A gaming system, apparatus, and method are disclosed which include identifying a set of initial game designations to produce a game ending winner for a game, one or more additional game designations may be considered, that is, compared against a set of elements shown on a card or display in play in the game. Considering these additional game designations in addition to the set of initial game designations may produce additional matched locations on the card or display and may produce a winning pattern that would not have been produced considering only the initial set of game designations. This use of additional game designations provides additional opportunities for players to obtain a winning result.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to gaming systems and to gaming machines used to present gaming results. More particularly, the invention is directed to gaming systems, machines, and methods for modifying payouts in a game.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large number of different gaming machines have been developed to provide various games and game results.
Various games, such as those played with predetermined cards or displays, include a number of designations randomly arranged in a grid, matrix, or other layout of locations. The game board or display may be represented by a data structure which defines a representation having various card or display locations and designations associated with the locations.
For example, in a traditional bingo game sequence, a number of the predetermined bingo cards are first sold for a particular bingo game. After the sale of bingo cards is closed for a given game, designations are randomly selected from a pool of available designations and matched to the designations on each bingo card that is in play in the bingo game. This matching of bingo designations randomly selected for a game and bingo designations associated with a bingo card in play in the game is commonly referred to as daubing the card.
One problem with various games is that the probability of winning or losing with a particular card or display may be determined by a fixed set of constraints. These constraints include the number of designations available in the pool of designations, the predetermined pattern or patterns to be matched, and the number of locations on the card or display. For a given set of constraints, the probabilities of winning and losing are generally fixed.

