A trocar and catheter assembly for automatically disarming the trocar after placement of the catheter into a patient's blood vessel includes a spring urging retraction of the trocar and a releasable retainer mechanism for maintaining the trocar in an extended position during insertion of the catheter into the blood vessel. In one embodiment, the catheter is removably mounted to a handle which defines an internal passage. Disengaging the handle from the catheter after placement of the catheter into the blood vessel actuates the releasable retainer mechanism for allowing the trocar to be drawn into the handle passage under the influence of a spring, to enclose the sharpened end of the trocar after use. In another embodiment, the insertion device is in the form of a pair of wings which are movable between a closed position and an open position. The wings are in their closed position and grasped by the user when inserting the catheter into the blood vessel, and are thereafter moved to their open position. Movement of the wings to their open position actuates the releasable retainer mechanism, and the trocar is then drawn rearwardly so that its sharpened end is drawn into the catheter passage under the influence of the spring.

This invention relates to an intravenous catheter and trocar system, and more particularly to a system providing automatic retraction of the trocar after insertion of the catheter into a blood vessel.
Numerous patents disclose syringes which include a system for either automatically or semi-automatically retracting the syringe needle after use, to prevent accidental contact with the needle. One such syringe is shown in Lindemann, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,382, issued Oct.17, 1989. In addition Kuuli U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,831 shows a structure for manually retracting a catheter trocar after the trocar has been used to insert the catheter into a blood vessel of a patient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic arrangement for retracting a trocar after use of the trocar to insert a catheter into a blood vessel. It is a further object of the invention to incorporate an automatic trocar retraction system into various types of catheters. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a trocar retraction system which is relatively simple in concept and inexpensive to manufacture.
In accordance with the invention, an intravenous catheter system includes a catheter defining an internal passage and a trocar having an exposed sharpened end extending from the catheter passage when in an extended position, for use in placing the catheter into a patient's blood vessel. The system further includes an insertion device for manual engagement by a user for use in inserting the sharpened end of the trocar, and thereby the catheter, into the blood vessel. The insertion device includes structure defining an internal passage, and the trocar is releasably engaged with the insertion device when the trocar is in its extended position, to extend outwardly from the internal passage and through the catheter passage. Bias means is interconnected between the insertion device and the trocar, for urging retraction of the trocar from its extended position into the catheter passage. A releasable retainer mechanism functions to retain the trocar in its extended position prior to and during insertion of the catheter and the sharpened end of the trocar into the blood vessel, and for releasing engagement between the trocar and the insertion device in response to manual manipulation of the insertion device by the user after placement of the catheter into the blood vessel. Such manual manipulation of the insertion device functions to actuate the releasable retainer mechanism, to provide retraction of the trocar from its extended position into the catheter passage under the influence of the bias means.
In one form of the invention, the insertion device comprises a handle having one or more side walls defining the internal passage, with the handle being removably engaged with the catheter to provide disengagement of the handle from the catheter in response to manual manipulation of the handle after placement of the catheter into the blood vessel. Disengagement of the handle from the insertion device actuates the releasable retainer mechanism, to release engagement between the trocar and the handle and to provide retraction of the trocar from its extended position. The bias means comprises a spring or other biasing means interconnected between the trocar and the handle, to urge withdrawal of the trocar into and through the catheter passage and into the handle passage upon disengagement of the handle from the catheter. The handle passage opens onto an end of the handle, and a plug member is mounted within the handle passage toward the open end of the handle. The plug member defines a passage through which the trocar extends when in its extended position, and the spring is interposed between the trocar and the plug member to draw the trocar through the plug member passage upon disengagement of the handle from the catheter. A retraction head is mounted to the inner end of the trocar, and the spring is located between the plug member and the retraction head. The catheter includes an enlarged outer end portion defining an open outer end leading to an internal cavity, and an inner tubular end portion defining an open inner end and an internal passage extending between the internal cavity and the open inner end. The handle is removably engaged within the internal cavity defined by the enlarged outer end portion of the catheter. The handle plug member is removably engageable within the internal cavity defined by the enlarged outer end portion of the catheter, and the releasable retainer mechanism is mounted to the plug member and interposed between the trocar and the enlarged outer end portion of the catheter. The releasable retainer mechanism functions to release engagement between the handle and the trocar upon removal of the plug member from the internal cavity defined by the enlarged outer end portion of the catheter. The trocar retraction head includes a detent disposed within the plug member passage. The releasable retainer mechanism is engaged with the trocar detent to retain the trocar in its extended position, and is disengaged from the trocar detent upon removal of the plug member from the internal cavity to provide retraction of the trocar under the influence of the spring. In one form, the releasable retainer mechanism includes a pair of retainer wings mounted within a slot formed in the plug member, and engageable between the catheter and the trocar detent when the plug member is engaged within the internal cavity defined by the enlarged outer end portion of the catheter. Removal of the plug member from the catheter internal cavity releases engagement of the retainer wings between the catheter and the trocar detent.
In another form of the invention, the insertion device includes a pair of wings pivotably mounted for movement between a first position in which the wings are positioned substantially together and a second position in which the wings are moved apart. Manual movement of the wings between their first and second positions functions to actuate the releasable retainer mechanism, to release engagement between the trocar and the insertion device and to provide retraction of the trocar from its extended position. The insertion device includes a tubular body defining the internal passage within which the trocar is mounted, and the wings are pivotably mounted to the tubular body. The catheter is mounted to and extends outwardly from the tubular body, and defines an internal passage in communication with the internal passage defined by the body. The bias means, such as a spring, functions to withdraw the sharpened end of the trocar rearwardly into the catheter passage upon release of engagement between the trocar and the insertion device in response to movement of the wings away from their first position. The internal passage defined by the tubular body opens onto the rearward end of the body, and a rearward portion of the trocar extends outwardly from the rearward end of the body. The releasable retainer mechanism includes a hub member mounted to the rearward portion of the trocar, and a detent arrangement interposed between the hub member and the wings for retaining the trocar in its extended position when the wings are in their first position, and for releasing engagement between the wings and the hub member when the wings are moved away from their first position toward their second position. The detent arrangement includes a stud mounted to the hub member, and a recess formed in each wing for receiving a portion of the stud when the wings are in their first position, and for releasing engagement between the stud and the wings when the wings are moved toward their second position. The tubular body defines an external shoulder, and the spring is interposed between the external shoulder and the hub member for urging retraction of the trocar into the catheter passage. The trocar includes a wedge-shaped stop portion disposed within the body passage, for cooperating with wedge structure disposed within the body passage for stopping rearward movement of the trocar under the influence of the bias means when engagement between the trocar and the insertion device is released. A tube may be connected to the rearward portion of the trocar, for communicating blood withdrawn from a patient to a blood collection receptacle.
The invention further contemplates a method of retracting the sharpened end of the trocar after placement of the catheter into the patient's blood vessel, substantially in accordance with the foregoing summary.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.


A variable static mixer and system for accommodating variable and different flows in a pipeline so as to produce maximum mixing efficiency including a first mixer mounted in the pipeline and a second mixer mounted in the pipeline at a downstream location wherein the second mixer has a plate with a mixing orifice which plate is adapted to move between non-mixing and mixing positions.

This invention relates to mixing devices commonly referred to as static mixers. Generally such mixers are disc-like in shape and include a plate having a central opening or orifice of various fixed geometric configurations and mounted in a pipe through which fluid passes so as to create a turbulent mixing action to the fluid such that other materials introduced into the stream generally via injection nozzles located downstream and generally adjacent the plate are uniformly mixed with the fluid.
As indicated, standard static mixers have a fixed geometry, which means that the headloss is a direct function of the velocity of the fluid in the pipeline. Generally speaking, a mixer designed for low (1-3 FPS) velocity will generate excessive headloss at high pipeline velocity (8-12 FPS). Conversely, a mixer designed for reasonable mixing and headloss at high velocity generally will not provide good mixing at low velocity.
To date, this problem has been addressed by making separate mixers with mixing characteristics suited for particular pipeline velocities. For instance, the present applicant commercially supplies three separate mixers with different orifice diameters or beta ratios (beta ratio=orifice diameter/pipe inside diameter) of 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9. See FIG. 9 for further beta information. This enables a user to choose a mixer that gives good mixing performance at high, medium or low pipeline fluid velocities respectively, but no one mixer achieves good performance at all of these different velocities.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mixer and mixing system that can be adjusted to achieve good mixing performance at differing pipeline velocities without the need of removing one mixer and substituting another mixer in the pipeline.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the provision of a static mixer of the type having a generally centrally disposed orifice disposed within a generally flat plate adapted for mounting within a pipe such that the plate is adjustably movable to various alternate operable positions between a first essentially non-mixing position wherein the plate edge is disposed in line with the fluid flow within the pipe to a fully mixing position wherein the plate face is disposed normal to the fluid flow within the pipe.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.


