An underwater imaging system includes a scuba facemask having a viewing portion that defines a user field-of-view. An imager generates image data of an area in an imaging field-of-view. The imager is coupled to the facemask such that the imaging field-of-view at least partially overlaps the user field-of-view. A display mounted in a lower portion of the user field-of-view is coupled to the imager for displaying images to the user based on the image data.

Underwater imaging by scuba divers for purpose of search and recovery, video and photographic documentation, underwater mine reconnaissance and/or research has relied on hand-held video cameras, still cameras or sonar devices. However, the hand-held devices tend to be large and bulky, and typically incorporate a display that can be difficult to see underwater. Further, the divers hand or hands are constantly preoccupied with manipulating the imaging device. Still further, the diver must align the device's field-of-view with his own line-of-sight in order to image an area of concern.

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


The spacer/water rod retention assembly includes a clip secured to the spacer having a slot perimetrically bounded both axially and laterally spaced portions of the clip. A resilient tab projects from one side portion into the slot. A water rod has a projecting tab which, upon relative rotation of the spacer and water rod, engages and deflects the clip tab to enable the water rod tab to reside in the clip slot. When the clip tab returns to its initial position, substantial relative rotation between the water rod and spacer is precluded and axial connection between the spacer and water rod is assured. In another form, the water rod tab projects into a slot of the clip. An adjacent water rod prevents rotation of the water rod tab in the opposite direction, thereby capturing the spacer and water rod and preventing relative axial movement.

The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for axially and non-rotationally fixing one or more spacers and a water rod to one another in a nuclear fuel bundle assembly and particularly relates to spacer/water rod capture apparatus and methods for assembly and disassembly of the water rods and spacers.
In boiling water nuclear reactors, fuel rods are grouped together in an essentially open-ended tubular flow channel, typically referred to as a fuel assembly or bundle. A plurality of fuel assemblies are positioned in the reactor core in a matrix and a coolant/moderator flows upwardly about the fuel rods for generating steam. The fuel rods are supported in each assembly between upper and lower tie plates. One or more water rods are usually located interiorly within each fuel rod bundle. Spacers are employed at predetermined elevations along each fuel bundle to restrain the fuel rods from bowing or vibrating during reactor operation.
Typical spacers often include a plurality of ferrules arranged in side-by-side relation and secured, for example, by welding to one another to form a support matrix for the fuel rods. Generally, the role of the spacer in a fuel bundle assembly is to maintain the rods in fixed lateral locations relative to one another. These spacers are secured or captured in a manner preventing their movement relative to the longitudinal axis of the bundle during operation of the reactor. Conventional methods of maintaining the fuel rod spacers in position along the axis of the bundle include the use of a pair of tabs welded to the water rods engaging a spacer along its top and bottom, preventing axial movement of the spacer relative to the water rod in either axial direction. These spacers are assembled onto the water rod by relatively rotating the spacers and water rod such that the tabs pass through an opening in the spacer structure. The spacer is then rotated to an orientation such that part of the spacer structure is axially contacting one of the two tabs, the lower tab being preferred. In the assembled bundle, the water rod is typically prevented from rotation by a square lower end plug received in a square hole in the lower tie plate.
There are, however, occasions where the fuel bundle is unchanneled. By unchanneled is meant that the fuel bundle assembly does not have the surrounding channel. For example, the bundles are unchanneled during initial fabrication when the spacers are secured to the water rod. Unchanneled bundles are relatively flexible with respect to torsion about the bundle axis. Thus, twist can occur in unchanneled bundles from normal handling of the bundles. If the twist is large enough, certain of the spacers, e.g., the upper spacers can be rotated to such an extent that the water rod tabs locate over and under the openings in the spacer structure used during assembly and no longer provide axial restraint. Also, for irradiated bundles where the friction forces between the spacer springs and the rod is significantly reduced, the spacers can become axially displaced from their proper location. Further, current designs employ square water rod lower end plugs and square lower tie plate holes to maintain angular orientation of the water rod tab relative to the spacer structure. Such end plugs and holes are costly as compared with round end plugs and holes.
In accordance with the present invention, a spacer and water rod retention or capture assembly is provided in which a single tab on the water rod is captured by spacer structure, preventing relative axial displacement of the spacer and water rod, notwithstanding twisting of the fuel bundle, particularly in the unchanneled configuration. The retention assembly prevents the rotation of the water rod and the tab carried thereby relative to the spacer to the extent the water rod tab cannot be aligned with an opening in the spacer which would otherwise permit relative axial displacement of the spacer and water rod.
In a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spacer includes a spacer structure or clip having a central opening bounded perimetrically on axially opposite ends and laterally by opposite side portions. One side portion of the clip includes a tab projecting generally toward the opposite side portion and which tab is resiliently mounted, delimiting the slot opening. The clip, of course, is welded or otherwise secured to the spacer and the slot lies adjacent the water rod position in a plane angularly related to the water rod. Upon locating the water rod in the spacer, the water rod and spacer are relatively rotated such that the water rod tab engages and resiliently displaces the clip tab enabling the water rod tab to pass the clip tab into the slot. The clip tab then resiliently reverts to its original shape. The interference with the resilient tab, together with the obtuse angle of approach of the water rod tab to the clip tab, prevents disengagement of the water rod tab from the spacer. To disassemble the spacer and water rod, a tool can be inserted to deflect the clip tab in the same direction as it is deflected in the initial assembly by the water rod tab whereby the water rod tab can be rotated out of the slot freeing the water rod and clip for relative axial movement.
In a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the water rod tab is rotated into a slot in the spacer structure whereby one side edge of the slot forms a limit stop for the tab. The water rod tab is prevented from rotating out of the slot by the installation of a second water rod adjacent the first water rod. In the first embodiment, the water rod tab is restrained from rotation by its fit-up with the slot of the spacer clip and in the second embodiment by the spacer clip and an adjoining water rod. In both embodiments, reliance on a square lower end plug and correspondingly shaped tie plate hole to prevent water rod rotation as in certain current spacer/water rod retention assemblies is entirely avoided.
In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided in a nuclear fuel bundle having a plurality of generally parallel, axially extending fuel rods, a plurality of spacers axially spaced from one another for maintaining the fuel rods spaced laterally from one another, and a pair of water rods extending in generally side-by-side parallel relation to the fuel rods and passing through the spacers, a spacer and water rod retention assembly, comprising a water rod connecting structure carried by one of the spacers and having a slot bounded by opposite structure portions spaced in an axial direction from one another and a pair of oppositely disposed side structure portions between the axially opposite portions perimetrically enclosing the slot, the slot substantially spanning between the water rods, one of the water rods having a tab projecting laterally outwardly thereof and into the slot, the tab having an axial extent engaging the axially opposite structure portions to limit relative axial movement of the one spacer and the one water rod, another of the water rods and one of the side structure portions confining the water rod tab in the slot precluding substantial relative rotational movement between the one spacer and the one water rod.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided in a nuclear fuel bundle having a plurality of generally parallel, axially extending fuel rods, a plurality of spacers axially spaced from one another for maintaining the fuel rods spaced laterally from one another, and a pair of water rods extending in generally side-by-side parallel relation to the fuel rods and passing through the spacers, a spacer and water rod retention assembly, comprising a water rod connecting structure carried by one of the spacers and having a slot bounded by opposite end portions spaced in an axial direction from one another and at least one side portion between the axially opposite end portions, the slot substantially spanning between the water rods, one of the water rods having a tab projecting laterally outwardly thereof and into the slot, the tab having an axial extent engageable with the axially opposite end portions to limit relative axial movement of the one spacer and the one water rod, another of the water rods and the one side portion confining the water rod tab in the slot precluding substantial relative rotational movement between the one spacer and the one water rod.
In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided in a nuclear fuel bundle having a plurality of spacers for maintaining fuel rods spaced one from the other and a pair of water rods extending axially and generally perpendicular to and through the spacers, a method of retaining the spacer on one of the water rods, comprising the steps of relatively rotating one of the water rods and one of the spacers to dispose a tab projecting laterally outwardly of the one water rod into a slot carried by a clip on the one spacer, providing a stop along one side of the slot of the clip to preclude continued rotation of the tab and clip relative to one another and installing another of the water rods adjacent the one water rod and adjacent the clip to preclude relative rotation of the one water rod and the spacer in a direction removing the tab from the slot whereby relative movement of the one spacer and the one water rod in opposite axial directions and substantial relative rotational movement between the one water rod and the one spacer are precluded.

Fuel spacer/water rod capture apparatus and methods for boiling water nuclear reactors


Embodiments of the present invention provide a roaming network access method and apparatus, where the method includes: searching, by user equipment, for at least one available network in a roaming area; acquiring, by the user equipment, historical roaming information, where the historical roaming information is used to record information about a network to which a registration attempt has been made when a user roams; adjusting, by the user equipment, a priority of the at least one found available network according to the historical roaming information; and successively selecting, by the user equipment in descending order of an adjusted priority of the at least one found available network, the at least one found available network as a registration attempt network, and attempting to register with the registration attempt network.

