Contactless fingerprint reader. The contactless fingerprint reader has one or more light sources adapted to emit light under different lighting conditions, a first camera adapted to successively capture first images of a subject captured with and without flash light, at least one second camera adapted to capture second images from different angles, one or more sensors adapted to generate one or more spatial-temporal signals representing a change of a distance between said subject and one or more locations of the contactless fingerprint reader, and communication module for sending the first images, said second images, and the one or more spatial-temporal signals to an anti-spoofing device.

Contactless fingerprint readers are a new generation of fingerprint capture devices that are emerging in recent years and attracting more and more attentions from the biometric market. Compared with the traditional contact based fingerprint capture devices, this type of devices provide a novel way to capture fingerprint images without requiring any touches between the capture zone and fingers. So that, the contactless fingerprint readers have many advantages over the contact ones, such like higher capture speed, robust to moisture, less maintenance, and etc.
However, due to the capture mechanism of directly taking photos of the fingers/hand, this type of contactless devices could be vulnerable to a few types of the spoofing attacks, for example, presenting a printed fingers/hand to the device, presenting a tablet or phone with fingers/hand displayed on screen, presenting faux fingers/hand, and so on. Without tackling those kind of spoofing attacks, the falsely accepted fingerprints may lead to severe safety risks for the biometric applications or the systems that use the contactless fingerprint readers as the capture devices.
Current fingerprint anti-spoofing approaches are mainly for traditional (i.e., contact-based) live-scan fingerprint readers. There are not satisfactory approaches/technologies for the contactless fingerprint readers.
Therefore, there is a need to provide fast and accurate fingerprint anti-spoofing functions on contactless fingerprint readers.

Anti-spoofing for contactless fingerprint readers


A toner container includes container main body, conveying screws and container gear. A developing device includes developer housing including container mounting portion, gear holder including output gear which rotates upon receiving rotational drive force from motor and displaceable to engaged position where the output gear is engaged with the container gear and retracted position retracted outward from the engaged position, and biasing spring. The container main body includes a second pressing plate and the gear holder includes a contact portion with which the second pressing plate comes into contact. The second pressing plate and the contact portion displace the gear holder from the engaged position to the retracted position as the toner container moves in a mounting process. When the toner container reaches a predetermined assembled position, the gear holder is returned to the engaged position by a biasing force of the biasing spring.

The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus including a developing device for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor with toner and a toner container for storing toner and supplying the toner to the developing device, and the toner container.
There is known an image forming apparatus such as a printer in which a developing device is arranged around a photoconductive drum and an electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductive drum is developed with toner by this developing device. A toner container is removably assembled with the developing device, and toner is supplied from the toner container to the developing device as the toner decreases in amount.
Note that a conventional developing device includes a developing roller and a plurality of conveying screws extending in parallel to each other, and a long and narrow housing enclosing the developing roller and the like. On the other hand, a toner container includes a case long and narrow along a longitudinal direction of the developing device and an agitating shaft and a conveying screw arranged in this case. The toner container is assembled with the housing of the developing device from above with the agitating shaft and the like held in parallel to the developing roller. By this assembling operation, an input gear mounted on the agitating shaft of the toner container is engaged with an output gear of the developing device and a rotational drive force is transmitted from the developing device to the toner container to rotate the agitating shaft and the like.
In an image forming apparatus including such a conventional developing device and the like, it has been necessary to largely open an upper part of the image forming apparatus in mounting or removing the toner container and mount or remove the toner container by accessing deep into the apparatus. In recent years, in terms of improving the mountability and removability of a toner container, it is thought to adopt a structure which enables the toner container to be mounted and removed in a horizontal direction, for example, in an open state of a front cover without largely opening an upper part of an image forming apparatus.
In this case, if it is particularly necessary in view of the layout or the like, an output gear rotatable about an axis extending in an assembling direction of the toner container with the developing device, i.e. a horizontal direction perpendicular to a developing roller is arranged in the developing device and then an input gear is so arranged in the toner container as to be engageable with the output gear. In such a structure, unless the positions of the teeth of the output gear and the input gear are proper, the input gear interferes with the output gear in assembling the toner container with the developing device, thereby making it considerably difficult to assemble the toner container with the developing device. There is also a possibility of damaging the both gears. Thus, this point is required to be solved.
The present disclosure was developed in view of such a situation and an object thereof is to avoid the interference of an output gear of a developing device and an input gear of a toner container and enable the toner container to be quickly assembled with the developing device.

Image forming apparatus and toner container


In order to provide a CT image forming method that can reduce an artifact caused by an image reconstructing method, and an X-ray CT apparatus using the same, an X-ray CT image forming method according to the invention is characterized in that an artifact component caused by the image reconstructing method of the projection data is obtained by calculation; the determined artifact component is subtracted from the projection data to create corrected projection data containing an inverted artifact component, and image reconstruction is executed on the corrected projection data to obtain a reconstructed image from which the artifact is reduced. The inverted artifact component is obtained as differential between the projection data and re-projection data obtained by inversely projecting a reconstructed image which is obtained by reconstructing the projection data concerned.

An X-ray CT image is obtained by executing image reconstruction on projection data comprising plural view data which are obtained by performing CT scan based on an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector around an examinee. A false image called an artifact may occur in a reconstructed CT image due to various causes. When an artifact occurs on an image, it disturbs doctor's image diagnosis, and thus an artifact reducing technique corresponding to the type of an artifact has bee developed.
Recently, a multi-slice type X-ray CT apparatus (hereinafter referred to as multi-slice CT) in which plural arrays of detection elements of an X-ray detector are arranged in a body axis direction of an examinee has been popular, and the number of element arrays of the detector has increased. The multi-slice CT can image a broader examinee area by one scan as compared with conventional single slice CT, and thus it brings a great merit that the examination time is shortened. The shortening of the examination time is proportional to the number of the detection element arrays for the same scan speed and the same detection element size. Therefore, the detection element arrays multiply in power of 2, and a multi-slice CT equipped with a detector having 64 arrays of detection elements has been recently sold in the market.
The image reconstructing method of the X-ray CT apparatus is roughly classified into an analytic reconstruction method and an algebraic reconstruction method. The analytic reconstruction method of the image reconstructing method contains a Fourier transform method, a filtered back projection method and a convolution integral method, and the algebraic reconstruction method contains a successive approximation reconstruction method represented by MLEM (Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization) method or OSEM (Ordered Subset Expectation Maximization) method. When the analytic method which has been practically used at present is applied to a multi-slice CT having a broad cone angle, it has a problem that a cone beam artifact occurs due to incompleteness of a reconstruction algorithm. On the other hand, the algebraic method is known as having higher completeness than the analytic method, however, it has a problem that a very long calculation time is required because recursive calculation is executed. Therefore, the algebraic method has been hitherto used in a nuclear medicine field, however, it has not been popular in an X-ray CT field. However, the problem that the calculation time of the successive approximation reconstruction method is long has been solved by the recent development of the computer technology, and Patent Document 1 discloses that image formation of an X-ray CT apparatus is performed by using the successive approximation reconstruction method to improve the image quality.
Various methods belonging to the analytic method have been considered as the image reconstructing method of the multi-slice CT at present. With respect to a multi-slice CT having a device with a small number of detection element arrays, for example, four arrays of detection elements, a filtered back projection (Filtered Back Projection) method for a conventional single slice CT can be applied. However, with respect to the larger number of detection elements, for example, a multi-slice CT having 64 arrays of detection elements, adoption of an image reconstructing method called a Feldkamp (Feldkamp) method disclosed in non-patent document 1 or an image reconstructing method corresponding to an improved Feldkamp method has been considered.
The Feldkamp method is an approximation image reconstructing method based on the filtered back projection method. In this method, an effect of an incident angle (cone angle) of X-ray flux (cone beam X-ray) emitted from an X-ray tube to an X-ray detector on the detection element arrays at the end portions is considered, and it is said that occurrence of a cone beam artifact inherent to the multi-slice CT is relatively less.