The invention provides a method and system for sharing Wi-Fi in a Wi-Fi network using a cloud platform. To start with, the method and system enables registration of one or more Wi-Fi access points on the cloud platform and enables a client device to rent a Wi-Fi connection from owner of a Wi-Fi access point. Subsequently, the method and system enables the client device to select a Wi-Fi access point registered on the cloud platform based on usage fee, properties and signal quality. Further, the method and system performs offload optimization using an AI module by deciding whether data offloading from licensed spectrum to unlicensed spectrum is desirable or not. In response to deciding that data offload is desirable, the client device is allowed to connect to the selected Wi-Fi access point and transact with the Wi-Fi access point owner using cryptocurrencies in a blockchain-based network.

Wi-Fi networks are formed using one or more Wi-Fi access points that support a connection of multiple wireless devices to a wired connection for access to the Internet. Due to huge demand, enormous number of Wi-Fi access points are deployed in places such as, but not limited to, residential spaces, apartments, office buildings and public spaces and the Wi-Fi access points are densely concentrated around certain places with high data traffic.
Currently, the increase in usage of wireless devices has increased the demand for usage of mobile data and services. However, the corresponding infrastructure has not kept up with this demand. Wireless devices connect to data sources primarily through cellular networks, and the cellular carriers (i.e., the operators of the cellular networks) have not been able to support the demand for mobile data and services through the cellular network alone.
Further, users of wireless devices such as, but not limited to, smart phones and mobile phones, often run into problems when too many users are attempting to use too few network resources. For example, Internet traffic can become slow and congested if there are too many users requesting channels from a cellular base station. To avoid the limitations and costs associated with cellular telephony, many wireless device users switch to Wi-Fi or other non-cellular connection protocols when possible. This type of switching is typically done by a user having to take active steps to use non-cellular connection protocols (e.g., choosing a Wi-Fi network by name). Although Wi-Fi service is presently cheaper than cellular service, in any particular location a Wi-Fi network may itself become overwhelmed by user demand. Wi-Fi access is typically not free, and the costs associated with such access may make the use of the Wi-Fi network sub-optimal, both with respect to speed and cost.
Moreover, the congestion problem in usage of Wi-Fi resources is solved using a mesh network in which user's devices communicate directly with one another instead of via the cellular network. In such cases, the system traffic can be passed from one user device to another until the data is eventually transmitted to a fast, available connection to the Internet. However, mesh networks suffer from severe problems such as determining a route they should use in the mesh, which can cause enormous inefficiency, both in terms of transmission performance (unstable or low throughput connections) and quickly draining the battery of network devices.
Further, a typical criterion in wireless communication is the high cost of licensed spectrum which force the operators to deploy Wi-Fi access points to crowded places for offloading the cellular data to the Wi-Fi network. On the other hand, the license spectrum of Wi-Fi network covers only a small portion of overall customers within a basic service set (BSS) or an extended service set (ESS), which hinders exploiting the overall potential of unlicensed spectrum for offloading. In addition to operators, client devices for example, mobile devices prefer Wi-Fi access points because of its high link speed, price and energy efficiency. However, the major concern enabling Wi-Fi sharing and offloading both for the operator and customers is that it directly requires secure and efficient transactions while preventing unwanted incidents such as, but not limited to, double spending.
Therefore, in light of the above, there exists a need for a method and system for enabling secure and efficient transactions for Wi-Fi renting/sharing and optimizing data offload decisions in a Wi-Fi network.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the invention.

Method and system for sharing Wi-Fi in a Wi-Fi network using a cloud platform


Resolution monitoring when using visual manipulation tools is described, including determining a minimum resolution for a visual manipulation tool, monitoring a usage of the visual manipulation tool, and interrupting the usage of the visual manipulation tool if the visual manipulation tool is operating below the minimum resolution.

Imaging software, such as Photoshop® by Adobe Systems Incorporated of San Jose, Calif., is a type of software used to view or manipulate digital images. Imaging software is typically presented in a windowed graphical user interface (GUI) environment on a computer system display. Imaging software displays a digital image that can then be manipulated by a user. Some types of manipulations that a user may perform include resizing an image, cropping an image, color correcting an image, and adding text to an image. Image editing software may include various tools that can be used to perform these manipulations. For example, a crop tool can be used to crop an image.
Digital images comprise a number of picture elements (pixels), typically arranged in a rectangular grid. The dimensions of a digital image may be given as the width of the image (in pixels) by the height of the image (in pixels). A digital image can be printed using one of several types of printers. When the digital image is printed, the image may be resized to fit a particular paper size. For example, an image may be printed on a six inch by four inch sheet of paper. If the digital image has a resolution of 900 pixels by 600 pixels, then the resolution of the printed image is 150 dots per inch (dpi). The resolution can be determined by dividing the number of pixels (i.e., dots) in a dimension by the physical size of that dimension (e.g., 900 pixels divided by six inches gives 150 dpi).
A crop tool can be used to select a portion of an image and discard the remainder. A crop tool may include a rectangular selection tool that can be dragged using a mouse or other pointing device. After the original image has been cropped, the resulting image has a reduced pixel count compared to the original image.
A printer typically produces lower quality output when the resolution of the source image is reduced. For a specific printer there may be a resolution below which the printed output is deemed unacceptable to a user of that printer. For example, a user may have determined that any image having a resolution below 150 dpi produces unacceptable printed images. A cropped image may have discarded so much of the original image data that it may result in an unacceptable printed image when the original image had enough image data to produce an acceptable image.
Thus, what is needed is resolution monitoring when using visual manipulation tools without the limitations of conventional techniques.


A perpendicular magnetic recording disk has an improved recording layer of a granular CoPtCr-based ferromagnetic alloy with inter-granular material made up of one or more oxides of Cr and one or more oxides of one or more of a segregant of Si, Ta, Ti, B, Nb or Hf, wherein the amount of oxygen present in the recording layer is greater than about 22 atomic percent and less than about 35 atomic percent. The amount of oxygen in the recording layer is substantially greater than the amount required for the stoichiometric oxide or oxides of the segregant or segregants, and a substantial portion of the oxygen present in the recording layer is present in the inter-granular material. The recording layer exhibits high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a coercivity Hc greater than about 5000 Oe and a nucleation field Hn greater (more negative) than about −1500 Oe.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to perpendicular magnetic recording media, and more particularly to a disk with a perpendicular magnetic recording layer for use in magnetic recording hard disk drives.
2. Description of the Related Art
Perpendicular magnetic recording, wherein the recorded bits are stored in a perpendicular or out-of-plane orientation in the recording layer, is a promising path toward ultra-high recording densities in magnetic recording hard disk drives. The most common type of perpendicular magnetic recording system is one that uses a recording head with a single write pole and a "dual-layer" media, as shown in FIG. 1. The dual-layer media includes a perpendicular magnetic data recording layer (RL) formed on a "soft" or relatively low-coercivity magnetically permeable underlayer (SUL). The SUL serves as a flux return path for the field from the write pole to the return pole of the recording head. This type of system is also called "Type 1" perpendicular magnetic recording. In FIG. 1, the RL is illustrated with perpendicularly recorded or magnetized regions, with adjacent regions having opposite magnetization directions, as represented by the arrows. The magnetic transitions between adjacent oppositely-directed magnetized regions are detectable by the read element or head as the recorded bits.
FIG. 2 is a schematic of a cross-section of a prior art perpendicular magnetic recording disk. The disk includes a hard disk substrate, an adhesion or onset layer (OL) for growth of the SUL, the SUL, an underlayer (UL) on the SUL to facilitate growth of the RL, and a protective overcoat (OC). One type of conventional material for the RL is a granular ferromagnetic cobalt alloy, such as a CoPtCr alloy. The ferromagnetic grains of this material have a hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) crystalline structure and out-of-plane or perpendicular magnetic anisotropy as a result of the c-axis of the hcp crystalline structure being induced to grow perpendicular to the plane of the layer during deposition. To induce this epitaxial growth of the hcp RL, the UL onto which the RL is formed is also typically an hcp material. Ruthenium (Ru) is one type of material proposed for the UL. While a single-layer UL is depicted in FIG. 2, the UL may be a multilayer structure, with one or more hcp layers and a seed layer between the SUL and the hcp layer or layers. The UL also typically functions as an exchange break layer to break the magnetic exchange coupling between the RL and the magnetically permeable SUL.
A perpendicular magnetic recording medium has also been proposed wherein the RL is the upper ferromagnetic layer of an antiferromagnetically-coupled (AFC) layer, as depicted in FIG. 3. The AFC layer comprises a lower ferromagnetic layer on the UL, an antiferromagnetically (AF) coupling layer on the lower ferromagnetic layer, and an upper ferromagnetic layer (the RL) on the AF-coupling layer. In this type of medium, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,815,082 B2, each ferromagnetic layer is a granular cobalt alloy with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The AF-coupling layer induces perpendicular antiferromagnetic exchange coupling between the two ferromagnetic layers, as depicted in FIG. 3 by the antiparallel magnetization directions between the two ferromagnetic layers in each magnetized region of the AFC layer.
To achieve high performance perpendicular magnetic recording disks at ultra-high recording densities, e.g., greater than 200 Gbits/in2, the RL should exhibit low intrinsic media noise (high signal-to-noise ratio or SNR), a coercivity Hc greater than about 5000 Oe and a nucleation field Hn greater (more negative) than about −1500 Oe. The nucleation field Hn is the reversing field, preferably in the second quadrant of the M-H hysteresis loop, at which the magnetization begins to drop from its saturation value (Ms). The more negative the nucleation field, the more stable the remanent magnetic state will be because a larger reversing field is required to alter the magnetization.
It is well-known that the granular cobalt alloy RL should have a well-isolated fine-grain structure to produce a high-Hc media and to reduce inter-granular exchange coupling, which is responsible for high intrinsic media noise. Enhancement of grain segregation in the RL has been proposed by the addition of metal oxides which precipitate to the grain boundaries. The addition of SiO2 to a CoPtCr granular alloy by sputter deposition from a CoPtCr—SiO2 composite target is described by H. Uwazumi, et al., "CoPtCr—SiO2 Granular Media for High-Density Perpendicular Recording", IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 39, No. 4, July 2003, pp. 1914-1918. The RL described in this reference had Hc of about 4000 Oe and Hn of about −700 Oe. The addition of Ta2O5 to a CoPt granular alloy is described by T. Chiba et al., "Structure and magnetic properties of Co—Pt—Ta2O5 film for perpendicular magnetic recording media", Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, Vol. 287, February 2005, pp. 167-171. The RL described in this reference had Hc of about 3000 Oe when the RL was sputter deposited from a composite target of CoPt and Ta2O5, and no increase in Hc was obtained by introducing oxygen gas during sputtering.
In the above-cited references the amount of oxygen added is not significantly greater than that required for the stoichiometric metal oxide. The effect of the addition of an even greater amount of oxygen to a CoPtCr granular alloy by reactive sputter deposition of a CoPtCr—SiO2 composite target in an argon/oxygen (Ar/O2) gas mixture is described by M. Zheng et al., "Role of Oxygen Incorporation in Co—Cr—Pt—Si—O Perpendicular Magnetic Recording Media", IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 40, No. 4, July 2004, pp. 2498-2500. This reference teaches that the maximum Hc of about 4000 Oe is achieved at the optimal amount of oxygen in the RL of 15 atomic percent (at. %). Only a minor portion of the Cr is in the oxide form and there is no strong evidence of SiO2 in the RL. If the amount of oxygen is increased above the optimum, the excess oxygen forms oxides of Cr and Co in the grains, resulting in a reduction in Hc. At a level of 21 at. % oxygen, Hc is reduced to about 1000 Oe, which renders the RL unusable.
What is needed is a perpendicular magnetic recording disk with a CoPtCr granular alloy RL that exhibits Hn greater than about −1500 Oe and that has a well-isolated fine-grain structure resulting in high SNR and Hc greater than about 5000 Oe.