When user equipment (User Equipment, UE for short) is powered on or roams, a top priority is to select a public land mobile network (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN for short) and successfully register with the public land mobile network. Only in this way, the UE can obtain a communication service, such as a call, and data transmission. After the UE is powered on, the UE first attempts to register with a public land mobile network successfully and previously registered (Registered PLMN, RPLMN for short) by the UE. If the registration fails, the UE proceeds with PLMN search and PLMN selection processes, where in the PLMN search process, the UE searches for an available network according to a frequency band and a radio access technology (Radio Access Technologies, RAT for short) that are supported by the UE, and then forms an available network list. Each element in the list includes a PLMN and a RAT of an available network.
In the PLMN selection process, to help the UE register with an available network more quickly, the UE selects a PLMN according to a particular rule. It is defined in a 3GPP protocol that the UE selects a PLMN according to the following sequence: a home public land mobile network (Home PLMN, HPLMN for short)→a user controlled public land mobile network (User PLMN, UPLMN for short)→an operator controlled public land mobile network (Operator PLMN, OPLMN for short)→other available PLMNs (OTHER Available PLMN). For example, the UE sets priorities for available networks in a found available network list according to signal quality of the HPLMN, UPLMN, OPLMN, and the other available PLMNs, and sorts the available networks in descending order of the priorities. The UE successively selects, in descending order of the priorities, the available networks to attempt to register with until the registration is successful.
For each selected available network, a registration process performed by the UE may involve multiple rounds of signaling message exchange in an entire network. In addition, when a registration attempt fails, the UE further needs to continue to attempt to register with a same available network until a preset stop condition is met, for example, registration attempts reach a preset threshold of failed registration attempts. Therefore, a delay for attempting to register with an available network by the UE is relatively large. In addition, in a roaming scenario of the UE, if there are a large quantity of operators in a roaming area of the UE, the available network list may be long, for example, in Hong Kong, the United States, and some European countries, there are many small operators, and there may be up to dozens of elements (PLMN, RAT) in the available network list.
In the prior art, when initially accessing a network from a roaming area, UE can successfully register with a network in the roaming area after a relatively long time, which affects user experience.

Roaming network access method and apparatus


A method of simulating the behavior of an articulated set of bone parts, in particular the vertebral column comprising a construction step of constructing a three-dimensional geometrical model from data that is specific to the subject in a reference position; and a mechanical customization step of determining the geometrical model by detailing at least some of the connection areas of the bone parts. The mechanical customization step includes a stage of customizing critical connection areas for the bone parts; a data acquisition stage of acquiring data concerning the articulated bone set of the subject during at least one clinical test of posture; and a characterization stage for characterizing the mechanical parameters of said junction areas in order to cause the model to reproduce the data acquired during the above-mentioned clinical test.

Document WO 2004/061721 shows prior art in the field of the invention. That document describes the creation of a digital model of a patient, that is customized both in geometrical terms and in mechanical terms, for subsequent use in a method of simulating operating strategy, so that prior to an operation, the predictable result can be visualized, thus giving the surgeon the means to assess the effects of a surgical act on the final equilibrium of the patient and on the internal stresses both in the implant and in the anatomical structures.
In the step of constructing the model of the subject, there exists a stage of creating a three-dimensional model as a function of calibrated radiographs of the subject, i.e. radiographs compared with a known point of reference, or a tomographic image of the subject, or any other datum suitable for three-dimensionally reconstituting a customized set of bones. This stage is finished by allocating various general mechanical characteristics to the geometrical reconstitution, which characteristics result from known models forming a kind of standard database applicable to all reconstructed geometries.
The above-mentioned document proposes a method of customizing the mechanical characteristics of the model that is already geometrically customized.
Based on a series of clinical tests carried out on the patient by the surgeon, real geometries are acquired (e.g. by radiography) and the observed displacements relative to a normal posture are interpreted to deduce therefrom mathematical functions governing the behavior of the joint spaces (intervertebral bodies) that satisfy the acquired geometries and do so for each connection between two adjacent vertebrae. That method of proceeding quickly comes up against computation blocks or unsolvable situations because for a vertebral column, there are 17 successive connections between pairs of vertebral bodies to be treated.

Method for simulating the behavior of an articulated set of bones

Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Arts et Metiers

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique


When an external connection I/O pin which is formed on a multilayer ceramic circuit board is broken off together with a part of a ceramic substrate, an electrically conductive adhesive is filled in the area where the I/O pin broke and was removed, and together with standing a new pin in this place and connecting it electrically, the new pin is bridged and secured to the surrounding I/O pins using a fixation plate. In so doing, it is possible to restore the broken I/O pin to have the same electrical and mechanical characteristics as before.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for repairing I/O pins formed on a multilayer circuit board and multilayer circuit board having I/O pin or pins repaired thereby, and in more particular a process for repairing I/O pins formed on a multilayer ceramic or glass ceramics circuit board and structure of the repaired I/O pin or pins formed on the multilayer ceramic or glass ceramic circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Formerly, the multilayer ceramic circuit board on which I/O pins were formed was a single chip module pin grid array. In such a multilayer ceramic circuit board, however, when an I/O pin was broken, there was no case of repairing the I/O pin.
In a recent multi chip module, when an I/O pin was broken, the I/O pin can be sometimes repaired. However, this is limited to a case where the I/O pin itself was broken. When the I/O pin was broken together with a part of a substrate, it was impossible to repair the I/O pin.
Recently, in view of an aspect of electrical characteristics, a substrate of low strength, such as a glass ceramics substrate, has been often used as a substrate for the multi chip module. As a result, when the I/O pin was broken, a part of the substrate was often broken therewith. In such a case, however, it was impossible to properly repair the I/O pin.
In the aforementioned glass ceramics substrate, the I/O pins are very thin and so are easily damaged or broken as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4.
FIG. 1 shows a case where the I/O pin 51 is broken in the shaft region, and FIG. 2 shows a case where the I/O pin 51 is broken in the region where it is brazed. Also, FIG. 3 shows a case where the I/O pin 51 and an attachment pad 52 are both peeled off from a ceramic substrate 53 and broken, and FIG. 4 shows a case where the ceramic substrate 53 is broken together with the I/O pin 51.
In the prior multilayer circuit board, when an I/O pin was broken, the I/O pin could not be repaired, and the entire multilayer circuit board had to be replaced.
Therefore, for electronic devices which use multi chip module type added-value circuit boards, there is a problem of high repair costs.

Multilayer circuit board with repaired I/O pin and process for repairing I/O pin on multilayer circuit board


The present device includes a conveying path, a contact member coming in contact with the front of a printing medium to stop the conveyance of the medium, a hold member holding the front of the medium having contacted with the contact member, a first conveying unit conveying the medium so as to abut the contact member to form slack on the medium between itself and the hold member holding the medium, and a second conveying unit being provided nearer to the hold member than the first conveying unit in the conveying direction and conveying the medium so as to abut the contact member to form the slack. The second conveying unit is movable so that a part thereof existing on the side where the slack is formed on the medium in the conveying path is moved to the outside of the conveying path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing medium conveying device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional image forming apparatuses, sheets such as documents and recording sheets are sequentially conveyed by a printing medium conveying device from a paper cassette to a sheet ejection unit. The printing medium conveying device includes a conveying path including a plurality of guiding members and a plurality of rollers that are driven to rotate, through which sheets are conveyed.
Once a printing operation is started, toner images formed in four colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) image carriers are transferred to an intermediate transfer belt. Sheets that have been fed from the paper cassette one by one are conveyed through the conveying path to a secondary transfer device, where the toner images on the intermediate transfer belt are transferred to the sheet. The toner images are then fixed to the sheet in a fixing unit, and after that the sheet is ejected from the printing medium conveying device to outside the apparatus.
A skew correction device is provided in the conveying path for correcting the skew of the sheet occurred during the conveyance. The skew correction device abuts the leading edge of the sheet to the guiding member to align the position of the leading edge of the sheet to correct the position of the sheet so as to be parallel to a secondary transfer device. Specifically, by feeding the sheet excessively between a roller for the skew correction and a conveying roller located in the upstream thereof, the leading edge of the sheet is abutted to the guiding member. To align the sheet as described above, a space is required for forming slack on the sheet that has been fed due to evacuation of the sheet from the conveying path. For that purpose, sufficient distances and spaces need to be ensured between the rollers. In addition, if the used sheet is more rigid and thicker, larger distances between the rollers need to be ensured.
In recent years, however, the need has increased for a printer and other image forming apparatuses to cope with various types of sheet, print on a rigid thick sheet and print on a short-sized sheet such as a post card with a single printer or apparatus.
When slack is formed on a sheet between rollers using a skew correction device, for example, if the rollers are arranged with a short distance interposed therebetween, the conveying roller cannot feed a rigid thick sheet excessively due to the hardness of the sheet. To address such an issue, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-024507, for example, a mechanism is provided to separate a pair of rollers in the vertical direction and convey the sheet using other conveying rollers provided on the upstream thereof. With this structure, the sheet does not contact with the separated rollers, whereby slack is formed on the sheet along the long pitch between the upstream rollers and the rollers for the skew correction. The separation operation of rollers is performed, however, in a short time and typically for a few millimeters. The separation distance is too short to ensure a space to form sufficient slack on the sheet, causing an obstacle for feeding the sheet.
In view of the circumstances above, there is needed to provide a printing medium conveying device capable of ensuring a space for feeding sheets of different lengths to correct the direction of the sheets when printing media are conveyed.