Gaming system, machine and method with modified payout mapping


The invention relates generally to the field of quantitative sedimentologic and stratigraphic prediction. Specifically, geological data observed or inferred from core samples, cuttings, geophysical well logs and seismic data from locations within a sedimentary basin, in conjunction with a stratigraphic forward model and an inverse optimization technique, are used to predict sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes at locations within the basin other than those at which data were collected. The model""s output consists of a three-dimensional model of the sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes for the specified basin volume.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of quantitative sedimentologic and stratigraphic prediction, and more specifically, to quantitative prediction of sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes at all locations within a basin, especially those that are remote from a set of specific data sampling locations. Sedimentologic and stratigraphic prediction is an important step in the discovery and recovery of oil, gas, and water resources.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Sedimentology is the study of rocks that are formed by: (1) the deposition of rock fragments which have been transported from their source to another location by water and/or air (e.g., sandstone and shale); (2) precipitation of minerals from a liquid or solution (e.g., salt, gypsum); and (3) remains (shells, skeletons and organic matter) of organisms (e.g., limestone, coal). Sedimentary rocks are deposited in layers known as strata. Stratigraphy is the study of the origin, composition, distribution and succession of these strata.
Oil and gas reservoirs and groundwater resources occur in sedimentary basins filled with strata of diverse compositions that contain fluids (water, oil, gas) in variable proportions and spatial distributions. The distribution of fluids is strongly controlled by petrophysical (e.g., porosity and permeability) and geometric (e.g., continuity and connectivity) properties of strata.
To recover petroleum from these reservoirs typically requires drilling through thousands of feet of overlying rock. The drilling of oil and gas wells is normally a very expensive endeavor. Consequently, before incurring this expense, those involved in the exploration for or production of oil and gas reservoirs seek to obtain an understanding of the basin geology and, in particular, the basin sedimentology and stratigraphy, so that an oil or gas well is drilled in a location that is most likely to achieve an economic success. In oil and gas exploration, geologic and seismic data are used to predict the location of sedimentary rocks and structures that are likely to contain an oil or gas reservoir. In developing (producing) an oil or gas reservoir, geologic and seismic data are used to predict locations for drilling wells that will facilitate the extraction of more petroleum from the identified reservoir.
In groundwater and contaminant transport modeling, the scientific problems of correctly identifying the fluid-flow pathways are the same as they are for oil and gas exploration and production, even though groundwater typically occurs at much shallower depths. It is widely appreciated that the biggest problem in groundwater and contaminant transport modeling is the definition of subsurface stratigraphy.
Presently, several techniques are used to obtain direct or indirect information about sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes. A common technique is seismic surveying, which involves: (1) transmitting sound waves from the surface into the earth; (2) recording the waves that are reflected back to the surface when the transmitted wave encounters interfaces between strata, fractures and other discontinuities that reflect acoustic waves in the underlying earth; and (3) analyzing the reflected signals to make geological inferences about sedimentary rocks and fluids encountered by the waves as they propagate through the earth. Seismic methods obtain indirect information (inferences) about rocks and fluids only at the sites of the seismic line. Other common techniques include coring cuttings and well logging, which involve taking samples of the various rocks and fluids encountered as a well is drilled, and inserting various instruments into the well to measure various rock and fluid properties. These techniques obtain direct and indirect information only at the coring or well sites.
Most techniques for obtaining sedimentologic and sedimentary data or inferences about their attributes are relatively expensive. Moreover, the results obtained from such techniques are limited and applicable only to the locations at which the data are taken; i.e., the data obtained by any one of these techniques at a particular location are not necessarily representative or predictive of the stratigraphy as it exists beyond a short radial distance from the precise location at which the data were taken. As a consequence, any conclusions drawn with respect to sedimentological and sedimentary attributes are subject to increasing uncertainty as the location of interest becomes increasingly remote from the locations at which the data are taken. Equally important, the information is indirect, that is, the information generated are no more than geological inferences from proxy measurements. Because of these limitations, a model is needed that accurately predicts stratigraphical attributes within a given basin from a small number of data sets.
In the parent application, Ser. No. 09/239,634, filed on Jan. 29, 1999, applicant disclosed a method that solves such a problem in that it accurately predicts basin stratigraphy at locations remote from where initial geologic data sets are collected. The disclosed method utilizes data collected from a few distinct locations within a desired basin. These data are compared to a predicted set of data generated from a forward stratigraphic model that is fed a set of values for the model process parameters. The predicted and the actual data sets are compared, and if the difference is greater than a predetermined limit, the model is run again with the parameter values modified. This process is repeated until the predictions fall within the predetermined limit and are close to the measurements taken at the sample locations. In the parent application, the predicted data set produced an accurate two-dimensional depiction of the sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes of the desired basin thus providing a significant advance over other existing modeling techniques. However, the disclosed method of the parent application lacked the capability to generate a three-dimensional model of the sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes of the desired basin.
Accordingly, this invention is directed to using geological data generated from one or more locations to accurately predict the stratigraphy at a location or locations remote from where the geological data were initially collected to produce a three-dimensional model of the sedimentologic and stratigraphic attributes of the desired basin. In particular, geological data gathered at a specific location can be input into the disclosed process and the stratigraphy for a location as much as tens of kilometers or as close as tens of meters away from the initial data point can be accurately predicted. The ability to predict the stratigraphy is accomplished using a mathematical optimization technique known as inversion.
Quantitative stratigraphic predictions made using inversion techniques reduce risks associated with exploration and production of oil and gas, or definition of fluid-flow pathways in ground water, and enhance interpretations or predictions made from other available data sets. For instance, quantitative prediction of the stratigraphy can be used to: (1) refine what has been inferred about the stratigraphy at a remote location by other techniques; (2) explain what a particular seismic image means in terms of rock type or other stratigraphic property; (3) extend with greater confidence information recovered from a well to a volume of rock a significant distance from the well; or (4) eliminate stratigraphically unreasonable solutions from a population of possible solutions of subsurface geology predicted by other techniques.
