system, there are specific requirements to the ADC and the performance parameters of the ADC. Increased performance as accuracy, resolution and linearity comes at a cost of increased power dissipation due to the laws of physics. The electronics industries therefore strive to obtain the best possible performance at the lowest possible power dissipation.
For many systems, the requirement to the ADC is very dependent on external conditions. For example, in a mobile communication system, the requirements vary according to distance to the base station and the presence of interfering signals. The system is therefore designed to work under worst scenarios resulting in higher requirements for the ADC and other circuitry. This results in an average power dissipation that is much higher than required since the requirements are set for worst case scenarios while the system very seldom operates under these conditions.
System designers therefore need ADCs where the accuracy and performance can be modified during operation. Previously, the solutions have been able to scale power dissipation with only a few percent by switching on and off auxiliary blocks and adjusting supply currents in the ADC. These solutions suffer from unpredictable performance in the low performance mode since each block work under unintended condition. The range of power dissipation variation is also very small.

ADC with enhanced and/or adjustable accuracy


Ceramics that are formed from high temperature oxidatively stable thermosetting polymers which, in turn, are formed from linear polymeric materials having repeat units that contain at least one alkynyl group for cross-linking purposes and at least one bis(silyl or siloxanyl)carboranyl group.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new class of novel ceramic materials that are formed from linear inorganic-organic hybrid polymers of varying molecular weight. These new ceramics are formed from oxidatively stable thermosetting polymers which, in turn, are formed from linear polymeric materials having repeating units that contain at least one alkynyl group for cross-linking purposes and at least one bis(silyl or siloxanyl)carboranyl group. The thermosetting polymers are converted into the novel ceramics, the subject of the present invention, at elevated temperatures.
2. Description of the Related Art
The cross linking of acetylenic polymers has been demonstrated by Neenan et al. in Hypercross-Linked Organic Solids: Preparation from Poly(aromatic diacetylenes) and Preliminary Measurements of Their Young's Modulus, Hardness, and Thermal Stability published in 21 MACROMOLECULES 3525-28 (1988). The reaction for cross linking acetylenic polymers illustrated by Neenan et al. is as follows: ##STR1## where n is a positive integer. Other similar cross linking reactions are demonstrated by Callstrom et al. in Poly[ethynlyene(3-n-butyl-2,5-thiophenediyl)-ethynylene]: A Soluble Polymer Containing Diacetylene Units and Its Conversion to a Highly Cross-Linked Organic Solid published in 21 MACROMOLOCULES 3528-30 (1988). For example, see the reactions shown below taken from Callstrom et al.: ##STR2##
There is a need for oxidatively stable ceramics at elevated temperatures that have properties for making rigid components therefrom, such as engine parts, ceramic tiles, oxidatively stable coatings, and composite products for structural applications.

Ceramics formed by pyrolysis of either linear or thermosetting carborane (siloxane or silane) acetylene based precursor polymers

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


A heavy-duty demolition apparatus for attachment to the boom structure of an excavator, the apparatus having interchangeable jaw sets. The apparatus includes a unitary jaw assembly, having a pair of pivoting jaws connected by a main pivot pin; a first adaptor on the boom structure; a second adaptor on the jaw assembly, the second adaptor engaging the first adaptor, so that the jaw assembly can be easily removed as a unit from the boom structure and another jaw assembly installed on the boom structure; and a lock pin fixed to the first adapter and engaging the second adapter to maintain the jaw assembly in locked relationship to the boom structure. Because of the structure of the apparatus, the distance between the attachment point of the hydraulic ram on the boom structure and the main pivot point of the jaw assembly can be varied between interchangeable jaw assemblies.

A fuller understanding of the operation of the demolition apparatus of the present invention may be achieved by studying U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,135, hereby incorporated by reference. This invention relates to a heavy duty demolition apparatus, especially adapted to be mounted on a rigid boom of a mobile vehicle and particularly adapted to be mounted on the dipper stick of an excavator, and particularly to such an apparatus with interchangeable jaws.
Heavy duty shears of the type that are powered by hydraulic cylinders are proving more and more useful in handling scrap and especially metal scrap of all sorts. Such scrap comes in many different forms, and may be in the form of pipes made of steel or soft iron or cast iron, ranging in sizes from 2 inches or smaller, and up to 8 or 10 inches in diameter or larger; structural beams such as I-beams, channels, angle beams in a large range of sizes, up to 8 or 10 inches across and larger; rods and heavy cables having diameters of 2 to 3 inches and larger, metal sheets and plates and formed metal of all sorts including wheels and automobile and truck frames, and a myriad of long and short pieces of stock and metal pieces that are cast, rolled, stamped or otherwise formed, both singly and in various types of assembly.
The prior art has included numerous shears such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,198,747; 4,188,721; 4,897,921; 4,543,719; 4,558,515 and 4,104,792. Typically, these heavy duty shears mount on the dipper stick of an excavator so that the shears may be controlled fairly well in handling various types of scrap and cutting the scrap into smaller twisted and contorted pieces and lengths as the scrap is drawn into the throat of the shear.
Typically, these shears have a fixed lower jaw and a movable upper jaw that pivots on the lower jaw, with shear blades of hardened steel on both the upper jaw and the lower jaw. The workpiece is sheared by closing the upper jaw against the lower jaw under hydraulic pressure, with the shear blades cutting the workpiece.
Shears such as these have various types of jaw attachments that may be used, for example, for cutting steel or other structural material, including concrete, or for crushing concrete, rock, or coral. Thus, it is desirable to be able to remove the jaws from the shear and replace them with jaws of another type. In the past, this has been done by detaching the jaws at the main pivot point. The main pivot pin of the jaws was slid out of the jaws and the adjacent frame plates. It was also necessary to disconnect pivot pins that attached the jaws to their hydraulic cylinders.
One problem with shears such as this is that the main pivot pin cannot be made very heavy and durable, as it must be slid out from the jaws. Also, the main pivot pin was subject to contamination when changing jaws. Furthermore, removing the main pivot pin exposed operating personnel to injury, as either the pin itself or the jaws might cause injury as the pin was removed.
There is a need for a heavy duty demolition shear with interchangeable jaw assemblies that can be easily mounted and demounted to the apparatus.