Printing medium conveying device and image forming apparatus


A seating system consisting of two side by side front seats and at least a rear seat, all housed inside the passenger compartment of an automobile; characterized by the fact that it presents at least a television set built permanently into a lift-up armrest between the two front seats, so that the television screen defines at least part of the front side of the rear wall of the armrest. The seating system may also comprise a video tape reader/recorder housed underneath the rear seat or inside the luggage compartment of the vehicle, so as to form a complete television system. (FIG. 1).

The present invention relates to an automotive seating system housed inside the passenger compartment and featuring a television set operatable from inside the vehicle, for the entertainment in particular of the rear seat passengers.
Known automotive television sets usually consist of portable mini sets secured by various means to some point inside the passenger compartment, e.g. to the seating system consisting of the front seats and rear bench seat. The use of television sets secured to the seats or other members inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle poses a number of problems and, in view of the size of the equipment involved, is rarely feasible on moving vehicles, with the exception of those other than cars, e.g. vans or similar. To overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, Japanese Patent No. n.58.128942 provides for a mini set built into the back of the headrest on one of the front seats. Such a solution, however, fails to provide for all-round viewing comfort, on account of the lateral location of the set and the extremely small size of the same for enabling it to be accommodated inside the headrest Moreover, in the event of a head-on crash, severe facial injuries may be caused by the passenger seated directly in front of the set being hurled against the screen.

Automotive seating system featuring a television set


A transmitter system for transmitting parallel data by compensating a crosstalk includes: first and second transmission lines parallel to each other; a first inverted crosstalk pulse generation unit configured to receive first transmission data and inverted first transmission data and output a first inverted crosstalk pulse according to a data mode; a second inverted crosstalk pulse generation unit configured to receive second transmission data transmitted in parallel to the first transmission data and inverted second transmission data and output a second inverted crosstalk pulse according to the data mode; a first addition unit configured to combine the first transmission data and the second inverted crosstalk pulse and output first compensation data to be transmitted to the first transmission line; and a second addition unit configured to combine the second transmission data and the first inverted crosstalk pulse and output second compensation data to be transmitted to the second transmission line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for transmitting parallel data, and more particularly, to a transmitter system for transmitting parallel data by compensating for a crosstalk to reduce a far-end crosstalk in a receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Crosstalk is a phenomenon caused by electromagnetic coupling between transmission lines adjacent in parallel, and causes a timing jitter during high-speed signal transmission.
In the case of a transmission line positioned in a uniform medium like a strip line, the amount of capacitive coupling is equal to that of inductive coupling. Therefore, a crosstalk in a receiver becomes zero.
In the case of a micro strip line positioned over a printed circuit board, however, the amount of inductive coupling is larger than that of the capacitive coupling. Therefore, when data of any one transmission line transitions in a positive direction, a negative crosstalk occurs in a receiver of another transmission line adjacent in parallel.
On the other hand, when data of any one transmission line transitions in a negative direction, a positive crosstalk occurs in a receiver of another transmission line adjacent in parallel.
At this time, the magnitude VFEXT (t) of a far-end crosstalk occurring in the receiver may be expressed as Equation 1 below.
                                                        V              FEXT                                                  (              t              )                                =                                    1              2                                                  (                                                                    C                    m                                                        C                    t                                                  -                                                      L                    m                                                        L                    s                                                              )                                    T                                                                          D            ×                                          ⅆ                                  Va                                                        (                                          t                      -                                              T                                                                                D                                                              )                                                                              ⅆ                t                                                    ,                  (                                    T                                                                                D                        =                                                            L                  s                                                                  C                  t                                                              )                                    Eq        .                                          1
Here, TD represents a transmission time when a signal is transmitted through a transmission line (static mode), Va represents a signal applied from a transmitter, Ls represents self-inductance, Lm represents mutual inductance between two transmission lines, Cm represents mutual capacitance between two transmission lines, and Ct represents the sum of self-capacitance and mutual capacitance.
FIG. 1 is a timing diagram of a conventional transmitter system in an odd mode, an even mode, and a static mode.
First, when independent signals are applied to micro strip transmission lines adjacent in parallel, respectively, the odd mode, the even mode, and the static mode may be defined as follows.
The odd mode correspond to a case in which the respective data of the transmission lines adjacent in parallel transition in different directions, the even mode corresponds to a case in which the respective data of the transmission lines adjacent in parallel transition in the same direction, and the static mode corresponds to a case in which any one of the data does not transition.
Referring to FIG. 1, when it is assumed that an inductive coupling coefficient is larger than a capacitive coupling coefficient, data waveforms of the receiver in the respective data modes may be described as follows.
In the odd mode, when data of a first transmission line transitions in the positive direction, data of a second transmission line adjacent in parallel transitions in the negative direction. Therefore, since the data of the second transmission line transitions in the negative direction, a positive crosstalk occurs in a receiver of the first transmission line.
In the even mode, when the data of the first transmission line transitions in the positive direction, the data of the second transmission line adjacent in parallel transitions in the positive direction. Therefore, since the data of the second transmission line transitions in the positive direction, a negative crosstalk occurs in the receiver of the first transmission line.
In the static mode, when the data of the first transmission line transitions in the positive direction, the data of the second transmission line adjacent in parallel does not transition. Therefore, since the data of the second transmission line does not transition, a crosstalk does not occur in the receiver of the first transmission line.
In the odd mode, a final signal reaches the receiver of the first transmission line fastest, due to the positive crosstalk. In the even mode, a final signal reaches the receiver of the first transmission line latest, due to the negative crosstalk.
A crosstalk induced jitter (hereinafter, referred to as 'CIJ') occurring at this time may be expressed as Equation 2 below.
                              C                                                              I                                                              J                =                                            T              de                        -                          T              do                                =                                                                      L                  s                                                                  C                  t                                                                                (                                                                    L                    m                                                        L                    s                                                  -                                                      C                    m                                                        C                    t                                                              )                                                          Eq        .                                          2
Here, Tde represents a transmission time in the even mode, and Tdo represents a transmission time in the odd mode.
On the other hand, it may be assumed that the capacitive coupling coefficient is larger than the inductive coupling coefficient. In this case, in the odd mode, the final signal reaches the receiver latest, and in the even mode, the final signal reaches the receiver fastest.
A CIJ occurring at this time may be expressed as Equation 3 below.
                              C                                                              I                                                              J                =                                            T              do                        -                          T              de                                =                                                                      L                  s                                                                  C                  t                                                                                (                                                                    C                    m                                                        C                    s                                                  -                                                      L                    m                                                        L                    t                                                              )                                                          Eq        .                                          3
As described above, in the conventional transmitter system for transmitting parallel data, the respective data reach the receiver with a time difference set therebetween, depending on whether the data transition or not and the transition directions of the data. Therefore, a timing jitter occurs in the receiver. Furthermore, the timing jitter may limit high-speed parallel transmission of data.