Perpendicular magnetic recording disk with improved recording layer having high oxygen content

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A computer implemented system and method to enable protection of email users from unsolicited bulk email using a message delivery delay based on characteristics detected in selected messages. Messages are evaluated for characteristics resembling unsolicited bulk email. A determination is made whether a message passing through the email system exhibits such characteristics and whether to delay the message. Suspect messages may be delayed for a period of time, the delay period being dependent on the characteristics giving rise to a determination to delay. Following the period, additional information received during the delay period characterizing the message is used to determine whether to dispose or deliver the message. Messages evaluated can be inbound to the email system, outbound to other email systems, or moving within the email system.

One of the most common forms of email is provided by Email Service Providers (ESPs) such as Yahoo! Mail, Microsoft Hotmail, Google GMail, and other web-based email services. In large scale ESPs, the problem of unwanted bulk email messages (UBE), or also known as spam, is acute. Providers use a number of techniques in an effort to shield users from receiving UBE.
Additionally, ESPs may themselves be unwilling conduits for UBE senders. Spam senders constantly derive new and different methods of both usurping inbound message safeguards, and efforts by ESPs to thwart spammers using their systems as conduits for SPAM. UBE senders may, for example, change the characteristics of their emails to usurp spam email filters as such filters learn the characteristics of specific messages. In addition, spammer may try to send large volumes of messages within a short period of time so that the maximum number of messages bypass spam filters before being detected.

Delaying inbound and outbound email messages


In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a contact lens comprising a disclosed lubricious surface layer. In a further aspect, the lubricious surface layer comprises a polyacrylamide, e.g., a poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide. In various aspects, the lubricious surface layer is formed at the surface of a contact lens. In a further aspect, the lens can be a hydrogel lens. In a further aspect, the lens can be a silicone hydrogel lens. The present disclosure also pertains to methods of forming the disclosed lubricious surface layers on a surface of a contact lens. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Almost 17% of new contact lens wearers drop out in the first year of wear, which is a major concern for the contact lens industry. Discomfort and dryness are the leading causes, accounting for almost 50% of the drop outs. In spite of the continuous improvements in lens design, a large proportion of contact lens users experience at least some form of dryness and discomfort, particularly towards the end of the day. The mechanisms that cause the dryness and discomfort are complex and not completely understood. A number of researchers have examined the correlation between various lens properties and discomfort and dryness. A recent study showed that excessive lens movement, inferior lens decentration, poor surface wettability and deposits, inferior corneal staining, and Asian ethnicity are associated with dryness and discomfort. Comfort data for several different lens types showed a significant correlation with the coefficient of friction. No correlation between comfort and oxygen permeability, modulus and water content has been shown. A correlation between comfort and friction coefficient suggests that the friction coefficient is the key lens property associated with the end of day comfort, irrespective of the technique used in the measurement. The correlation of dryness and discomfort to lubricity is related to the rapid motion of the upper eyelid over the contact lens surface during a blink. It is believed that lubricity and wettability impact dryness and discomfort, and so significant efforts have been made to improve both of these properties.
Efforts to improve wettability have focused on incorporation of highly hydrophilic monomers, plasma surface treatments and addition of internal wetting agents such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). Extended release of PVA incorporated in Focus DAILIES® (CIBA Vision) into the tears improves comfort. Incorporation of PVP in Acuvue® Oasys™ with Hydraclear™ Plus lenses (Johnson and Johnson) increases wettability, eliminating the need for surface treatment typically required in silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Contrary to the PVA incorporation, the PVP loaded in lenses remains trapped due to the high molecular weight but appears to partially diffuse to the surface to increase the wettability. Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been explored as a potential biocompatible comfort enhancer and lenses loaded with sodium hyaluronate (Hyaluronate Gel) have been commercialized (Safigel™).
The incorporation of wetting and comfort agents in contact lenses has not relieved the experience of discomfort and dryness for many patients. Lens modifications have included designing better formulations of rewetting drops and lens care solutions to improve the comfort. PVA, PVP and HA have been used in artificial tears and rewetting drops for contact lenses. Addition of surfactants in rewetting drops and lens care solutions has been found to be beneficial, most likely due to improved wettability of the surface due to surfactant adsorption. The adsorbed and absorbed surfactant desorbs with time, possibly leading to the reduced end of day comfort. Preservatives included in the formulations can absorb into the lenses and then desorb during lens wear, which could lead to patient discomfort and potential toxicity issues.
Mayhan et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,964 teaches a method to generate a substrate with peroxy groups thereon and initiate polymerization of water soluble monomers from surface generated radicals. Bertrand et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,028 teaches a method to surface graft a hydrophilic polymer on a semi-solid polymer substrate with hydroperoxide groups on the surface in the presence of a variable valence metal ion in a reduced state.
Despite advances in research directed toward improved lubricity and wettability in contact lens, a significant percentage of contact lens users discontinue use of contact lens due to discomfort and dryness. Moreover, compositions directed to increasing comfort and decreasing dryness are associated with desorption and release of the wetting and/or lubricious agents into the eye. These needs and other needs are addressed by the present disclosure.

Methods and compositions for improved comfort contact lens

University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


An automobile comprising a cooling duct that extends to underneath the automobile to channel cooling air to a component of the automobile when the automobile is in motion is provided. A restriction located within the cooling duct that is moveable from a first position, in which airflow to the component is substantially unimpeded, to a second position in which the airflow to the component is substantially impeded, when the automobile is in motion is further provided. The automobile generates more downforce when the restriction is in the second position versus the first position. A control unit configured to select the position of the restriction to control the downforce generated by the automobile if the temperature of the component is below a predetermined level, and to select the first position for the restriction if the temperature of the component is above the predetermined level, is also provided.

