The present invention accommodates differences in cracking pressures between check valves by determining a pressure on the input of a check valve that corresponds to a predetermined flow rate at the output of the check valve. A container is incrementally pressurized and the vacuum at a point on the output side of the check valve is monitored. Once fluid begins to pass through the check valve, the vacuum drops. At the predetermined flow rate, the pump cannot maintain a predetermined vacuum level since it cannot exceed a maximum speed. At this point the pressure applied to the container corresponds to the predetermined flow rate. An offset is added to the pressure to determine the minimum operating pressure.

One type of surgical handpiece used in cataract surgery uses water-jet based liquefaction devices that generate pulses of heated surgical solution, which delaminate and separate lens tissue. The surgical solution or injection fluid is typically a sterile heat balanced salt solution. Pulses of injection fluid are delivered through a smooth polymer tip into the eye. The surgeon controls the pulses of injection fluid using controls that are typically provided on a console, the handpiece, or a foot pedal. For example, the surgeon can control the pulse strength by altering volume and velocity, varying the pulse rate, activating burst modes that use variable rest intervals, and/or decreasing repulsion of nuclear material.
One of the keys to controlling the injection fluid pulses is controlling the pneumatic pressure of the container that supplies the injection fluid to the handpiece since the pressure of the container is a key factor that determines the flow rate of the injection fluid through the handpiece engine and tip. In one system an internal adaptive PID pressure controller loop regulates and maintains the pressure of the container.
The injection fluid flows from the container through a length of tubing to the handpiece. Inside the handpiece is a spring and ball that together construct a check valve. The check valve prevents the pressure that is built up inside the handpiece engine from moving the injection fluid back upstream. The cracking pressure of the check valve is the minimum upstream pressure at which the valve will operate, i.e., allow fluid to flow through the check valve. Knowing the cracking pressure of the check value allows the system to control the pressure of the container that supplies the injection fluid so that the optimum flow of injection fluid is provided. In a spring and ball check valve, the cracking pressure of the check valve is determined largely by the stiffness of the spring. Since the stiffness of the spring can vary from check value to check valve, there is a need for determining the pressure that provides a certain flow rate for each check valve and using the determined pressure to control the pressure of the injection fluid container during surgical operation to achieve optimum handpiece performance.

Method for determining a pressure that corresponds to a flow rate through a check valve


An electroporation device having a signal generating circuit (3) connectable at the output to electrodes (5) fittable to a substrate (35) having cells. The electrodes (5) produce an electric field which induces permeabilization of the cell membranes to facilitate introduction of substances into the cells. The amplitude of the signal (12) applied to the electrodes is closed-loop controlled on the basis of the impedance (Z(ω)) of the substrate, so as to regulate the amplitude of the signal following a reduction in impedance caused by permeabilization of the cell membranes.

As is known, recent biological, microbiological and pharmacological applications involve introducing molecules into cells, which is done by inserting the molecules through cell membranes.
The molecules may be inorganic substances (e.g., drugs) or organic molecules (cells are known to be inserted, for example, with DNA molecules).
Molecules are introduced using various methods, including:
viral vectoring: associating the molecule with a virus, which is then introduced into the cell;
chemical vectoring: associating the molecule with a chemical substance for reducing the resistance of the cell membrane and so permitting introduction of the molecule into the cell; and
ballistic methods: accelerating the molecule so that it strikes and penetrates the cell membrane.
Known methods involve several drawbacks, including: risk of immunity reaction to the vector; production difficulties and poor stability of the vector itself (viral vectoring); ineffectiveness, toxicity and poor selectivity (chemical vectoring). As for ballistic methods, these only apply to surface cells.
New so-called electroporation methods have recently been devised, which provide for briefly applying a strong electric field to the cells to permeabilize, and so enable substances to penetrate, the cell membrane.
One problem posed by known electroporation methods is establishing the value of the electric field applied, which must be high enough to permeabilize the cell membrane, but not so high as to cause irreversible damage to the cell.
More specifically, known electroporation devices and methods employ a fixed output voltage value (determined, for example, experimentally), so that, in certain operating conditions, the electric field may be too low, thus preventing introduction of the substances, and/or too high, thus resulting in irreversible damage to the cell.

Electroporation device and method, delivering a modulated signal under continuous control of cell electropermeabilization


The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of an object (10) placed in an examination volume of a MR device (1). It is an object of the invention to enable MR imaging using a radial (or spiral) acquisition scheme with a reduced level of motion artefacts. The method of the invention comprises the following sequence of steps: —detecting a momentary motion—induced displacement (Δ) of the object (10); —attributing the detected displacement (A) to a motion state (M1-M5), each motion state (M1-M5) corresponding to one of a plurality of contiguous ranges of displacements (Δ); —determining angular coordinates of a radial or spiral k-space profile by incrementing the angular coordinates individually for each motion state (M1-M5) starting from initial angular coordinates; —acquiring the k-space profile; —repeating steps a-d a number of times; and —reconstructing an MR image from at least the k-space profiles attributed to one of the motion states (M1-M5). Moreover, the invention relates to a MR device (1) for carrying out this method as well as to a computer program to be run on a MR device (1).