In the context of sedimentology and stratigraphy, inversion involves the use of: (1) a forward model to predict stratigraphy throughout a sedimentary basin based upon the values of realistic input parameters; (2) real stratigraphic data from a relatively small number of distinct locations within the sedimentary basin; and (3) an inversion technique that: (a) determines the difference between the measured stratigraphic data and the predictions made by the forward model for the locations at which the real stratigraphic data were obtained; and (b) if the differences are unacceptable, modifies the values of the input parameters to the forward model to achieve a closer match between the predicted stratigraphic attributes and the measured or observed stratigraphic attributes. The process of using the forward model to predict the stratigraphy throughout the basin and the modification of the values of the input parameters continues until the predictions made by the forward model for the locations associated with the real stratigraphic data match or are reasonably close to the real stratigraphic data. At this point, the forward model has been tuned such that it accurately predicts the stratigraphy not just at the locations associated with the real data, but also at other locations within the three-dimensional volume that are remotely situated from the sample locations.
Even though mathematical inversion has been applied in a number of geoscience and geoengineering applications (including seismic signal processing, well logging, potential field geophysics, petrophysics, hydrology, contaminant transport and oil maturation analysis), it had not been applied to stratigraphic analysis or to prediction of rock attributes beyond and/or between points of control until the applicant did so in the parent application. One principal reason that inversion had not been applied to stratigraphic analysis is that it was regarded for a long time as theoretically impossible. Ian Lerche, one of the world""s leaders in applying inverse and other optimization techniques to geoscience and geoengineering problems, co-authored an influential paper in 1987 which concluded that the application of inversion and other optimization techniques to the analysis of sedimentary rocks was theoretically impossible (Burton, et al., 1987).
The conclusion by Burton, et al., that inversion of stratigraphic data was theoretically impossible was based upon their determination that the different processes involved in producing the stratigraphy of a sedimentary basin and the different parameter values (e.g., magnitude, rates) associated with these processes can substitute or compensate for each other to produce the same stratigraphy in the sedimentary basin of interest. If different combinations and values of processes can substitute for each other to produce the same stratigraphy, then it is impossible to uniquely determine the values of the input parameters of the forward model to accurately predict the stratigraphy over a three-dimensional volume. In mathematical terms, this condition is known as nonuniqueness.
In the development of the present invention, it was discovered that the nonuniqueness conclusion reached by Burton, et al., was attributable to two aspects of the forward model that they employed. First, the philosophies incorporated in the forward model reflected stratigraphic paradigms which are now known not to be true, including: (1) the assumption that stratigraphic processes substitute for each other to produce identical products; (2) a belief that the stratigraphic record is dominantly composed of the deposits of rare, haphazard events that lack pattern and which, are therefore, not invertible; (3) that conservation of mass is not a requirement of the stratigraphic process-response system; and (4) that so much opf the rock record is missingxe2x80x94a condition known as stratigraphic gapsxe2x80x94that remaining information is not sufficient to reconstruct the stratigraphic history and the current distribution of different rock types. Second, their forward model used to test whether inversion could be applied to stratigraphy was a strictly geometric model, and did not simulate the process-response system of the real world adequately nor simulate stratigraphic properties such as facies successions and cycles which has been found to contain robust information.
The disclosed invention employs a forward model that models the processes associated with creating the stratigraphy in a sedimentary basin. In this regard, conservation of mass is identified as being a key component of the stratigraphic process-response system emulated by the forward model. Another is simulating stratigraphic, sedimentologic and biologic processes in the energy domain (i.e., potential, kinetic, chemical and biologic energy). Further, the types of geological data that have a significant impact on comparing forward model predictions with observations, i.e., robust types of data, have been identified and incorporated into the forward model.
Among the mathematical inversion techniques that are suitable for use in the disclosed invention are the genetic, the simulated annealing, the Monte Carlo, the gradient descent, and the technique designed by Ian Lerche. Since the inversion technique typically requires a number of forward model iterations (repeatedly running the forward model and modifying the input parameters) before the forward model produces an accurate prediction of the stratigraphy, the speed at which the forward model system operates may be of concern in some applications. Presently, the Lerche and the simulated annealing inversion techniques are found to be the fastest and best suited optimization techniques for this application.
Aside from predicting stratigraphy for oil and gas operations, the disclosed invention is equally applicable to groundwater hydrology and contaminant transport modeling as will be appreciated by those persons skilled in the art. Additionally, persons skilled in the art will recognize that stratigraphic inversion provides a quantitative link among geoscience and geoengineering disciplines. Som of these allied disciplines routinely apply inverse methods predict rock or fluid attributes from observations and models appropriate to their disciplines. None of these allied disciplines, however, has used a stratigraphic forward model in the inversion. For example, hydrology uses Darcy flow forward models, seismic geophysics uses some form of the wave equation as its forward model, and well bore geophysics uses a petrophysical forward model. The result of inversions of each disciplinary model is a population of solutions that presumably contain the correct solution. Each of these disciplines is attempting to identify a correct stratigraphy or fluid distribution based upon knowledge, models and data from one data type.
Thus this invention also discloses the performance of simultaneous inversions on multiple data types from two or more disciplines. Without a quantitative method of predicting stratigraphy, those persons skilled in the art of other geoscience or geoengineering disciplines have not been able to link these disciplines and perform simultaneous inversions on multiple data types. As an example, inversions on fluid data (e.g., pressure, head, composition, gas/oil ratio, historical production and pressure decline) using a Darcy forward model produces a population of models that describe likely fluid-flow (gas, oil or water) pathways through strata, independent of any stratigraphical information. Some of these solutions are geologically possible; others are geologically unrealistic. Similarly, stratigraphic inversion on the same strata, independent of information about fluid distribution and flow pathways, produces a population of solutions of which some are unrealistic with respect to fluid distribution. By simultaneously inverting on both fluid and rock data types, a smaller population of solutions is calculated and unrealistic solutions are eliminated. Since inversions on one data type eliminate a portion of possible solutions calculated by inversions on a different data type, the number of possible solutions and uncertainty are reduced, and accuracy is enhanced.