The downforce generated by a vehicle can have a substantial effect on the cornering and braking capability of the vehicle. In practical situations, it is often the case that an increase in downforce (by, for example, adding spoilers to the vehicle) is accompanied by an increase in drag, meaning that a vehicle set-up to generate high levels of downforce will be compromised by a reduction in its maximum straight line speed.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the airflow over a typical vehicle. Taken in the frame of reference of the vehicle travelling in the negative x-direction, as the air flows over the vehicle it will stagnate at its front end 101 creating a region of relatively high pressure. The fast flowing air over the bonnet will create a region of relatively low pressure 102. The sharp change in curvature of the body of the vehicle towards its rear end 103 will cause the flow to separate from the body in this region, creating a region of low pressure 104. Various aerodynamic devices have been developed to increase the pressure in the low pressure regions and to decrease the pressure in the regions underneath the vehicle in order to increase the downforce generated by the vehicle and improve cornering performance.
A common device used to increase the pressure of the air in the low pressure region is the rear wing. A typical rear wing is shown in FIG. 2. The profile of a typical rear wing consists of a relatively flat upper portion 201 and a relatively curved lower portion 202. As air flows over the wing the curved lower portion deflects the air upwards, hence the wing is exerting a resultant force F1 on the air in the positive vertical direction. In accordance with Newton's third law, the air will exert an equal and opposite force on the wing. This equal and opposite force F2 is the downforce generated by the rear wing.
A splitter is an aerodynamic device that operates to decrease the pressure of the air under the body of the vehicle. A vehicle fitted with a typical splitter is shown in FIG. 3. As air travels towards the front of the vehicle a portion of the airflow will be directed over the top surface of the splitter 301 and a portion of the air will be diverted under the bottom surface of the splitter 302. The airflow over the top of the splitter will stagnate, causing a region of high pressure, whilst the portion of the airflow that is channelled between the splitter surface 302 and the ground will be accelerated under the body of the vehicle. For a particular streamline, increasing the flow speed of the air will cause its pressure to drop in accordance with Bernoulli's principle, and so channelling high speed air under the surface of the vehicle helps to lower the pressure in this region and hence increases the downforce generated by the vehicle. This effect is increased as the distance between the lower surface 302 of the splitter and the ground is decreased.
Louvered wheel arches can also be used to increase the downforce generated by a vehicle and are typically implemented on race cars. An example of a louvered wheel arch is shown in FIG. 4. When a vehicle is travelling at speed the pressure of the air inside the wheel arches 401 is generally higher than the pressure of the air flowing over the surface of the vehicle body 402. Louvered wheel arches 403 alleviate this result by providing a path for the high pressure air inside the wheel arches to flow into the lower pressure region over the surface of the body. Louvered wheel arches are also useful for aiding the cooling of the brake system.
It is often desirable for a vehicle to increase the downforce it generates due to the beneficial effects on its cornering ability. However, increasing the downforce can lead to an increase in drag which compromises the straight line speed of the vehicle and increases its fuel consumption. Furthermore at very high speeds the downforce generated may overload the vehicle and result in significant changes in aerodynamic stability under different dynamic conditions, making the vehicle difficult to control.
There is thus a need for an improved means of controlling the downforce generated by a vehicle.

Component for controlling downforce generated by a vehicle


A toy having a looped string and three handles, each of the handles having a grip section, an eyelet through which the string passes, and a swivel between the eyelet and the grip section. The swivels allow the eyelets to rotate relative to the grip sections so that a handle can be held at the grip section and one or both of the other handles can be rotated without resulting in tangling of the string about the eyelet of the held handle. The grip sections are considerably larger and more massive than the eyelets so that the centers of mass of the handles are generally displaced from the string. In an alternate embodiment a pivot is included between each grip section and associated eyelet. A wide variety of motions and maneuvers can be performed by swinging one or more of the handles while holding or releasing one or more of the handles and/or holding or releasing one or more sections of the string. Another alternate embodiment is a triangular sheet of fabric with handles rotatably attached at each corner by swivels.

A number of toys include a string or rope, including the yo-yo, the lasso, and sliding bob toys such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. RE34,208 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,863. The toy described in U.S. Pat. No. RE34,208 has three centrally-bored bobs on a string, with the string passing through the bores in the bobs and the bobs being constrained to the string. The toy described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,863 has two centrally-bored bobs on a string, with the string passing through the bores in the bobs and the bobs being constrained to the string. Furthermore, a new category of yo-yo play called "5A" has arisen where a mass is attached at the end of the string opposite the rotateable slotted disc.
For each of the above-mentioned toys, different types of motions and maneuvers are possible due to their differing geometries. As is apparent from the many videos of these toys posted on the Internet, these simple geometries allow an incredibly wide variety of motions and maneuvers to be performed. Furthermore, simple differences in the geometries allow considerably different types of motions and maneuvers to be performed, while often also providing some overlap in the motions and maneuvers that can be performed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a skill toy having a string or rope or sheet of fabric and handles affixed to, tethered to or slideable along the string or rope.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a skill toy allowing new types of motions and maneuvers to be performed.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims.

Toy having three sliding handles on a looped string


Systems and methods are disclosed for designing and tracking construction material usage by estimating volumetric properties for one or more mix designs; determining an optimum mix based on laboratory data; and field testing a sample of the optimum mix; and tracking and managing construction material usage based on the optimum mix.

The invention relates to a process control system to manage materials used in construction.
In many large-scale construction projects, a developer needs to provide construction bid specification preparation, which is evaluated before the developer is awarded a contract. Once the developer receives the contract, various construction management and contract administration practices need to be implemented. These practices include maintaining an appropriate level of quality assurance. Quality assurance in construction activity relates to proper architectural and structural design, use of good materials and components supplied by various producers, contractors and sub-contractors, proper workmanship in the execution of works by the contractor/sub-contractor, and ultimately proper care during the construction.
The need for quality assurance becomes even more important for governmental projects and is usually mandated by law for an incorporated political unit or municipality or community. For these customers, a construction project must satisfy all states specification. The quality of construction materials should result in satisfactory strength, serviceability and long term durability so as to lower the overall life-cycle cost.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Process control system to manage materials used in construction


Disclosed is an apparatus and method for a mobile device to detect unexpected behavior associated with the mobile device. The mobile device may include a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor may be configured to monitor at least one of physical conditions and/or device actions associated with the mobile device. If a call or a data transmission is requested, the processor may be configured to compare the monitored physical conditions and/or device actions to an anomaly threshold value and may execute an anomaly exception routine if the anomaly threshold value is exceeded.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to a mobile device capable of detecting unexpected behavior associated with the mobile device.
2. Relevant Background
Today, the use of mobile electronic devices is widespread. Such mobile electronic devices can increase a user's productivity and quality of life, but they are also susceptible to loss, theft or unauthorized use. Examples of such devices are smart phones, cellular phones, portable digital systems (PDAs), digital cameras, tablets, mobile computers, etc. (hereinafter referred to as mobile devices).
Mobile devices are often used to run diverse applications which originate from many sources. Unfortunately, applications with malicious intent (e.g., malware) are sometimes installed by users onto their mobile device. Users are typically unaware of this. As an example, a subset of malware is characterized by transmissions that debit the telecommunication account associated with the mobile device, usually in an attempt to generate revenue for the attacker. For example, the malware may send a short message service (SMS) message or place a call to a premium number (often in a remote jurisdiction). Unfortunately, by the time that the attack is typically detected, a significant debit or loss has occurred. Redress from entities in remote jurisdictions may be difficult or impossible, leaving the account holder, or their carrier, liable for the fraud. Therefore, a need exists for countermeasures against this type of attack.
Previous attempts have been made to stop attacks against mobile devices. For example, many mobile device operating systems (OSs) run applications in a "sandbox" that is intended to prevent unauthorized or undesirable behavior. Unfortunately, there are often legitimate applications that wish to be able to send SMS messages or place calls, so many operating systems allow this functionality for approved applications. Therefore, the attacker can simply encourage or mislead the user to supply such approval, authorization, or agreement in a permission request.
However, users are typically not motivated enough to thoroughly read, understand, or predict the effect of fine grained permission requests and often do not read authorization requests requested by the installer of an application. An attacker may therefore present a desirable application with a plausible request for authorizations, such as placing calls or sending SMS messages, and many users unfortunately agree, without even reading the agreement or the request for authorization. This type of agreement is even easier to get approval from a user if the user is presented with a bewildering and long list of fine grained permission requests. There is therefore a need for techniques for mobile devices to detect unexpected behavior and to stop the unexpected behavior and/or notify the user of the mobile device of such unexpected behavior.