Excavator demolition attachment with interchangeable jaw assemblies


Radiation delivery devices useful in brachytherapy which employ radioactive palladium-103 as the radiation source material are disclosed. Certain embodiments of the disclosed radiation delivery devices have the advantages that they can be fabricated with the desired specific activity, that the self-shielding effects of the devices are minimized, that the radioactive source material is bonded to a substrate in a manner which substantially prevents it from becoming detached, and that a variety of customizable radiation delivery devices can be made using the concepts of the invention. Also disclosed are processes for bonding radiation source material to various substrates using electroless plating, chemical vapor deposition and polymer matrices. These processes have the advantage that they can be applied to bond the radiation source material to a wide variety of substrates including different substrate materials and differently shaped substrates, thereby providing the ability to tailor the radiation delivery devices to the specific requirements of a particular brachytherapy treatment.

The present invention relates to localized radiation therapy and devices therefore. More particularly, the present invention is directed to radiation delivery devices using palladium-103, and to their methods of manufacture.
Radioactive materials have long been used in the medical treatment of diseased tissues. Such radioactive materials may be implanted into a patient at the site of the diseased tissue or may be locally applied externally through the skin. In either case, it is desirable to have the radioactive material in a form which will permit it to be used to irradiate the diseased tissue while minimizing damage to nearby healthy tissue. Therefore, it is desirable to have a radiation delivery device which will uniformly irradiate a diseased area with a controlled dosage of radiation while minimizing the exposure of surrounding healthy tissue to the radiation.
Interstitial implantation of radiation delivery devices for localized tumor treatment has long been recognized. The advantages of interstitial implants reside in their ability to concentrate the radiation in a localized area thereby minimizing radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue. Commonly used implantable radioactive materials include iridium-192, iodine-125, gold-198 and radon-222. However, each radiation source type has limitations. For instance, most of these isotopes emit high energy gamma rays and the energy of their X-ray radiation is relatively low. Also, some of these isotopes have relatively long half-lives which make them less desirable for brachytherapy treatments.
Several types of radioactive implants are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,283 (Good). This patent discloses radioactive implants such as microspheres, wires and ribbons coating with radioactive metals by, for example, sputtering. The radioactive implants disclosed in this patent are solid, seamless elements which may be individually implanted or combined in intercavity applicators with fabrics and in ribbons. A variety of different radioisotopes are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,055 (Kubiatowicz) discloses a radioactive iodine seed wherein the carrier for the radioisotope is a rod-like member which is detectable by x-rays and occupies a substantial portion of the space within the seed. The radioactive iodine is distributed on the carrier body using an ion exchange process by first halogenating the carrier body and then conducting an ion exchange reaction with the radioactive material. Alternatively, the radioactive iodine can be electroplated onto the carrier body. The carrier body is placed within a biocompatible container such as a titanium capsule for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,828 (Coniglione) discloses a brachytherapy device formed from a hollow tube-shaped seed substrate which allows association of the device with suture material to prevent migration of the device in the body. The radioactive material is distributed on the exterior surface of the tubular device to provide a relatively uniform radiation field around the brachytherapy seed source. A tubular, biocompatible outer casing is placed around the inner, radioactive tube to seal the radioactive material within the device. A variety of radioactive materials are disclosed for use with the device.
In addition to the above mentioned radioactive materials, it is also known to use palladium-103 in radiation therapy. Generally, Pd-103 does not suffer from the high energy gamma radiation problems associated with the previously mentioned isotopes. Consequently, irradiation treatments employing Pd-103 radiation can be more localized than with other radioactive isotopes thereby reducing the potential for harm to nearby healthy tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,228 describes therapeutic seeds containing Pd-103 prepared by increasing the Pd-102 or content found in palladium metal, i.e., by enriching palladium metal in Pd-102 or content and then by exposing it to a neutron flux in a nuclear reactor so as to convert a small fraction of the Pd-102 into Pd-103. Alternatively, Pd-104 enriched palladium can be employed in which case the Pd-104 will be exposed to proton bombardment to produce radioactive Pd-103.
Generally, palladium-103 is produced in a nuclear reactor by bombarding a target containing Pd-102 with neutrons (Pd-102(n,xcex3) Pd-103). Since all of the Pd-102 nuclei are not converted and, since in addition, other naturally occurring isotopes of the element palladium are typically present in small amounts in the target, Pd-103 cannot be produced in a carrier free state. By carrier-free state it is meant Pd-103 containing substantially no other palladium isotopes. Since there are small amounts other isotopes of Pd present in the target, neutron activation products of these isotopes are produced as well. For example, the reaction Pd-108(n,xcex3)Pd-109 also occurs and therefore Pd-103 obtained from a reactor by neutron bombardment always contains a small amount of the radioisotope Pd-109. Since Pd-109 is the same element as Pd-103, no chemical means are known to effect their separation. The presence of other nuclides of Pd in the target also leads to the production of significant amounts of certain non-Pd radioisotopes, e.g. if radioactive Pd-111 is produced, it will decay to another radioactive isotope, Ag-111, further complicating the radiochemical purification of the Pd-103 matrix. In contrast, Pd-103 produced in a particle accelerator, such as a cyclotron, may be obtained in a carrier-free state, i.e. containing substantially no palladium isotopes other than Pd-103.
Another drawback of radiation delivery devices produced in a nuclear reactor from Pd-102 enriched palladium is that for practical reasons soon to be apparent, one is obliged to use reactor grade Pd-103 at the specific activity level generated in the reactor. This places significant limitations on the level of dosage that can be delivered by a device which employs reactor grade Pd-103. In contrast, cyclotron-produced carrier-free Pd-103 can be employed in a way that provides for its economical utilization while at the same time providing for a device having a predetermined therapeutic or apparent activity.
The specific activity of Pd-103 that can be produced in a nuclear reactor is determined by the level of enrichment of the Pd-102 target used, the neutron flux in the reactor and the length of exposure of the target to the neutron flux in the reactor. Generally, the highest enrichment of Pd-102 available (Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL)) has an isotopic purity of 77.9% Pd-102 with the remaining 22.1% of the target being made up of the other isotopes of Pd. The highest neutron flux available in the world is found in the ORNL HFIR facility where the level is approximately 2.6E 15 neutrons/cm2 sec. This reactor runs in 21 day cycles with approximately 10 days between cycles. Due to the generation of extraneous isotopes such as Ag-111, the maximum practical irradiation time is two cycles. These factors taken together indicate the maximum specific activity that can be derived from a nuclear reactor target is approximately 345 Ci/g. In contrast, the specific activity of carrier-free Pd-103 can be as high as 75,000 Ci/g.
As such, smaller amounts of carrier-free Pd-103 can be employed in radiation delivery devices as compared to reactor grade Pd-103 in order to achieve the same level of activity. Additionally, a greater degree of control over the specific activity of a particular device can be exercised when using carrier-free Pd-103 since the only potential error factors which enter into this process are the measurement of the specific activity of the carrier-free Pd-103 and the provision of the right amount for the desired level of specific activity in the device. Therefore, for these reasons it is often preferably to employ carrier-free Pd-103 in radiation delivery devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,049 to Lawrence et al. suggests the use of carrier-free palladium-103 in therapeutic seeds. U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,309 to Carden, Jr. also discloses the use of carrier-free Pd-103 in therapeutic seeds wherein carrier-free Pd-103 is mixed with a small amount of palladium metal, electroplated onto a pellet of electroconductive material, and encapsulated within a biocompatible container. By virtue of the electroplating and encapsulating procedures, a certain degree of self-shielding was observed which affected the efficacy and potency of the therapeutic seeds. However, such procedures were deemed necessary for proper containment of the radiation source material. Further, the therapeutic seeds disclosed in these patents are somewhat limited in use by their rigid physical dimensions.
In view of the above, there has remained a need in the art for versatile radiation delivery devices which exhibit reduced self-shielding properties while effectively containing the radiation source material.
It is an object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide radiation delivery devices comprising a substrate and a radiation source material adhered to the outer surface of the substrate or incorporated into the substrate, wherein the radiation source material comprises carrier-free Pd-103. A variety of different types of substrates may be employed depending primarily upon the particular application for which the device will be employed.
It is a further object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide methods for deposition of a radiation source material onto a substrate.
It is yet another object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a radiation delivery device, wherein the substrate design, and/or the radiation source material configuration is such that the device may provide a non-uniform, i.e. directional, radiation distribution.
It is another object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a radiation delivery device comprising a substrate and a radiation source material deposited onto, or incorporated into the substrate, wherein the substrate is shaped to fill a body cavity and the radiation source material comprises palladium-103.
It is a still further object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a method for filling a body cavity with such a radiation delivery device.