Method of predicting three-dimensional stratigraphy using inverse optimization techniques


The present invention provides for compounds of Formula I:

The monoamines norepinephrine and serotonin have a variety of effects as neurotransmitters. These monoamines are taken up by neurons after being released into the synaptic cleft. Norepinephrine and serotonin are taken up from the synaptic cleft by their respective norepinephrine and serotonin transporters.
Drugs that inhibit the norepinephrine and serotonin transporters can prolong the effects of norepinephrine and serotonin, respectively, in the synapse, providing treatment for a number of diseases. For example, the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine has been found to be useful in the treatment of depression and other nervous system disorders. The norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine has been approved for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as STRATTERA®. In addition, the norepinephrine and serotonin transporter inhibitor milnacipran is being developed for the treatment of fibromyalgia, a disease that affects about 2% of the adult population in the United States. However, the FDA has not currently approved any drug for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need in the art for compounds that are norepinephrine transporter inhibitors, serotonin transporter inhibitors, and that inhibit both norepinephrine and serotonin transporters, for the treatment of diseases including fibromyalgia, ADHD, neuropathic pain, urinary incontinence, generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and schizophrenia.

Therapeutic pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridines and indazoles

Abstract: wherein R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, X, and L have any of the values defined in the specification, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, that are useful as agents in the treatment of central nervous disorders and conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, neuropathic pain, urinary incontinence, anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia and fibromyalgia. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions comprising one or more compounds of Formula I.


An apparatus for clearing snow and other particulate material comprises one or a pair of arms mounted for rotation within the housing of a conventional rotary lawnmower or equivalent, as a substitute for the conventional grass-cutting blade. This enables the lawnmower to be used for clearing snow during the winter, when it cannot be used for cutting grass. The rotatable arm comprises an elongated blade member having upper and lower vanes extending upwardly and downwardly respectively from the blade member. The lower vanes act as knives to cut the snow or material to facilitate removal. The lower vanes are inclined obliquely to the blade axis so as to direct material that is below the blade member inwardly towards the axis of rotation. The upper vanes are inclined obliquely to a blade axis extending radially outwardly from the axis of rotation to direct material above the blade outwardly through a discharge opening of the housing. Inclination of the lower vanes with respect to the blade axis is in an opposite direction to the corresponding inclination of the adjacent upper vanes.