Mobile device to detect unexpected behaviour


A method for selectively capturing selected portions of multiple data packets within a packet data signal for analysis by capturing only desired or necessary portions of the data packets and assembling them into substantially contiguous data streams prior to transferring them for analysis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for capturing data packets within a digital data signal, and in particular, to methods for capturing data packets within a digital data signal by capturing predetermined portions of the data signal to allow for simpler and more efficient data analysis.
2. Related Art
Increasingly, many well-known and popular data communications systems communicate via digital data signals in which the data is distributed among a number of data packets which are transmitted sequentially and then reassembled within the receiver, often following transmission along various distinct signal paths (e.g., as is done with the Internet). Conventional test equipment for measuring these data signals capture these data packets, store them and then transfer them for analysis. Often, the transfer and analysis of the captured data takes longer than the process by which they are captured from within the data signal, in part because of the need to transfer the captured data to remote analysis circuitry (e.g., a computer separate from the test equipment). Consecutive data packets are often closely spaced, particularly within data signals being transmitted at high data rates. Accordingly, conventional test equipment will often not measure consecutive packets, but instead will capture non-adjacent packets spaced in time by an interval approximating the time needed for analysis or measurement.
However, it is often desirable to capture consecutive packets, e.g., to analyze power variations from one packet to another. To do this with conventional test equipment, it would generally be necessary to increase the time interval available for capturing the data packets, thereby causing the capture window to become equal to the duration of the number of consecutive data packets sought to be captured and analyzed. This, however, is disadvantageous due to the fact that increasing the capture window will also slow down the overall data capture and analysis operation, since more data will need to be transferred between the capture memory and analysis engine. Further, in many communication systems, the data packets are not closely spaced, which means that much of the captured data is unused since it corresponds to the gaps between consecutive data packets.
Also, in multiple-input, multiple-out (MIMO) systems with a single data analysis engine, such as is often done in a production test environment, time efficiency in capturing and analyzing data packets becomes even more important. As is well know, a MIMO system uses multiple transmitters operated in parallel. Testing one transmitter at a time requires that the overall system be maintained in a transmit state of operation longer, and thereby potentially affect its performance due to increased heat buildup. To effectively avoid this would require testing one transmitter, powering the unit down, waiting for it to stabilize in its off state, and then power the unit up again to test the next transmitter, and so on. As a result, overall test time would increase significantly.

Method for capturing multiple data packets in a data signal for analysis


A system and method comprising of a social networking game system comprising of: a standalone, wearable gaming device configured for activating an application program stored on a mobile displaying device, wherein the application program is configured for activating location determining means to start a monitoring session, and wherein the location determining means is also configured for tracking a game player's moving parameters during the monitoring session; the application program is further configured for converting the game player's moving parameters into game player's statistics; and communication means positioned within the mobile displaying device for transmitting the game player's statistics to at least one remote server, wherein the at least one remote server includes at least one processor and computer executable instructions readable by the at least one processor and operative to conduct a game.

Interactive games have evolved over the years allowing individuals to play games of their choice in the comfort of their homes by wearing certain handheld devices with sensors to capture their movements as they perform simulated sports or gaming activities that run concurrently with stored or streamed content. However, these games are not portable and for the rare few that are, capturing the player's gaming information either require transporting a significant amount of equipment or the game is premised on simplistic hand gestures or maneuvers. Player participation is therefore generally relegated to simulated sports activities rather than actual sports activities and effectively confines the game player to his/her home.
Health experts have repeatedly expressed concerns for the long term effects resulting from spending too much time passively viewing content as opposed to engaging in actual physical activity. Thus, there is a need for interactive games to incorporate actual sporting activities into the gaming experience, freeing the game player to play the interactive game either indoors or outdoors depending on the type of sporting activity involved. For example, instead of a game player simulating riding a skateboard or making hand gestures with an interactive game to simulate a boxing match, the gaming experience would incorporate the actual skateboarding activity outdoors or a real live boxing event indoors. In this manner, the gaming experience provides for a more energetic, active game and a more enjoyable and dynamic experience. The invention described herein satisfies this long felt need that heretofore has not been resolved by the prior art.

Interactive game system and method using location determining means


A nanofiber laminate sheet including a layer of a nanofiber of a water insoluble polymer and a layer of a water soluble polymer containing a cosmetic component or a medicinal component. The nanofiber is preferably colored. The layer of a water soluble polymer is preferably a layer of a nanofiber of the water soluble polymer containing the cosmetic component or the medicinal component. The nanofiber laminate sheet is suited for use as a cosmetic sheet for makeup.

Nanofibers are applied to the fields demanding optical characteristics such as high transparency, where the nano-size effect of nanofibers are taken advantage of. For example, nanofibers with a diameter equal to or below the wavelength of visible light provide transparent fabric. By the use of nanofibers the diameter of which is equal to the wavelength of visible light, structural color may be exhibited. Nanofibers have also been studied for their applicability to the fields demanding superabsorbent characteristics or high surface activity, where the high specific surface area effect of nanofibers is taken advantage of, and to the fields demanding mechanical characteristics such as tensile strength and electrical characteristics such as high conductivity, where the supramolecular arrangement effect of nanofibers is made use of Nanofibers having such characteristics have been used in the form of, for example, not only single fibers but aggregates (i.e., fabrics) or composites.
Applications of nanofibers that have been proposed include a cosmetic sheet comprising a network structure made of a water soluble polymer nanofiber and a cosmetic or a cosmetic component, such as ascorbic acid, held in the network structure as disclosed in patent literature 1 below. According to the disclosure, the cosmetic sheet is obtained by electrospinning a liquid prepared by mixing a cosmetic or a cosmetic component into a solution of a polymer dissolved in water or a solvent. The cosmetic sheet obtained by this method contains the cosmetic or cosmetic component inside the nanofiber. The literature alleges that the cosmetic sheet has not only improved adhesion or comfort to the user's face, hand, or leg but also storage stability.
Patent literature 1 also teaches incorporating particles into a nanofiber sheet. Incorporating particles in a nanofiber sheet is also described in Patent literatures 2 to 4 below. In this regard, patent literature 1 proposes a cosmetic sheet comprising a network structure formed of polymer-based nanofibers and metal particles as a cosmetic component supported by the network structure. Patent literature 2 describes incorporating particles of, e.g., kaolin, carbon black, titanium oxide, or talc into a nanofiber sheet. Patent literature 3 also describes a nanofiber sheet containing a pigment.


A hydraulic power generation motor includes a tubular body (4) including a pair of coupling flanges (12) formed at opposite ends thereof and an impeller housing (8) formed in an intermediate portion thereof, the coupling flanges (12) being connectable to fluid conduits (10) through which fluid flows. An impeller (38) is rotatably installed within the impeller housing (8) of the tubular body (4), the impeller (38) being designed to be rotated by the fluid and operatively connected to a generator (40) for generating an electric power.

In general, electric power is generated by hydraulic power generation, steam power generation or atomic power generation. These power generation methods often pose problems of air pollution, ozone layer destruction and water pollution.
In an effort to develop clean energy or alternative energy, scientists over the world have been studying power generation methods that make use of solar heat, wind power and tidal power. Also developed is a power generation method that utilizes water flowing along a river.
The power generation methods using solar heat, wind power, tidal power and river flowing water are advantageous in that they do not contaminate environments and can generate electric power relying upon natural energy. Moreover, such power generation methods assist in saving fossil fuels and underground resources which have been extensively used to generate electric energy.
However, the power generation methods using natural energy suffer from the following drawbacks.
A solar generation device mainly installed in buildings or houses is bulky and costly to install. In case of bad weather, the solar generation device is hard to generate electric power. These shortcomings make it difficult to supply electric power in a stable manner. In other words, the power generation methods using natural energy such as solar heat, wind power, tidal power and river flowing water are heavily affected by weather conditions.
Korean Patent No. 10-0780316 discloses a hydraulic power generation device that uses, as its drive power source, the hydraulic energy of the drinking water, agricultural water or industrial water flowing out from a building water tank, a water purification facility or a reservoir.
The hydraulic power generation device cited above is designed to generate electric power using the kinetic energy of flowing water supplied from a water source such as a dam, a river or a reservoir to a water collection tower or a water tank installed in a school, a building or a factory.
In the hydraulic power generation device, the energy of flowing water acts on vanes and rotates a rotor. The torque generated at this time is transferred to a generator so that the generator can be rotationally driven to generate electric power.
However, the vanes employed in the hydraulic power generation device suffer from a number of problems, including the noise caused by the wear of vane hinges, the premature wear of the vanes occurring due to the sliding contact of the vanes with the inner surface of a casing, the noise generated when the vanes are unfolded into contact with the support claws of the rotor and the water leakage through the gaps around the vanes. In addition, the rotor having the support claws is difficult to manufacture and the number of fabrication steps of the rotor are increased. Since the vanes are arranged inside the casing in a foldable manner, the casing has a complex structure and involves a difficulty in the manufacture thereof. This leads to reduced productivity. The inlet and outlet ports arranged at the opposite sides of the casing make the device quite complicated.


Systems and methods for providing distributed notification of an emergency event are disclosed. A system according to the invention can include a remote device that is communicatively coupled to a base station. The remote device can include an activation device, a GPS signal receiver, a remote device controller, and a location signal transmitter. The GPS signal receiver is adapted to receive global positioning signals from each of a plurality of global positioning satellites. The transmitter is adapted to transmit location signals to the base station. The base station can include a contact profile data store, a location signal receiver, a base station controller, and a notification signal transmitter. The location signal receiver is adapted to receive location signals from the remote device. The notification signal transmitter is adapted to transmit notification signals to each of a plurality of contacts, which can include an emergency service.