Radiation delivery devices and methods for their manufacture


An automated trigger device and a corresponding method for dynamic triggering of developing and/or imminent tropical storms for integrated monitoring devices and/or control devices and/or early warning systems. The trigger device includes a trigger module, and measurement devices arranged in cellular, geographically and/or topologically definable units or zones. Geophysical measurement parameters can be transmitted from the measurement devices to the trigger module. By a Monte Carlo module—and based on the measurement parameters—data records can be dynamically generated for definable future time intervals. By an extrapolation module track distribution parameters of a track distribution integrable over the plurality of data records are generated for each of the definable future time intervals. By an activating device—and based on the generated track distribution parameters and/or the trigger parameters—a corresponding control signal is transmitted to the monitoring device.

Every year tropical storms, so-called cyclones such as hurricanes, typhoons and other types of storms, cause an immense amount of damage to industry, humans and nature in many parts of the world. In particular, the insidious effect of climate change has been manifested in recent years in an increased occurrence of this phenomenon. These catastrophes not only have an impact on the stability of financial markets (stock market volatility, etc.), but can affect the expected economic growth of a whole country, as the recent environmental catastrophe resulting from the widespread flooding of New Orleans has once again illustrated so graphically. The importance of risk management and appropriate measures for handling such risk events and catastrophes has therefore in recent years achieved a hitherto unexpected importance as regards general economic activity, since a large proportion of business turnover and a considerable percentage of jobs and places of work can be threatened. Especially in the insurance and reinsurance sector there is a long-recognised demand for technical automation and improvement in many areas. The establishment of the world wide web and the resultant possibility of being able to access vast amounts of decentralised data have in these areas additionally placed completely new demands on industry, which likewise also have to be met.
The survival of a whole branch of industry can depend for example on being able to analyse the relevant data rapidly and reliably, so as to be able to introduce and/or implement the appropriate measures in an automated manner.
Although the phenomenon of tropical storms has been known for a long time, industry is still struggling to handle them technically and make accurate determinations and/or predictions of relevant factors. Most tropical storms occur on account of favourable water temperatures within a zone lying between latitude 25° south and 25° north (see FIG. 2). Since the Coriolis force, i.e. the deflecting force of the Earth's rotation, is sufficiently strong only starting from latitude 5° north and latitude 5° south to initiate a rotational movement of cyclones, the equatorial region is in principle excluded as a formation zone for tropical storms. In the suitable zones the formation of a tropical storm is additionally assisted by the inner tropical convergence zone (ITC). The ITC provides suitable conditions for rising air masses and strong convection, since in this zone the two trade winds impact one another close to the surface (convergence). At a height of ca. 12-15 km the air masses after rising diverge once again (height divergence). Tropical storms occur very rarely in the south Atlantic and in the south-east Pacific, since here the cold ocean currents, namely the Benguela and Humboldt currents, cool the tropical oceans significantly, with the result that the necessary water temperature of at least 26.5° C. is seldom reached. On 26 Mar. 2004 the only tropical storm to have occurred up to that time in the south Atlantic was observed off the coast of Brazil. In the Mediterranean storms are sometimes observed that are similar to tropical storms.
Basically seven storm formation regions can be distinguished: North Atlantic: (i) Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Canada, Mexico; (ii) North-east Pacific: Hawaii, Mexico, USA: (iii) North-west Pacific: Philippines, Taiwan, China, Japan, many islands; (iv) North Indian ocean: Gulf of Bengal, Arabian Sea, India: (v) South-west Pacific: Eastern Australia; (vi) Southern Indian Ocean: Western Australia; (vii) South-west Indian Ocean: Madagascar, East Africa.
The first development stage of a tropical storm occurs when an interference extending over a large area and triggering convection, for example an easterly wave or a low-pressure area outside the tropics located over sufficiently warm water, meets sufficiently moist air masses under favourable shear conditions. A self-maintaining reaction can be triggered under such conditions. The convection associated with the occurrence of this phenomenon is an important feature. The heat released by the condensation in addition accelerates the rising air mass. A reduced pressure, i.e. a depression, is thereby produced on the surface of the water. The entrained air masses flowing from underneath satisfy the same criteria and are likewise accelerated. However, the chain process is not yet triggered automatically by itself, since otherwise of course tropical storms would also be produced by large thunderstorms in our latitudes. In addition, the air masses flowing from all sides into the convection region characterised by low pressure (low level inflow) start at the relatively friction-free water surface due to the Coriolis force, and circulate about a rotation centre. A LLCC (low level circulation centre) is formed.
This circulation now additionally organises and supports the convection. Due to the rotation even more air can rise. In addition the rotation prevents the entrained air masses being able to compensate the reduced pressure in the centre. The rotation thus assists the self-maintenance of the low pressure in the rotation centre. The faster the tropical storm rotates, the more warm, moist air undergoes condensation. When the air has released sufficient moisture it no longer rises, and moves away sideways at this height from the rotation centre (high level outflow). The resultant system now intensifies still further so long as the conditions allow this.
If the development conditions are optimal, an intensification up to an upper limit takes place. This upper limit cannot be exceeded since the surface friction and other factors produce a braking effect. The record is held by hurricane Tipp, with a core pressure of 870 hectopascals and a diameter of 2200 km. On average tropical storms reach a diameter of 500-700 km. Accordingly, they are significantly smaller than low-pressure systems outside the tropics. If the tropical storm rotates sufficiently quickly, an eye of the storm can then form. The eye is a relatively cloud-free, low wind speed region around the rotation centre, in which cold dry air sinks from above. The diameter of an eye can be up to 50 km. The eye is surrounded by high cumulus clouds, the so-called eyewall. A tropical strom reaches the highest wind velocities in the region of this eyewall.