Transmitter system for transmitting parallel data by compensating for crosstalk


An exhaust apparatus for a differential exhaust mechanism having a labyrinth seal and a plurality of vacuum pockets includes a differential exhaust system for evacuating the vacuum pockets and an exhaust system for evacuating a chamber of exhaust gas. The differential exhaust system and the exhaust system are connected by control valves that can be opened and closed, enabling communication between the vacuum pockets and the interior of the chamber to be opened and closed (or connected and disconnected) as well. The valves are opened when a vacuum is being formed inside the chamber or when a malfunction occurs in the exhaust system, thus connecting the vacuum pockets and the chamber and preventing excessive pressure from building up on the hydrostatic bearing.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the present invention, a description is first given of the current state of the conventional art, with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the general structure of a vacuum surface hydrostatic bearing using a differential exhaust apparatus installed inside a vacuum chamber. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the differential exhaust apparatus (frame) shown in FIG. 7 viewed from a guide surface.
As shown in the diagrams, a hydrostatic pad 5 is mounted on a frame 4, with a labyrinth seal surface and vacuum pockets 61-63 disposed so as to surround the hydrostatic pad 5. The labyrinth seal parts of a guide 9 and the frame 4 are disposed opposite each other across a slight gap. A gas is supplied to the hydrostatic pad 5 at #4 typically at a pressure of 1 atmosphere or more via an intake tube 8, enabling the hydrostatic pad 5 to act as a hydrostatic bearing. The gas so supplied, which may be He, N2, air or some other suitable gas or gas mixture, passes through the slight gap between the labyrinth seal and the guide 9 and flows into a first vacuum pocket 61 and is expelled by a vacuum pump 21 via an exhaust tube 71. When the conductance at the labyrinth seal is very small the first vacuum pocket 61 is evacuated, so a large pressure differential between the pressure #4 of the bearing assembly (that is, the pressure of the hydrostatic pad 5 assembly) and the pressure #3 of the first vacuum pocket 61 can be generated.
In addition, gas that has not been fully exhausted via the exhaust tube 71 passes further through the slight gap between the labyrinth seal and the guide 9 and flows into a second vacuum pocket 62, where the gas is then exhausted by a second vacuum pump 22. By so doing, the pressure #2 at the second vacuum pocket 62 is reduced below the pressure #3 of the first vacuum pocket 61.
By similarly further reducing the pressure toward the periphery so that the pressure (#1) of an outermost vacuum pocket 63 approaches the pressure (#0) of the interior of a chamber 10, the leakage of gas from the hydrostatic pad 5 to the chamber 10 can be minimized. That is, the low-conductance effect at the labyrinth seal part and the exhaust effect of the vacuum pockets 61-63 are disposed so that the relative pressures of the constituent parts are #4>#3>#2>#1>#0, where the typical pressures #1 through #3 are much less than 10,000 Pa.
In addition, outside the chamber 10 the exhaust tubes 71-73 are connected to the vacuum pumps 21-23 either directly or via valves 11a-13a, so as to evacuate the vacuum pockets 61-63.
In the differential exhaust mechanism described above, the hydrostatic pad 5 and its associated members are designed to form a stable bearing where #0≦#1≦#2≦#3≦#4 and where the difference between pressures #1-#3 and #0 is much less than 10,000 Pa. That is, the design is such that, under the foregoing conditions, a force in a direction pulling away from the guide surface 9 caused by the load rigidity of the hydrostatic pad 5 and the force of gravity and the like pressing the frame against the surface of the guide 9 are evenly balanced. The pressures #3-#1 exerted on the vacuum pockets 61-63 are virtually identical to the chamber pressure #0, and do not contribute to the force pulling away from the surface of the guide 9.
However, when the difference in pressure between #1-#3 and #0 is 10,000 Pa or greater, the vacuum pocket parts 61-63 also function as part of the bearing, with possible loss of bearing stability and oscillation. Similarly, because bearing stability deteriorates sharply when the hydrostatic pad 5 is not supplied with gas and the vacuum pockets 61-63 function as bearings, there is an additional risk that at even lower pressure differentials the frame 4 will oscillate vertically.
In order to prevent such oscillation, it is necessary to control the pressure of the vacuum pockets. However, coupling the exhaust directly to pumps 21-23 as in the conventional art makes it highly probably that the aforementioned pressure state will not be maintained when the pumps malfunction or when the apparatus is being started and the vacuum for the chamber 10 is being formed.
For example, when the pressure #0 inside the chamber is 1 Pa or less and the conditions described above are established and any one of the differential exhaust vacuum pumps 21-23 malfunctions, so that any one of pressures #1 through #3 approaches atmospheric pressure, the pressure differential with the pressure #0 inside the chamber increases to 10,000 Pa or more (that is, #0<<#1, #2, #3) and a bearing effect of the vacuum pockets 61-63 not considered at the design stage is generated, which can lead to a breakdown in bearing balance and consequent oscillation. In such a case, even if the malfunction of the vacuum pumps 21-23 is detected and the corresponding valves 11a through 13a are closed quickly, when oscillation begins it will not cease unless the pressure of the vacuum pockets 61-63 is reduced. Oscillation can occur easily, depending on the characteristics of the apparatus, during start-up and shut-down of the apparatus, that is, when gas is not being supplied to the hydrostatic pad 5.
Yet, given the conventional structure, it is difficult to maintain design pressures #0 through #4 when the apparatus is being started and the vacuum chamber 10 is being reduced to a vacuum from atmospheric pressure. That is, even if valves 11a-14a shown in FIG. 7 are connected and vacuum pumps 21-24 are all activated simultaneously, due to such factors as differences in exhaust capacity, the pressures #1-#3 inside the vacuum pockets 61-63 drop more rapidly than the pressure #0 inside the chamber such that #0>>#1, #2, #3 and the pressure differential exceeds 10,000 Pa. In such a case, in the vacuum pockets 61-63 parts, a force occurs that normally does not arise and that presses against the guide becomes excessive, posing a risk of deforming the structure that supports the frame 4. Likewise, evening when the valves 11a-13a connected to the differential exhaust are shut and only the chamber 10 is evacuated, because the gas can only move through the slight gap I the labyrinth seal a pressure differential of 10,000 Pa or more still occurs between the interior of the chamber 10 and the vacuum pockets 61-63 so that #0<<#1, #2, #3 and a force pulling away from the guide 9 begins to act, unbalancing the bearing and inviting oscillation. Usually the vacuum is formed without supplying gas to the hydrostatic pad 5, so the slight gap in the labyrinth seal becomes smaller still, inviting pressure differentials and further destabilizing the bearing so as to invite oscillation.
In other words, the problem with the conventional art is that, although under normal conditions there is no difficulty, when forming a vacuum in the chamber or when the exhaust system malfunctions (that is, the pump breaks down or the tubing fractures) there is a possibility that the pressure differential between the vacuum pockets 61-63 and the interior of the chamber 10 may exceed permissible design limits, yet the conventional art offers no structure to respond to such a situation.

Exhaust apparatus and control method for same, and vacuum-use hydrostatic bearing


A dry towel or wipe comprising an absorbent paper substrate which is uniformly coated and dried with an antimicrobial formulation comprising a volatile liquid, an active antimicrobial agent, a water soluble polymer, a polyalkylene glycol an emollient and water. The treated towel is useful in providing antimicrobial effectiveness for drying skin in preparation for surgical procedures without irritating or drying the skin.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dry substrate for drying hands after scrubbing or drying skin after patient pre-operation prepping without irritating or drying the skin. The dry substrate comprises a towel or a wipe coated with an antimicrobial formulation.
2. Description of Related Art
Effective antiseptic or disinfectant dry wipes can be formed by combining an antimicrobial formulation with a suitable carrier. Thus, antiseptic compounds can be formulated rather easily, however, many such dry wipes are not suitable for use in contact with human skin due to the abrasive nature of the surfactant-containing composition.
Where the dry wipe is intended for use as for drying during surgical scrub procedures, mildness is an important consideration. Mildness indicates the dry wipe does not cause excessive irritation of the skin, such as erythema.
Surgical scrub procedures and techniques are highly conducive to the development of erythema and other irritations. All personnel involved in surgical procedures use a surgical scrub in preparation for surgery. Frequently, the same individual will scrub three to five times on a single day. A typical surgical scrub involves placing a cleansing composition on the hand. Commonly, a brush or sponge is used and the arms from the elbows to the fingertips are scrubbed thoroughly for as long as ten minutes. Thus, the epidermal layers of the skin are subject to significant rubbing and aggravation. After the arms and hands have been scrubbed, they are rinsed, dried and placed into rubber gloves. Since the rinse is often not complete and residual surfactant and/or antimicrobial compounds from the cleansing composition are left on the skin, further irritation may be experienced when they are dried with a towel or wipe. This in turn can create topical skin irritations.
The likelihood of irritation or erythema increases with the frequency one performs the surgical scrub procedure. Therefore, it is not only important that the surgical scrub composition be very mild, but that the dry wipe be mild as well.
Therefore, there exists a need for a dry wipe which provides substantially maximized efficacy and does not promote dryness or irritation to the skin.


Dynamic price performance enhancement features and scheduling ranges of input/output performance operating categories and settings for storage solutions are provided by a seller to a purchaser via a program running either remotely on the seller's host system over a communications network or locally on a general purpose computer processor in a tape storage library device. The purchaser is prompted by the seller's system to identify storage device requirements and price constraints. The seller's system provides storage performance operating solutions and negotiates a suitable match between the seller's storage solutions and the purchaser's storage requirements and price constraints. The seller's system finalizes the design of the storage solution and provides a pool of license keys that unlock the storage performance solutions in the tape storage library device that match the purchaser's storage performance requirements and price constraints.