Unfortunately, individuals sometimes find themselves in situations in which they need assistance. For example, an individual might suffer a sudden heart attack, or an unexpected traffic problem, such as a vehicle breakdown or accident, or there might be an intruder in the house, or someone suspicious approaching, or the like. In such situations, the individual could call a predefined emergency telephone number, such as 911, to notify authorities and request such emergency services as police, ambulance, fire, towing, or the like. Alternatively or additionally, the individual could call one or more family members, friends, or other contacts to notify them of the situation as well.
In an emergency, however, individuals typically cannot afford the time to make a number of phone calls to notify various others that the situation exists. For example, if an individual is having a heart attack, he would not likely want to make more than one phone call, nor would he likely be able to do so. If an intruder were in the house, the individual would want to focus on getting out of the house, rather than making a number of calls.
There are also emergency situations in which the individual cannot actually dial a phone. For example, if the individual has suffered a heart attack, he might not be able to dial the number, or be lucid enough, while in pain, even to remember the number to dial. Similarly, if the individual is being robbed at gunpoint, the robber is unlikely to allow the victim to make a phone call. If an intruder were in the house or a suspicious person approaching, the individual would likely not want to be heard while calling for help.
Hence, there is a need in the art for systems and methods by which an individual in need of emergency assistance can notify a plurality of contacts by initiating a single communication. There is especially a need for such systems and methods wherein such notification can be triggered without requiring the individual to dial a phone or to speak.


System and method for implementing multi-resolution advanced process control (“APC”) are described. One embodiment is a method including obtaining low resolution metrology data and high resolution metrology data related to a process module for performing a process on the wafer. A process variable of the process is modeled as a function of the low resolution metrology data to generate a low-resolution process model and the process variable is modeled as a function of the high resolution metrology data to generate a high-resolution process model. The method further includes calibrating the low resolution process model; combining the calibrated low resolution process model with the high resolution process model to generate a multi-resolution process model that models the process variable as a function of both the low resolution metrology data and the high resolution metrology data; and analyzing a response of the multi-resolution process model and the low and high resolution metrology data to control performance of a process module.

The present disclosure relates generally to Advanced Process Control ("APC") as applied to integrated circuit ("IC") fabrication and, more particularly, to system and method for implementing a multi-resolution APC technique.
APC has become an essential component in semiconductor fabrication facilities ("fabs") for enabling continued improvement of device yield and reliability at a reduced cost. Significant elements of APC include integrated metrology, fault detection and classification, and run-to-run control. APC aids in reducing process variation as well as production costs. A key requirement for effective APC is that metrology tools are available to measure key parameters within an acceptable time frame. Additionally, methods must be provided for analyzing and interpreting measurement data. In practice, APC requires rich in-line measurements because the manufacturing processes are usually subjected to disturbance and drift caused by a variety of sources. Traditionally, APC has been based on constant or near-constant time sequence data inputs; however, it is recognized that the complexity of processes, tools, and products results in multiple data sources that impact the control performance with different time frequency. In general, an APC controller operates with disturbances from both the wafer and chamber conditions. The disturbances, which may include, for example, metrology bias, calibration offsets, and the like, may be of different resolutions. Moreover, some of the disturbances are effective, while others are not.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


An embodiment relates to a method of evaluating a lymphatic system function including: selecting one or a plurality of lymphatic routes to be evaluated from a plurality of lymphatic routes existing in four limbs; determining an injection site of a visualization agent based on information on the selected lymphatic route and injection sites of peripheries of the four limbs corresponding to the selected lymphatic route; injecting the visualization agent from the selected injection site; and visualizing the injected visualization agent and evaluating functions of the one or plurality of lymphatic routes to be evaluated.

A lymphatic system is a network that functions as a circulatory system of lymph which includes lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, other lymphatic tissues and the like. As a method of diagnosing diseases of a lymphatic system (for example, lymphedema) or the like, lymphography examination methods such as a method of injecting a fluorescent dye such as indocyanine green and imaging a lymphatic vessel by fluorescence observation or the like and a method of injecting a radioisotope such as 99mTc-labeled tin colloid and visualizing the injected radioisotope by a scintigraphy have been known (for example, Non-Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 2).    Non-Patent Literature 1: Unno N, Inuzuka K, Suzuki M, Yamamoto N, Sagara D, Nishiyama M, Konno H. Preliminary experience with a novel fluorescence lymphography using indocyanine green in patients with secondary lymphedema. J. Vasc. Surg. 2007; 45(5): 1016-1021.    Non-Patent Literature 2: Maegawa J, Mikami T, Yamamoto Y, Satake T, Kobayashi S. Types of lymphoscintigraphy and indications for lymphaticovenous anastomosis. Microsurgery. 2010 September; 30(6): 437-442.

Method of evaluating lymphatic system function

National University Corporation Okayama University


A log organizer that receives logs fed end-to-end thereinto. The organizer includes a tubular device disposed with its axis paralleling an elongate log support extending under the device. The device has an elongate opening extending along its bottom side. A log lodged within the device is directed to one or the other side of the support with pivotal movement of the device.

This invention relates to what is referred to herein as a log organizer which, as the term is used herein, refers to apparatus usable in selecting logs from a series of logs and diverting such logs for further processing.
The apparatus of the invention is described herein in the context of equipment for receiving logs moving downstream from a debarker, where the logs typically leave the debarker with the logs traveling lengthwise and following one another as a series of logs. The apparatus contemplated functions to receive such logs fed in serial fashion into the apparatus, and may then be used to organize the logs with the logs traveling along different flow paths. For instance, each flow path might include a cut-off saw for cutting the logs traveling therealong into specified or random lengths. With two flow paths or processing lines provided for the handling of logs, the rate at which logs are processed is substantially increased over the rate possible where only one processing line is provided. A debarker mechanism handles log at a relatively fast rate, and usually at a considerably faster rate than a cut-off saw mechanism where a log periodically has its travel stopped while cutting is performed. With the equipment contemplated, the faster operating machinery, i.e., the debarker, may be operated substantially continuously, with logs downstream moving smoothly through operations that are performed more slowly.
While the invention has been described in connection with a debarker, it is not intended in all instances to be limited to such use, as the organizer of the invention may beneficially be incorporated with other pieces of equipment where similar problems are involved.
A general object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of the type described which is rapid and reliable in operation.
More particularly, an object is to provide an improved organizer apparatus having a construction which particularly suits itself for the handling of articles such as logs, which in a typical mill will have various sizes, lengths and tapers, and will be nonlinear in that certain logs will be misshapen and include crooks or bends rendering them more difficult to handle by automated means.
A further and more specific object is to provide apparatus for receiving and restraining logs as they flow as a series one after another from equipment such as a debarker, which features an elongate hollow body or device with a passage extending therealong, the hollow body having an opening extending along its bottom side which faces a log support. The body is mounted for pivotal movement about an axis extending the length of the log support, with the lower portion of the body, on pivotal movement, rocking either to one or the other side of the log support. This movement is utilized to divert a log laterally from the log support, in a rapid and reliable manner. With the body returned to a position centered over the log support, a position is reestablished for the body for the reception of another log inserted thereinto.
The construction contemplated is relatively maintenance free. The tubular body or device contemplated reliably guides and restrains logs fed thereinto. Log debris easily falls from the tubular body to maintain the body clean and free of debris.


A method in a first wireless station of establishing a connection with a second wireless station includes: generating a frame including a capabilities element having: a core capabilities field containing a predefined sequence of core subfields having respective predefined lengths; the core subfields containing respective first core values defining core capabilities of the first wireless station; and at least one extended capability field containing: an extended capability identifier subfield containing an identifier of one of a plurality of predefined extended capabilities; an extended capability length subfield containing an extended capability length value; and an extended capability payload subfield having a length equal to the extended capability length value; the payload subfield containing a first extended value defining an extended capability of the first wireless station; and responsive to generating the frame, transmitting the frame.

Certain wireless communications protocols, such as those in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, define a variety of features, some of which may be mandatory and others of which may be optional. In order to establish connections, wireless communications devices operating under such standards may first exchange information defining which features each device supports. The above exchange permits the devices to select parameters for a connection that are compatible with the capabilities of each device participating in the connection. In standards such as the 802.11ad standard, devices are configured to signal their capabilities in capabilities elements, which contain values for each capability available under the standard. The values indicate, for example, whether or not the device supports the relevant capability, or indicate a level of functionality corresponding to a given capability (e.g. a maximum data rate).
As wireless communication standards enable increased throughput, the standards also introduce additional complexity, for example in the form of broader feature sets, and particularly broader sets of optional features. For example, each of the 802.11b, 802.11e, 802.11n, 802.11ac and 802.11ad standards, respectively, introduced features beyond those in the preceding standards. Future enhancements to the 802.11 family of standards, such as the 802.11ay enhancement to 802.11ad, are expected to introduce yet more features to increase throughput. Consequently, the capabilities elements mentioned above have grown in length to the point where they are cumbersome to deploy in certain situations. For example, the capabilities element may be omitted from beacons in the 802.11ad standard due to its length. Such omission reduces the time required to transmit beacons, but also requires wireless devices to exchange additional frames to obtain the necessary information to establish connections with each other. Meanwhile, when the capabilities elements are included in frames exchanged between devices, the capabilities consume ever greater bandwidth.