X-ray CT image forming method and X-ray CT apparatus using the same


A grinding wheel having a grindstone portion formed on a core includes slippery fluoroplastic coating films that prevent attachment of foreign matter, the coating films being provided on the portions of the core, with which portions the foreign matter can be brought into contact.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a grinding wheel that is used in a state where the grinding wheel is installed on a wheel spindle of a grinding machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a grinding wheel for a common grinding machine, a grinding wheel is available, in which a grindstone layer containing CBN or diamond is formed on an outer circumferential surface of a discoid grindstone core made of steel, in which an installation hole for use in installing the grinding wheel on a wheel spindle is formed in the center portion, and in which fixation hole portions for use in fixing the grinding wheel to the wheel spindle or the like are formed around the installation hole. As a grinding wheel for a grinding machine that rotates at a high speed, one that is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200565 (JP-A-2002-200565), for example, is available, in which the grindstone core is made of aluminum alloy to reduce the weight of the discoid grindstone core. In the grinding wheel, a grindstone layer 35 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of a discoid aluminum alloy core 32 with an adhesive layer 34 interposed therebetween, an installation hole 45 for use in installing the core 32 to a wheel main spindle 21 is formed at a center portion of the core 32, and a plurality of fixation holes 55, 53, and 54 are formed around the installation hole 45 to fix a grinding wheel 31 to the wheel main spindle 21. The grinding wheel 31 is installed on a flange portion of the grinding main spindle 21 via a flange 51 etc. with the use of a plurality of installation bolts 52 through the fixation holes 55, 53, and 54. In addition, nickel-phosphorus (Ni—P) platings 70 and 71 for corrosion proof against a coolant are applied on the predetermined portions of the both end surfaces of the core 32, which portions can be splashed with coolant during grinding.
However, regarding the above-described related art, a situation sometimes occurs where, as machining of workpieces with the use of the grinding wheel is continued, the rotation balance of the grinding wheel is gradually lost, vibration occurs in the grinding wheel, and the chatter mark is imprinted on the ground surface of the workpiece, which results in the degradation of the plane accuracy. Conventionally, in order to ensure high plane accuracy of the machined surface, a measure has to be taken, in which the grinding machine is stopped during manufacturing and balancing of the grindstone is redone, or in which an expensive automatic balancer is introduced into the facility to correct the lost rotation balance.
After a diligent study of such a problem, the inventor has found that chippings, coolant mist, etc. suspended in the air attach to the grindstone core during grinding and the attached chippings are accumulated on the both end surfaces of the core, which can result in losing the rotation balance of the grinding wheel.


An inspection system and method uses a first illumination apparatus to illuminate one or more features, such as solder balls on an electronic component or other protruding surfaces or features on an object being inspected. Once the object being inspected is illuminated, a first reflected image of the plurality of features is captured by an illumination detection device. The first reflected image is stored in an image buffer. The object being inspected is then illuminated by at least one additional illumination apparatus. Each additional illumination apparatus is selected so that it differs from the other illumination apparatuses in either geometrical arrangement, degree of diffusion or illumination characteristic. An additional reflected image of the object is then captured by the illumination detection device while the object is illuminated by each additional illumination apparatus. Each additional reflected image is also stored in an image buffer. Once at least two reflected images are captured and stored in the image buffer, they are combined by an image processor using at least one arithmetic operation to create a resulting image in which at least one selected feature is enhanced. The enhanced features appearing on the resulting image can then be inspected using additional image processing equipment using standard image analysis techniques.

Digital data and signal processing techniques and technology have tremendously advanced the ability to use computers as data processing systems to accomplish sophisticated inspection procedures without human intervention. Almost every type of product can benefit from low cost, high precision, high speed inspection technology derived from these new digital data and signal processing techniques.
For example, in computers and other electronic systems, the electrical connections between electronic components ("chips") are critical to the operation of the system. As a result of recent technological advances, electronic components are decreasing in size and increasing in complexity, requiring a larger number of electrical connections to be made in a smaller area. Inspection of the electronic components during a manufacturing process helps assure that electrical contacts are properly formed and prevents failed electrical connections between electronic components.
Semiconductor chips, for example, must be physically and electronically connected to printed circuit boards using solder or flux between electrical contacts on the chip and the circuit board. One type of electrical contact includes metal areas or pads on the semiconductor chip that must be electrically connected to corresponding metal areas or pads on the printed circuit board. Typically, small deposits of solder and/or flux are placed on the pads, heated and re-flowed, establishing a mechanical and electrical connection between the corresponding pads.
A common soldering technique is to use preformed balls of solder that are placed on the metal pads on the chip or substrate of an electronic component, commonly known as a ball grid array (BGA). With the decrease in size of the electronic components and the increase in complexity, as many as 400 or more solder balls must be precisely positioned in a predefined pattern on the chip or substrate to electrically connect the chip to the printed circuit board. During the process of positioning and adhering the solder balls to the metal pads on the chip or substrate, a number of defects can occur that will detrimentally affect the electrical connection between the chip and the printed circuit board.
If a solder ball does not sufficiently adhere to one of the pads, a critical electrical connection between the chip and the printed circuit board could be lost. The misplacement of a solder ball can also result in a failed connection and/or an electrical short circuit with another adjacent solder ball or metal pad. A solder ball that is malformed, too large or too small could also result in a defective electrical connection even if properly positioned at the precise location on the pad.
Inspection of the solder balls is therefore critical to assure proper size and shape of the solder balls as well as precise placement and adherence of the solder balls to the appropriate pads on the printed circuit board prior to establishing connections between the electronic components. Inspection is also required for other electronic components requiring precise electrical connections.
One prior art method of inspection is to have a human operator visually inspect each chip, printed circuit board or other electronic component to detect defects in the solder balls or other electrical contacts. Manual inspection, however, is time-consuming, inaccurate, and a strain on human inspectors, particularly in light of the decreased size of the electronic components and increased number of connections.
Video systems have also been used to inspect solder balls or other contacts or features on electronic components. In such systems, a light, such as a ring light, illuminates the surface of the electronic component to be inspected. A camera detects the light reflected from the solder balls or contacts on the electronic component and the reflected image is displayed on a monitor.
The ring lights used in prior art inspection systems have been unable to provide adequate illumination of solder balls on an electronic component. One problem occurs when the ring lights do not provide light beams of sufficient intensity at outer regions of the area being inspected and thus fail to illuminate some of the solder balls being inspected, resulting in inaccurate determinations of the absence/presence or position of the solder balls. Another problem exists when a solder ball is only partially illuminated, preventing an accurate measurement of the true diameter and circularity of the solder ball.
Other inspection devices direct the light beams at a high angle with respect to the chip, causing the light beams to reflect off the metalized pads, the substrate surface, or other substantially flat reflective surfaces that are not being inspected. In the resulting illuminated image detected by the video camera, the solder balls are difficult to discern from the metal pads and other substantially flat reflective surfaces. This is a particular problem where the illuminated image is to be processed and analyzed by an image processor to detect the absence/presence of solder balls and the condition of solder balls (e.g. location, diameter, and circularity).
Other ring lights direct light parallel to the surface of the component being inspected and must be positioned against or around each electronic component to obtain sufficient illumination of the entire surface of the electronic component. If this type of ring light is not positioned against the surface of the component being inspected, the component will not be sufficiently illuminated, particularly at the edges of the component. This type of ring light must therefore be raised and lowered for each individual electronic component to adequately illuminate each electronic component and does not allow a large number of electronic components to be sequentially inspected quickly during a manufacturing process.
A further problem is that many prior art vision inspection systems still require a human operator to examine the illuminated image of the electronic component and detect defects such as missing, misplaced or malformed solder balls. A visual inspection of the illuminated image still does not enable an accurate measurement of the size and shape of the solder balls.
Furthermore, there are other features that may be of concern when an object is inspected. Such additional features may include, for example surface defects, such as scratches, voids and pits in plastic overmolding on electronic packages. These features, in addition to solder balls and the like, may be illuminated in a manner similar to the other features of interest when an object is illuminated using a single illumination source. Therefore, they may be confused with other objects of interest or provide so much information to a vision inspection system that system confusion is created, which would adversely affect all of the image inspection operations.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for inspecting reflective objects, surfaces or elements that enhances the illumination of objects of interest so that they can be adequately inspected, while at the same time minimizing the illumination of objects that are not of particular concern to the specific inspection process being performed. There is also a need for a flexible inspection system and method, which may be reconfigured in real-time to capture a plurality of images of an object being inspected so that different features may be enhanced and inspected.

System and method for arithmetic operations for electronic package inspection


Provided is a portable terminal wireless charging device including: a terminal accessory fixed to a back surface of the portable terminal and embedded a transmitting coil for generating a magnetic field for wireless charging of a magnetic induction type; and a wireless charging module coupled to the terminal accessory and including a circuit unit for supplying a AC power to the transmitting coil. Since the terminal accessory and the wireless charging module are each provided with a first electric contact and a second electric contact, when the terminal accessory is coupled to the wireless charging module, the first and second electric contacts are contacted with each other to supply the AC power from the circuit unit to the transmitting coil.