Mass storage devices used in computing environments store large amounts of computer readable data for long periods of time and are considered permanent storage devices. Two general categories of mass storage devices include magnetic disc and magnetic tape drives. Variations of each may include removable and non-removable storage capability. Other variations may include but are not limited to hard disks, floppy disks, flash memory, optical discs, magneto-optical discs, magnetic tape, drum memory, punched tape and holographic memory. Typically, magnetic tape drives are the least expensive, in regard to storage capacity, but have high seek time constraints. Thus, disc systems generally have better performance characteristics. Some current tape drive storage customers may not be able to utilize the I/O performance of the latest tape drive device, or they may not want to pay for an expensive high performance tape drive or an expensive high performance disc drive at the time of purchasing an entry level computing and storage system. The entry level computer system customer may want to gradually increase the performance of the storage (i.e., tape drive or disc drive) system as their storage demand increases; thereby paying based on demand.
Therefore, a need exists for a customer to purchase and/or lease a tape drive library capable of containing a bank of tape drives, or a bank of any other storage devices, at a low entry level price point along with entry level performance capabilities that can be changed, i.e., increased, based on increased performance needs along with the ability and/or desire to pay an increased license fee for such increased performance, where payment can be made in any number of lump sums or payment may be made periodically, via a renewable service contract and payment may be made in cash or electronically. In addition, the need exists for a customer to purchase and/or lease a tape drive library, or a library of any other storage devices at a high entry level price along with high level performance capabilities that can be changed, i.e., decreased, based on decreased performance need along with the inability to pay for high performance and/or the desire to pay a decreased license fee for decreased performance, i.e., the ability to pay or receive credit on demand for either increased and/or decreased I/O performance respectively associated with the storage devices in the storage library.

Systems, methods and computer products for providing tape library dynamic price performance enhancement feature

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is a display device, the device including a light emitting part including a first electrode, an organic light emitting layer and a second electrode for radiating light of a first wavelength, a pixel part stacked on the light emitting part to radiate light of a second wavelength using a reflective light, and a capping layer arranged between the light emitting part and the pixel part to reflect the light of the first wavelength and to transmit the light of the second wavelength, whereby legibility, color reproduction range and power consumption can be enhanced.

1. Field
The teachings in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this present disclosure generally relate to a display device, and more particularly to a display device configured to improve legibility, color reproduction range and power consumption.
2. Background
Organic electroluminescent devices, for example, organic electroluminescent diodes, are provided with a thin film containing a light-emitting organic compound between an anode and a cathode. By injecting holes and electrons from the respective electrodes, excitons of the light-emitting organic compound are generated. When these excitons return to a ground state, the organic electroluminescent devices irradiate light.
Recent developments in organic electroluminescent devices have been very significant. Characteristic examples of such developments include high brightness at low applied voltages, more diversity in emission wavelengths, wider viewing angle, rapid response, greater color reproduction range, and the ability to produce thinner and lighter light-emitting devices. As a result of these developments, a broad range of possible applications to illumination fields using the organic electroluminescent devices has been briskly waged.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a stacked structure of an organic electroluminescent device according to prior art, where the device is stacked with a substrate (11), an anode (12) which is a transparent electrode, an organic light emitting layer (13), a cathode (14) which is a reflective electrode and a protective film (15) in that order.
A full color spectrum in the organic electroluminescent device is realized by having pixels that separately emit red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors, or by white color. At this time, in order to express a desired color, a plurality of organic electroluminescent devices configured to emit light of different wavelengths is coupled for use.
Korea Laid-open Patent Application No. 2007-0008071 discloses a technique in which each width of organic light emitting structures is vertically stacked at a predetermined level to equalize an area of RGB sub-pixel and an area of pixel, whereby luminance can be increased and pixelization can be eased. However, according to this structure, light generated from a sub-pixel positioned at a middle section is reflected from a sub-pixel positioned at a distal end to be emitted to the outside and to disadvantageously reduce the light efficiency. Another disadvantage is that light radiated from the organic light emitting structures is reduced in legibility under a bright environment such as the sun light.
Meanwhile, although power consumption can be greatly reduced by radiating light using a reflective light in case of a reflective pixel used for electronic paper, disadvantage is that the color reproduction range is low, and it is difficult to use at night.

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


The Modified anatomical direct lateral approach (Vitosha approach), a novel approach in hip arthroplasty, preserving the iliofemoral ligament and restoring the joint capsule, providing higher initial joint stability and easier rehabilitation without the need for post-operative patients' dislocation precautions is provided. The fascial incision curves along the posterior aspect of the greater trochanter and ends at its lower border, preventing a split of vastus lateralis muscle. The anterolateral periosteal layer which conjoins the gluteus medius and vastus lateralis muscles is sharply elevated from the greater trochanter. Gluteus medius muscle and the underlying gluteus minimus are split along its fibers and retracted anteriorly. A vertical capsular incision is made anterior to the femoral shaft, starting from the basicervical line and extending proximally along the longitudinal body axis, with the iliofemoral ligament fibers remained intact.

Despite hip arthroplasty superior clinical outcomes, the most of the standard contemporary approaches for hip arthroplasty are still associated with blood loss and the necessity for restricting patients activities during the early postoperative period due to impaired joint stability post-surgery (Tengborn et al., 2015; Lindman and Carlsson, 2018; Peters et al., 2015; Harkess and Crockarell, 2013).
In most contemporary hip arthroplasty approaches the blood loss can be significant, therefore tranexamic acid is routinely used in many institutions. Tranexamic acid substantially decreases perioperative blood loss, however, it cannot be administered to all patients, specifically those with high thrombotic risk or patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (Tengborn et al., 2015; Lindman and Carlsson, 2018).
With most contemporary hip arthroplasty approaches, due to impaired joint stability after surgery and the associated risk of joint dislocations, restrictions on patients' activities in their hip rotation, flexion and abduction/adduction are usually applied during the early postoperative period (e.g., use of pillows between the legs; prohibition to lie on one side) (Peters et al., 2015; Harkess and Crockarell, 2013).
Minimally invasive surgical techniques (MIS) provide less bleeding and less risk of dislocation compared to standard hip arthroplasty approaches (Yang et al., 2012). However, MIS techniques can be associated with risks of component malpositioning and early loosening due to limited operative exposure and suboptimal bone preparation (Bradley et al., 2010; Smith et al., 2011; Harkess and Crockarell, 2013).
Although blood loss is addressed by meticulous hemostasis, hypotensive anesthesia and tranexamic acid administration, the surgical technique remains paramount to minimize blood loss and achieve appropriate joint stability.
The Evolution of the Direct Lateral Approach
In 1954, McFarland and Osborne described a lateral approach based on the observation that the gluteus medius and vastus lateralis muscles act in direct functional continuity through the 'thick' periosteal junction over the greater trochanter. In their approach, the insertions of the gluteus medius and vastus lateralis muscles and their periosteal junction are detached with a thin bone shell from the lateral aspect of the greater trochanter and the combined muscle mass of the entire gluteus medius and vastus lateralis is retracted anteriorly. The tendon of the gluteus minimus is divided (cut) to expose the capsule. However, the detachment (cut) of gluteus minimus from the greater trochanter weakens the joint stability post-surgery.
In 1979, Bauer et al. described the 'transgluteal approach'. With this approach, the gluteus medius and vastus lateralis muscles are split along their fibers by blunt dissection and their anterior one-thirds are retracted anteriorly together with their periosteal junction after its 'sharp' elevation from the greater trochanter ('sharp elevation' means a detachment from the bone made by incision using a cautery diathermy knife or a scalpel or other instrument). The capsule is excised (thoroughly removed). Bauer describes that the intertrochanteric region is 'released' and gluteus minimus is retracted anteriorly. The gluteus minimus anterior retraction would not be possible without its described detachment (release) from the greater trochanter, which weakens the joint stability post-surgery.
Hardinge (1982) described the 'direct lateral approach to the hip'. With this approach, the anterior two-thirds of gluteus medius and the anterior part of vastus lateralis are sharply elevated together with their periosteal junction and displaced anteriorly. The tendinous insertion of the anterior portion of the gluteus minimus is separated (cut). A T-shaped incision of the capsule is made. Hardinge's approach allows improved joint access and avoids the need of a capsular excision, however, the dissections are quite extensive.
In 1984, McLauchlan described the Stracathro approach, where the joint is exposed by elevating anterior and posterior slices of the greater trochanter with the corresponding parts of the gluteus medius muscle attached proximally and the vastus lateralis distally. The gluteus minimus is split or detached from the greater trochenter. At closure, the capsule is sutured.
In 1986, Dall proposed an osteotomy of a large fragment involving the entire anterior-lateral part of the greater trochanter, made with the use of a Gigli saw. This technique is based on the fact that the larger parts of the gluteus medius and vastus lateralis muscles, as well as the whole of the gluteus minimus are attached to the anterior part of the greater trochanter. The large trochanteric fragment with the attached anterior halves of the vastus lateralis and gluteus medius muscles are retracted anteriorly together with the whole entity of the gluteus minimus. The anterior capsule is completely excised. A variation of this approach involves elevation of the anterior portion of the abductors with an attached thin wafer of bone from the anterior edge of the greater trochanter to facilitate their later repair and better abductor function (Harkess and Crockarell Jr, 2013).
In 1998, Mulliken et al. proposed sharp elevation of the anterior one-third of the gluteus medius and the anterior half of the vastus lateralis from the greater trochanter. The posterior part of gluteus medius is retracted posteriorly; a splitting of the gluteus minimus is performed under direct vision, and the anterior capsule is excised (removed). Mulliken et al. describes that 'a splitting of the gluteus minimus is performed', however only a splitting of gluteus minimus alone will not allow for an adequate access to the joint without detachment (cut) of its tendon anterior part from the greater trochanter.
In 2002, Pai was another who recommended for a sharp elevation of the anterior one-thirds of the gluteus medius and the vastus lateralis muscles, however, again with the gluteus minimus tendon detachment (cut) from the greater trochanter. The flap is retracted anteriorly and a T-shaped incision is made on the joint capsule. At closure, the preserved capsule is repaired.
In 2019, Filipov described the anatomical direct lateral approach (FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4). With this approach, the skin incisions varies in length from 8 cm to 14 cm. The steps of the deep dissections and preparations are the following. 1. The fascial incision curves along the posterior aspect of the greater trochanter and ends at its lower border, preventing a split of vastus lateralis muscle. 2. A small bone fragment (bone patch) is osteotomized from the anterolateral aspect of the greater trochanter and is elevated and retracted anteriorly together with its covering periosteal layer which conjoins gluteus medius and vastus lateralis muscles (FIG. 3). This initiates the splitting of the gluteus medius and minimus proximally. 3. Using a gloved finger, the muscle split is continued bluntly between the anterior third and posterior two-thirds of both the gluteus medius muscle and the underlying tendinous part of gluteus minimus (FIG. 2), and their anterior thirds are retracted anteriorly together with the bone patch which is attached to them distally (FIG. 3, FIG. 4). 4. A vertical capsular incision is made anterior to the femoral shaft, starting from the basicervical line and extending proximally, and oriented along the longitudinal body axis, whereby the iliofemoral ligament fibers remain intact (FIG. 5). At closure, the capsule is restored by stitching. Next, the anterior muscular-periosteal flap with the bone patch is reinserted to the greater trochanter and fixed by stitching through drilled canals.
The present application describes the Modified anatomical direct lateral approach (Vitosha approach) in hip arthroplasty, aiming at minimizing operative trauma, decreasing blood loss, and optimizing joint stability. The better joint stability allows for easier rehabilitation without the need for dislocation precautions and patients' restrictions during the early post-operative period. Moreover, these benefits are achieved with a modified standard approach, thus avoiding all the risks associated with the minimally-invasive (MIS) approaches due to their limited joint exposure. The Modified anatomical direct lateral approach is a modification of the anatomical direct lateral approach (Filipov, 2019).