Method, system and apparatus for signaling station capabilities to establish wireless connections


A method, computer program product, and distributed data processing system for memory management. Memory regions are registered and have access rights and Protection domains associated with them in response to receiving a request for a memory operation including a virtual address, which is used to address into a data structure. A second data structure is then used to translate the virtual address into physical addresses for the operation. A third data structure is used to allow an incoming request responsive to a remote operation being initiated.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to communication protocols between a host computer and an input/output (I/O) device. More specifically, the present invention provides a method for memory management in the context of communication between a host and I/O device.
2. Description of Related Art
In an Internet Protocol (IP) Network, the software provides a message passing mechanism that can be used to communicate with input/output devices, general purpose computers (host), and special purpose computers. The message passing mechanism consists of a transport protocol, an upper level protocol, and an application programming interface. The key standard transport protocols used on IP networks today are the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP). TCP provides a reliable service and UDP provides an unreliable service. In the future the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) will also be used to provide a reliable service. Processes executing on devices or computers access the IP network through upper level protocols, such as Sockets, iSCSI, and Direct Access File System (DAFS).
Unfortunately, the TCP/IP software consumes a considerable amount of processor and memory resources. This problem has been covered extensively in the literature (see J. Kay, J. Pasquale, "Profiling and reducing processing overheads in TCP/IP", IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 817-828, December 1996; and D. D. Clark, V. Jacobson, J. Romkey, H. Salwen, "An analysis of TCP processing overhead", IEEE Communications Magazine, Vol. 27, Issue 6, June 1989, pp 23-29). In the future the network stack will continue to consume excessive resources for several reasons, including: increased use of networking by applications; use of network security protocols; and the underlying fabric bandwidths are increasing at a higher rate than microprocessor and memory bandwidths. To address this problem the industry is offloading the network stack processing to an IP Suite Offload Engine (IPSOE).
There are two offload approaches being taken in the industry. The first approach uses the existing TCP/IP network stack, without adding any additional protocols. This approach can offload TCP/IP to hardware, but unfortunately does not remove the need for receive side copies. As noted in the papers above, copies are one of the largest contributors to central processing unit (CPU) utilization. To remove the need for copies, the industry is pursuing the second approach that consists of adding Framing, Direct Data Placement (DDP), and Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over the TCP and the latter two over SCTP. The IP Suite Offload Engine (IPSOE) required to support these two approaches is similar, the key difference being that in the second approach the hardware must support the additional protocols.
The IPSOE provides a message passing mechanism that can be used by sockets, iSCSI, and DAFS to communicate between nodes. Processes executing on host computers, or devices, access the IP network by posting send/receive messages to send/receive work queues on an IPSOE. These processes also are referred to as "consumers".
The send/receive work queues (WQ) are assigned to a consumer as a queue pair (QP). The messages can be sent over three different transport types: traditional TCP, RDMA TCP, UDP, or SCTP. Consumers retrieve the results of these messages from a completion queue (CQ) through IPSOE send and receive work completion (WC) queues. The source IPSOE takes care of segmenting outbound messages and sending them to the destination. The destination IPSOE takes care of reassembling inbound messages and placing the inbound messages in the memory space designated by the destination's consumer. These consumers use IPSOE verbs to access the functions supported by the IPSOE. The software that interprets verbs and directly accesses the IPSOE is known as the IPSO interface (IPSOI).
Today the host CPU performs most IP suite processing. IP Suite Offload Engines offer a higher performance interface for communicating to other general purpose computers and I/O devices. Data sends or receives through the IPSOE require that the CPU either copy data from one memory location to another or register the memory so that the IPSOE can directly access the memory region. Each of these options requires significant CPU resources with the memory registration option being preferred for large memory transfers, however, as network speeds increase the amount of CPU resources required will increase. It would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions for reducing the amount of CPU resources required to register these memory locations, expose them to remote systems through memory windows, and then provide one touch access as an option on the exposed memory windows. It would also be advantageous to have the mechanism apply for iSCSI 1.0, RDMA, and iSCSI-R.

Memory management offload for RDMA enabled network adapters

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention relates to a non-human multicellular organism carrying a dominant lethal genetic system, the lethal effect of which is conditional, wherein the lethal effect of the lethal system occurs in the natural environment of the organism.

Methods of biological control are known for insects and plants. One method currently employed for the control of insect populations is termed the "sterile insect technique" (SIT), also known as the "sterile insect release method" (SIRM). In this method, sterile males are released into the environment, wherein they compete with the wild-type (fertile) males for mates. Females which mate with sterile males produce no offspring, and the release of large numbers of sterile males, therefore, leads to a decrease in the size of the next generation. In this way the size of the wild population is controlled.
SIT requires some mechanism for insect sterilisation. In addition, SIT commonly also employs separation of males from females, with the release of only one sex. This is desirable in the case of an agricultural pest, such as the medfly, where the female damages fruit, even if the female is sterile. Similarly, only the female mosquito bites humans. As such, release of the female insect is preferably avoided in these cases.
Current techniques to achieve both sterilisation and separation of the sexes all have drawbacks. In some cases it is possible to separate males and females by criteria such as pupal mass or time of eclosion, but these methods are unlikely reliably to yield a truly single-sex population. Separation of males and females often involves the use of mutant strains, which have been mutagenised to induce a visible or otherwise selectable difference between the sexes, but such mutagenesis can reduce the fitness of the resultant stock with respect to the wild type, which is undesirable.
Fitness may be further reduced in the sterilisation procedure, in which insects are given a sterilising dose of radiation (X rays or gamma rays), or are chemically sterilised. Frequently, the doses of chemicals or the dose of radiation required to induce sterilisation are very similar to that which is lethal for the organism. As such, sterile organisms are frequently impaired in their ability to mate. Furthermore, both chemical and irradiation methods utilise technologies which are not specific to the target organism, with consequent potential danger to workers. Both methods produce an environmental hazard, as the irradiation source or chemicals will need to be disposed of. In addition, there are inherent dangers and additional labour costs in the use of an irradiation source such as a strontium source.
Fryxell and Miller (Journal of Economic Entomology, Vol 88, No 5, pages 1221-1232) disclose an alternative strategy for insect control, using Drosophila containing a dominant conditional lethal gene which is expressed under appropriate cold conditions in the wild. However, this method can be ineffective due to varying field conditions, where the environment does not provide suitably cold conditions. Moreover, organisms that live in a range of temperature habitats may not be controlled under all conditions.
Asburner et al., (Insect Molecular Biology, 1998, 7(3), 201-213) disclose methods of transformation of insect species with foreign DNA, to produce transgenic species.
DeVault et al. (Biotechnology, Vol 14, January 1996, page 46-49) disclose a two-stage process which is a modification of the SIT procedure. Insects are initially separated by expression of a stably inserted female specific promoter linked to a lethal gene, which is expressed to kill females and to produce just one sex. The remaining males can then be sterilised by irradiation or chemical treatment and released into the environment. However, this method suffers from the drawback referred to above, in that released flies have reduced fitness due to the sterilisation treatment. Alternatively, the DeVault article discloses use of this genetic sexing step in combination with a second genetic system, which may serve to sterilise or retard the hardiness of the natural population.
There is still a need in the art for a method of biological control which avoids the problems with the above methods.
The present invention sets out to overcome such problems.


A method of growing semiconductor in a vapor phase wherein a silicon oxide film on the surface of a semiconductor substrate wafer is removed, and a silicon layer is grown on the surface of the semiconductor substrate wafer in a vapor phase while rapidly rotating the wafer about a shaft substantially vertical to the wafer.