Image-forming MR methods which utilize the interaction between magnetic fields and nuclear spins in order to form two-dimensional or three-dimensional images are widely used nowadays, notably in the field of medical diagnostics, because for imaging of soft tissue they are superior to other imaging methods in many respects, do not require ionizing radiation and are usually not invasive.
According to the MR method in general, the object, for example the body of the patient to be examined, is arranged in a strong, uniform magnetic field whose direction at the same time defines an axis (normally the z-axis) of the co-ordinate system on which the measurement is based. The magnetic field produces different energy levels for the individual nuclear spins in dependence on the magnetic field strength which can be excited (spin resonance) by application of an electromagnetic alternating field (RF field) of defined frequency (so-called Larmor frequency, or MR frequency). From a macroscopic point of view the distribution of the individual nuclear spins produces an overall magnetization which can be deflected out of the state of equilibrium by application of an electromagnetic pulse of appropriate frequency (RF pulse), so that the magnetization performs a precessional motion about the z-axis. The precessional motion describes a surface of a cone whose angle of aperture is referred to as flip angle. The magnitude of the flip angle is dependent on the strength and the duration of the applied electromagnetic pulse. In the case of a so-called 90° pulse, the spins are deflected from the z axis to the transverse plane (flip angle) 90°.
After termination of the RF pulse, the magnetization relaxes back to the original state of equilibrium, in which the magnetization in the z direction is built up again with a first time constant T1 (spin lattice or longitudinal relaxation time), and the magnetization in the direction perpendicular to the z direction relaxes with a second time constant T2 (spin-spin or transverse relaxation time). The variation of the magnetization can be detected by means of receiving RF coils which are arranged and oriented within an examination volume of the MR device in such a manner that the variation of the magnetization is measured in the direction perpendicular to the z-axis. The decay of the transverse magnetization is accompanied, after application of, for example, a 90° pulse, by a transition of the nuclear spins (induced by local magnetic field inhomogeneities) from an ordered state with the same phase to a state in which all phase angles are uniformly distributed (dephasing). The dephasing can be compensated by means of a refocusing pulse (for example a 180° pulse). This produces an echo signal (spin echo) in the receiving coils.
To realize spatial resolution in the body, constant magnetic field gradients extending along the three main axes are superposed on the uniform magnetic field, leading to a linear spatial dependency of the spin resonance frequency. The signal picked up in the receiving coils then contains components of different frequencies which can be associated with different locations in the body. The signal data obtained via the receiving coils corresponds to the spatial frequency domain and is called k-space data. The k-space data usually includes multiple lines acquired with different phase encoding. Each line is digitized by collecting a number of samples. A set of k-space data is converted to a MR image by means of an image reconstruction algorithm.
In the known so-called three-dimensional (3D) stack-of-stars acquisition scheme (see, e.g., WO 2013/159044 A1), a number of spatially non-selective or slab-selective RF excitations is applied, each followed by the acquisition of one or more MR signals (e.g. gradient echo signals), wherein each MR signal represents a k-space profile. The MR signals are acquired as radial k-space profiles from a number of parallel slices. The slices are arranged at different positions along a slice direction. In the slice direction (e.g. the kz-direction) standard Cartesian phase-encoding is performed, while the MR signals are acquired within each single slice along radial "spokes" that are rotated around the center (kx=ky=0). This results in a cylindrical k-space coverage composed of stacked discs ("stack-of-stars"). Technically, this is realized by generating magnetic field gradients in the in-plane directions of the slices simultaneously and modulating their amplitudes. Different schemes can be used for selecting the temporal order of the k-space profile acquisition steps. E.g., all phase-encoding steps along the slice direction can be acquired sequentially before k-space profiles at different angular positions are acquired. This ensures that periods of Cartesian sampling are kept short, which leads to high data consistency within the stack of slices and preserves the general motion-robustness of radial sampling for the stack-of-stars approach. The Cartesian phase-encoding steps may be performed from the center slice to the k-space periphery (centric out), or in linear order from −kz, max to +kz, max. For the angular ordering, the imaging sequence can use either equidistant angular sampling with multiple interleaves or the so-called golden angle-scheme. In the equidistant scheme, the angular distance is calculated according to ΔΦ=180°/ntotal where ntotal is the total number of spokes. It may be beneficial to acquire the spokes using multiple interleaves (or "rotations") because the interleaving reduces temporal coherences in k-space. Thus, motion inconsistencies are spread out in k-space and artefacts are attenuated. In the golden angle-scheme, the angle of the k-space profile is incremented each time by ΔΦ=111.25°, which corresponds to 180° multiplied by the golden ratio. Also known are so-called pseudo golden angle and tiny golden angle schemes, which are herein all regarded as falling under the general term "golden angle-scheme". In such golden angle-schemes, subsequently sampled spokes always add complementary information while filling the largest gaps within the previously sampled set of spokes. As a consequence, any sequential set of acquired spokes covers k-space approximately uniformly, which enables reconstruction of temporal sub-frames and makes the golden-angle scheme well-suited for dynamic imaging studies.
The afore-described 3D radial stack-of-stars scheme offers several promising advantages for clinical MR imaging like benign aliasing artifacts and a continuous updating of k-space center. However, although its intrinsic motion-robustness, the acquired MR images may still be affected to a certain extent by motion.
To overcome this difficulty, gating techniques have been developed accepting only MR signal data acquired within a certain predefined respiratory gating window. To cope with potential drift problems, a multi-gating window approach (referred to as PAWS, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,451 B1) has been proposed using a number of individual motion states (bins) rather than one pre-defined gating window. Each of the motion states corresponds to one of a plurality of contiguous ranges of motion-induced displacements of the body under examination. The final MR image in PAWS is reconstructed from the MR signal data attributed the motion state for which a complete set of MR signal samples is acquired first. All other MR signal data are then discarded.
It is further known that MR signal data of a radial acquisition in combination with a golden angle-scheme may be retrospectively attributed to motion states similar to the PAWS approach. An MR image may then be reconstructed from the MR signal data attributed to the motion state for which the largest amount of MR signal data has been acquired. Alternatively, a constrained reconstruction may be applied which simultaneously reconstructs MR images for all motion states using the correlations between the different motion states. This approach utilizes all acquired data leading to 100% scan efficiency.
Although golden angle sampling provides quasi-uniform angular distribution of radial k-space profiles within an arbitrary acquisition interval, the MR signal data attributed to each respiratory motion state are not necessarily well distributed. There is no guarantee that combining MR signal data from multiple time intervals will results in well distributed angular sampling of the acquired radial k-space profiles. A potential clustering and large gaps between the radial profiles may reduce the image quality of the reconstructed MR images.
The international application WO2016/069602 concerns an adaptive real time radial k-space sampling trajectory (ARKS). The ARKS-acquisition responds to a physiologic feedback signal to reduce motion effects. Instructions to a acquire a new radial projection are sent from the physiological signal analysis.

MR imaging using motion-dependent radial or spiral k-space sampling


A circuit arrangement with standby mode minimizing power and/or current consumption having a mains AC power supply terminals and an active circuit capable of converting said mains AC power to lower voltage DC levels for operating in an active mode or in a standby mode as required by an appliance such that the selection of the current sensing resistor value for said current sensing resistor limits the maximum peak current through the FET so that the current sensing resistor arrangement is capable of providing significant increases in a steeper rise time of the current at around mains AC power supply zero crossing, so that current is pulled high while the mains AC power supply voltage is low.

It is now well recognised that most conventional households as well as commercial premises include a wide variety of electrical products that contain power supplies in order for the appliance to be able to convert the property's mains AC power supply to a usable DC (direct current) to power the relevant electrical appliance or device into operation.
While it may seem a straight forward arrangement for a standard power supply to simply step down the incoming mains AC power supply voltage to a workable DC level, these days however more functionality is required from such devices.
Not only does the power supply technology need to be able to switch from an active mode to a standby mode, it needs to do so with an efficiency so that even in the standby mode when there still is the requirement for the appliance or application to draw some electrical power, that the drawing of this electrical power to supply enough current to devices such as control circuits, micro-controllers and status indicators and so forth in the appliance is done so in an arrangement that meets the requirements now placed by many governments and certification systems demanding not only the simple functionality of having active and standby modes but also the efficiency and the energy savings to operate when each of these modes is selected.
Therefore modern day technology and requirements of a standard power supply system will demand that it provides functionality to present an active mode for the powered device which means that the circuit arrangement allows through the whole of the current necessary for the active circuit, with a minimal voltage drop, and without needless power consumption in this active mode but also in the standby mode the device is also required to be adapted to supply enough current to supply those circuits and controllers still operating in the standby mode of the appliance.
At present there are several methods available including linear regulation, step down transformers and switch mode power supply switches that attempt to provide suitable arrangements in order to establish operable active and standby modes with the required current supply for each mode with the functionality of the electrical appliance to be realised when in use or in standby.
Nonetheless there are problems with conventional linear regulators utilising resistors and/or capacitors. While linear regulators may maintain the desired output voltage by dissipating excess power in ohmic losses, regrettably a linear regulator will just regulate either output voltage or current by dissipating the excess electrical power in the form of heat, and hence its maximum power efficiency in voltage out/voltage in is unacceptable since the volt difference is wasted.
Accordingly these kinds of linear power supplies make them unsuitable in today's environment where emphasis is on saving energy and protecting the environment and so forth by reducing energy consumption.
In order to obtain far greater efficiencies and minimise this wasted energy of linear regulators in the standby mode, sophisticated power supplies that include a semiconductor switcher are now being used. For example a switch mode power supply wherein incorporated into the overall design of the power supply is a switching regulator which is adapted to transfer power from a source-like electrical power grid such as the mains AC power supply to the household appliance while converting voltage and current characteristics. For the most part switch mode power supplies are capable of efficiently providing a regulated output voltage in the standby mode.
Nonetheless any circuit that includes a switching mode power supply at the expense of a more simplified linear power supply introduces complexity into the design which could increase manufacturing costs and so forth, and also as a switch mode power supply operates on the procedure of switching mode supply between full on and full off states by simply varying the ratio of 'on' to 'off' time of the output signal, this may lead to the generation of high amplitude, high frequency energy, resulting potentially to radio frequency interference (RFI) and/or electro-magnetic interference (EMI), unless expensive and complex filtering is included with the switching circuit arrangement.
Therefore as can be observed from the above conventional methods available for the power supply of adequate current to appliances when they are in either an active mode or standby mode, seems to be lacking in a solution that can not only be simple such as linear regulators in order to provide a current level suitable to operate the device in standby mode but without the losses, but also an arrangement like a switching regulator that provides the high efficiency and energy saving that one would expect from the utilisation of the complicated switch mode power supply arrangements, but without the potential problems associated with RFI, EMI and the complexity of design.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a circuit arrangement with a standby mode minimising power and/or current consumption that will be able to provide the necessary current to the device during the standby mode for the device's control circuits, micro controllers, status indicators and so forth to operate in the standby mode, but to operate in this standby mode without simply drawing a linear powered supply, but in fact having a regulated power supply during the standby mode, wherein the regulating activity is not leading to the creation of RFI and EMI problems.

AC-DC converter with adaptive current supply minimising power consumption


A pay out system for paying out a flexible elongated element such as a filament, connecting a first object such as an air vehicle, to a second object such as a launcher, includes a bobbin carried by the first object and having a first flexible elongated element wound therearound one end of which is connected to the first object and the opposite end of which is connected to the second object by a second flexible elongated element wound in loop form on a second bobbin adjacent to the second object. A tension sensor senses the tension in the second flexible elongated element. A clutch normally couples the second bobbin to the tension sensor but is effective, when the tension in the second flexible elongated element reaches a predetermined value, to decouple the second bobbin and to permit it to rotate in a direction to pay out the second flexible elongated element from the second bobbin.