Various types of car cradles have been developed to facilitate the use of electronic devices including a smart phone when driving a vehicle.
In recent years, due to the development of smart phones, various functions such as a car navigation system and a black box have been integrated into the smart phone, and the need for the car cradle is increasing more and more.
Generally, the car cradle has a structure in which the smart phone is fitted to one end of the car cradle and then the other end is adsorbed and adhered to a glass or a dashboard of a vehicle. The car cradle has a structure in which the smart phone is fitted to one end side and then the other end side is adsorbed to the glass or the dashboard of the vehicle. However, since the above-mentioned car cradle is complicated in structure and heavy in weight, there is a problem that the car cradle can be easily separated from the attachment surface. In addition, when the user wants to use the smart phone while driving the vehicle, the smart phone must be pushed from the car cradle to the side to release the engaged state, which is troublesome to use.
Therefore, in recent years, it is very popular the minimal method by attaching a smart ring to the back of the smart phone and putting the smart ring in the trough of the vehicle.
The smart ring has advantages of easy attachment to the vehicle and easy removal, there is a problem that it is difficult to stably fix the smart phone to the vehicle, since the smart ring is easily detached from the fixed position due to vibration of the vehicle.
In addition, the position, in which the smart phone can be fixed to the vehicle, is restricted, since the smart ring is a small ring shape attached to the rear side of the smart phone. Accordingly, it is difficult to fix the smart phone at a position of a distance for matching the driver's view.
Meanwhile, various methods and apparatuses for wirelessly charging the portable terminal such as the smart phone have been developed in recent years, there is a problem that the charging efficiency is rapidly reduced when the smart phone is attached to the back of the smart phone with accessories such as a smart ring or a case.

Wireless charging device for portable terminal


A system and method is provided for detecting and measuring impacts in a wireless device. The wireless device has a processor coupled to a memory and an acoustic transducer. The method comprises acquiring data from the acoustic transducer, the data acquisition including the processor taking samples of an electrical input signal supplied to an input of the processor by the acoustic transducer; saving the acquired data in the memory; detecting whether an impact has occurred; and halting data acquisition after the impact is detected.

People increasingly carry around wireless handheld devices in order to tackle busy lives. With the increased proliferation of such devices, distraction also increases, which makes users of the wireless handheld devices more prone to dropping the devices. When a dropped portable electronic device strikes another object, various types of failures may occur.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

System and method for detecting and measuring impacts in handheld devices using an acoustic transducer


Described is an aerator (10) that includes a venturi chamber (18), a pump for drawing liquid into the venturi chamber from a liquid inlet, an air inlet connected to the venturi chamber for aerating the liquid drawn through the venturi chamber, and an outlet for discharging the aerated liquid. A float chamber (26) is provided for supporting the aerator in a liquid medium, e.g. a fishing lake. Preferably, the liquid inlet and the outlet are on substantially parallel axes, wherein the liquid inlet is turnable between two positions: one position where the liquid inlet takes in liquid in an opposite direction to the outlet flow and the other position where the liquid is drawn in and discharged in the same direction. A control means responsive to sensors for determining biological oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand is also provided for controlling the speed of the pump.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns aerators.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishing lakes are prone to formation of algae therein. The algae removes oxygen from the water, so that the fish become lazy and do not eat. Chemical treatment is possible but this tends to sink the algae to the bottom of the lake, where oxygen is still absorbed eventually causing the fish to die. One answer to the problem of algae is to ensure that the lake is aerated although that may present practical problems. Thus, there is a need for a simple and effective aerator for use in fishing lakes.
Aerators may have applications in other situatons. In particular, aeration of effluent or sewage is advantageous in enhancing biodegradation thereof. Paddles are presently used for aeration of sewage but are heavy on energy consumption. Additionally, the gear boxes of such paddles frequently breakdown and are expensive to repair.
An object of this invention is to provide an aerator for use in a liquid medium, including solids in suspension.

Aerator with float chamber and turnable inlet


A communicator device including a network interface for facilitating internet protocol (IP) communication, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) device interface for facilitating communication with a PSTN device and a processor. The processor is configured to communicate with a user application via an IP connection, receive instructions via the IP connection, generate a telephone ring signal based on the instructions, output the telephone ring signal to the PSTN device via the PSTN device interface, in response to the PSTN device providing a response to the telephone ring signal, establish a tip/ring connection between the PSTN device and the communicator device, and perform a data exchange between the user application and the PSTN device via a communication link that includes the IP connection and the tip/ring connection.

Alarm system control panels and various other devices are configured to communicate with customer and service provider devices over the well-known public switched telephone network (PSTN) that includes a network of circuit switched telephone networks including but not limited to telephone lines and cellular networks. Communication for PSTN devices, however, becomes problematic when the PSTN is faulty or unavailable.

Communication system for interfacing with an alarm system control panel


A computer system includes: a load information exchanging unit that exchanges load information on a regular basis to find a problem in a load distribution server on the other end of a link; a problem information communicating unit that transmits the information about the problem to a directory server (100); a problem information collecting unit (120) that receives the information and transfers the information to a problem information analyzing unit (130); and the problem information analyzing unit (130) of the directory server (100). As the problem information analyzing unit (130) determines that load accommodation links should be re-formed among load distribution servers, each load distribution server can secure two or more links. Accordingly, even when a problem is caused in a load distribution server, the connectivity among the load distribution servers is maintained, and there is no need to reconstruct the entire set of load distribution servers.

There has been a computer system in which computers such as load distribution servers cooperate with one another. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a distribution infrastructure system as this type of computer system. This distribution infrastructure system is called "CAN".
As shown in FIG. 21, this distribution infrastructure system includes: zone dividing servers that are a zone dividing server 1 (1100) from and into which servers can read and write data, a zone dividing server 2 (1200) from and into which servers can read and write data, a zone dividing server 3 (1300) from and into which servers can read and write data, a zone dividing server 4 (1400) from and into which servers can read and write data, and a zone dividing server 5 (1500) from and into which servers can read and write data; and a network 700 that connects the zone dividing servers 1 (1100) through 5 (1500) to one another. The network 700 may further include a zone dividing server having the same functions as the zone dividing servers 1 (1100) through 5 (1500).
The zone dividing servers 1 (1100) through 5 (1500) have the same components as one another. For example, the zone dividing server 1 (1100) includes a node finding unit 1110, a zone dividing unit 1120, a communicating unit 1130, a neighbor managing unit 1140, a problem solving unit 1150, and a reconstructing unit 1160. The node finding unit 1110 is used to find the existing other zone dividing servers and the likes when the zone dividing server joins the distribution infrastructure system, or to find another zone dividing server when the other zone dividing server joins the distribution infrastructure system, or the like.
After joining the distribution infrastructure system, the zone dividing unit 1120 is used to divide the zone of data to be read or written by servers. For example, when the zone dividing server 1 is assigned to reading and writing all data, the zone dividing unit 1120 serves to divide the zone, so that the zone dividing server 1 is assigned to reading and writing data 0% to 50% in humidity, and the zone dividing server 2 is assigned to reading and writing data of 51% to 100% in humidity.
When a zone is divided, the communicating unit 1130 functions to notify the other zone dividing servers of the division. While a two-dimensional space is divided and the dividing servers in the CAN is assigned to the respective zone, the neighbor managing unit 1140 manages the IP (Internet Protocol) address information about neighboring zone dividing servers, and the information about which zone dividing servers are in the neighborhood of other dividing servers in the two-dimensional space.
When a zone dividing server leaves the system, the problem solving unit 1150 determines which one of the remaining zone dividing servers is assigned to the zone to which the server that has left the system used to be assigned. After a few servers have left the system, the reconstructing unit 1160 reconstructs zone dividing servers so that the zone dividing server is assigned to a zone that is one branch of a binary tree.
The distribution infrastructure system having such a structure operates in the following manner (see FIG. 22). Each existing zone dividing server is assigned to a zone in a two-dimensional space, and is used to read the data stored in the zone when data to be put into that zone is written from outside. The zones are divided and managed on a two-dimensional map.
When a new zone dividing server 5 (1500) joins the network formed with the existing four zone dividing servers, the node finding unit 1510 first needs to find one of the four nodes. This can be done by providing the IP address of one of the zone dividing servers in the existing network as a configuration file.
A check is then made to determine which zone in the distribution infrastructure system can be divided. As can be seen from FIG. 22, the zone of the zone dividing server 4 can be divided in this case. The zone dividing unit 1420 of the zone dividing server 4 (1400) divides the zone, and the communicating unit 1530 notifies that the new zone dividing server 5 has joined the network. The zone dividing server 4 (1400) causes the neighbor managing unit 1440 to update its neighboring zone dividing servers, and the servers neighboring the neighboring zone dividing servers.
When a node leaves the CAN, the written data is transferred to another node. At this point, if the written data can be appropriately transferred to one of the neighboring nodes, and the one node forms one zone, the written data is transferred to such a node. If such a node does not exist, the neighboring node having the smallest zone area takes over both its own zone and the left zone. When a zone dividing server leaves, a neighboring node takes over the zone. However, in determining which node is to take over the zone, the candidate nodes are the nodes neighboring the node that has left, and therefore, the candidate nodes are the node that neighbors the own node but has left, and the zone dividing server neighboring the node that has left.
To perform this takeover, the neighbor managing unit needs to manage the information about the neighboring nodes and the information about the nodes neighboring the neighboring nodes. As a result, the amount of information to be managed by the neighbor managing unit in each one node becomes larger. The zones may be divided as shown in FIG. 23, and may be managed by zone dividing servers 1 through 11.
If the zone dividing server 9 leaves, the problem solving unit functions, and the node having the smallest area assigned thereto among the nodes neighboring the zone dividing server 9 takes over. In this case, there is a possibility that any of the zone dividing servers 6, 7, 10, and 11 takes over. However, if the zone dividing server 6 takes over, reconstruction is necessary. This is because the situation prior to the takeover is like the situation represented by a binary tree shown in FIG. 24. If the node 6 manages both the zones of 6 and 9, the load on the node 6 becomes undesirably heavy, since the nodes 6 and 9 are divided at the first branching of the binary tree, and the node 6 appears at the two ends of the binary tree.
In an example operation by the reconstructing unit in this case, the node 11 is assigned to the zones of 10 and 11, and the node 10 takes over the zone originally assigned to 9. However, performing reconstruction causes the following problem. While a reconstructing operation is being performed, writing and reading cannot be properly performed on the zones related to the reconstruction, resulting in a practical problem.
In a case where an algorithm of recovery from a problem is applied, the zones managed by one zone dividing server include more than one end in the tree structure map, which is problematic in management. Therefore, if a recovery algorithm is applied when a problem is caused in a zone dividing server in the distribution infrastructure system, it is necessary to reconstruct the entire zones on a regular basis.
If writing or reading is performed on a zone related to reconstruction while the reconstruction is being performed, the consistency is lost. Therefore, writing and reading cannot be performed during the reconstruction, and there is a delay in response time to the writing and reading when a problem is caused.
Also, when a zone dividing server leaves, a neighboring node takes over the zone. In determining which node should take over the zone, the candidate nodes are the node that was in the neighborhood of the own server and has left, and the zone dividing server in the neighborhood of the node that has left. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer the node information to all of those nodes.
Therefore, each zone dividing server in the distribution infrastructure system needs to hold the information about the zone distribution servers in the neighborhood of the own server, and the information about the zone distribution servers in the neighborhood of the neighboring zone dividing servers. As a result, each component in the distribution infrastructure system needs to manage a large amount of information. If a change is made to a zone dividing server, it is necessary to notify a large number of zone dividing servers of the change, and the amount of communications increases.
Meanwhile, Patent Document 1 discloses a load distribution method by which a server with high access frequency is detected, and content is transferred to servers with smaller loads. However, Patent Document 1 merely discloses a load distribution method for simply transferring loads, and does not teach a method for coping with the above described problems of a delay in response time and an increase in the amount of communications. Patent Document 2 discloses a network construction method by which a switcher determines to which and from which an object should be connected, and transmits a switching signal to the object to change links. However, the switcher still keeps a link, and the invention was not developed to cope with a case where a physical problem is caused in the switcher.    [Non-Patent Document 1] Sylvia Ratnasamy, et al., "A Scalable Content-Address Network", http://www.sigcomm.org/sigcomm2001/p13-ratnasamy.pdf, Aug. 27, 2001    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-278823    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-252596