The invention relates to a snow blower attachment for attachment to a conventional rotary lawnmower, particularly for removal of snow and other lightweight particulate materials such as leaves etc.
Snow blower attachments for rotary lawnmowers have been proposed for many years, and can provide an economical snow blower to reduce the work of clearing paths and driveways after a snowfall. Because the lawnmower is not usable during the winter seasons for cutting grass, connecting a snow blower attachment to the lawnmower extends the use of the lawnmower through a period when it would normally be unusable.
Some of the prior art snow blower attachments are designed to be attached to the existing standard cutter blade of the lawnmower, and thus require attachments of relatively small accessories, usually to tips of the blade which can be time consuming as sometimes several nuts and bolts and required for each attachment. Furthermore, if the nuts and bolts are not properly secured, or if there is "lost motion" between the blade and accessories, the accessories can become loosened due to the vibration, and can be thrown from the blade, thus exposing the operator or other persons nearby to risk. Other prior art attachments provide a complete blade or arm which is substituted for the standard cutter blade, and thus eliminates the problem of accidental loss of attachments mounted on the standard blade. Some of these devices are relatively complex and costly to manufacture, and might be prone to damage if they accidentally contact a hard object during use.
Also, some prior art devices require intake or exhaust duct accessories to be fitted to the existing stationary housing surrounding the blade and this requires more work to convert the lawnmower to a snow blower and vice versa. Other devices discharge the snow through an existing grass cuttings discharge opening in the housing which is a more common arrangement. Some prior art blades provide a vertical plate-like pushing device which is designed to push against the snow prior to spinning the snow within the housing of the lawnmower, which spinning eventually forces the snow through the discharge opening. Such devices might operate reasonably well in relatively light snow, but encounter difficulty when the snow has become frozen or partially packed, because a normal lawnmower has insufficient power to break up a large volume of snow. Other types of blades tend to lift or scoop the snow upwardly from its surface, but do not seem to provide a sufficient force to eject the snow through the discharge opening, and thus tend to require a great deal of power for operation. Typical prior art attachments are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,919 issued to Stoddard; U.S. Pat. No. 2,991,567 issued to Erickson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,043,036 issued to Trojanek and U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,514 issued to Forren.
There appears to be no snow blower attachments for attachment to a rotary lawnmower which are specifically designed to cut harder or packed snow into small portions initially, and then to exert a positive driving force tending to force the small portions of snow outwardly through the discharge opening, thus providing more clearance for recently cut snow to be subsequently ejected through the discharge opening.

Snow blower attachment for lawnmowers and method of clearing snow


A polyamide composition has (a) a polyamide, (b) at least one phosphorus compound selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acids, phosphorous acids, hypophosphorous acids, metal phosphates, metal phosphites, metal hypophosphites, phosphoric esters, and phosphorous esters, and (c) a soluble metal aluminate compound represented by the general formula (M2O)x(Al2O3)y (wherein X+Y=1 and M is a Group 1 metal of the Periodic Table), wherein the molar ratio of polyvalent metal to monovalent metal in the composition (polyvalent metal/monovalent metal) is from 0.25 to 1.0.

The present invention relates to a polyamide composition, which is excellent in thermal stability and is suitable for industrial materials such as various mechanical parts and electric/electronic parts, and a process for producing the same.
When a polyamide resin undergoes various heat histories, thermal degradation and oxidative degradation occur to result in increase of yellowness, change in molecular weight, and decrease in mechanical properties such as toughness and durability. The various heat histories occur because of polymerization, melt-kneading, molding (injection, extrusion, blowing, fiber-spinning, film formation, etc.), use in a high temperature environment, and the like. For the purpose of reducing the degree of degradation during the heat histories, a method of blending a phosphorus compound acting as a heat stabilizer with a polyamide composition is well known and frequently used. On the other hand, it is also well known that the phosphorus compound acts as a polymerization catalyst for polyamide resins. Therefore, a method of increasing the molecular weight and inhibiting increase in yellowness by blending a phosphorus compound such as sodium hypophosphite in a polymerization process for polyamide resins is a well-known technology in the art. However, a polyamide resin blended with only a phosphorus compound not only exhibits insufficient effect of inhibiting increase in yellowness but also induces a large change in the molecular weight at every heat history, particularly melt-kneading or a heat melt step during molding. These problems occur because the catalytic action of the phosphorus compound still remains. Yellowing and/or large changes in molecular weight cause problems such as decreased productivity, defective products, and the like.
As methods for solving these problems, methods of using a phosphorus compound and another metal compound in combination are disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2741795 and JP 9-512839 T. More specifically, Japanese Patent No. 2741795 discloses a production process wherein a phosphorus compound such as sodium hypophosphite and a Group 1 base such as sodium bicarbonate are blended with a polyamide-forming reactant (starting material) and then polymerization is conducted or they are added to a polyamide in a melted state. The Group 1 base in the publication is selected from hydroxides, oxides, carbonates, alkoxides, bicarbonates, and hydrides. Moreover, JP 9-512839 T discloses a method wherein a phosphorus compound such as sodium hypophosphite and a polyvalent metal compound such as calcium acetate are blended with a polyamide-forming reactant (starting material) and then polymerization is conducted or they are added to a polyamide in a melted state. The polyvalent metal compound in the publication is selected from halides, nitrate salts, and carboxylate salts (i.e., acetate salts, propionate salts, benzoate salts, stearate salts, and the like) of Group 2 metals, zinc, and aluminum. It is disclosed that the polyamide resins obtained by these two production methods inhibit increase in yellowness even after storage for a long period of time and repeated melting operations during molding and extrusion as compared with conventional polyamide resins. Moreover, it is also described that change in molecular weight during the repeated melting operations is inhibited based on decrease in solid-phase polymerization rate. However, from the investigation by the present inventors, it has been found that, even when these methods are employed, if melting operations are repeated, then not only the effect of inhibiting increase in yellowness and the effect of inhibiting change in molecular weight are insufficient but also mechanical properties, such as toughness, is not well satisfactory.
On the other hand, JP 47-39156 A, JP 49-116151 A, and JP 1-104652 A disclose polyamide resins with which a soluble aluminate such as sodium aluminate is blended. Even when only a metal aluminate is blended with a polyamide-forming component (starting material) and then polymerization is conducted according to the technology, a prolonged polymerization time is required for obtaining a desired molecular weight owing to decrease in polymerization rate and, as a result, increase in yellowness and decrease in mechanical properties such as toughness are induced. Moreover, even when a metal aluminate is blended with a polyamide by melt-kneading, the molecular weight of the resulting polyamide resin tends to decrease and, as a result, the polyamide has insufficient mechanical properties such as toughness.
The present invention relates to a polyamide composition excellent in thermal stability, which is suitable for industrial materials such as various mechanical parts and electric/electronic parts, and a process for producing the same. More precisely, it relates to a polyamide composition which, even after a prolonged heat history or repeated heat histories, is inhibited from increasing in yellowness, is inhibited from suffering thermal decomposition, has a stable melt viscosity, and is excellent in mechanical properties such as toughness, as compared with conventional polyamide resins.