The present invention relates to a pay out system for paying out a flexible elongated element between two relatively movable objects, and also to a tension limiter device included in such a system.
The term "flexible elongated element" is used herein in a very broad sense, and is intended to include not only filaments, such as metal wires or optical fibers, but other types of devices, such as fluid-conducting tubes, radio-frequency waveguides, and the like, which may be payed out from one object moving relative to another object. The invention is particularly useful in a filament (e.g., metal wire or optical fiber) pay out system for an air vehicle launched from a launcher, and is therefore described below with respect to this application, but it will be appreciated that the invention could advantageously be used with respect to systems including other types of flexible elongated elements such as mentioned above.
Some types of air vehicles launched from a launcher are guided by a filament which is payed out as the air vehicle moves away from the launcher. The filament serves to feed the control commands to the air vehicle, and also to relay data sensed by the air vehicle back to the site of the launcher. The older systems used metal wire filaments for this purpose, but more recent systems use optical fiber filaments. In both cases the filaments are of very small diameter and therefore very light in weight, but nevertheless the filaments may be subjected to a substantial tension caused by wind drag as the filament is payed out because of the long length of the filament and the long time it is in the air. If the tension becomes excessive, the filament may break which would cause a catastrophic interruption in the communication with the air vehicle.

Pay out system and tension limiter device included therein

State of Israel, Ministry of Defence-Rafael-Armament Development Authority


A backlight and a control method for the backlight, and a display device are disclosed; a backlight includes: at least two light sources with different color temperatures and a control module configured to adjust a color temperature of the backlight by respectively controlling a drive current of each light source.

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have been widely applied in devices such as computer monitors, notebook computers, mobile phones and LCD TVs due to the advantages of small size, low power, low radiation, etc. A conventional LCD mainly comprises an LCD panel and a backlight. As the LCD panel cannot emit light, it is necessary to rely on the backlight to provide a light source for display operation.
However, after the manufacturing process of the LCD, the color temperature of a backlight is fixed, the color temperature of the LCD comprising the backlight is mainly adjusted by adjusting the deflection of liquid crystal molecules corresponding to monochromatic sub-pixel units such as red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels in the LCD panel via software means. But the adjustment method will significantly affect the transmittance ratio of the LCD panel. For instance, in general, when the variation of the color temperature reaches about 1,000 K, the transmittance ratio will be reduced by 10%, and hence the overall image quality of the display can be severely affected.

Backlight, control method thereof and display device

Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


Methods for rotating cryptographic keys to revoke access to encrypted data stored on a remote server. Obtaining a first cryptographic key from a key store. Generating a second cryptographic key at a user device. Obtaining a first chunk of data from an encrypted file stored on the remote server. Decrypting the first chunk of data using the first cryptographic key to provide a decrypted first chunk of data. Re-encrypting the decrypted first chunk of data using the second cryptographic key to provide a re-encrypted first chunk of data. Uploading the re-encrypted first chunk of data to the remote server from non-persistent storage. Repeating the steps until an entire encrypted file has been decrypted and re-encrypted. Combining all the re-encrypted chunks of the encrypted file to provide a reassembled encrypted file that is associated with the second cryptographic key. Updating the remote server with the reassembled encrypted file associated with the second cryptographic key. Storing the second cryptographic key in place of the first cryptographic key.

Cloud storage of data is very popular. A cloud storage provider offers the ability to place and retain data in an off-site storage system without having to maintain physical equipment on site. Data storage service providers (DSSP) generally use cryptographic tools to ensure the security of the stored data. Cryptographic tools involve encrypting and decrypting the stored data using cryptographic keys, either symmetric (single key) or asymmetric (public and private key pair). The DSSP generally provides the client application/module that enables a user of a user device (separate from the DSSP) to encrypt and decrypt the data stored by the DSSP. Generally, using the client application, a user creates a unique master password that is used for access to the encrypted files on the DSSP server.
In some cases a DSSP provides functionality for a first user to securely access shared data, belonging to a second user or the DSSP provides functionality for, for example, a business administrator, to securely provide access for selected users. In both of these cases, a second user or a business administrator can revoke access to selected data for a first user. However, the process for revoking access to data for the first user can often be complicated, time consuming and may result in errors. Accordingly, improved systems for revoking access are desired.

Methods, systems and computer program products for rotating cryptographic keys for encrypted files


The invention provides a method and system for presenting information in a web document using a program applet to restrict further copying or redistribution. The web document includes a first region in which a graphical element or other information is displayed, and a second region covering the first region in which a program applet is invoked by a server for the web document. The program applet is dynamically created upon access, and assigned a serial number. The program applet contacts the server for permission to display the graphical element or other information; thus, the server can control, by granting or denying permission, when and if the program applet displays the graphical or other information. The program applet can be subjected by the server to one or more of a variety of restrictions, such as: a limit on the number of times the information is displayed, a time limit, a requirement for a password or other security authentication, a requirement that the program applet is executing at a selected device or from a selected web document, or other requirements the server may deem fit to impose.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to web documents.
2. Description of the Related Art
"Web documents" are hypertext documents, including information and capable of including hypertext pointers to other web documents. Other web documents can be located on the same computer or on another computer in a network of computers, the largest such network of which is commonly known as the "internet" (but such networks may be independent networks or may be part of a private network commonly known as an "intranet"). The information in web documents can include text, graphical elements, program applets, and other information formats.
One problem which has arisen in the art is that servers of web documents desire to be able to present information to web clients, without those web clients being able to copy that information and retain it permanently. This problem is particularly acute for graphical information, which must be transmitted to the web client display, but once transmitted can be retained and even edited by the web client using graphical editing tools.
Known web documents sometimes include reduced-size ("thumbnail") graphical elements, which substitute for full size graphical elements and allow the user of the web client to have an idea of the nature of the full size graphical element. Payment can be required before the user of the web client is given access to the full size graphical element.
While this method has some value in preventing wholesale copying of graphical elements and other information from web documents, it suffers from several drawbacks. First, the web client can copy the information from the thumbnail graphical element, and the user of that web client can use graphical editing tools to enhance the quality of the thumbnail graphical element. Second, once the user has paid for the full size graphical element, there is nothing (other than possible legal restrictions) preventing the user from copying and redistributing that full size graphical element.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a method and system for presenting graphical elements and other information in web documents, without allowing web clients unrestricted ability to copy and redistribute that information. This advantage is achieved in an embodiment of the invention in which each graphical element in a web document is protected by a program applet, which can display the graphical element or other information for a limited time.

Secure graphical objects in web documents


A fuse includes an insulative body, a primary fuse element extending within the body, a fuse state indicator extending on an exterior surface of the body and electrically connected in parallel with the primary fuse element, and first and second ferrules coupled to opposing ends of the fuse body and electrically connecting the primary fuse element and the fuse state indicator. At least one of the ferrules includes a recessed contact area establishing electrical connection to the fuse state indicator.