Computer link method and computer system


A lock chamber for conveying a workpiece from one medium (U.sub.0) into another medium (U.sub.7) which comprises a lever (11) acting as a transport system and pivotably mounted in the chamber on one side. With lock gates (5a, 5b) moves aside the lever (11) can swing out by a required degree into the respective media (U.sub.7, U.sub.0). With the design of the transport system as unilaterally mounted levers (11), the volume of the lock chamber is largely independent of the trajectory of the lever and the volume can be minimized (FIG. 1).

The present invention relates to a transport system for conveying a workpiece from a first medium or chamber into a second medium or chamber, essentially without one affecting the other. Further it relates to a method for charging and unloading a treatment chamber with a selected treatment atmosphere differing from the chamber medium.
Further the present invention relates also to a vacuum chamber with a transport system as mentioned, as well as use of the transport system or of the vacuum chamber.
A transport system is known from European Patent Application EP-A-0 242 997 for transferring workpieces from a workpiece magazine of a first medium into a treatment chamber, such as a vacuum chamber, of a second medium, thence into a third medium, etc. The transport system from one chamber into the other comprises a two-armed lever which is disposed between the chambers and can be flapped into both. This lever is integrated in a sealed valve arrangement by means of which the chambers can be separated from or connected with each other under seal. This sealing valve arrangement is designed similar to a gate, so that the two respective chambers and hence their atmospheres are either connected or separated from each other.
Such a transport system has the disadvantage that with each lever rotation into one of the two respective chambers the two chambers are connected, whereby an equalization of the respective atmospheres occurs. If it is necessary to work in one of the chambers with an operating atmosphere that is kept within narrow tolerances, this procedure requires that after each transport process involving the two chambers, the chamber must be conditioned anew.
Hence the transport system shown there is unable to convey a workpiece from a first to a second medium substantially without one affecting the other.
Further it is known from European Patent Application EP-A-0 246 798 to provide transport levers inside each of a set of serially connected treatment chambers, a lever in a particular chamber operating in said chamber as well as reaching over into the next chamber. Here, too, two treatment chambers in question communicate during a transport process involving them, so that thereafter, because of their atmosphere having been influenced by adjacent chambers, the respective chambers must be conditioned anew if the treatment atmospheres of each of the chambers in question must be maintained within narrow tolerances and the atmospheres in the chambers in question are different.
Likewise, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,069 to provide, in a vacuum chamber, a pantograph-like, multi-armed transport lever mechanism. To remove workpieces to be treated, such as wafers, from a magazine, one reaches from the vacuum chamber through a then open slot valve into the magazine, whereby again a connection is established between magazine and vacuum chamber, and this makes it necessary, in the case where delicate vacuum conditions must be maintained within narrow tolerances, to condition the vacuum chamber anew after a transport process.
In addition, providing the transport arm with associated parts in the vacuum chamber, as in EP-A-0 246 798 also, results in a relatively large chamber volume with a respective cost due to pumping capacity and conditioning times, since the volume in the vacuum chamber that is made available for the transport system, must be conditioned as well.
Also from U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,126 it is known to provide, in an intermediate chamber between several treatment chambers, a multi-armed transport lever which can selectively reach into one of the existing connected treatment chambers, via gates with slit-valve type closures. The multi-armed transport lever which is able to extend into the connected chambers results in a relatively large volume for the intermediate chamber, which, during each transport to one of the connected treatment chambers, communicates with that chamber, so that interaction of atmospheres takes place and hence after each such transport process the respective treatment chamber must be conditioned anew, and possible also the intermediate chamber.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,746 it is further known to charge a vacuum treatment chamber bilaterally via two vacuum antechambers, by means of a transport system which is not shown in detail in that reference.
Further a specific transfer cycle is described, from an antechamber into the vacuum chamber and into the next antechamber, all three chambers being connected together, whereby relatively large volumes, namely those of the intermediate chambers, affect the vacuum chamber.
U.K. Patent Application GB-2 143 494 discloses a transport system consisting of a lock chamber in which a two armed pivoting lever is mounted substantially centrally in the chamber and can be moved out through conventional slit valves. As the two arms of the transport lever are driven separately, the receiving end portion of the lever can be controlled in practically any curvilinear path. On the other hand, this transport system is disadvantageous in the sense that the drive and the respective lead-throughs for the two lever arms are extremely complicated with respect to vacuum tightness and that the chamber is relatively big, adversely affecting pump units to be installed or their capacity and operating times.
Further, reference is made to European Patent Application EP-OS 0 291 690.

Transport system for conveying workpiece between first and second media


In a known method of producing a quartz glass tube (22), a cylinder (21) of quartz glass which rotates about a rotational axis (27) is continuously fed to a heating zone (24), softened therein in portions starting from one end, and the softened portion (25) is drawn over a drill head (1) of a drill body arranged to be coaxial to the rotational axis and is thereby formed into the quartz glass tube (22). Starting therefrom, in order to indicate a method for forming a cylinder of quartz glass into a hollow cylinder of quartz glass having an inner bore that is as flawless as possible and straight and dimensionally stable, it is suggested according to the invention that a drill body should be used with a drill head (1) having a contact surface (2) of a convex curvature facing the cylinder (21), preferably a spherically shaped contact surface (2). The drill body according to the invention is characterized by a drill head (1) which has a contact surface (2) of a convex curvature (2).