Methods for hip replacement with anterior vertical capsule incision-modified anatomical direct lateral approach (Vitosha approach)


The present invention relates to a novel method for preparing pterocarpan from isoflavan-4-ol.

Aromatic hydrocarbons, which are common environmental pollutants, may be metabolized aerobically through the initial activation of the aromatic ring initiated by the insertion of oxygen atoms by monooxygenase or dioxygenase enzymes from bacteria [9, 24]. Such aerobic biotransformations may result in the production of intermediates that contain epoxide or dihydrodiol functional groups that may be then further metabolized. It is well known that heme-type cytochrome P450 generally produce aromatic epoxides that may be further metabolized to trans-dihydrodiols [3, 25] while non-heme bacterial dioxygenases produce cis-dihydrodiols from aromatic ring structures (FIG. 1) [28, 32].
Recently, the present inventors reported flavanone epoxide formation by the biphenyl dioxygenase (BDO) of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes strain KF707 (SEQ ID NO:3) after expression in Escherichia coli, and this unique monooxygenase activity was explained based on the structural properties of the flavanone in the active site [10]. In this case, the flavanone B-ring was unable to form the biphenyl-type structure required for dihydrodiol formation due to the position of the C-3 tetrahedral center on the flavanone structure and may be compared to previous studies where flavanone substrates that possessed the same B-ring conformation as biphenyl were biotransformed to flavone cis-dihydrodiol by biphenyl dioxygenase [20, 27].
Flavonoids are a large group of natural products that have recently been garnering much attention in the disciplines of nutrition, food science, environmental science, and pharmacology due to their potential beneficial effects on health [19]. Actually, flavonoids exhibit inhibitory effect on capillary permeability, peripheral circulation improving effect, anti-inflammatory effect, anti-atherogenic effect, antioxidant effect, anti-allergic effect, and anti-cancer effect, and thus have potential uses as medicine [2, 12, 15, 34]. For example, isoflavones, such as genistein (4′,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone) and daidzein (4′,7-dihydroxyisoflavone), are natural edible phytoestrogens found mainly in leguminous plants, and due to their structure similar to a mammalian estrogen [13, 17, 35], they appear to play an important role in preventing hormone-dependent diseases such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and osteoporosis [1, 11, 14, 18].
The study of BDO biotransformation of flavonoids may aid in the production of new biologically active compounds as well as provide mechanistic insights into the functioning of BDO. The present inventors reported the absolute configurations of four isoflavan-4-ol stereoisomers in the previous study [36].
Throughout the entire specification, many papers and patent documents are referenced and their citations are represented. The disclosures of cited papers and patent documents are entirely incorporated by reference into the present specification, and the level of the technical field within which the present invention falls and details of the present invention are explained more clearly.

Abstract: With the use of the method of the present invention, the absolute configuration of C3 and C4 positions on the B-ring of isoflavan-4-ols is maintained identically also in pterocarpans, and thus, enantiopure pterocarpans can be efficiently prepared.

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology


A process for preparing a dimer of a lower .alpha.-olefin in the presence of Catalyst (A) containing a nickel compound, a trialkylaluminum, a halogenated phenol, a phosphorus compound and a sulfur compound, Catalyst (B) containing a nickel compound, a trialkylaluminum, a fluorinated isopropyl alcohol, a phosphorus compound, a sulfonic acid and water, or Catalyst (C) containing a nickel compound, a trialkylaluminum, a halogenated phenol, a phosphorus compound, a sulfonic acid and water, by which method, the dimer of the lower .alpha.-olefin is prepared in a high yield and high selectivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for dimerization of a lower .alpha.-olefin, using a nickel-containing catalyst.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dimers of lower .alpha.-olefins such as ethylene, propylene, butene, etc. are useful as important raw materials in the production of agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medicines, perfumes, cosmetics and other chemicals or as monomers of polymers. It is known that the dimers are prepared by dimerizing the lower .alpha.-olefin in the presence of a nickel-containing catalyst system. Known nickel-containing catalyst systems for dimerization of the lower .alpha.-olefins are, for example, a catalyst system comprising a nickel compound, a trialkylaluminum, a phosphorous compound and a halogenated phenol (cf. Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 39004/1979), a catalyst system comprising a nickel compound, a trialkylaluminum, a phosphorous compound, a halogenated phenol and water (cf. Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 167932/1982), a catalyst system comprising a nickel compound, a bisdialkylaluminoxane, a phosphorous compound and a halogenated phenol (cf. Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. 169433/1982) and a catalyst system comprising a nickel compound, a trialkylaluminum, a phosphorous compound and a fluorinated isopropyl alcohol (cf. Japanese Patent Kokai Publication Nos. 158225/1987 and 221335/1989).


A method of aligning and registering duplex images in the process direction using an imaging device, such as a printer including the steps of applying a first image to a first side of a media, modifying one or more imaging parameters of the imaging device after the first image is applied, and applying a second image to a second side of the media using the modified imaging parameters.

Simplex printing includes printing or imaging only a single side of a page or sheet of media. Printing or imaging both sides of the page or sheet media is known as duplex printing. Both simplex and duplex printing are utilized by a variety of imaging devices, including printers, copiers, facsimile devices and the like.
When duplex printing is performed, the alignment or registration of the images on the front and back side of the page may become especially important, as any misalignment of the front and back images may produce an undesirable visible discontinuity. Examples include the misalignment of margins on facing pages when a stack of pages are folded to make a booklet, or misregistration of images on the first and second sides of a single sheet when viewed through the media, as when a page is viewed against a light background.
Although conventional image alignment and registration technologies do attempt to properly align the front and back images of a duplex-printed sheet, current techniques may not adequately compensate for changes that may occur in the size and shape of the media during the printing process.
A method of printing is provided wherein the method includes applying a first image to a first side of a medium, modifying one or more imaging parameters of the imaging device so that a second applied image will be brought substantially into registration with the first image, and applying a second image to a second side of the media using the modified imaging parameters.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A vehicle may include: a body; a suspension member mounted at a front lower portion of the body, the suspension member comprising a front crossmember extending in a width direction of the vehicle; a first bracket projecting from the front crossmember toward a front portion of the vehicle, the first bracket comprising a first hole; a radiator comprising a first positioning member at a lower portion of the radiator, the first positioning member corresponding to the first hole and penetrating the first hole; and a second bracket secured to a lower surface of the first bracket, the second bracket comprising a second hole with which the first positioning member is engaged. A diameter of the first hole may be greater than a diameter of the first positioning member, and A secured position of the second bracket in a horizontal direction relative to the first bracket may be adjustable.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-44911 describes a vehicle in which a radiator is mounted on a suspension member. The suspension member is a structure of the vehicle for supporting a suspension (especially a suspension arm), and attached to a body from below at a front portion of the vehicle.