This invention relates generally to fuses and, more particularly, to fuses with a fuse state indicator.
Fuses are widely used as overcurrent protection devices to prevent costly damage to electrical circuits. Fuse terminals typically form an electrical connection between an electrical power source and an electrical component or a combination of components arranged in an electrical circuit. A fusible link is connected between the fuse terminals, so that when electrical current flowing through the fuse exceeds a predetermined limit, the fusible link melts and opens the circuit through the fuse to prevent electrical component damage.
Fuse indicators have been developed for various types of fuses to facilitate identification of inoperable fuses due to an opened fuse link. One type of fuse state indicator includes conductive thin metallic films extending on an outer surface of a insulative fuse body. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,459,357, 6,456,189, 6,292,087, and 5,994,993. In such fuses, one or more layers of metallic film extend on the outer surface of an insulative fuse body between conductive end caps or terminals, sometimes referred to as ferrules, that are attached to the opposite ends of the fuse body with a crimping operation. A conductive path is therefore established through the metallic films for fuse state indication, and the conductive path through the metallic film is established in parallel with the primary fuse link. When the primary fuse link operates to open the electrical circuit therethrough, current flows through the thin metallic films which visibly indicate the operational state of the fuse. Opened fuses may therefore be readily identified and replaced.
Termination of the thin metallic films to the ferrules of the fuse has proven problematic. It is difficult to attach the ferrules to the indicator without damaging the indicator. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,459,357, 6,292,087 and 5,994,993 each include conductive leads to connect the indicator to the respective ferrules. The conductive leads complicate the construction and manufacture of the fuse, as well as introduce potential reliability issues in operation.
Moreover, undesirable electrical arcing from ferrule-to-ferrule may occur when known fuse state indicators including thin metallic films operate to indicate an opened fuse. Especially in smaller fuses having a reduced longitudinal distance or separation between the ferrules of the fuse (e.g., fuses having an axial length of about two inches or less), the tendency for arcing on the exterior of the fuse body between the ferrules has been demonstrated. As the ferrules are crimped to the fuse body, initial electrical contact between the metallic film indicators and the ferrules is made at the edges of the ferrules where they are crimped to the fuse body. When the fuse state indicator operates, and especially when the indicator opens near the ferrules, metallic vapors are generated at the contact points between the ferrules and the indicator. Uncontrolled discharge of metallic vapor is believed to contribute to ferrule-to-ferrule arcing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,189 describes conductive rings attached to a fuse body in electrical connection with the fuse state indicator, and conductive ferrules are attached over the conductive rings to complete a conductive path through the indicator. The construction appears to at least partially obviate conditions that create electrical arcing between the ferrules, but the conductive rings introduce additional components and associated cost to the fuse construction.


A system for designing a room using a browser connected to a system remote to the browser. The perspective view of the room is displayed. Specification is accepted of furnishings to be added to the room. Simplified images of the furnishings are displayed in the perspective view of the room. Manipulation of the simplified images of the furnishings is accepted and displayed. The room is rendered with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings in the perspective view of the room. The substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings are obtained from the remote system, and the room is rendered in accordance with the manipulation of the simplified images so as to present corresponding perspective views of the furnishings. Preferably, specification of properties for the furnishings also are accepted and displayed. When the room is rendered, the room preferably is rendered with photorealistic perspective images also in accordance with the specification of independent properties. Specification of a recommended group of furnishings also preferably is accepted.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns designing a room on a browser connected to a remote system through, for example, the World Wide Web or another network connection. In particular, the invention concerns interactively designing a room by specifying attributes for the room, interactively specifying and manipulating plural images of furnishing such as furniture in simplified form in a perspective view of the room, and then rendering a perspective view of the furnishings in the room using photorealistic images acquired from the remote system.
2. Description of the Art
Online commerce is rapidly becoming an important part of the World Wide Web. Users can connect to the web using web browsers, view photorealistic images of desired products on their browsers, and then order those products. Web sites now exist where users can view and purchase furnishings for a room, for example furniture, rugs, draperies, wall paper and the like. These web sites allow a user to view photorealistic images of prearranged settings that include the furnishings.
Conventionally, users can specify properties for a group of the furnishing in one of these settings, for example an appearance (e.g., color) of materials used for furniture in the setting. The photorealistic image of the setting can then be updated based on the specified properties.
However, conventional web sites do not permit users to add user-specified furnishings to one of these settings and then to view a photorealistic perspective image of the setting with the added furnishings. For example, conventional web sites do not allow users to add a chair or a couch to a setting in order to see how the chair or couch looks in a photorealistic perspective rendering of the setting. Conventional web sites also do not allow users to move individual furnishings independently around in a perspective view of a setting. Furthermore, conventional web sites do not allow users to specify independent properties for individual furnishings.
Thus, at conventional web sites, users cannot view a photorealistic image of a room designed to include a desired set of furnishings, with each furnishing having an individually specified position and orientation and individually specified properties. As a result, users cannot experiment with how their own combinations of furnishings will look, but rather are limited to viewing predefined combinations of furnishings in predefined settings. For example, users cannot see how any one given furnishing will work with their own previously acquired furnishings in a particular room setting.
Because of the foregoing deficiencies, users tend not to purchase furniture and other furnishings online. Rather, they tend to insist on actually seeing the furnishings in, for example, a showroom of a traditional xe2x80x9cbrick and mortarxe2x80x9d store. As a result, online sales of furnishings, and in particular of furniture, have not realized their full potential.
An object of the invention is to allow a user to design a room, and in particular to specify furnishings for the room, using a web browser connected to a remote system. Another object of the invention is to allow the user to design the room even if the user is connected to the remote system across a relatively slow connection (e.g., a modem-based connection across the World Wide Web).
Accordingly, one aspect of the invention allows a user to interactively and independently manipulate simplified images of furnishings in a perspective view of a room displayed by a browser. An example of the simplified images are wire frame images. Preferably, the user also can specify independent properties for the furnishings in the room. When the user is satisfied with the arrangement and properties of the furnishings, the user can have the room rendered with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings.
By virtue of the invention, the user can design a room that includes many different types and style of furnishings in a vast array of arrangements. Because the furnishings can be independently specified and manipulated, the user has great flexibility in designing the room. Thus, the user can see how selected furnishings will work together in a real-world setting, increasing the possibility that the user will purchase the modeled furnishings online.
In addition, the simplified images of the furnishings can be manipulated as soon as the simplified images are obtained by the browser. As a result, the user can manipulate the simplified images without having to wait for substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings to be obtained by the browser. Obtaining such substantially photorealistic perspective images can take a significant amount of time. Thus, this invention allows the user more rapidly to begin to manipulate images of the furnishings. As a result, the user""s viewing experience is improved, thereby further increasing the possibility that the user will purchase the modeled furnishings online.
Furthermore, because the images are provided by the remote site, the invention allows the user to view arrangements of currently available real-world furnishings in a perspective view of a room. As a result, the party operating the remote site can ensure that any modeled furnishings are available for purchase.
Preferably, the substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings are obtained by the browser while the user manipulates the simplified images and specifies properties for the furnishings. Thus, the user need not wait for all of the substantially photorealistic perspective images to be obtained in order to have the room rendered. The amount of time spent by the user waiting for images to be obtained is therefore reduced, further improving the user""s viewing experience.
Accordingly, one preferred embodiment of the invention is a method for designing a room using a browser connected to a system remote to the browser. A perspective view of the room is displayed. Specification is accepted of individual furnishings to be added to the room. Simplified images of the individual furnishings are displayed in the perspective view of the room. Independent manipulation of the simplified images of the individual furnishings is accepted and displayed in the perspective view of the room. In this context, the term xe2x80x9cindependentxe2x80x9d means independent of manipulation of other furnishings in the room. The room is rendered with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the individual furnishings in the perspective view of the room. The substantially photorealistic perspective images are obtained from the remote system, and the room is rendered in accordance with the independent manipulation of the simplified images so as to present corresponding perspective views of the individual furnishings.
The furnishings according to the invention can include furniture. The furnishings also can include room accessories other than furniture, for example rugs, draperies, wall paper and the like.
Preferably, at least part of the substantially photorealistic perspective images are obtained from the remote system while the simplified images are being independently manipulated. Furthermore, accepting and displaying independent manipulation of the simplified images preferably involves accepting and displaying independent position changes for the simplified images in the perspective view of the room, as well as accepting and displaying independent orientation changes for the simplified images in the perspective view of the room. Preferably, accepting and displaying manipulation of the simplified images also involves scaling the simplified image within the perspective view of the room in accordance with the position changes.
By virtue of the foregoing operations, the invention allows a user to design a room that includes many different types and style of furnishings in a vast array of arrangements and to view a photorealistic perspective view of the room including the furnishings.
In the preferred embodiment, independent properties are accepted and displayed for the individual furnishings. In this context, the term xe2x80x9cindependentxe2x80x9d means that the properties do not have to be related to properties for other furnishings in the room. Preferably, the simplified images are displayed also in accordance with the specification of independent properties. Likewise, when the room is rendered, the room preferably is rendered with photorealistic perspective images also in accordance with the specification of independent properties. Examples of properties that can be specified include, but are not limited to, a manufacturer for the furnishings, a style for the furnishings, a color scheme for the furnishings, or a material used in the furnishings. At least part of the substantially photorealistic perspective images preferably are obtained from the remote system while the independent properties are being specified.
By virtue of these operations, the invention allows a user to combine many different types of furnishings with many different properties in a designed room. Thus, when the room is rendered with substantially photorealistic perspective images, the user can see how the different types of furnishings appear together.
Preferably, specification of a recommended group of furnishings also is accepted. When a recommended group of furnishings has been specified, the step of accepting and displaying independent manipulation of the simplified images also accepts and displays independent manipulation of the simplified images of the furnishings included in the recommended group. Likewise, the step of rendering the room also renders the room with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the furnishings included in the recommended group. Independent properties also are accepted and displayed for individually specified furnishings and for the furnishings in the recommended group. When the room is rendered, the room is rendered with photorealistic perspective images also in accordance with the specification of independent properties.
By virtue of these operations, the invention allows a user to start with a recommended group of furnishings. Then, the user can independently manipulate and change the properties of the furnishings in the recommended group to suit the user""s own needs and tastes.
The preferred embodiment also accepts and displays specification of attributes for the room, for example a size of the room. When the perspective view of the room is displayed, the view is displayed in accordance with the specification of attributes for the room.
These operations allow a user to tailor the setting for the furnishings to reflect a particular room that the user desires to design.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method of providing images and code for designing a room to a browser connected to a system remote to the browser. According to the method, rotatable and scalable substantially photorealistic perspective images of different types of furnishings are generated. The substantially photorealistic perspective images for each different type of furnishing differ according to properties for that type of furnishing. Rotatable and scalable simplified images of the different types of furnishings also are generated. The substantially photorealistic perspective images and the simplified images are placed on the remote system for access by the browser. Also placed on the remote system is code for enabling the browser to design a room using the simplified images and the substantially photorealistic perspective images. The images and code are provided from the remote system to the browser responsive to requests from the browser.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is a method for designing a room using a browser connected to a system remote to the browser. According to the method, a user specifies individual furnishings to be displayed in a perspective view of the room. The user independently manipulates simplified images of the individual furnishings in the perspective view of the room. The user also preferably specifies independent properties for the individual furnishing. When the user is satisfied with the arrangement and properties for the furnishings, the user instructs the browser to render the room with substantially photorealistic perspective images of the individual furnishings in the perspective view of the room. The substantially photorealistic perspective images are obtained from the remote system.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is code which enables a user to design a room using a browser as set forth above.
Of course, speed is not always a consideration for a user. In addition, other solutions to enhancing speed of a room designer may be developed. Thus, in another aspect the invention is a room designer that allows a user to interactively and independently manipulate any types of images, for example photorealistic images, of furnishings in a perspective view of a room displayed by a browser. Embodiments of this aspect of the invention include a method and code that allow a user to so design a room using a browser.
This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention may be obtained by reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the attached drawings.