The present invention relates to a method for producing a quartz glass tube by feeding a cylinder of quartz glass rotating about a rotational axis continuously to a heating zone, softening the cylinder therein in portions starting from one end, and drawing the softened portion over a drill head of a drill body arranged to be coaxial to the rotational axis, thereby forming the portion into the quartz glass tube.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a drill body for forming a cylinder of quartz glass into a quartz glass tube, the drill body comprising a drill head which penetrates into the cylinder to be formed and which is held by a drill shaft.
A method and an apparatus of this type are described in JP-A 3-247525. In the method described therein, a solid cylinder of quartz glass is formed into a hollow cylinder of quartz glass by the measures that the solid cylinder of quartz glass while rotating about its longitudinal axis is continuously fed to a furnace, starting at one end, the solid cylinder is softened therein in zones and the softened portion is pressed against a fixed drill body arranged within the rotational axis and is drawn thereover. The drill body comprises a conically shaped drill head which is held on a long shaft.
During the forming process considerable forces act on the drill head. The rotating glass material of the solid quartz-glass cylinder can produce static friction forces acting on the drill head at one side, said forces deflecting the drill head laterally out of the axis of rotation. Moreover, the drill shaft may easily bend because of its length, thereby tilting the drill head out of the horizontal, so that the upper part of the drill head face is no longer in engagement with the quartz glass. In the known method these effects yield a bore that is not straight enough and a bore diameter that is insufficient in its dimensional stability. Radial grooves are produced in the bore surface by a glass material resting on the drill head at one side.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to indicate a method for forming a cylinder of quartz glass into a hollow cylinder of quartz glass having an inner bore that is as flawless as possible and is straight and dimensionally stable, and to provide a drill body therefor.
As for the method, this object starting from the above-mentioned method is achieved according to the invention in that a drill body is used with a drill head having a contact surface of a convex curvature facing the cylinder.
In the method according to the invention, use is made of a drill head which has a contact surface of a convex curvature. During the forming process the contact surface is always in planar engagement with the softened glass material of the cylinder to be formed. To this end the contact surface has a convex curvature. As a result, even upon a deflection of the drill headxe2x80x94for instance because of a deflection of the drill rod on which the drill head is heldxe2x80x94the planar contact with the softened glass material is maintained. This guarantees that, on the circumference of the drill head, friction forces that are always of about the same magnitude are active in rotationally symmetrical fashion around the axis of rotation, thereby preventing the formation of unilaterally acting static friction forces that might deflect the drill head even further. Thanks to the continuous planar contact, the quartz glass displaced in the inner bore of the quartz-glass tube is smoothly molded off on the edge zone of the convex contact surface, leaving no defects in the bore surface. Grooves are thereby avoided. What is essential is that the contact surface has a convex curvature extending in symmetry with the axis of rotation. Ideally, the curvature is spherical; this means that it forms part of a spherical surface. Deviations from the spherical shape towards the surface of an ellipsoid or paraboloid are possible.
The cylinder to be formed is in general a solid cylinder. However, the method according to the invention is also suited for enlarging the inner bore of a hollow cylinder.
Preferably, use is made of a drill head with a spherically shaped contact surface. Upon deflection of the drill head from the axis of rotation, the spherical contact surface will always remain over its whole surface in engagement with the softened quartz-glass material, independently of the direction of deflection, so that frictional forces that are always of the same magnitude in terms of rotational symmetry act on the circumference of the drill head and the quartz glass displaced in the inner bore is smoothly molded off on the edge zone of the ball or sphere.
It has turned out to be of particular advantage when the contact surface is provided with recesses. Gases entrapped in the softened quartz glass or formed during the forming process can be discharged through the recesses or at least be distributed in a more uniform manner.
Preferably, recesses which extend in concentric fashion relative to the axis of rotation are provided on the drill head. These enable the gases to expand and permit a uniform distribution of the gases around the circumference of the drill head. This avoids a situation where the drill head partially xe2x80x9cfloatsxe2x80x9d because of gas bubbles in the softened quartz glass, thereby losing the desired full-surface contact with the glass material. Thanks to the uniform distribution of the gases the static friction forces that are uniformly distributed around the circumference of the drill head are maintained so that straightness of the bore as well as dimensional stability of the bore diameter are ensured.
As for the drill body, the above-mentioned object starting from the drill body of the above-mentioned type is achieved according to the invention in that the drill head has a contact surface of a convex curvature.
The drill body according to the invention has a contact surface of a convex curvature. As a consequence, during the forming process the contact surface is always in planar engagement with the softened glass material of the cylinder head to be formed. As a result, even upon a deflection of the drill headxe2x80x94for instance because of a deflection of the drill rod on which the drill head is heldxe2x80x94the planar contact with the softened glass material is maintained. This guarantees that, on the circumference of the drill head, friction forces that are always of about the same magnitude are active in rotationally symmetrical fashion around the axis of rotation, thereby preventing the formation of unilaterally acting static friction forces that might deflect the drill head even further. Thanks to the continuous planar contact, the quartz glass which is displaced in the inner bore of the quartz-glass tube is smoothly molded off on the edge zone of the convex contact surface, leaving no defects in the bore surface. Grooves are thereby avoided. What is essential is that the contact surface has a convex curvature extending in symmetry with the axis of rotation. Ideally, the curvature is spherical; this means that it forms part of a spherical surface. Deviations from the spherical shape towards the surface of an ellipsoid or paraboloid are possible.
In a preferred embodiment of the drill body according to the invention, the drill head comprises a spherically shaped contact surface. Upon deflection of the drill head from the axis of rotation, the spherical contact surface will always remain over its whole surface in engagement with the softened quartz-glass material, independently of the direction of deflection, so that frictional forces that are always of the same magnitude in terms of rotational symmetry act on the circumference of the drill head and the quartz glass displaced in the inner bore is smoothly molded off on the edge zone of the ball or sphere.
It has turned out to be of particular advantage when the contact surface is provided with recesses. Gases entrapped in the softened quartz glass or formed during the forming process can be discharged through the recesses or at least be distributed in a more uniform manner.
Preferably, the recesses extend in concentric fashion relative to the axis of rotation. Recesses formed in this way enable the entrapped gases to expand and permit their uniform distribution around the circumference of the drill head. This avoids a situation where the drill head partially xe2x80x9cfloatsxe2x80x9d because of gas bubbles within the softened quartz glass, thereby losing the desired full-surface contact with the glass material. Thanks to the uniform distribution of the gases, the static friction forces that are uniformly distributed around the circumference of the drill head are maintained so that straightness of the bore as well as dimensional stability of the bore diameter are ensured.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the drill body according to the invention, the drill head is provided with a spherical surface and concentrically recessed steps. The number of the concentrically recessed steps depends on the diameter of the inner bore to be produced and on the amount of gases formed during the forming process.
It has turned out to be useful when a drill head is provided with at least one cooling channel. A coolant for discharging heat from the area of the drill head can be passed through the cooling channel during the forming process.

Method of producing a quartz glass tube and drill body for performing the method


Dispensing cap for pressurized containers having a slotted housing adapted to fit onto the bead formed between the valve closure and the top of a pressurized container, an actuator disposed within the slotted housing and hinged thereto, the actuator defining a product discharge path and adapted to sealingly communicate with the valved closure of the container, and a trigger member affixed to the actuator and hinged to the housing, the hinged actuator and trigger providing a single or multiple-actuator lever structure, respectively, for the delivery of product from the valved container.

Pressurized containers of the aerosol type have been traditionally equipped with an actuating button or cap, which button or cap defines a product duct through which the product passes to the discharge orifice situated within the button or cap. To discharge product from the container, the user grasps the container and with one finger of the grasping hand depresses the button or a portion of the cap to release the contents of the container.
While achieving substantial commercial success, finger actuated buttons or caps have the disadvantage of inducing finger fatigue for some users. Moreover, with the prior systems of actuation, the aiming of the discharged product to the desired surface area suffers somewhat due to the relatively awkward gripping and finger placement. A more natural grasping and actuation of the container is achieved through the use of a trigger mechanism.
Heretofore, aerosol containers actuated through a trigger mechanism have had the disadvantages of not optimizing the ease of valve actuation; of having a portion of the actuating mechanism extend beyond the perimeter of the container, with the attendant problems during shipment or storage of preactuation due to inadvertent contact with the trigger; and aesthetic unappeal to consumers. Examples of prior trigger actuated aerosol containers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,189,232, 3,580,432 and 3,987,942.