Since the storm also has an additional intrinsic movement, which is also added to the rotational velocity, the main wind field is always on the side where the rotation and the intrinsic movement point in the same direction.
For example, if a cyclone rotates anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere with a rotational velocity of 200 km/hour coupled with an intrinsic velocity of 30 km/hour northwards, then the total velocity at the eastern eyewall is 230 km/hour. On the western side however the velocity is only 170 km/hour, since here the intrinsic movement is acting of course against the rotational movement.
Tropical storms move at different velocities: at lower latitudes they move at velocities of 8 to 32 km/hour, while at higher latitudes they move at velocities of up to 80 km/hour. Tropical storms can move up to 3.6 million tons of air. In both hemispheres cyclones first of all generally move in a westerly direction and then turn in a parabolic path eastwards. In the northern hemisphere the pattern is as a rule the following: W NW N NE. At some time they then leave the region of favourable conditions and weaken, either due to contact with land (landfall), with cold water, dry air masses, or on account of too high shear forces. If tropical storms reach the frontal zone of the middle latitudes, they can be transformed into an extratropical low-pressure system (extratropical transition). Tropical storms are generally classified according to the Saffir-Simpson scale. The criterion is the highest mean wind velocity: tropical depression: up to 60 km/hour, tropical storm: 62 to 117 km/hour, category 1: 118 to 153 km/hour, category 2: 154 to 178 km/hour, category 3: 179 to 210 km/hour, category 4: 211 to 249 km/hour, category 5: 250 km/hour and above.
Depending on the formation region, tropical storms also have various additional designations. The official designations of tropical storms (also tropical cyclones) are hurricane (North Atlantic, North Pacific to the east of the international date line and South Pacific to the east of 160° E.), typhoon (North Pacific west of the international date line), and tropical cyclone in all other regions. As already mentioned, tropical storms are classed as natural catastrophes since they can give rise to a very wide range of dangerous situations that can seriously threaten industry, humans and nature. The highest death toll occurred following a cyclone in 1970 in Bangladesh, where around 300,000 people died. The greatest amount of material damage was probably that caused by the 2005 cyclone which struck land at New Orleans. Cyclones with wind gusting to more than 350 km/hour are possible. At these speeds even solidly built structures are threatened. In addition a precipitation of more than 500 mm in a single day can occur. These enormous amounts of rain can trigger among other things devastating land slides and major flooding. Also, waves more than 20 m high occurring in a cyclone can threaten shipping as well as coastal regions and islands. Finally, tornadoes are a common secondary feature of tropical storms and denote small-volume air vortices. They are formed in the thunderstorms surrounding tropical storms. Generally they are waterspouts, though on landfall tornadoes also occur over land. They can also cause further devastation.
Industry and the economy, especially the insurance industry, have over the last ten years been particularly badly affected by natural catastrophes, which have reached new levels in terms of the extent and intensity of damage caused by such catastrophes. Hurricane "Fran" alone, which struck the south-east of the USA in September 1996, caused damage totalling $1.6 milliard (thousand million). According to analyses made by the Swiss Reinsurance Company, damage due to catastrophes before 1989 was around 0.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP), but since then has risen to more than 0.4% (per annum). In 1992 losses—triggered by hurricane "Andrew"—reached a maximum of $22.5 milliard or 1.2% of the GDP of the considered reference countries.
The question therefore arose as to whether the insurance industry is capable on the basis of the conventional damage cover systems of dealing with potential mega catastrophes such as could occur in a repetition of the San Francisco earthquake (1906) or hurricane Andrew (1992), etc. The possible losses simply due to hurricanes or earthquakes in the USA probably currently exceed the available insurance capacity of the direct and re-insurance market of ca. $100 milliard. These losses are however less than the daily average fluctuations in value of the US financial market. For example, the market capitalization of the financial markets in the USA in 1998 was more than $20 billion (million million) and the daily average fluctuation range was 70 base points or $133 milliard based on 1995 base values, which is substantially more than the maximum possible potential loss due to a catastrophic earthquake.
It was therefore obvious to try and find alternative methods of risk transfer and if possible integrate them into existing systems: the liquid financial markets in particular with their capacity and their diversification potential are obvious candidates. The industry has therefore in recent years developed ever newer products for the transfer of these risks. Damage cover systems with an, if possible, non-correlated partial risk hedge or exclusion system based on capital markets, so-called insurance-linked securities (ILS), have been known since the middle of the 1990s and currently have a capitalization of eight to ten milliard US dollars, which is a clear indication of the great success of these systems. In 1992 the Chicago Board of Trade introduced the CAT futures and in 1996 the PCS options. The latter derivatives are based on the Property Claim Services Inc. index, which is a damage index that represents the development of previously defined catastrophe damage and large-scale damage. Since 1994 individual transactions (OTC) have been structured on insurance risks for investors. A variant of this OTC business is the writing of options by investors for the insurance company. With a Cat (catastrophe) event securities are then issued to investors in exchange for liquid assets in order to refinance the losses resulting from the catastrophe.