An operating head, such as a hair trimming device, is mechanically and electrically connected to a power supply unit, for example in the form of a handle, by a bayonet coupling, with a female member on the handle and a male member on the trimming device. The male member has a plug part that engages slidably into a sleeve portion of the female member and has pin projections for cooperation with bayonet slots in the sleeve portion. Electrical contacts are arranged centrally within the plug part and the sleeve portion which themselves form further electrical contacts. A shroud surrounds the male member and engages the handle through a seal to prevent water ingress to the electrical contacts.

A very well known kind of coupling is a bayonet coupling in which a male coupling member is insertable into a cylindrical sleeve portion of a female member and has radially projecting pins for cooperation with slots formed in the sleeve portion. Such bayonet couplings are widely used to provide secure, but releasable mechanical connections between two parts. Bayonet couplings are also widely used for obtaining disconnectable electrical connections, such as in connecting a light bulb removably to a lamp holder. However, alternative coupling arrangements have generally been relied upon for use where a strong waterproof electrical connection is desired between parts that are also to be secured together firmly, as may be required in a hand-held personal care appliance, such as a safety razor which is immersed in water in normal use.


A method for reserving conference resources includes communicating a conference notification to each of a plurality of conference invitees. The conference notification is associated with a multipoint conference. The method includes receiving, from each of a first number of the plurality of conference invitees, a response to the conference notification indicating that the invitee will participate on the multipoint conference. The first number of the plurality of invitees comprises participating invitees. The method includes automatically determining, based on the responses to the conference notifications, a sufficient amount of resources to allow the participating invitees to communicate on the multipoint conference. The method also includes automatically reserving the determined sufficient amount of resources and hosting the multipoint conference between the participating invitees using the reserved resources.

Historically, telecommunications have involved the transmission of voice and fax signals over a network dedicated to telecommunications, such as the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) were are Private Brage Exchange (PBX). Similarly, data communications between computers have been historically transmitted on a dedicated data network, such a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN). Currently telecommunications and data transmissions are being merged into a integrated communication network using technology such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). Since many LANs and WANs transmit computer data using Intranet Protocol (IP), VOIP uses this existing technology to transmit voice and fax signals by converting these signals into digital data and encapsulating the data for transmission over an IP network.
Traditional communication networks often support multipoint conferences between a number of participants using different communication devices. A multipoint conference unit (MCU) is used to couple these devices, which allows users from distributed geographic locations to participate in the conference. The conference may be audio only (e.g., a teleconference) or may include video conferencing/broadcasting.
Conference systems utilize various resources when hosting a conference, and one of the key resources that conference administrators may need to indicate when setting up a conference call is the number of ports required for the conference. However, given the ambiguity regarding the availability of participants, conferences are usually setup reserving more ports than are required. Most meeting reservation systems (e.g., Microsoft Outlook) allow only three choices for an invited attendee to handle a meeting: accept, decline, or defer decision for later (e.g., "maybe" or "tentative"). These choices are insufficient to adequately book resources such as video ports, audio ports, seats, meals, rooms, or even to determine the expected attendance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for reserving resources of a multipoint conference


A system including a location server configured to receive registration data from an IP device and a location database configured to store location information of the IP device, wherein the location server queries the location database to determine whether the registration data matches the location information stored at the location database.

For a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) service, telephone numbers are tied to a physical infrastructure and known physical addresses. If a user places a 911 call from a telephone having one of these stationary telephone numbers, the physical address for the telephone can be determined by querying an Automatic Location Identification (ALI) database.
For Internet Protocol (IP) phones, the above scenario is not possible because the IP phones can be easily moved from one physical location to another. These IP phones can re-register for service wherever the IP phone can establish an IP connection. In addition, IP phones can be located as "softphones"—software-implemented phones—on IP-capable mobile devices, such as laptops and handheld devices.
Another problem is an IP phone can be assigned a traditional telephone number (e.g., NPA-XXX-XXXX) that is normally associated with a totally different number plan area (area code) and prefix from its actual physical location. The IP phone having a corresponding telephone number may not have a relationship to its corresponding number plan area and prefix for its home location even for an IP phone physically at its home location.
Yet another problem is that several different IP phones, each of which are located at different physical locations, can be registered to the same traditional telephone number. This would be a generalization of the concept of phone extensions, except that for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP, also known as Internet Telephony), the extensions can be geographically dispersed and nomadic. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the location of each of the IP phones.


An addressing apparatus and method may be obtained in a data conveyance network by providing modular circuits with an addressing circuit and incorporating a coupling sense circuit. When a modular circuit is connected into the data conveyance modular network, the coupling sense circuit allows for a assignment token to be passed to the modular circuit such that the modular circuit can determine addresses of time slots which are to be allocated to it. The assignment token is only passed amongst the modular circuits at initial turn on of the data conveyance modular network or when a reset condition occurs which is triggered by a data conveyance controller.

Data conveyance systems, or data communication systems, are known to comprise a data bus and a plurality of peripheral circuits that access the data bus. In some systems, one of plurality of peripheral circuits is designated as a data control circuit to coordinate access the data bus to prevent several peripheral circuits accessing the data bus at the same time. Yet in other systems, the system may further comprise a data controller module that coordinates access to the data bus. The data bus is typically a digital data bus and may incorporate time division multiplexing (TDM). A TDM digital bus is time divided in to time slots and each time slot has an address based on a time relationship within a frame cycle. For the peripheral circuits to transmit and receive data either to other units or to the data controller, they must be exclusively assigned at least one time slot.
In many applications, the data conveyance system or modular network, physically comprises a card cage with a limited number of connectors such that peripheral, or modular, circuits may be plugged into the card cage. The connectors are usually coupled together by a back plane which also supports the TDM bus. Typically, the time slots are assigned to modular circuits based on their physical location within the card cage. This results because the card cage is hard wired to the back plane such that the first connector typically is allocated the first time slot. This presents a problem in that if a connector is empty or is connected to a modular that does not need to access the TDM bus, at least one time slot is still assigned to the connector, thus wasting at least one time slot.
An alternative to having fixed time slot addresses is to have each modular circuit contain a specific time slot address such that regardless of its position in the card cage it will know which time slot to access in the TDM bus. This presents a problem in that, if DIP switches are used to establish the time slot address, manual operations are required which could result in an error occurring.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that eliminates the hard wiring addressing scheme of time slots and also eliminates the need for manual programming of time slot addresses on each module.