Dispensing cap for use with pressurized container


A distributed and opportunistic medium access control (MAC) layer protocol for randomized distributed space-time coding (R-DSTC), which may be deployed in an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN), is described. Unlike other cooperative MAC designs, there is no need to predetermine, before packet transmission, which stations will serve as relays. Instead, the MAC layer protocol opportunistically recruits relay stations on the fly. Network capacity and delay performance is much better than legacy IEEE 802.11g network, and even cooperative forwarding using one relay station. Avoiding the need to collect the station-to-station channel statistics considerably reduces overhead otherwise required for channel measurement and signaling.

§1.1 Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns data communications. In particular, the present invention concerns cooperative relaying of information in a wireless local area network (LAN).
§1.2 Background Information
In the past decades, WiFi has become one of the most popular wireless technologies due to its low cost, simple installation and great capability to support high speed data communications. The IEEE 802.11 (See, e.g. "Part 11: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications," ANSI/IEEE Std 802.11, 1999 Edition, 1999, incorporated herein by reference.) standard has established itself as the most prevalent wireless LANs (WLAN) protocol and includes several versions, such as IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n.
While a conventional WiFi system can support a relatively high data transmission speed (e.g., up to 54 Mbps for IEEE.802.11a/g), the aggregated throughput of a WLAN cell may be severely degraded by slow stations located close to the edge of the cell. (See, e.g., M. Heusse, F. Rousseau, G. Berger-Sabbatel, and A. Duda, "Performance Anomaly of 802.11b," Proc., IEEE INFOCOM, San Francisco, Calif., April 2003, incorporated herein by reference.) In recent years, the concept of cooperative wireless communication has attracted significant research attention in the physical or layer 1(PHY) layer. (See, e.g. A. Sendonaris, E. Erkip, and B. Aazhang, "User Cooperation Diversity—Part I: System Description," IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 1927-1938 (November 2003); and "User Cooperation Diversity—Part II: Implementation Aspects and Performance Analysis," IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 1939-1948 (November 2003), both incorporated herein by reference.) As one of the MAC layer designs to support a cooperative PHY layer in a WLAN, "CoopMAC" enhances the system throughput by using a two hop transmission, where transmission between a source and a destination occurs via an intermediate station, called a "relay station" or simply a "relay". (See, e.g. P. Liu, Z. Tao, S. Narayanan, T. Korakis, and S. Panwar, "CoopMAC: A Cooperative MAC for Wireless LANs," IEEE Journal on Sel. Area in Communications, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 340-354 (February 2007); and P. Liu, Z. Tao, Z. Lin, E. Erkip, and S. Panwar, "Cooperative Wireless Communications: A Cross-Layer Approach," IEEE Communications Magazine, Special Issue on MIMO Systems, (August 2006), both incorporated herein by reference.) The performance of "CoopMAC," albeit superior to direct communication, is still limited as it only selects a single relay.
To improve a single relay system, multiple relays can be employed at the PHY layer to collaboratively transmit the source signal to the destination, thereby improving diversity gain. Distributed spacetime coding (DSTC) across the relay stations achieves a high spatial diversity while maintaining spectral efficiency. A cooperative MAC layer incorporating DSTC is expected to improve performance over CoopMAC. Unfortunately, however, it still has inherent drawbacks that lead to difficulties and inefficiencies at the MAC layer. Such drawbacks may include, for example, (1) the need to recruit and index relay nodes ahead of time and its associated overhead, (2) the need to estimate accurate channel information for all possible relays and its associated overhead, (3) the need for global information at the source to optimize performance, (4) vulnerability to random loss at the first hop, and (5) the loss of potential diversity and performance gain by unselected relays.
A detailed distributed MAC layer protocol that deploys DSTC in a cooperative ad hoc network is described, for example, in the article G. Jakllari, S. V. Krishnamurthy, M. Faloutsos, P. V. Krishnamurthy, and O. Ercetin, "A Framework for Distributed Spatio-Temporal Communications in Mobile Ad hoc Networks," Proc., IEEE INFOCOM (Barcelona, Spain, April 2006) (incorporated herein by reference). However, in the Jakllari et al protocol, the source station must (1) discover a set of selected relays and (2) assign the antenna array index to each relay for the underlying DSTC by the use of a broadcast message. Further, each chosen relay, upon receiving that message, must respond with a pilot tone to verify its availability as a relay. This process consumes significant signaling overhead which could be very costly in a mobile environment. Further, under the Jakllari et al protocol, whenever any selected relay fails to receive from the source, DSTC cannot be established and the transmission falls back to direct transmission from the source to the destination. Thus the system robustness to the channel fading and mobility effects is limited. Furthermore, under the Jakllari et al protocol, the source station does not allow stations, other than the chosen set of relays, to cooperate even if those stations may successfully decode the source signal. This sacrifices the potential for additional diversity gains.
The above problems can be addressed by randomized distributed space-time coding (R-DSTC) (See, e.g., B. S. Mergen and A. Scaglione, "Randomized space-time coding for distributed cooperative communication," IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, pp. 5003-5017 (October 2007), incorporated herein by reference.), which reduces the requirements for coordination among the source station and the relays. R-DSTC provides robust cooperative relaying of the source signal. More specifically, in contrast to a regular DSTC, R-DSTC does not allocate the antenna array index to each relay. This simplifies the protocol design and reduces signaling costs. A generic cooperative MAC layer protocol is presented in the article P. Liu, Y. Liu, T. Korakis, A. Scaglione, E. Erkip, and S. Panwar, "Cooperative MAC for Rate Adaptive randomized Distributed Space-Time Coding," Proc., IEEE Globecom (November 2008), and described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0014453 (both incorporated herein by reference), which shows that the throughput gain of R-DSTC over conventional single-hop and two-hop single-relay (e.g. CoopMAC) approaches. However, the Liu et al article does not present a detailed MAC layer design (e.g., for on-the-fly recruitment of relay nodes) and does not describe details of error correction coding and channel coding. Furthermore, for simplicity, channel coding and forward error correction are ignored. Further, in the system described in the Liu article, the transmission rates for the first hop and second hop are picked independently, where each hop rate is based on a packet error rate (PER) threshold. Consequently, there is no guaranteed end-to-end PER for the packet received.
Thus, it would be useful to improve R-DSTC, such as by providing an improved MAC layer design. It would be useful if such a MAC layer design could guarantee end-to-end PER. It would be useful if such a MAC layer design allowed the selection of a transmission rate that meets one or more policy goals.

Robust cooperative relaying in a wireless LAN: cross-layer design

Polytechnic Institute of New York University


Disclosed herein are systems and methods for computing a 3D conjugate gaze adjusted length (CGAL) using 3D scans. The measurements for determining CGAL are measured on a clipping plane generated from the 3D CT scans. Acute ischemic strokes (AIS) is determined if the CGAL is greater than 0.28 with high specificity.

Conjugative shift of horizontal gaze towards the affected hemisphere is a well-recognized occurrence in AIS patients, as first described by Jean Louis Prevost in 1865. Commonly referred to as conjugate eye deviation (CED), it is often assessed in clinical stroke severity diagnostic tools such as the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale/Score (NIHSS).
CED appears in more than 55% of the computerized tomography (CT) scans taken upon hospital admission in AIS patients. Moreover, studies evaluating the clinical significance of CED in AIS patients have repeatedly demonstrated that the degree of deviation is associated with stroke severity at hospital intake and poor prognostic outcomes, with the direction of deviation typically presenting ipsilateral to the affected brain hemisphere. CED-causing lesions in AIS patients generally reflect damage to cortical areas involved in the control of spatial attention, eye movements, and the frontal eye fields. These findings suggest that CED identification may be a useful tool in the assessment of AIS severity and infarction location, as well as prognostic outcome.
There has previously been no clear consensus on the threshold at which CED is thought to become a significant observation, but is has been noted a high specificity (95.9%) for a CED of >11.95° on CT imaging following acute infarct. Despite being highly specific, only a 17% sensitivity has been noted. This in turn means an 83% false negative rate, representing a failure to detect the majority of AIS cases based on this criteria. Thus, while this threshold may be a helpful additional tool in the detection of acute infarct, its clinical utility remains to be improved.
Additionally, it appears that that the utility in identifying CED is negated in patients with large hypoattenuation, as is often the case in patients with a CED of >11.95°. Specifically, past research has demonstrated that CED recognition on CT scan does not increase reader identification of acute ischemic hypoattenuation if four or more Alberta Stroke Program early CT score (ASPECTS) zones are involved. Similarly, NIHSS and CED degree are linked such that a patient with a CED of >11.95° will likely present with a wealth of other identifiable symptoms, which further decreases the unique contribution of CED in AIS diagnosis. Taken together, this research suggests that CED identification at the currently established threshold may not be a useful tool in the diagnosis of AIS.
As noted, CED's strong association with AIS gives it potential as a useful diagnostic tool. Nonetheless, prior research has also demonstrated the limitations of CED as it stands, which emphasizes the importance of improvements to the tool. Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved system and method for increasing the efficacy of CED as a tool for the identification of AIS.