A wall-mount faucet assembly has a mounting fitting adapted to be fixed in the wall and connected to incoming hot- and cold-water lines. This fitting is formed with an outwardly directed seat provided with hot- and cold-water ports to which can be fastened an end of a substantially cylindrical body centered on an axis of a mixing faucet. An annular holder has two parts that engage complementarily around the faucet body adjacent the base and against the wall and that can be secured together to clamp the holder to the faucet body. An annular cover plate engageable around the faucet body and over the holder axially with the wall is fastened to this holder to lock it in place. The cover plate includes a main part formed with a radially open slot wide enough to fit over the faucet body, and a filler part complementarily engageable in the slot.

A standard wall-mount faucet assembly comprises a mounting fitting adapted to be fixed in the wall and connected to incoming hot- and cold-water lines and a faucet that is bolted to this assembly. The mounting fitting is typically installed when the plumbing is roughed in and is usually provided with a shield to protect it as the wall is completed.
To cover the hole in the wall around the mounting fitting the assembly includes a cover plate which as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,207, is a one-piece annular disk that is fitted around the faucet body. This disk can slide along the faucet and is pulled forward to install the faucet on the mounting plate, then is pushed back against the wall to cover the hole and seal around the fitting.
Such a cover plate is a substantial hindrance to the worker installing the faucet. In addition if the faucet is not perfectly perpendicular to the wall, the plate will not seal well.

Wall-mount faucet with accessory-holding bracket

Friedrich Grohe Armaturenfabrik GmbH & Co.


The present disclosure relates to the technical field of luminescent materials, and more particularly, to a nitride luminescent material and a light emitting device comprising the luminescent material. The nitride luminescent material recited in the present disclosure includes an inorganic compound with the structural composition RwQxSiyNz, the excitation wavelength of the luminescent material is between 300-650 nm, and the emission main peak of the NIR light region is broadband emission between 900-1100 nm; the excitation wavelength of the luminescent material is relatively broad and capable of excellent absorption of ultraviolet visible light, and has more intensive NIR emission as compared with NIR organic luminescent materials and inorganic luminescent materials of other systems, so it is an ideal application material for NIR devices.