Addressing method and apparatus for a data conveyance modular network


A metal plate on a multi-die LED emitter substrate or a metal plate on a metal-core printed circuit board (MCPCB) that attaches to the emitter substrate (or both plates) can be fabricated with a number of generally radial grooves, at least some of which extend to the peripheral edge of the plate. These grooves can provide channels that allow air to escape during solder-bonding processes, reducing the size and/or total area of solder voids and thereby improving thermal transfer between the emitter and the MCPCB.

The present disclosure is related to connecting components, and in particular to providing a grooved metal plate to reduce solder voids when components are soldered together.
Lighting devices systems based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are of considerable interest. In some lighting devices, multiple LED dies are mounted on a single substrate and electrically connected to each other to form an emitter. In operation, an emitter can generate considerable heat, which needs to be transferred away to protect the LEDs from damage due to overheating. Emitters have been fabricated, e.g., by LedEngin, Inc., assignee of the present application, with a large metal plate on the bottom of the substrate to facilitate heat transfer. The emitter substrate is typically mounted on a supporting surface, such as a metal-core printed circuit board (MCPCB) that has a large metal plate to match the one on the emitter. The two plates can be soldered together to provide heat transfer from the emitter into the MCPCB, and heat from the MCPCB can be further transferred to a heat sink.

Grooved plate for improved solder bonding


A miter coupling and method for using the miter coupling to join a pair of square metal tubes at a desired angle using a welding process. The miter coupling, in a preferred embodiment, comprises a single piece of metal formed into a shape that is adapted to receive the ends of two square metal tubes at a desired angle. The miter coupling is shaped to form a pair of parallel elbow members, where the elbow members are formed into a desired angle, and the elbow members are interconnected by a cross support.

The present invention relates generally to techniques and devices for welding or otherwise joining metal support structures together. More specifically, the present invention includes a miter coupling and a method of using such a miter coupling to join together a pair of metal tubes at a desired angle.
Typically, when charged with the task of joining together a pair of metal tubes having a square cross section (square metal tubes), a metal worker must cut an end of each tube to the desired angle, weld the tour sides of the tubes together, and then grind the weld down so that the joint has a smooth outer surface. This procedure, which is used during the production of many types of products, such as supports, frames, scaffolding, and the like, is very labor intensive and results in a joint that has inherently limited strength. Alternatively, when it is necessary to join the square metal tubes to form a 90 degree angle, instead of cutting each tube to form a 45 degree angle and welding the cut edges together, a metal worker may simply weld the open end of one tube to the side of the second tube adjacent the open end thereof. However, this method leaves an open end of the second tube exposed (thus requiring an end cap in many applications), further requires a grinding of the weld, and again results in an inherently weak joint.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a device and method for welding together two square metal tubes at a desired angle in a way that would provide for a high strength joint, and would be less labor intensive and less expensive than other methods.


A data retransmission method and device are provided to resolve a problem of lacking in a retransmission scheme supporting retransmission via different connections in the prior art. In one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises: upon determining that a transmission node corresponding to a terminal satisfies a multi-transmission node retransmission criterion, selecting, by a target protocol layer in a transmitting device and responsible for managing transmission via multiple transmission nodes, and for a retransmission data packet corresponding to the terminal, at least one transmission node; and performing, via the selected transmission node, data packet retransmission. The embodiment is employed to select, upon determining that a transmission node corresponding to a terminal satisfies the multi-transmission node retransmission criterion, and for a retransmission data packet corresponding to the terminal, at least one transmission node, thereby implementing retransmission via different connects, further increasing reliability and throughput of transmission in a system.

There are generally three categories of services in future mobile communication systems:
enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) communication;
massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC); and
Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC).
Ultra-dense networking is a trend in the developing future mobile communication systems, and in order to manage a large number of distributed processing nodes centrally at the control plane in the case of ultra-dense networking, a part of protocol functions shall be performed centrally, thus resulting in a dual-layer architecture including a centralized processing node and distributed processing node, where the distributed processing node are also referred to Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs), and the centralized processing node can be subdivided into a control plane of the centralized processing node, and a user plane of the centralized processing node according to their different functions.
Dual connectivity refers to concurrent connections between a terminal and two base stations so that the terminal can transmit data with the two base stations. FIG. 1 illustrates an architecture diagram of a user plane of dual connectivity.
For dual connectivity in the 3GPP Rel-12/13, only retransmission of data in response to an Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) at a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer in each transmission node is supported, but retransmission of data across different transmission nodes is not supported.
Dual connectivity in a 5G system is typically different from dual connectivity in the 3GPP Rel-12/13 in that it is very likely for a part of a plurality of frequencies corresponding to multiple connections in the 5G system to be high frequencies (e.g., 6 GHz) or to lie in an unlicensed spectrum. A transmission characteristic at the high frequencies and in the unlicensed spectrum is different from that at traditional Long Term Evolution (LTE) frequencies, and a signal may be transmitted intermittently, so it is desirable to support an ARQ mechanism across different connections in the 5G system.
In summary, there has been absent so far a retransmission solution across different connections.