3D assessment of conjugant eye deviation for the identificaiton of acute ischemic stroke


A method for setting a relationship between users of a plurality of mobile terminals includes receiving, from a plurality of mobile terminals, information on gestures made on, and recognized at, the plurality of mobile terminals, respectively, with respect to a single user gesture; determining a gesture correlation between the recognized gestures and the single user gesture based on information on the recognized gestures; and determining whether to set a relationship between users of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the gesture correlation.

Example embodiments relate to a method and system for setting a relationship between users of a service based on gesture information.
A social network service (SNS) refers to a service that enables users to form a human network on a web. A variety of technologies may be used to set a relationship between users for a connection to a human network.
In a related art, a list of users having joined a service and a function of searching for another user from the list may be provided to users. A user may find another user that the user is to find and may set a relationship with the found user using the list and the function. In a related art, once a user initially provides, to a service, an identifier, for example, an ID or a telephone number of another user with whom the user is to set a relationship, the service may find a user corresponding to the identifier and start to set the relationship with the found user.
However, the above-noted relationship setting methods require a complex procedure, such as input of an ID and search of a target user from a list, for example. In particular, in a mobile environment, a limitation of an input/output (I/O) interface may act as an interrupting element in setting a relationship between users and diffusing a service.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more intuitive interface for setting a relationship between users in a mobile environment.

Method and system for setting relationship between users of service using gestures information


The present invention is related to a targeted type shell for drug delivery system. The object of the present invention is to provide the targeted type shell for DDS, which comprises a carbosilane dendrimer containing a silole produced by which is formed by utilizing the reaction between thiol group and alkyl halide, and a targeted protein containing a labeled proteins such as green fluorescent protein with a target recognition site. The shell may incorporate compounds having a variety of molecular weight and biopolymers, and selectively deliver them into targeted cells.

Nowadays, biopolymers such as antibody, peptide aptamer and nucleic acid have received attracted attention as next-generation drugs. The biopolymer should be handled differently from conventional drugs comprising a low molecular weight compound as active ingredient in various points such as quality control in manufacturing processes, storage of pharmaceutical preparations, and administration methods.
In general, amounts of the active ingredients to be delivered to target sites affects to response rate, when a pharmaceutical preparation is administered, depending on both of the disease to be treated and properties of the drug. For example, it is known that the problem that antibody produced depending on a dosage form at the time of administration reduced the efficacy of the administrated drug (therapeutic effects), when the drug comprising the biopolymer as active ingredient is administered.
Therefore, a variety of drug delivery systems (DDS: drug delivery system) have been developed actively as methods for delivering the pharmaceutical preparation to the target site properly. As the carrier for DDS, for example, there are mentioned such as liposome, plastic beads and the like. As the pharmaceutical preparation using such a carrier used for DDS, for example, there are reported those composed of a liposome, to which a ligand specifically binds to a localized molecule in the target site (see patent documents 1 and 2); the liposome or synthetic polymer beads, on which N-acetyl glucosamine or other sugars are exposed (see patent documents 3 and 4), micelles to which antibodies are bound (see patent document 5), and the like.
Also, the carrier utilizing dendrimer having micelle structure is developed (see patent documents 6, 7 and 8). The term, Dendrimer, is a generic word showing dendritic polymer compound has regularly branched structure, of which origin is Greek term "dendra" (trees). Several dendrimer molecules assemble to be spherical form having a nanometer scale space in its inside. Then, since the molecules are incorporated so as to show various functional groups in the space, it has higher flexibility of design. Therefore, currently, various new dendrimers are been developed actively in the field of nanotechnology.
Until now, in order to prevent and/or medicate a disease caused by viral or bacterial infections, the carrier utilizing dendrimer has been developed (See, patent Document 9).
On the other hand, it is known that the dendrimer having silole group shows AIE (aggregation-induced emission) usually to generate fluorescence emission when they form micelles, because it is equivalent the aggregate formation. Here, the term, AIE, which is defined as a phenomenon that the mutually aggregated light-emitting compounds gives high-efficient light emission after they are irradiated by the light with certain wavelength (See, non-patent document 1).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Targeted shell for use in drug delivery system utilizing carbosilane dendrimer


Example embodiments related to a method of automatically milking animals, wherein the animals are allowed to move in area intended therefore. The area may include a resting area and a feeding area housing a milking station, whereby the animals are allowed to visit individually and which a selected group of the animals have to visit in order to move from the resting area to the feeding area. The method may establish a condition for low utilization of the milking station; and feed the animals by a feeding device when the condition for low utilization of the automatic milking machine is met to thereby entice animals in the resting area to move to the feeding area and to therewith present themselves at the milking station.

A main trend in modern dairy farm industry is an increased degree of automation. For instance, machine milking may be performed by automatic milking machines in a completely automated manner. Further, fully automated animal managing systems may take care of milking, feeding, milk inspection, milk sampling, animal traffic, etc. in an area wherein the dairy animals are walking about freely and are visiting the milking machines on a voluntary basis.
An automated milking machine involves large costs and has a limited milk production capacity. Thus, in order to obtain a high utilization of the automated milking machine, which animals are visiting on a voluntary basis, it should be operated as frequently as possibly, most preferably continuously during day and night. Further, animals having a high milk production should be milked more often than animals having a low milk production. The operation and use of an automated milking machine in order to obtain an optimal milk production is an arduous task. Naturally, ethical aspects as well as animal care have to be considered.
EP 0 332 230 A2 (VAN DER LELY) discloses a method of automatically milking animals, which are allowed to visit individually a milking parlor comprising a milking robot and an animal identification system. The milking animals make a more or less regular appearance in the milking parlor, and can be lured to the milking parlor by the presence of concentrate or by calling the animals by means of sound signals. To this end each animal has a collar with a receiver attached thereto, which is connected to a loudspeaker located in the region of the animal's ears. By means of sending a call signal with agreeable sounds each desired animal can be invited to go to the milking parlor, while other animals can be hindered to go the milking parlor by means of an unpleasant signal.
While such methods include enticing animals to the milking parlor, they do not suggest when to entice the animals. Animal selective enticing means are often used to entice particular animals, i.e. animals having a large milk production or animals, which have not been milked for a long time, to present themselves at the milking machine.

Methods of managing animals and milking station


Compositions and methods for modulating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection involving substances that inhibit the ability of high mobility box 1 (HMGB1) protein to interact with natural killer (NK) cells. Therapeutic compositions comprising antibodies and drugs, such as glycyrrhizin, which bind to HMGB1. Methods of detecting or monitoring HIV infection involving detection or quantitation of HMGB1 or antibodies specific for HMGB1 in a biological sample.