A method of operating a Brushless Direct Current Motor (BLDCM), the BLDCM of the type including: a series of concentric independently activated electromagnetic phase coils interacting with a series of permanent magnets to provide relative movement therebetween, the phase coils having temporal periods of activation time and deactivation time, the method including the steps of: (a) activating at least one of the phase coils for a short period of activation; and (b) measuring the voltage response across the phase coil of the deactivated phase coil during the short period of activation to determine the rotor position.

Any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
BLDC Motors: The sensorless control and operation of BLDC motors is used in a wide range of global market applications owing to their increased energy efficiency and density, compactness, operational reliability and life expectancy. BLDCMs, also known as permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM), are generally classified according to their phase winding configuration, being either wye or delta and the number of magnetic poles as described in [4].
Sensored BLDCM Control: The majority of applications employing BLDCM systems in the global market today are designed using the inferior and less efficient sensored brushless motor controller technology, outlined in [5]. Generally these controller designs use Hall Effect semiconductor sensors inside the motors to detect rotor position, which increases manufacturing costs due to extra components and inter-wiring connections required. Whilst sensored motor control systems do not exhibit start-up and low speed operation problems, the sensors can be subjected to operation at very high temperatures, electric and magnetic interference, assembly placement errors leading to reduced energy efficiency and torque, and mechanical failures. As a result, the sensored brushless systems have lower reliability and higher operating costs compared to the sensorless brushless technology.
Sensorless BLDCM Control: Instead of using external sensors, sensorless BLDCM control techniques use only electrical measurements obtained from the motor. Those skilled in the art of sensorless BLDCM controller design are familiar with the inherent challenges of operating such motors at and near zero speeds [5], particularly in the presence of demanding dynamic loads. In sensorless brushless operation, issues arise because of the difficulty of obtaining precise BLDCM rotor position information at zero and low speeds, which is essential for robust electronic commutation of such motors.
There exists a significant amount of prior art related to the design of sensorless BLDCM controllers [5], [6]. However, it is evident that no single controller solution alone can reliably operate motors from start to high speed. Thus generally, sensorless controller designs have to use a hybrid approach, which can encompass one or more of the following key areas of controller operation: Initial rotor position detection; Sensorless operation at zero and low motor speeds; Sensorless operation at high motor speeds.
Initial Rotor Position Detection: Initial rotor position detection is the first challenge of sensorless brushless controllers to successfully operate a BLDCM from start to high speed. Most simple techniques in the prior art drive a current through the motor windings to force the rotor into a known alignment position. This can result in up to 180° motor rotation opposite to the desired direction, unwanted overshoot and ringing in the system, and increased start-up time. An open loop technique is then generally applied to spin the motor with a predetermined commutation sequence until sufficiently high speed is reached to allow a sensorless technique such as BEMF voltage sensing to be employed, for one example as outlined in [7]. However, due to the lack of control of synchronization between motor phase currents and voltages, these inferior techniques fail to commutate the motor properly during start-up in applications where system dynamics and motor loads are particularly demanding.
More advanced techniques attempt to estimate the actual rotor position by exciting the motor windings with low level currents and performing electrical measurements. A comprehensive overview of such prior art initial rotor position detection techniques is provided in [8]. Broadly, these fall into one of the following: Voltage and reactive power harmonics; Inductance variation methods; Patterns of voltage and current vectors; Observer and Kalman filter techniques; Pulse voltage vector; and High frequency signal injection.
Most of these rotor position measurement methods require specialized electronic hardware circuitry, for example to generate and detect high frequency injection signals and measure phase currents, which increases the size and cost of the controller. Such design requirements make them unattractive for cost sensitive and compact controller brushless motor control applications.
Inductance variation methods are commonly used in rotor position detection by exploiting the rotor inherent and magnetic saturation saliency properties of BLDC motors with a series of short current pulses applied to the motor phase windings [9]. The majority of prior art solutions are focused on phase current measurements to estimate the initial rotor position [9], [10]. These techniques can have several disadvantages.
Firstly, they require specialized electronic hardware circuitry to accurately measure phase current amplitudes or rise times, which increases overall system cost, size and makes them highly sensitive to electrical noise and measurement errors when operating at high temperatures, commonly encountered in practical motor control applications. Current sensing resistors required in these prior art solutions also reduce system efficiency and increase power losses.
Secondly, these current sensing techniques require a finite time to raise the inductive currents in motor windings to a measurable level necessary for detection. The resultant rotor position detection time can thus take in order of tens of ms, which can be disadvantageous in many applications, one example being professional racing of remote controlled electric vehicles where extremely fast motor starts are crucial.
Thirdly, BLDC motors with stators which exhibit unbalanced (asymmetric) phase winding inductances and resistances can lead to inaccurate initial rotor position detections when using one of these prior art inductance variation techniques based on phase current measurements, for example, current rise times. Most prior art initial rotor position detection methods also assume a BLDCM at standstill (0 RPM).
Power supply voltage variations and fluctuations during initial rotor position detection and motor start can present another great challenge for sensorless BLDCM controllers in applications where power sources with high internal resistance and motors with low phase resistance and inductance are used—for example, battery operated equipment, such as mobility, electric wheel chairs and cordless electric power tools, which experience increasing supply voltage variations and fluctuations as the battery discharges during operation. In the prior art methods based on the inductance variations measurements, it is evident that this can lead to incorrect rotor position detections and false motor starts.
Sensorless BLDCM Operation: Numerous sensorless brushless controller techniques have been developed to date to address the challenge of operating BLDCMs across their entire speed range, ie. from standstill to high speed. An overview of the most common prior art sensorless BLDC motor control solutions is provided in [5] and [6]. These generally fall into one of the following: Direct and indirect BEMF voltage detection methods; BEMF voltage integration methods (including third harmonic); Freewheeling diode conduction detection methods; Estimation and model based methods (FOC, sliding-mode observers, extended Kalman filters, model reference adaptive systems, adaptive observers, artificial neural networks); Flux linkage variation methods; and Inductance variation methods
The BEMF voltage detection methods, some detailed examples which can be found in [11],[12],[13] are the simplest of all of the sensorless brushless techniques. However, since the BEMF is zero at standstill and proportional to rotational speed, these methods are known to have severe limitations when operating at low motor speeds and as such are only suitable for higher, constant speed motor applications, for example, driving motor fans and pumps. These methods generally also require additional hardware circuitry, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,145, which increases overall controller cost.
In an attempt to address the issues of operation at low motor speeds, more complex controllers have been developed employing system model and estimation based methods to operate BLDCMs using field oriented control (FOC) [14],[15]. However, these solutions require a greater system understanding and tuning of motor and controller parameters, which significantly increase development time. These controllers also require more complex electronic hardware designs, with very accurate current measurement circuitry, increasing overall system cost, size and reducing efficiency due to power loses in current sensing resistors. The higher system complexity also makes their practical implementation more difficult and limits the range of different types of BLDCMs that they can operate with. Whilst these techniques offer an improvement over BEMF sensing methods, it is evident to those skilled in the field that they still perform inadequately at start-up and zero and low speeds and are therefore inoperable in demanding applications such as cordless electric drills where operation down to motor stall without errors is important.
An example of one of the best FOC sensorless brushless motor controller solutions used in the industry today, is the InstaSPIN-FOC controller whose method is a trade secret of Texas Instruments [16]. Whilst this controller has simplified the task of controller parameter tuning through an automated process and features an improved motor performance near zero speed and when changing direction of motor spin, it is still inoperable at zero motor speed, or with reversed rotor momentum and can have unsatisfactory start-up operation under heavy loads. Therefore, there still exists the need to further improve sensorless brushless motor operation at start-up and zero speeds.
High performing sensorless BLDCM controller solutions at zero motor speeds are based on the inductance variation methods in which changes due to motor phase inductances with respect to rotor position are detected and used as motor commutation points. One such example is described in [17] (CH698071). In this technique, rotor position detection is performed by measuring the voltage response of the open-phase terminals during PWM on-time and off-time motor driving switching intervals. From these +30° advanced timing motor commutation points are obtained, however these have the significant disadvantage of reduced output motor torque and efficiency. Furthermore, as observed in practice, this technique fails to attain reliable commutation points for all different BLDCMs available on the market and thus the number of possible applications using this method is limited in practice.
Another practical example of inductance variation based sensorless brushless motor controller is the ELMOS E910.68188 [18]. By applying short (μsec) duration test pulses, this controller detects rotor position in motion and standstill by measuring the voltage variation at the motor's neutral point connection. However, this technique is limited to operation with wye configuration BLDCMs, which must have a fourth motor connection present. This requires an additional hardware connection which is inconvenient for most brushless motor systems and adds to their cost. This sensorless brushless control realization is also unsuitable for delta winding BLDCMs commonly used in high power motor systems, such as cordless electric power tools, because they do not have this fourth neutral point connection. Therefore, the range of possible motor applications with this controller is limited.
Starting and operating BLDCMs with reversed rotor momentum or in systems employing gearboxes that generate backlash disturbances presents a further challenge for sensorless brushless motor control applications, for example, commonly experienced in mobility equipment and cordless electric power tools. The prior art solutions may not explicitly addressed these challenges either.
Synchronous Rectification: Synchronous rectification (SR) is a technique used in inductive load PWM switching applications to reduce controller power losses. Instead of freewheeling PWM off-time currents through a diode, an active semiconductor device, such as a MOSFET or IGBT transistor with a lower resistance path is used, thus improving efficiency. A review of this method is presented in [19]. Synchronous rectification is most commonly applied in switching power converters, such as DC/DC power supplies, for example described in [20]. This method generally requires specialized electronic hardware circuitry to optimally control rectification on-time duration in response to inductive PWM off-time currents flowing during each PWM cycle, resulting in increased system cost and size and for this reason synchronous rectification is less common in BLDCM control applications. Furthermore, it is evident to the inventor of this disclosure, that implementation of optimally controlled synchronous rectifiers in PWM switching sensorless BLDCM control applications is challenging, because they can potentially interfere with sensorless detection and operation.
Practical examples of synchronous rectification in sensored and sensorless BLDCM control applications are presented in [21] and [22] respectively. The control approaches presented in these prior art solutions, however, use a simpler technique with fixed duration rectifier timing synchronized to the PWM off-time to actively control motor inductive currents. This non-optimal method activates the lower resistance rectifier devices for the entire PWM off-time duration, which can in practice lead to unwanted motor braking during operation at higher motor speeds and lighter loads, resulting in increased system energy losses. This problem is undesirable in many motor applications—one example being mobility equipment.
Regenerative Motor Braking: A general primer of regenerative braking technologies used in BLDC motors today is provided in [23], [24], [25]. There is little prior art on regenerative motor braking applications employing synchronous rectification, particularly in sensorless BLDC motor applications.
Rotor Magnetic Field Strength Measurement: Brushless DC motors use rotors consisting of magnets and to determine their condition some form of rotor magnetic field strength measurement is performed. This is desirable in many motor applications operating in high temperature environments, one example being professional racing of remote controlled electric vehicles, where extreme temperatures degrade a rotor's magnetic field and thus motor performance. Currently this testing process is highly inaccurate and subjective because the operators try to feel the strength of the magnets simply by rotating the rotor shaft with their fingers. In such applications a rotor magnetic field strength measurement is desirable to determine the magnetic state of the rotor and when it needs to be replaced.
Prior art methods of measuring the magnetic field strength of a rotor can employ expensive measurement equipment, such as described in [26] and [27]. However, these measurements must be performed manually with the system off-line and require disassembly of the motor to access the rotor, which can be labour intensive and a costly maintenance procedure. It would be desirable if an alternative could be provided.
Little prior art exists in this challenging area of brushless motor control application, particularly when attempting to address this problem with an automatic rotor magnetic field strength measurement built into the BLDC motor controller. One reason is that the existing controller solutions use unsuitable methods of approach, which make it difficult to address this challenge.
Motor Temperature Measurement: BLDCM applications operating in high ambient temperature environments or under high loads require monitoring of internal motor temperature in order to prevent motor winding damage in the event of excessive temperatures. The known prior art methods of motor temperature monitoring use either temperature sensors mechanically placed near the copper windings, non-contact measurement employing infra-red (IR) thermometry, or copper winding resistance measurement techniques, as described in [34].
These methods require either expensive sensors, such as resistance temperature detectors, thermocouples or infrared sensors, mechanical hardware to mount sensors near the motor windings, interconnection wiring and electronic circuitry to measure the motor temperature during operation, significantly increasing the system cost. It would be advantageous if an alternative was provided.
Three-Phase Power Control PCB Layout: With today's modern semiconductor switching devices, such as surface mount technology MOSFETs which are available with ultra low on-resistance values, typically less <2 mΩ [29], the layout design of the printed circuit board (PCB) containing these power switching devices to control the phase currents becomes important in three-phase power control applications, such as BLDC motors. When these power transistors are paralleled to decrease the total resistance and increase the maximum current capability of the controller, the total PCB copper track resistance can be significant, resulting in higher overall power losses and heating of the controller during high current demanding power applications.
One BLDCM industry example where controller's power PCB layout design presents a challenge is the professional R/C electric vehicle racing, where compact, small footprint PCB layouts are used to reduce the size of the controller, such as described in [30] and [31]. This size requirement places tremendous stress on thermal and cooling needs of these BLDCM controllers. Currently, motor controllers available in this industry use a rectangular shape PCB layout design with all power wires exiting on one side of the controller, for example as shown in [30] and [31] for two leading R/C motor controller manufacturers. This PCB layout and power wire connection configuration is not optimal for three-phase BLDCM controller applications. It would be advantageous if an improved layout was provided.
Another three-phase power control application where the PCB layout design is critical is BLDC motors with motor controllers integrated inside the motor, such as the R/C electric vehicles motor system described in [32]. The combined power losses of the BLDC motor stator copper windings and three-phase BLDCM power controller electronics in these motor systems, which are located in the same unit, present an even greater thermal and power cooling challenge. It is evident that in these motor systems which generally use power transistors mounted in a rectangular configuration on the PCB, such as shown in [32], further performance improvements are also possible with a different PCB layout configuration.