CHINA ACADEMY OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY


Antigenic parasites are encapsulated in semipermeable polymeric envelope membranes to prepare implant capsules for immunizing an animal against parasitic infection. An animal may be immunized against parasitic infection by implanting into the animal the implant capsule at a location in the animal sufficient to stimulate a protective immune response in the animal to the parasite antigen.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method of immunizing mammals against parasitic infections. More specifically, the invention is directed to a method of immunizing mammals using an implanted capsule containing antigenic unicellular parasites, parasite larvae or cysts.
2. Discussion of the Background
Mammalian parasites present a health hazard to both animals and humans throughout the world. In the United States, parasitic infections of livestock present potential health hazards in the food supply. Improper handling, storage, processing and distribution operations in the food industry can result in opportunities for contamination with both spore and vegetative forms of parasites, ultimately presenting a health hazard to the human consumer. Control of parasitic infections in livestock is essential to maintaining a safe and healthy food supply and optimizing food resources.
Parasitic infections of domesticated animals result in substantial veterinary expense worldwide and in potential health hazards to the animal owner. For example, cats infected with toxoplasmosis present a serious health hazard to a developing fetus. Infection of the mother during pregnancy may result in severe central nervous system damage to the fetus.
In many parts of the world, protozoan parasitic diseases such as giardiasis, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, malaria and amebic dysentery are endemic. These diseases present a constant health hazard to human travelers. Additional hazards are posed by common helminthic parasites.
Parasitic disease is also a large problem in military operations. Many parasitic worms and protozoa are endemic in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. Military personnel and animals that have lived in temperate climates are susceptible to attack by the infectious forms of parasites. In many parts of the world traditional control measures, especially control of vector populations with insecticides, are losing efficacy. Parasitic infections can cause severe morbidity and even death.
Over two billion people worldwide are infected with some kind of parasite. Hundreds of millions of humans have seriously impaired health due to parasitic infections. An estimated 200 million cases of schistosomiasis, 150 million cases of malaria, and 90 million cases of filarial worm infections are found in the tropical world. Parasites cause up to $1 billion loss in economic animals and about one half of the common problems in companion animals. Travel and migration are accelerating the spread of parasites and parasitic disease. These health hazards can be substantially reduced and possibly eliminated by the development of a safe and effective method of immunization against parasitic organisms.
The technology for immunizing against parasitic diseases is largely unknown. Attempts have been made to study the response of an animal to parasite implants, however. These studies involve isolation of the parasites from the host mammals immune system to determine the effect on the implant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,629,390 describes an early attempt to provide controlled release of a bio-affecting preparation for avian applications in which a bioaffecting compound is formulated into particles of a solid matrix material which are gradually released subject to the grinding and abrading action occurring in the avian gizzard. Early attempts to enhance biocompatibility of biological materials in a mammalian host are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,776 which teaches the treatment of transplant tissues with a protease inhibitor to prevent host rejection of the transplant and by U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,649 which teaches the treatment of transplant tissues with glutaraldehyde, a bifunctional cross-linking reagent, to provide a new contact surface in the transplant which is more favorably accepted by the host. These latter methods are not actual immunoisolation of the transplanted tissue, but rather surface modification to prevent tissue rejection.
Immunoisolation has been achieved with the use of implantable diffusion chambers which employ a microporous physical barrier separating the foreign cells or tissue from host immunological cells. Diffusion chambers are generally constructed from plastic rings or cylinders to which semipermeable membranes have been firmly attached. Diffusion chambers are relatively large having cross-sections ranging from approximately 10-20 mm. Materials for constructing diffusion chambers are commercially available.
Implantable diffusion chambers utilize semipermeable membranes which allow the selective diffusion of molecules in and out of the diffusion chamber but prevent the movement of cells, into the diffusion chamber. Much research has been focused on the use of diffusion chambers for treatment of diabetes. Using such methods, pancreatic islet cells are enclosed in a diffusion chamber which is then implanted in a diabetic mammal. Insulin diffuses through the semiporous diffusion chamber membrane and can ameliorate diabetic conditions for limited periods of time. See, for example, G.F. Klomp et al, Trans. Am. Soc. Artif. Intern. Organs, (1979), 25:74-76. Diffusion chambers in the form of artificial capillary units for use in treating diabetes have been described (A.M. Sun et al, Diabetes, (1977), 12:1136-1139). Diffusion chambers have also been used to study bacterial pathogenesis, e.g., Bordetella pertussis pathogenesis (K.D. Coleman and L.H. Wetterlow, Journal of Infectious Diseases, (1986), 154:33-39).
Diffusion chambers have been used to immunoisolate parasitic tissue or infective larvae in studies relating to the immune response of a host to parasitic infection. For example, diffusion chambers have been used to study response to Schistosoma mansoni (A.I. Kassis et al, Journal of Immunology, (1979), 123:1659-1662); Dipetalonema viteae (M. Tanner et al, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, (1981), 75:173-174) and D. Abraham et al, Immunology, (1986), 57:165-169); Brugia pahangi (R. Chandrashekar et al, Parasite Immunology, (1985), 7:633-641 and J.P. Court, Tropenmed. Parasit., (1982), 33:83-86); Onchocerca volvulus (G. Strote, Trop. Med. Parasit., (1985), 36:120-122); Trypanosoma Cruzi (A. Sher et al, J. Protozool., (1983), 30:278-283); Ascaris suum (C.A. Crandall and V.M. Arean, Journal of Parasitology, (1964), 50:685-688); and Dirofilaria immitis (D. Abraham et al, J. Parasit., (1988), 74:275-282 and C.J. Delves, R.E. Howells, Trop. Med. Parasit., (1985), 36:29-31). None of these studies have attempted to immunize an animal against parasitic infection.
The use of diffusion chambers for encapsulation of tissues, cells or parasitic larvae is limited by the tendency of these relatively large chambers to become covered by a thick fibrous layer. Implantation of diffusion chambers, therefore, results in isolation of the diffusion chamber by the host immune system and provides limited utility in establishing immunity against parasitic infections. The use of diffusion chambers to provide immunity against parasitic infections is therefore unsuitable.
An alternative to the use of diffusion chambers is the microencapsulation of antigenic material in a semipermeable membrane. Microencapsulation differs from the use of diffusion chambers in several aspects. In microencapsulation processes, biological tissue or cells are encapsulated in a semipermeable membrane resulting in a product which is substantially smaller than a diffusion chamber. Microencapsulated tissue is not, in general, bioisolated by the host immune system in the same manner as diffusion chambers. As with diffusion chambers, substantial research in the field of microencapsulation has been directed to the treatment of diabetes and involves the encapsulation of pancreatic islet tissue (G.F. Klomp et al, loc. cit.; Tze et al, Transplantation Proceedings, (1982), 14:714-723; Leung et al, Artificial Organs, (1983), 7:208-212; Sun et al, Diabetes, (1977), 26:1136-1139; Lim et al, Science, (1980), 210:908-910; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,355). Microencapsulation of other mammalian tissues and cells are described, for example, in Lamberti et al, Abstract paper Amer. Chem. Soc., (1983), 85:162; Lamberti et al, Artificial Organs, (1984), 8:112; Lim and Moss, Journal of Pharm. Sciences, (1981), 70:351-354; Canadian patent 1,215,922 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,888.
The technology of microencapsulation as applied to transplant tissues and cells has been well described and elucidated. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,696,286; 4,407,957; 4,409,331; 4,391,909; 4,352,883 and 4,251,387. Microencapsulation techniques have been utilized to encapsulate drugs, mammalian tissues, isolated cells and bacterial cells.
The use of liposomes, i.e., vessels made of phospholipids, has been proposed for both drug delivery and the delivery of vaccines. Alving et al describe the effectiveness of liposomes as potential carriers of vaccines (C. Alving, et al, Vaccine, (1986), 4:166). The liposomes could carry cholera toxin, reducing toxicity while enhancing antigenicity. Human malaria sporozoite antigen, itself non-immunogenic, was found to induce antibodies when carried by liposomes.
The disadvantage of liposomes is that the particles are prone to being phagocytosed by cells of the reticular endothelial system, thereby destroying the source of antigenic material and preventing release of antigens. Further research is necessary to reduce the effect of phagocytosis sufficiently to allow the use of liposomes as slow release agents.
Implantation of diffusion chambers results in the partial biological isolation of the diffusion chambers by the immune system of the host mammal. Liposomes are rapidly phagocytosed by host immune cells. Accordingly, improved immunological methods and implants are desired to provide the required immunoisolation and establish the immunity necessary to protect against parasitic diseases in animals.


A wireless network includes wireless access systems for communicating with mobile stations. At least one of the wireless access systems is capable of communicating with multiple types of mobile stations. One type of mobile station communicates according to the Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (EGPRS) protocol, while another type of mobile station communicates according to the GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) protocol. The wireless access system includes control logic to select one of plural types of protocol stacks to use for communications over an air link with the different types of mobile stations. In response to an indicator of a first type, the wireless access system selects a first protocol stack, and in response to an indicator of a second type, the wireless access system selects a second protocol stack.

Mobile communications systems, such as cellular or personal communications services (PCS) systems, are made up of a plurality of cells. Each cell provides a radio communication center in which a mobile station establishes a call with another mobile station or a wireless unit connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Each cell includes a radio base station, with each base station connected to a mobile switching center that controls processing of calls between or among mobile stations or mobile stations and wireless terminals.
Various wireless protocols exist for defining communications in a wireless network. One such protocol is the time-division multiple access (TDMA) standard, such as the TIA/EIA-136 standard provided by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). Another TDMA-based wireless communications technology is the Global System for Mobile (GSM) technology. According to TDMA, each radio frequency (RF) carrier carries a frame that is divided into plural (e.g., six or eight) times slots to increase the number of mobile stations that can be supported per RF carrier.
Traditionally, wireless networks have been designed for carrying circuit-switched voice traffic. However, with the explosion of the Internet and intranets, packet-switched communications (e.g., web browsing, electronic mail, and so forth) have become common. As a result, packet-switched wireless technologies are being developed to transition to higher bandwidth and more efficient packet-switched communications of data as well as voice and other forms of real-time data over wireless networks.
Several packet-switched wireless technologies have been proposed to provide more efficient connections between a mobile station and a packet data network, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) network. One such technology is the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology. One version of GPRS is adopted in GSM (Global System for Mobile) Release 1997. To provide further advanced features related to packet-switched communications, a later version of GPRS, referred to as Enhanced GPRS (EGPRS), is part of 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) Release 1999 (also referred to as Release 3).
For even higher data rates, later versions of the 3GPP UMTS specification have been adopted. UMTS is based on the wideband code-division multiple access (W-CDMA) technology. In addition, an enhanced version of the Enhanced Data Rate for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology is referred to as the GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) technology.
As the various standards evolve, an issue that is raised is compatibility of radio systems (such as base stations) with legacy equipment, such as legacy mobile stations. Without addressing compatibility issues, newly developed systems may render legacy mobile stations obsolete and unusable. A need thus exists for a method and apparatus to enable radio systems that operate according to newly developed standards to work with legacy mobile stations.