With contingent surplus notes the insurer can sell loans or bonds to a previously agreed options seller, in order to improve their liquidity. With the alternative device of contingent equity (catastrophe equity put), here the insurer can "refresh" their equity capital by issuing new shares at a previously agreed price. In particular however the "catastrophe bond" is suitable as an OTC instrument for the conventional capital investor wishing to transfer risks and diversify his portfolios. A catastrophe bond (CatBond, Act-of-God-Bond) is a financing instrument for a reinsurance, in which the loan purchaser accepts all or part of the risk of the insurance. The development of the CatBond market is the result of various innovative direct insurance and reinsurance companies (e.g. USAA, SwissRe, Zurich/Centre Re and The St. Paul), which have sought to find capital market solutions that allowed a better consistency in the capacity and in the assessment and evaluation of reinsurance, and that provided new or rarely obtainable types of contracts.
Three parties are involved in the typical structuring (see FIG. 3) of a CatBond. The first party is a direct insurer, who would like to purchase the reinsurance cover. For this a special purpose vehicle (SPV) is generally created, which on the one hand "writes" the reinsurance and on the other hand refinances this via the issue of CatBonds. The SPV then sells the CatBonds to the investors and thereby transfers the insurance risk. In the typical basic structure of a CatBond the SPV issues bonds with a nominal value of at least the contract sum of the reinsurance contract. In some cases the value of the issue exceeds the value of the reinsurance, in order to make it possible to create "constructions" with a guaranteed capital repayment.
The proceeds of the issue are managed in trust by the SPV and are generally invested through a trust in government bonds or stocks. If no "trigger event" previously defined in the conditions of the CatBond, i.e. no natural catastrophe of sufficient magnitude occurs, then the investor receives all the periodic interest payments as well as the repayment of their nominal capital on expiry of the term of the bond. If a Cat event occurs the investor loses all or part of their investment, since the SPV is used to dispose of their assets in order to cover their liabilities from the reinsurance contract. The extent of the loss depends on the structuring of the bond. The raising of capital by the issuing of the bond is subject to variously high capital provision charges, which have to be taken into account in comparison with reinsurance contracts. The direct insurer pays the insurance premium to the SPV for the reinsurance cover purchased from the SPV company. This premium serves, together with the receipts from the proceeds of the issue, to cover the costs of the SPV and the interest payments on the CatBond. In this connection the event can be coupled to the portfolio of a specific insurance, but can also be coupled to a specific damage event or to an index. In this way the investor can more easily adjust the payments, although coupling to information available in the public domain is generally better.
In the at-risk structure the nominal capital of the bond and the interest payments are fully exposed to the risk of the catastrophe. This structure represents the "pure" CatBond and was used hitherto in the majority of bond issues. In partially-defeased instruments on the other hand a part of the issue volume is placed in zero coupon loans so that the secured part of the nominal capital can also be repaid in the event of a catastrophe. The unsecured part and the yield from the secured part are available to cover the catastrophe damage. The total volume of the issue will in this case exceed the amount of the underlying reinsurance contract.
The opposite of the pure CatBond is the principal-protected structure. Here the repayment of the total amount is guaranteed, although the interest payments are exposed to the risk. The repayment is made possible by extending the term of the bond. The interest from the assets of the trust can therefore be used to build up the capital for the repayment.
An essential aspect of CatBonds as regards cyclones is predicting their physical and geographical course, the so-called track, from the time of their formation. Industry has developed a very wide range of methods and systems for reliably determining their course. Despite the enormous efforts that have been made in this field in recent years, there are still however no systems in the prior art that even approximately satisfy the relevant requirements. Several of the methods of the prior art use inter alia special indices that reproduce the risk of a landfall of a cyclone and the damage associated therewith. The so-called Pioneer index is one of these indices.
The financial markets, but particularly of course the CatBonds, generally react extremely sensitively to fluctuations in these indices, and this even before the actual damage has occurred. If for example such an index indicates that within the next few days there is a very high probability of a landfall for a specific cyclone, with high associated damage, then the CatBonds associated with the corresponding cover systems will immediately lose value, and more specifically correlated to the risk indices determined by the systems.
In the prior art all these indices are based on a track prediction or track determination, generally the most probable one. One also speaks of a "deterministic track forecast". The deterministic track forecast method consists in determining a predicted track that is associated with a single intensity centre. In such methods no kind of statistical information is available concerning the predetermined track, although in general a qualitative range for a possible deviation is specified for the track (see FIGS. 4/5). The potential track region is based not on further simulations, but is in each case obtained simply by a forwardly directed, timewise broadening of the determined track.
FIGS. 5 to 22 show the considerable fluctuations of such an index. The already mentioned Pioneer index is shown here as an example. Not only are the fluctuations of the indices a problem in the prior art, but also the fact that the index calculation based on the deterministic track determination or the track itself does not include any information on its reliability and/or accuracy. The problem is all the more serious since we are dealing with a chaotic system. This means that the slightest changes in the boundary conditions of the model parameters can already have huge (non-linear) effects on the Pioneer index determined therefrom.
For example, in the case of cyclone Ivan on 10 Sep. 2004 the Pioneer index showed an enormous value of 2322 (without giving any indication as to how reliable this value was), whereas on the next day the index had a value of only 218. The final value was 528 (FIG. 22). The uncertainty and disadvantages not only for whole sectors of industry, but also for the financial markets, due to such trigger values of the prior art is now clear from the above discussion.