Zero to low speed operation of a sensorless brushless DC motor


The electric lamp has a lamp vessel (1) having an end portion (3) which is fixed in the lamp cap (5) by means of polyetherimide (8) as a thermoplastic synthetic resin, which has adhered both to the lamp vessel and to the lamp cap. The end portion (3) can have non-circular cross-sections where it is in contact with the synthetic resin (8). A current supply wire (11) can be clamped between the synthetic resin (8) and the sheath portion (6) of the lamp cap (5) in order to establish electrical contact therewith. The lamp can be assembled by arranging in the hot state of the end portion (3) a polyetherimide ring (8) around this end portion (3) and by providing the lamp cap (5) in the hot state around the polyetherimide ring (8).

The invention relates to an electric lamp provided with:
a translucent lamp vessel having an axis and an end portion, PA1 a light source in the lamp vessel, PA1 a lamp cap comprising a sheath portion and a base portion, to which an end portion of the lamp vessel is adhesively bonded by means of a thermoplastic synthetic resin which synthetic resin adheres both to the lamp vessel and to the lamp cap, the lamp cap having an electric contact to which a current supply conductor to the light source is connected.
The invention further relates to the manufacture of such a lamp. Such a lamp is known from British Patent Specification No. 1,380,720.
In the known lamp, the lamp cap is bonded to the lamp vessel by means of a synthetic resin, for example a thermoplastic synthetic resin of the kind of which in this known lamp the lamp cap consists, i.e. a polysulphone or a polyketone. A ring of this polymer is arranged to surround the end portion of the lamp vessel and is caused to melt. Subsequently, the lamp cap is provided and a butt joint is obtained between the lamp vessel and the lamp cap by cooling the assembly.
It has been found that with the use of a this synthetic resin lamps are obtained which do not satisfy the IEC standard. In particular the adhesion of the polymer to the lamp vessel is too poor for the requirements imposed on the torsional strength of the connection between the lamp vessel and the lamp cap.

Electric lamp and method of manufacturing same


Disclosed is a device for vacuum processing that performs vapor-deposition on a substrate being heated in a vacuum chamber; the device, wherein the chamber has a light transmissible window formed in a section of the chamber; the light transmissible window and a holding part holding the substrate are connected by a linear space isolated from other parts in the chamber; a laser emitter is installed outside the light transmissible window; and the laser emitter emits a laser beam to the substrate through the linear space, thereby heating the substrate. This device enables laser heating, eliminating conventional drawbacks such as a decrease in laser output.

Conventionally, temperature is an important parameter in material development. In vacuum processing of vapor-deposition performance on a substrate being heated, an approach in which the light of a heater is condensed using a heating wire or an infrared lamp is generally employed for heating. However, this conventional method has problems that make it difficult to heat a substrate to 1000° C. or higher. Sample problems that hinder temperature increase include heater disconnections or film adhesion and formation on the condenser lens used for the lamp (particularly in processes such as CVD that require high pressure). In order to heat a substrate to 1000° C. or higher, special heater with a carbon or SiC resistor is employed; heating graphite by heat induction has also been attempted. However, since the carbon heater itself is highly susceptible to oxidation and a reducing atmosphere, the surface of the carbon heater must be coated with an atmosphere-resistant substance such as BN. On the other hand, the heat induction system has other problems, such as an inability to use a metal chamber, complicated substrate conveyance, and low degree of design freedom.
A laser heater (Patent Document 1) that uses a high output laser as a heat source has been proposed as a means to solve the aforementioned problems.
However, even though the laser heater guides the laser beam is guided to an area near a substrate by means of an optical fiber, a thin film also adheres to the end face of the fiber during the thin film deposition process, such as the CVD method, which requires a relatively high pressure (several mTorr or higher) since the end face of the optical fiber is exposed in a thin-film forming device. As a result, the laser output and hence temperature decreases and the laser body is damaged by the reflected light.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3268443

National Institute for Materials Science