Channel request and contention resolution apparatus and method


A base station for enabling communication with a high-mobility wireless communication device is described. The base station includes a processor and instructions stored in memory. The base station identifies a high-mobility wireless communication device and sends a reference signal configuration. The base station also allocates an additional specific reference signal and sends the additional specific reference signal to the high-mobility wireless communication device.

In the last several decades, the use of electronic devices has become common. In particular, advances in electronic technology have reduced the cost of increasingly complex and useful electronic devices. Cost reduction and consumer demand have proliferated the use of electronic devices such that they are practically ubiquitous in modern society. As the use of electronic devices has expanded, so has the demand for new and improved features of electronic devices. More specifically, electronic devices that perform functions faster, more efficiently or with higher quality are often sought after.
Some electronic devices (e.g., cellular phones, smartphones, computers, etc.) communicate with other electronic devices. For example, a wireless communication device (e.g., cellular phone, smartphone, etc.) may wirelessly communicate with a base station and vice-versa. This may enable the wireless communication device to access and/or communicate voice, video, data and so on.
Some wireless communication devices use feedback to improve communication quality. For example, a cellular phone may send feedback based on a received reference signal to a base station, indicating measurements that the base station may use to improve link quality. However, wireless communication devices may be moving at a high speed relative to the base station in some situations. In these situations, typical reference signaling may not be enough to maintain link quality. As can be observed from this discussion, systems and methods that improve reference signaling may be beneficial.

Reference signaling for a high-mobility wireless communication device


A connector assembly for releasable securement to a portion of scaffolding on which a worker wearing a safety restraint member, e.g., safety belt and associated lanyard, will be disposed. The portion of the scaffolding comprises a cylindrical section having a pair of collars disposed on it. Each of the collars defines a channel between it and the cylindrical section. The connector assembly comprises an insert, a first connector pivotally secured by a bolt to the insert, a strap formed of a flexible web of material and having a loop at one end secured to the first connector, and D-ring secured to a loop at the other end of the strap. The insert has a pair of projections, each of which is arranged to be located within a respective one of the channels between the collars and the cylindrical section of the scaffolding to releasably secure the insert in place with respect to the scaffolding. The D-ring serves as a convenient connector for securing the lanyard thereto. A reinforcing pad formed of a wear resistant material is secured to the strap.

This invention relates generally to safety devices and more particularly, to a connector assembly for use on scaffolding to be secured to a worker to prevent the worker from falling.
Due to the enactment of various safety laws, persons working at elevated positions, e.g., on scaffolding, etc., are required to be protected against falls. One common approach to achieve that end is the use of a safety belt which is worn on the worker's waist. The belt includes a D-ring or some other metal loop fixedly mounted on the belt in the center of the portion located at the worker's back. The D-ring is arranged to be "tied off" (connected), via a lanyard, to a fixed supporting member or anchor point. The anchor point may be any fixed portion of the scaffolding which is strong enough to support the worker's weight. The securement of the lanyard to the anchor point is typically accomplished by wrapping the lanyard at least once about a horizontally extending portion of the scaffolding. Thus, once the worker is tied off should he/she fall off of the structure he/she will be prevented from falling to the ground. While this technique of preventing falls is generally suitable for its intended purposes it never the less suffers from some drawbacks. For example, by wrapping the lanyard at least once about the anchor point the already relatively short standard lanyard (e.g., typically six feet in length) is substantially reduced, thereby severely restricting the worker's mobility. Moreover, if the lanyard is wrapped about a vertical portion of the scaffolding and is not held at the point at which it is wrapped about the member, it will likely slide down the member to the lowest point that it can. In so doing the worker may be exposed to a drop in excess of six feet, thereby violating OSHA regulations, before the lanyard becomes taut to preclude further droppage.
The prior art has not addressed the foregoing factors in an adequate manner heretofore.

Connector assembly for use on scaffolding to prevent a worker from falling


Methods, systems, and apparatuses are provided for inferring security incidents from observational data. For example, alerts generated with respect to a set of entities by a first alert generator are received, association scores are calculated for pairs of alerts, the alerts are formed into clusters based on the association scores, and a security incident model is formed based on the clusters. The security incident model may define sequences of alerts corresponding to security incidents. Furthermore, the security incident model may be used to determine a match between additional alerts and a sequence of alerts in the security incident model and identify the additional alerts as a security incident corresponding to the sequence of alerts in the security incident model.

Cloud computing is a form of network-accessible computing that provides shared computer processing resources and data to computers and other devices on demand over the Internet. Cloud computing enables the on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable, network-accessible computing resources, such as computer networks, servers, storage, applications, and services (collectively, in any combination, "the cloud"). Given the vast resources available on "the cloud", cloud workload security has become increasingly important.
To combat security issues, cloud security providers offer services with threat detection capabilities to alert customers to malicious activity targeting their environments. As in conventional computer systems, cloud computing systems may generate several alerts related to a single attack campaign. Many attacks follow a common sequence of steps to achieve some nefarious objective. Such attacks are often referred to as a "kill-chain."
To render a collection of alerts meaningful to a system administrator, a cloud security provider may aggregate alerts that align with a kill-chain pattern, or other known pattern, into an "incident" to provide a consolidated view of the attack campaign. Typically, an incident includes a sequence of alerts, where each alert corresponds to a particular step in the attack pattern. These alerts contain valuable information helpful in determining what triggered the alert, the resources targeted, and the source of the attack.

Inferring security incidents from observational data


A display device is provided with a backlight system and a display panel which controls and selectively transmits light from the backlight system, and the device is formed such that the backlight system contains the light source, the light guide plate OG and the optical sheet OS within a lower frame SF and has such a structure that the lower frame is covered by a middle frame NF that covers around an opening on an upper surface of the lower frame, at least one portion around the light guide plate is provided with an elastic member EP placed between the lower frame and the light guide plate, and the elastic member is provided with a protrusion that covers part of an upper surface of the light guide plate, and the middle frame presses (B) the elastic member against the lower frame so that the protrusion holds (C) the light guide plate within the lower frame.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and in particular, to a display device having a backlight system, such as a liquid crystal display device.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In display devices, such as liquid crystal display devices, the display panel is not a self-luminous display panel, unlike plasma display panels or organic electroluminescent panels, and therefore, the rear surface of the display panel is provided with a backlight system that functions as a surface light source.
In backlight systems for mid and small-sized liquid crystal display devices, a light guide plate or an optical sheet made of polycarbonate is sandwiched between the middle and lower frames in the backlight. In the design of this part with clearance, the member has a great coefficient of thermal expansion in the X direction (left and right directions of the display screen) and in the Y direction (upward and downward directions of the display screen), and therefore, a structure for suppressing unsteadiness is used. In contrast to this, the amount of expansion of the member is small in the Z direction (front and rear directions of the display screen), and therefore, no structure for suppressing unsteadiness has any great effects, and thus, none have been taken into consideration according to the prior art.
The clearance in the Z direction between the inner surface of the middle frame and the upper surface of the optical sheet is approximately 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm when the lower frame, a reflective plate, a light guide plate and an optical sheet are layered on top of each other in this order. When a certain vibration is applied to a conventional display device, the members within the backlight move in the Z direction, causing friction between the optical sheet and the edge around the opening of the middle frame, and thus, the optical sheet is scratched. In addition, the vibration causes such a problem that noise is created by the unsteadiness.
JP 2003-168311A discloses a technology for arranging and securing a light guide plate made of an acryl-based resin or the like within a frame made of a polyprene resin or the like. Concretely, it is disclosed that a recess is created inside the frame and a protrusion is formed in a predetermined location around the light guide plate, and thus, a rubber cap is placed in the gap between the recess and the protrusion in such a state that the two are engaged with each other.
In accordance with the securing method in JP 2003-168311A, however, the effects of suppressing unsteadiness in the Z direction, which is the front and rear directions of the display screen, is insufficient, though the unsteadiness of the display screen can be suppressed in the X direction and the Y direction.
Though a structure is also possible where the middle frame directly holds the main surface of the light guide plate, this still causes problems. For example, the following problems arise.
(1) A process for indenting the middle frame so that it reaches the level of the light guide plate is necessary.
(2) In place of the structure of the above (1), the light guide plate is provided with a protrusion that reaches inside the middle frame (a process for this is difficult).
(3) The structures of the above (1) and (2) cause scratches or allows foreign substances on the light guide plate due to the friction at the time of vibration.
(4) The crossing of parts makes the gap slightly larger, which causes unsteadiness.