1. Field of the Invention
Diagnostic and prognostic methods involving measuring HMGB1 levels and/or antibodies specifically raised against HMGB1. Antibody- and drug-based methods for treating or reducing the severity of human immunodeficiency infection by modulating the activity of HMGB1.
2. Description of the Related Art
Early stages of HIV-1 infection are associated with local recruitment and activation of important effectors of innate immunity, NK cells and DCs. In the first hours and days of mucosal infection, HIV-1 crosses the epithelial barrier and infects CCR5-expressing DCs, macrophages and T cells in the mucosal tissues to initiate infection1,2. DCs express CD4, CCR5, DC-SIGN3 and other C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) that facilitate capture and dissemination of HIV-14,5. Immature DCs (iDCs) capture HIV-1 through CLRs6 and captured virus can be internalized and rapidly transmitted to nearby CD4 T cells, in the form of an infectious synapse7,8. DC-T cell conjugates facilitate productive infection in CD4 T cells9, and dissemination of the infection to the draining lymph nodes and subsequent other lymphoid tissue compartments is ensured by virus-carrying DCs together with infected macrophages and CD4 T cells10.
Migration of iDC to T cell area of secondary lymphoid tissues after virus uptake is associated to a maturation process that allows the resulting mature DC (mDC) to prime an antigen-specific response11. Recently, the fate of DCs has been found to be extremely dependent on autologous NK cells12. NK-iDC interaction results in activation of NK cells that, in turn, induces DC maturation or killing, depending on their respective density13, 14, 15. DC undergoing maturation secrete several cytokines, such as IL-12 and IL-18, that act as potent inducers of NK cell activation and cytotoxicity16,17,18,19,20. In turn, once activated, NK cells produce IFN-γ and TNF-α, capable of inducing DC maturation. This phenomenon is dependent on the engagement of NKp30 by ligands expressed on iDC17,21, and the down-regulation on iDC of HLA-E, the ligand for CD94/NKG2A inhibitory receptor22. Another mechanism was proposed suggesting that NK cells, activated by IL-18 released by iDC at the synaptic cleft, secrete HMGB1, which induces DC maturation and protects DCs from lysis20. HMGB1 is a nuclear protein that is present in almost all eukaryotic cells, and it functions to stabilize nucleosome formation, and acts as a transcription-factor-like protein that regulates the expression of several genes23,24. HMGB1 is released from necrotic cells, but it can also be secreted by activated macrophages25 and activated NK cells2° in response to inflammatory stimuli, and it is one of the main prototypes of the damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs)26. It was recently discovered to be a crucial cytokine in the immune system, facilitating the trafficking of inflammatory leukocytes, and being critical for DCs to mature, reach the lymph nodes and sustain the proliferation of antigen-specific T cells, and to promote their polarization towards a T-helper 1 phenotype27,28.
The mechanisms involved in NK-DC interaction during viral infections are poorly understood. It was recently reported in murine CMV (MCMV) infection that MCMV-infected DCs were capable of activating syngeneic NK cells in vitro and also capable of enhancing NK-cell dependent clearance in vivo29, demonstrating the crucial role of NK-DC cross-talk in controlling viral replication. In HIV infection, NK-DC interaction was found defective in HIV-1-infected viremic, but not aviremic patients, characterized by abnormalities in the process of reciprocal NK-DC activation and maturation, as well as a defect in NK-cell elimination of iDCs30. The role of NK-DC cross-talk on maturation, function, and susceptibility to viral replication of HIV-1-infected iDCs was evaluated. It was discovered that maturation of HIV-1-infected DCs could be triggered by activated NK cells, but it was associated with a strong impairment of mature infected DCs to induce Th1 polarization following their crosstalk with NK cells. In addition, the cross-talk between NK cells and HIV-1-infected iDCs resulted in a dramatic increase in viral replication and proviral DNA expression in DCs. This process was mainly triggered by HMGB1, released both by NK cells and DCs, as a consequence of NK-DC cross-talk.
HIV-1 has evolved ways to exploit DCs, thereby facilitating viral dissemination and allowing evasion of antiviral immunity. The fate of DCs is dependent on NK cells. Below, the inventors detail the impact of NK-DC crosstalk on the fate of HIV-1-infected DCs. Activated NK cells efficiently triggered maturation of infected DCs, but this was associated with a strong impairment of mature DCs to induce Th1 polarization. Moreover, the crosstalk between NK cells and infected DCs resulted in a dramatic increase in viral replication and HIV-DNA in DCs. HMGB1 was crucial in this process, and inhibition of HMGB1 activity by glycyrrhizin or specific antibodies abrogated HIV-1 replication in DCs. The inventors describe how their new insights about how HIV 'hijacks' DCs to promote efficiently viral dissemination can provide new ways to inhibit HIV infection, new ways to diagnose and monitor HIV infection, new ways to monitor HIV infection, the viral load and the efficiency of treatment directed against HIV infection and new ways to carry out the prognosis of the state of progression of AIDS or towards AIDS.

Monitoring and inhibiting human immunodeficiency virus infection by modulating HMGB1 dependent triggering of HIV-1 replication and persistence


An implantable prosthesis is provided for repairing or augmenting anatomical weaknesses or defects, and is particularly suitable for the repair of soft tissue and muscle wall openings. The prosthesis may include a layer of fabric that is constructed and arranged to allow tissue ingrowth and is susceptible to erosion into and the formation of adhesions with tissue and organs. The prosthesis is configured to inhibit edge erosion of the prosthesis into surrounding tissue and organs. The prosthesis may include an erosion resistant edge to buffer an edge of the fabric from the adjacent tissue or organs. The erosion resistant edge may be provided along an opening that is adapted to receive a tube-like structure, such as the esophagus.

The present invention relates to an implantable prosthesis, and more particularly to a prosthetic repair fabric for use in soft tissue repair and reconstruction.
Various prosthetic repair materials have been proposed to repair and reinforce anatomical defects, such as tissue and muscle wall hernias. For example, a hiatal hernia occurs when a natural opening, or xe2x80x9chiatus,xe2x80x9d in the diaphragm through which the esophagus extends, becomes enlarged, allowing the stomach to pass through the hiatus into the thoracic cavity.
Representative surgical treatments for a hiatal hernia may include a cruroplasty, which involves tightening the crura of the diaphragm around the esophagus to reduce the size of the hiatal hernia. It has also been known to use a prosthetic repair fabric in the surgical treatment of a hiatal hernia. Typically, a sheet of surgical mesh fabric, such as BARD MESH, commercially available in rectangular stock sheets, was custom fashioned by a surgeon into a shape suitable for a particular patient""s hiatal repair, such as a rectangular or oval shape. Typically, the surgeon placed the mesh implant over the hiatal hernia and proximate to the esophagus.
It is one object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a prosthesis for the treatment of tissue or muscle wall defects, including hiatal hernias.
It is another object of certain embodiments of the present invention to provide a prosthesis for the repair of tissue defects, such as hiatal hernias, that reduces the incidence of postoperative erosion to tissue and organs, such as the esophagus, stomach and/or other surrounding viscera.
In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a prosthetic repair fabric is provided for repairing a tissue or muscle wall defect. The prosthetic repair fabric comprises a layer of fabric that is susceptible to erosion into and the formation of adhesions with tissue and organs, and an edge barrier that inhibits erosion into tissue and organs and inhibits the formation of adhesions with tissue and organs. The layer of fabric includes first and second surfaces and a fabric edge extending from the first surface to the second surface. The first surface is adapted to face the tissue or muscle wall defect and the second surface is adapted to face away from the defect. The edge barrier is disposed on a portion of the first and second surfaces adjacent the fabric edge and extends from the first surface to the second surface over the fabric edge. The edge barrier has an inner surface that is spaced from the fabric edge in a direction normal to the fabric edge to form a gap between the inner face of the edge barrier and the fabric edge to inhibit erosion of the tissue and organs by the fabric edge and to inhibit the formation of adhesions to the fabric edge.
In another illustrative embodiment of the invention, a prosthetic repair fabric is provided for repairing a tissue or muscle wall defect. The prosthetic repair fabric comprises a layer of fabric that is susceptible to the formation of adhesions with and erosion into tissue and organs, and an edge barrier that inhibits erosion into tissue and organs and inhibits the formation of adhesions. The layer of fabric includes first and second surfaces and a fabric edge extending from the first surface to the second surface. The first surface is adapted to face the muscle or tissue wall defect and the second surface is adapted to face away from the defect. The edge barrier is disposed at all times over the fabric edge. The edge barrier has an inner surface that is spaced from the fabric edge in a direction normal to fabric edge to form a gap between the inner face of the edge barrier and the fabric edge to inhibit erosion of the tissue and organs by the fabric edge and to inhibit the formation of adhesions to the fabric edge.
In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a prosthetic repair fabric is provided for repairing a tissue or muscle wall defect. The prosthetic repair fabric comprises a body of implantable, biocompatible repair fabric. The body includes first and second surfaces and a body edge that extends from the first surface to the second surface. The body also includes first and second layers joined to each other along an inverted seam that extends inwardly from the body edge and between the first and second layers to inhibit erosion of the tissue and organs.
In a further illustrative embodiment of the invention, a prosthetic repair fabric is provided for repairing a tissue or muscle wall defect. The prosthetic repair fabric comprises a body of implantable, biocompatible repair fabric. The body includes first and second surfaces and a body edge extending from the first surface to the second surface. The first surface is adapted to face the muscle or tissue wall defect and the second surface is adapted to face away from the defect. The body includes first and second layers, each of the first and second layers having an outer surface and an inner surface. The outer surface of the first layer forms the first surface of the body and the outer surface of the second layer forms the second surface of the body with the inner surface of the first layer facing the inner surface of the second layer. The first and second layers are joined to each other along at least one seam that is disposed inwardly of the body edge between the inner surfaces of the first and second layers to inhibit erosion of the tissue and organs by the body edge.
In another illustrative embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for fabricating a prosthetic repair fabric for repairing a tissue or muscle wall defect. The method comprises joining an outer edge of a first layer of implantable, biologically compatible material to an outer edge of a second layer of implantable, biologically compatible material. Each of the first and second layers includes first and second surfaces. The first and second layers are joined to each other with the first surface of the first layer facing the second surface of the second layer. After joining the first and second layers, the method further comprises inverting the first and second layers so that the second surface of the first layer is facing the first surface of the second layer and the outer edges of the first and second layers extend inwardly between the second surface of the first layer and the first surface of the second layer, thereby isolating the outer edges of the first and second layers from tissue and organs so as to inhibit erosion into the tissue and organs when the prosthetic repair fabric is implanted to repair the tissue or muscle wall defect.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

Prosthetic repair fabric with erosion resistant edge