Trigger system for monitoring and/or control devices and/or early warning systems for nascent and/or occurring cyclones


In the winding wire at the winding completion end side, two wires are piled up vertically and wound together from the inner circumferential side towards the outer circumferential side. The winding wire at the winding start end side that has remained on the inner circumferential side is drawn forth from the inner circumferential side to the outer circumferential side so as to form a curve along the flat surface of the coil. In the crossing portions of the winding wire at the winding completion end side and the winding wire at the winding start end side, the two wires of each winding wire are superimposed and caused to cross each other in a state in which the wires are laid down transversely.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an advantageous coil as a thin-type coil for use in an electric device, and more particularly to a coil in which either of a first end of wire and a second end of wire is wound from an inner circumferential side towards an outer circumferential side, whereas the other end of wire is drawn forth from the inner circumferential side to the outer circumferential side.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An α winding method is generally known as a method for winding a coil by which a first end of wire and a second end of wire are both wound around from the inner circumferential side towards the outer circumferential side. With this winding method, as indicated in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-170729, a winding shaft is set close to the center at both ends of the wires and the first end of the wire and the second end of the wire are wound in mutually opposite directions, whereby a coil can be formed in which both the first end of the wire and the second end of the wire are drawn forth to the outside.
A method is also known by which a winding start end side of a coil is fixed, the winding completion end side is wound from the inner circumferential side towards the outer circumferential side and the winding start end is drawn forth from the inner circumferential side towards the outer circumferential side. In this case, the winding start end is dragged over the flat surface of the wound coil, and the draw-forth line portion of the winding start end side becomes larger in size (thickness) in the height direction by the diameter of the winding wire at the winding start end. A known measure for resolving this problem is to provide a concavity on the flat surface of the wound coil along the draw-forth line of the winding start end on the flat surface of the wound coil (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-049750).
However, the problem related to the coil described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-170729 is that because the first end of the wire and the second end of the wire are wound in the mutually opposite directions and the winding wires are piled up in two layers at the crossing portions thereof, a portion with a height twice the diameter of the wires appears along the crossing portions. Further, when the coil is an air-core coil, problems are related to the coil strength because of the structure in which the winding wires are piled up in two layers.
Further, with the α winding method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-170729, where winding is wound in a state in which the length of the first end of the wire portion is substantially equal to that of the second end of the wire portion, when the coil with a large number of turns (a large length of winding wires) is wound, fliers 11a, 11b, which are on the side where rotation is caused, have to be large and the size of the winding apparatus itself becomes large.
In the case of the coil described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-049750, since the flat surface of the wound coil is concaved along the draw-forth line of the winding start end side from the inner circumferential side towards the outer circumferential side, stresses are applied to the flat surface of the coil and the coating on the winding wire can be damaged or the winding wire can be broken. Further, due to concavity on the flat surface of the wound coil, there may be a problem that the winding wire protrudes at other portions.