Various types of Si epitaxial layer growing reactors have been known in the art. Example of such reactors are shown in FIGS. 1 to 3. Reactors are broadly grouped into two types, one type being a batch type for batch processing more than 2 wafers, and the other type being a sequential type for processing single wafer one after another. Batch type reactors are grouped into a vertical type (high frequency heating) shown in FIG. 1 and a barrel type (radiation heating) shown in FIG. 2, depending upon the heating method and the structure of a reaction furnace. In the case of the batch type reactor shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of semiconductor substrate wafers 4, 4, . . . are placed on a disk susceptor 2. In the case of the batch type reactor shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of wafers 4, 4, . . . are mounted on the surface of a polygon susceptor 6. An example of the reactor processing single wafer per batch is shown in FIG. 3. In the case of this reactor, a wafer 4 is placed on a disk susceptor 10 housed within a reaction vessel 8 made of a rectangular quartz tube, and radiation-heated from the top and bottom sides by halogen lamps (not shown) mounted above and below the vessel 8.
With the batch type vapor phase growing reactors shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wafers 4 are placed on the surface of the susceptor 2, 6 side by side. As the diameter of the wafer 4 becomes large, the number of wafers which can be processed at a time greatly decreases. For example, a barrel type reactor available in markets can process at most eighteen wafers of 5 inch diameter at a time, whereas it can process fifteen wafers of 6 inch diameter, or eight wafers of 8 inch diameter. Thus, the larger the wafer diameter, the more the production performance lowers and the vapor phase grow cost increases. That is, it takes about 100 minutes to perform one cycle of epitaxial growth by conventional batch type reactor, independent of wafer diameter.
The reactor shown in FIG. 3 can shorten the vapor phase growth sequence time by one tenth the conventional time or more, although it processes one wafer at a time. The reactor can therefore improve the production performance of wafers of larger diameter. The reactor, however, uses a reaction furnace of rectangular shape. It therefore becomes necessary to set the flow rate of carrier gas (hydrogen gas) equal to or faster than a flow rate of 100 l/min or slower, which is generally the same rate as that of a conventional batch type reactor. The gas quantity per One wafer increases accordingly, so it becomes difficult to reduce the vapor phase growth cost.

Method of growing semiconductor in vapor phase


One or more embodiments of the present invention are aimed at a device for ships, in particular for multihull ships and high-speed multihull ships making it possible to avoid obstacles, in particular obstacles submerged at low depth. In at least one embodiment, the device according to the invention comprising at least: two transmitters of acoustic waves spaced apart from one another and transmitting waves of distinct frequencies or of different waveforms, an acoustic receiver, whose reception band is suitable for the emission frequencies of the transmitters, means of processing of the received signals, these means performing, through the echoes received, a measurement of the difference of the propagation times and a measurement of the differential Doppler frequency of the waves transmitted by each of the transmitters; these processing means thus determining from these measurements the position of and object having returned an echo.

The growing increase in the speed of ships and in the frequenting of certain maritime routes renders evermore obvious the problem posed by the drifting on the sea of floating objects which may be located on the route of ships. To be of some effectiveness, the detection of these objects and their location must be early enough to possibly allow the crew of-the ship to alter the heading so as to avoid these objects. Insofar as the ship is moving, the important parameter is here the relative position of the object detected with respect to the ship. It may also be useful to know in a relatively precise manner if the detected object is floating on the surface or else if it is submerged, its submersion depth.
To perform the detection of floating objects there exist several types of devices using mainly electromagnetic sensors such as radars, optical sensors using visible or infrared wavelengths or else laser sensors. These devices are effective for detecting floating or very slightly submerged objects, in particular when the sea is fairly calm. On the other hand, if the floating object is of a relatively small size, and if the sea is heavy the effectiveness of the electromagnetic sensors very substantially decreases. Likewise their effectiveness decreases rapidly if the depth of submersion of the object increases, as in the illustration of FIG. 1. The effectiveness of the electromagnetic sensors 10 is moreover affected by the incidence of the direction of emission with respect to the surface of the water. Specifically, when we seek to increase the detection range so as to adapt it to the requirements of high-speed ships, the electromagnetic wave 11 is often transmitted in a grazing manner with a small angle of incidence with respect to the surface of the sea, the angle of incidence then becoming close to the limit angle corresponding to the total reflection on the surface of the sea of the transmitted wave. In a rough sea, the performance of these devices is furthermore impaired by the waves.
To alleviate the problems related to electromagnetic sensors, it is known to use acoustic sensors 12, such as active sonars, which make it possible to detect obstacles, including submerged objects 13. However, the utilization of the properties of the acoustic waves such as it is carried out in the devices known to the prior art, is unsuitable for high-speed ships. Specifically, these ships exhibit particular structural characteristics such as in particular the existence of a hull made of several very slender floats. Moreover, the means for detecting these high-speed ships undergo the nonnegligible influence of the Doppler effect engendered by their own speed.
For high-speed ships, the detection and the location of objects must then involve several parameters such as the emission frequency of the acoustic waves, the shape of the transmitted waves, the dimensions of the antenna, and the Doppler effect consequent upon the speed of the ship. These various parameters are not systematically used by the existing devices.
It is known that for a linear antenna for example, the angular resolution of the measurement performed is given by a formula of the type:θ3=k.λ/L   [1]where:                θ3 is the aperture of the main lobe of the antenna at −3 dB,        λ is the wavelength of the acoustic wave given by λ=c/f, where c represents the propagation speed of the wave in the medium considered (sea water or fresh water for example) and f the frequency of the acoustic wave,        L is the length of the antenna,        K is a coefficient in particular related to the form of the antenna and to the weighting function used for the lobes. k can in particular take a value lying between 0.9 and 1.5.
Relation [1] demonstrates that θ3 is dependent on the frequency of the transmitted wave, as well as the length of the antenna.
For a high-speed ship, it is desirable to have at one and the same time a fairly long range, and a sufficient angular accuracy so as to be able to determine in an early and accurate manner the position of the objects present on the route of the ship.
Satisfying the accuracy requirement prompts one to choose, in accordance with relation [1], a relatively high emission frequency associated with an antenna of large size. However, it is known that the absorption coefficient of acoustic waves is dependent on the frequency of the transmitted wave or more precisely on the inverse of the square of the frequency. Stated otherwise, the higher the transmission frequency is and the more the rangeis limited, the transmitted power being otherwise constant. The range requirement therefore leads to a choice of emission at relatively low frequency. The duality of these two requirements culminates finally in the search for a compromise.
In the particular case of a multihull ship, the compromise turns out to be more difficult to find than for a conventional ship. The hydrodynamic constraints of such craft make it essential in particular to reduce anything that may affect the drag of the hulls and in particular the size of the antennas. The slenderness of the floats does not furthermore make it possible to have available an antenna of satisfactory size to ensure the desired directivity. It is possible nevertheless to alleviate this handicap by using a system of antennas of low dimensions comprising for example, at emission or at reception, two or more antennas. Each antenna can be placed on a distinct hull. An array of antennas is thus produced. It is necessary however in this case to take into account the occurrence, in addition to the main lobe, of spurious image lobes. These spurious lobes also called array lobes are induced by the distance which separates the floats on which the antennas are disposed. This spacing, very large compared with the wavelength of the acoustic signal, leads to a spatial undersampling of the received signal which induces the occurrence of the array lobes. The result is the existence of an ambiguity as to the direction of arrival of the signal back-scattered by a floating object.
The detection of floating objects by high-speed ships is furthermore affected by the Doppler effect which intervenes in a nonnegligible manner in the propagation of the signals and the reception of the echos. The Doppler effect must be taken into account if one wishes to undertake correct determination of the position of floating objects.
For a ship carrying A transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter transmitting a wave reflecting on a floating object, subjected to a simple drift motion due to the currents or to a relatively weak wind, the Doppler effect is simply related especially due to the displacement of the ship. In this case, it is possible as a first approximation to write:freceived≅ftransmitted(1+(2/c).vship·cos g)   [2]
where g represents the bearing in-which the object lies with respect to the heading of the ship. The bearing is determined with respect to the direction of the speed vector of the ship which is taken as reference. It is also the angle relative to the axis of the antenna.
In expression [2], the Doppler is represented by the expression (2/c).vship·cos g. This quantity characterizes the frequency slip observed on reception with respect to the transmitted frequency, slip due to the Doppler effect. The coefficient 2 results from the fact that the wave transmitted by the sonar situated on the ship and reflected by the submerged object undergoes the Doppler effect on the outward-return path.
For a ship comprising an transmitter and a receiver placed at the same location on the ship, the effect of the motion of the ship manifests itself by a difference of duration between the path traveled by the acoustic wave transmitted between the transmitter and the floating object, and the path traveled by the acoustic wave reflected between the floating object and the receiver. This difference of duration is mainly due to the displacement of the ship during the propagation of the wave. If the ship is approaching the return path turns out shorter. Conversely, if the ship is receding this path turns out to be longer.
The Doppler effect manifests itself on the signal, according to each case, by a compression or a dilatation of the time, in the identical ratio v/c on the outward leg and on the return leg of the wave. With active sonar the estimation of the Doppler is generally carried out by performing the inter-correlation of the received signal with models of the transmitted signal which are affected by a Doppler effect. This estimation can also be carried out by an interspectral analysis, by considering that for certain signals, as was signaled above, the measurement of a frequency slip may be sufficient itself. It is also possible to measure the compression of the time between two pulses received with respect to the interval between the two corresponding transmissions.
The detection of objects and the accurate determination of their positions are often complicated by the reverberation originating from scatterers distributed in the space and which will affect the useful signal to reverberation ratio. This reverberation will be all the more annoying the swifter the ship moves and the larger the spatial undersampling thereby causing spurious lobes.

Device for avoiding obstacles for high-speed multi-hulled watercraft