A method for detecting pressure on a touch sensing element includes the steps of: providing a first potential difference to two electrodes of a first film; charging a capacitor with a division voltage of the first potential difference; sampling a charged voltage of the capacitor to obtain a plurality of first voltage values and calculating a first voltage variation according to the plurality of first voltage values; comparing the first voltage variation with a threshold value; and post-processing at least one of the first voltage values when the first voltage variation is smaller than the threshold value. The present disclosure further provides an electronic device.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a positioning device and, more particularly, to a method for detecting pressure on a resistive touch sensing element and an electronic device using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional 4-wire touch screen 9 that is composed of two flexible transparent resistive plates, an X resistive plate 91 and a Y resistive plate 92, separated by a gap, wherein the X resistive plate 91 and the Y resistive plate 92 are plane resistances and do not contact each other in natural state. On the X resistive plate 91, the resistance only changes with the position along an X direction. The X resistive plate 91 includes two electrodes X+, X− disposed along the left and right sides of the X resistive plate 91 and a transparent resistive layer formed on the upper surface of the X resistive plate 91. On the Y resistive plate 92, the resistance only changes with the position along a Y direction. The Y resistive plate 92 includes two electrodes Y+, Y− disposed along the front and back sides of the Y resistive plate 92 and a transparent resistive layer formed on the lower surface of the Y resistive plate 92, wherein the X direction and the Y direction are two directions perpendicular to each other.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the touch screen 9 being pressed. When a touch point P on the Y resistive plate 92 is pressed by a force F, a distance between the X resistive plate 91 and the Y resistive plate 92 at the touch point P decreases such that a contact resistance Rtouch changes to a definite value from an infinite value. When the force F is larger, the contact resistance Rtouch becomes smaller. In the touch screen 9, a contact pressure of the force F can be determined through calculating the contact resistance Rtouch.
Please refer to FIGS. 3a to 3c, they show a conventional method for calculating the resistance value of the contact resistance Rtouch. The contact resistance Rtouch may be obtained from equation (1),Rtouch=(Rx—plate)×[(X/2n)×(Z 2/Z1)−1]  (1)
In equation (1), RX—plate is a surface resistance of the X resistive plate 91; n is the resolution of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) connected to a voltage detection point; X is a position of the touch point P in the X direction and it may be obtained according to the digital voltage outputted by the ADC shown in FIG. 3a; Z1 is an input of the Y− electrode and it may be obtained according to the digital voltage outputted by the ADC shown in FIG. 3b; and Z2 is an input of the X+ electrode and it may be obtained according to the digital voltage outputted by the ADC shown in FIG. 3c.
However, the pressure detection method through calculating the resistance value of the contact resistance Rtouch has at least the following problems.                1. The resistance value of the contact resistance Rtouch is obtained through calculation, but the X in equation (1) is an uncertainty factor itself.        2. The resistance value of the contact resistance Rtouch is not equal to the pressure, and thus it only can be served as a reference value rather than a basis for representing actual pressure.        3. The range of the contact resistance Rtouch is very large and thus it is difficult to define a critical point according to the calculated resistance value such that the accuracy of identification is limited.
Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a method for detecting contact pressure on a touch sensing element with high accuracy so as to reduce the possibility of misidentification of a touch point.

Method for detecting pressure on touch sensing element and electronic device using the same


A backlight module includes a backplate, a light source, a diffuser plate, an optical film and at least one frame. The backplate includes a base plate, a sidewall and a bent portion. The sidewall is connected to the base plate and the bent portion. The bent portion has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface faces the base plate. The second surface is opposite to the first surface. The light source is disposed on the base plate. The diffuser plate is disposed on the second surface of the bent portion. The optical film is stacked on the diffuser plate and has a third surface away from the bent portion. The frame covers the sidewall of the backplate and covers a peripheral portion of the third surface of the optical film.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a display device, a backlight module, and a method for assembling display device.
Description of Related Art
A backlight module of a display device typically includes at least one optical film to distribute the light emitted by the light source evenly across a display panel. A recent trend in the design of backlight module is to use mini-LED as the light source, which can not only achieve higher brightness but also reduce the thickness of the optical cavity, so direct lit type display devices can be overall slimmer with mini-LED backlight modules. However, the internal structures of current direct lit type mini-LED backlight modules are not simplified. Most designs of such backlight modules requires additional supporting members or extruded aluminum frames to clamp and hold the optical film. Assembling backlight modules having such designs requires laterally inserting the optical film into a groove structure manually. Therefore, such designs make assembling the backlight modules more difficult, and increase the risk of damaging the optical film as well.

Display device, backlight module, and method for assembling display device


New types of derivatives of tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)methanes which have, as functional groups, polyalkoxy groups or polyalkoxy groups modified with terminal hydrophilic groups, preparation of such compounds and their use, especially as surfactants and thickeners.

Tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)methanes and various derivatives thereof are known in principle.
G. Casiraghi, G. Casnati and M. Cornia, Tetrahedron Letters, No. 9, 679-682 (1973) describe the synthesis of mono- or dialkylated tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)methanes by reacting corresponding phenols with triethyl orthoformates.
M. B. Dinger and M. J. Scott describe in Chem. Commun., 1999, 2525/2526, Inorg. Chem. 2000, 39, 1238-1254 and Inorg. Chem. 2001, 40, 1029-1036 the synthesis of various tris(3,5-dialkyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)methanes, where methyl, t-butyl and t-pentyl radicals are described as alkyl radicals. The trishydroxy compounds are used as complexing agents for zinc and alkali metal ions.
M. B. Dinger and M. J. Scott, Eur J. Org. Chem. 2000, 2467-2478 furthermore describe the further reaction of the OH group of tris(3,5-dialkyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)-methanes. The OH functions can be derivatized through reaction with halogencarboxylic acid esters and hydrolysis and/or further reactions. Dinger and Scott describe, for example, tris(3,5-di-t-butyl-2-carboxymethoxyphenyl)methane, tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-[(dimethylamido)methoxy]phenyl)methane, tris{3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-[N-(methylglycyl)carbonylmethoxy]phenyl}methane and tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-[(benzylaminocarbonyl)methoxy]phenyl)methane. The derivatives can be used in each case as complexing agent, for example for Zn(II) ions.
K. Matloka, A. Gelis, M. Regalbuto, G. Vandegift and M. J. Scott, Dalton Trans., 2005, 3719-3721 or Separation Science and Technology, 41, 2006, 2129-2146 and M. W. Peters, E. J. Werner and M. J. Scott, Inorg. Chem., 2002, 41, 1701-1716 disclose functionalized tris(3,5-dialkyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)methanes, and specifically tripodal diglycolamides and their use for the complexing and separation of lanthanides. Tris(3,5-dialkyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)methanes in which the OH group is etherified with ω-amino or cyanoalkyl groups are used as intermediate of the synthesis.
R. Mitra, M. W. Peters and M. Scott, Dalton Trans., 2007, 3924-3935, further describe tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)methane derivatives which have terminal 2-pyridylmethyl-piperazine groups. These molecules can bind zinc ions and are used as catalysts for the phosphate diester synthesis. Tris[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-3-methyl-5-t-butylphenyl]-methane is disclosed as intermediate of the multistage synthesis.
EP 597 806 A1 discloses cyclohexyl group-containing glydidyl ethers for use as reactive thinners, flexibilizers or adhesion improvers. Various tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)methanes are described as intermediate of the synthesis, including those in which the OH function is etherified with a (substituted) 2-hydroxyethyl group.
US 2009/0155714 A1 discloses compositions for producing photoresists. Various tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)methane derivatives in which the OH function is esterified in each case with various carboxylic acids are used as a component for this.
It is known that surfactants aggregate to give micelles above the critical micelle concentration (cmc). The shape of these water-soluble aggregates depends on the structure of the surfactants and also on external parameters such as temperature or electrolyte concentration. Typically, spherical or rod-shaped micelles can form above the micelle concentration.
Under certain structural conditions and/or external parameters, long thread-like or worm-like micelles or associates can also form. Even at a relatively low surfactant concentration, this can lead to looping and overlapping of these long aggregates, as a result of which the viscosity of the surfactant solution increases significantly. A certain minimum stability of the micelles over time is prerequisite here. This temporarily formed network of surfactant micelles reacts, from a rheological point of view, either viscously or elastically, for which reason the term viscoelastic surfactant solutions is generally used. Micelles liberate individual surfactants, incorporate surfactants into the micelle association, disintegrate and reform again. Surfactant micelles which form viscoelastic networks are very stable over time before they disintegrate into individual segments and reform again, meaning that the micellar network can offer resistance to shearing of the surfactant solution and thereby reacts either viscously or else elastically. Further details relating to viscoelastic surfactants forming worm-like micelles such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate or cetylpyridinium salicylate are described, for example, in H. Hoffmann et al., Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 1982, 17, 275-298 or M. R. Rojas et al., Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 342 (2010) 103-109).
On account of the properties discussed, viscoelastic surfactants are very particularly suitable as thickeners and can be used in various areas of technology.
US 2005/0155762 discloses betaines with alkyl chains having 14 to 24 carbon atoms, for example oleylamidopropylbetaine or erucylamidopropylbetaine as viscoelastic surfactants with a thickening effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,461,694 B2 discloses zwitterionic surfactants with alkyl chains of from 16 to 24 carbon atoms as viscoelastic surfactants.
WO 2008/100436 A1 discloses a viscoelastic surfactant mixture of cationic, anionic or zwitterionic surfactants and a polymer. The surfactants have alkyl chain lengths of from 12 to 25 carbon atoms.
In the cited disclosures, surfactants with long alkyl chains are used in each case for the formation of viscoelastic surfactant solutions. One disadvantage of viscoelastic surfactants with long alkyl chains is that, upon contact with nonpolar liquids, they solubilize these, as a result of which the worm-like micelles are converted to spherical aggregates and the viscoelasticity is lost. Moreover, in contact with other surfactants, these viscoelastic surfactants generally form mixed micelles, as a result of which the viscoelasticity can likewise be lost. Structures with short alkyl chains or structures which deviate from the customary linear structure principle of the surfactants as a rule form spherical micelles or only short anisometric aggregates and thus no viscoelastic surfactant solutions.
The best known viscoelastic surfactants are cationic surfactants such as hexadecyltrimethylammonium p-toluenesulfonate or cetylpyridinium salicylate. Cationic surfactants with long alkyl radicals are ecotoxicologically very acceptable (see e.g. Versteeg et al. Chemosphere 24 (1992) 641)). Since they adsorb particularly well on surfaces on account of their positive charge, they moreover lose some of their effect in the case of some applications. There is therefore a need for surfactants with a more favorable ecotoxicological profile and lower adsorption tendency.

Derivatives of tris(2-hydroxyphenyl)methane, their preparation and use


The present disclosure relates to a method for transmitting messages, a transmission message containing one or more useful data objects is first transmitted to a switching component in order to be routed to a second telecommunications device, wherein the transmission is made by a transmitting telecommunications device. A plurality of variants of the one or more useful data objects is created in the switching component in accordance with a set of parameters, the second telecommunications device is then informed of the provision of the plurality of variants of the data objects for transmission to the second telecommunications device. Also, a delivery request message relating to a specific variant of the useful data objects is subsequently sent from the second telecommunications device to the switching component. The switching component then transmits a delivery message containing the requested variant of the useful data objects to the second telecommunications device.

3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) and the OMA (Open Mobile Alliance) specify the so-called Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) for transmitting data, in particular multimedia data objects, from a first to a second mobile telephone or mobile radio device in a mobile radio communication network. Should a first user wish to send a second user a useful data object, for example in the form of an image or a music file, the user uses a (first) mobile telephone to send a multimedia message (MM) with the useful data object to a switching component in the communication network, which comprises at least one MMS relay server. A multimedia message (MM) can also contain a plurality of useful data objects. As a special service, the MMS provider can individually adapt the at least one useful data object to be delivered to the characteristics or capabilities of the second mobile telephone before sending a further message (hereafter referred to as a "recipient notification message") to the second mobile telephone of the second user with the information that a multimedia message (MM) with at least one useful data object available for downloading. One disadvantage of such a method is that the recipient (in this instance the second user) of a recipient notification message or a multimedia message (MM) with at least one useful data object is unable to identify whether and how the transmission message (hereafter referred to as the multimedia message (MM)) or the useful data object contained therein has been modified and whether the possibly modified useful data object can still be used.

Method for transmitting messages in an MMS-based communication system