Near infrared light (NIR) being electromagnetic waves has wavelengths in the range of 700-2500 nm, and was the invisible light region earliest discovered by people. Within the NIR region the light is great in scattering effect and penetrating depth; very few light intensity is absorbed, and its wavelength is so short that it cannot be absorbed by glass or quartz medium, and has wide applications in such fields as harmless removal of biological tissues, astronomical measurements, and fiber communications, so there are increasingly more researches and reports on NIR technology and applications.
Rare earth ion (4f) NIR light emission has characteristics in terms of high intensity, narrow line width, long life and small background, and especially advantageous in such aspects as light signal amplification, laser system, and fluoroimmunoassay. This series of advantages are incomparable by other NIR light emitting materials. With the deepening of NIR researches and widening of its application ranges, especially with the developments in such fields as fiber communications, public security and bio-medical treatment, there is an urgent need for an NIR material having excellent light emitting properties. While NIR lights about 1000 nm are capable of being used as high-efficiency solar spectrum conversion materials, and have great potential in such aspects as low-threshold NIR lasers, commercial counterfeiting and enhancement of C—Si solar energy battery conversions.
Currently available modes for acquiring NIR short-wave lights are mainly by way of infrared chips, or halogen lamps through light splitting, or photoluminescent transition metals or oxides of rare-earth metals, or photoluminescent organic complexes (Chemistry Letters, 2004, 33:50-51; Advanced Functional Materials, 2002, 12:745-751; Annual Conference of Chinese Chemical Society, 2016). However, currently available NIR light emitting devices are generally problematic in terms of excitation low efficiency and high production cost of the NIR chips as used, while the use of halogen lamps requires the filtering of light, whereby most lights are split to engender low use efficiency. Further, as halogen lamps generate great amount of thermal energy, they are not applicable to small-scale devices. Furthermore, currently available photoluminescent materials are not mature in both equipment and technology, and the NIR spectrum part is low in emission efficiency and inferior in stability, so these constitute the biggest bottleneck restricting their application. Therefore, it is still one of the working emphases to continue to search for suitable systems, and to analyze their structures and their relationship with regard to NIR light emission properties.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Nitride luminescent material and light emitting device comprising same


An exemplary embodiment provides a semiconductor device, in which a junction leakage current is reduced in MISFET including a source/drain impurity layer formed in a semiconductor region containing Ge, and a semiconductor device manufacturing method. The semiconductor device includes a channel region which is formed in a semiconductor substrate; a gate insulator which is formed on a surface of the channel region; a gate electrode which is formed on the gate insulator; and source/drain impurity layers which are formed on both sides of the channel region. In the semiconductor device, at least part of the source/drain impurity layer is formed in a semiconductor region containing Ge in the semiconductor substrate, and at least an element selected from a group including S, Se, and Te is contained in the semiconductor region which is deeper than a junction depth of the source/drain impurity layer.

Improvement of performance of MISFET has been achieved by a scaling-down technique. However, because the scaling-down technique is approaching the limit, the technique of improving the performance of MISFET except for the scaling-down technique is studied. The use of a substrate except for a Si substrate which has electron or hole mobility higher than that of Si, for example, the use of a SiGe substrate or a Ge substrate is studied. Also studied is a technique embedding SiGe or Ge in a source/drain region, and applying a distortion to Si channel, thereby improving the carrier mobility in the Si channel.
A reverse leakage current of a pn junction or a Schottky junction of the source/drain region is increased as a semiconductor band gap Eg is decreased. Si and Ge have band gaps Eg of 1.1 and 0.66 eV at a room temperature (20° C.), respectively. Therefore, the large amount of reverse leakage current of the junction is cited as one of problems with MISFET formed on the SiGe or Ge substrate. Additionally, sometimes various defects are introduced into the semiconductor substrate near the junction during the MISFET forming process. The junction leakage current is further increased according to the amount of defect in a depletion layer near the junction, which worsens the problem.
Examples of the defect generated in the semiconductor crystal include a point defect such as a dangling bond, a dislocation, and a stacking fault. Recently it is reported that the introduction of S (sulfur) is an effective technique of compensating the defect generated in a NiGe/Ge interface. In the Schottky junction formed in the Ge substrate using NiGe, Fermi level pinning (FLP) can be solved by segregating sulfur in a metal/semiconductor interface (K. Ikeda, Y. Yamashita, N. Sugiyama, N. Taoka and S. Takagi, Applied Physics Letters, 88, 152115 (2006)). It is believed that FLP is generated due to the defect existing in the metal/semiconductor interface, and it is believed that sulfur compensates the defect existing in the metal/semiconductor interface to solve the pinning.
Desirably a junction depth Xj of the source/drain region is made shallow to improve controllability by a gate electrode of MISFET. In the Si substrate, it is known that the junction depth Xj can be made shallow by ion implantation of a dopant after the Si substrate is transformed into an amorphous state by Ge ion implantation. However, a technique of forming the shallow junction depth Xj is not known yet in the Ge substrate.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof


A pneumatic impact tool includes a housing, a power output unit, a transmission unit, and an oil seal assembly. The housing has first and second accommodating chambers, and first and second oil inlets in fluid communication with the first and second accommodating chambers, respectively, and permitting lubricating oil to be fed into the first and second accommodating chambers therethrough. The power output unit is centered at a Z-axis, and is disposed in the first accommodating chamber for power outputting. The transmission unit is centered at an X-axis, and is disposed in the second accommodating chamber for transmitting a power to the power output unit. The oil seal assembly prevents flow of the lubricating oil out of the first and second accommodating chambers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pneumatic tool, and more particularly to a pneumatic impact tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional pneumatic impact tool 1 disclosed in US2011/0139474A1 includes a housing 11, a transmission unit 12 extending along an X-axis and disposed rotatably in the housing 11 for power transmission, and a power output unit 13 extending along a Z-axis, disposed rotatably in the housing 11, and geared to the transmission unit 12. The housing 11 has a first accommodating chamber 111 receiving the power output unit 13, a second accommodating chamber 112 receiving the transmission unit 12, and an oil inlet 113 in fluid communication with the second accommodating chamber 112 and permitting lubricating oil to be fed therethrough.
When the transmission unit 12 is driven by a power source (not shown), such as a pneumatic cylinder, to rotate, due to the geared connection between the transmission unit 12 and the power output unit 13, the power output unit 13 is rotated for outputting a power. The lubricating oil flows from the oil inlet 113 into clearances among the components of the transmission unit 12 in the second accommodating chamber 112, and subsequently into clearances among the components of the power output unit 13 in the first accommodating chamber 111. As such, all of the rotating members of the pneumatic tool 1 can be lubricated to facilitate smooth rotation thereof.
However, the lubricating oil is made of grease, and thus is difficult to flow. Hence, during rotation of the transmission unit 12 and the power output unit 13, the lubricating oil is easily thrown away from the transmission unit 12 and the power output unit 13, thereby resulting in high temperature effect and, thus, reduced viscosity of the lubricating oil. That is, the lubricating effect is reduced.
Importantly, since only one oil inlet 113 is provided, and since it is disposed at a side of the second accommodating chamber 112 distal from the first accommodating chamber 111, when the lubricating oil is fed into the second accommodating chamber 112, it is difficult to fill the first accommodating chamber 111, so that a large amount of lubricating oil needs to fill the second accommodating chamber 112 in order to be squeezed into the first accommodating chamber 111, thereby resulting in inconvenient oil filling and an increase in the demand quantity of the lubricating oil, which is not cost effective.

Pneumatic impact tool having two oil inlets


A code reader comprising an integrated light source for the illumination of a reading region, a sensor matrix and an optical receiving system positioned in front of the latter, wherein the light emergence surface of the light source is located in or closely in front of the depth of field zone of the optical receiving system.

The invention relates to a code reader having an integrated light source for the illumination of a reading zone and having a sensor matrix and an optical receiving system positioned in front of said sensor matrix.
Code readers are known in a variety of embodiments from the prior art and are also used inter alia to read codes which were applied directly to the respective carrier material by a deformation thereof. Codes of this type, which are known, for example, as so-called DPM codes (direct part marking codes), are generated, for example, in that the carrier material is acted on by a high-energy laser or by means of pin stamping ("dot peening"). It is common to both methods that recesses or indentations are generated in the carrier material at the respective desired positions which then ultimately correspond to the desired code in their total arrangement.
DPM codes are in particular used for two-dimensional codes which consist, for example, of dots directly arranged inside an area, with each dot corresponding to a recess or indentation in the carrier material.
The reading of DPM codes is difficult when the code reader is arranged perpendicular above the code, since the light source integrated in the code reader then illuminates the code at an angle of incidence which coincides at least largely with the optical axis of the code reader, which has the consequence that no great contrast difference occurs between the regions of the carrier material provided with recesses and those regions which do not have any recesses. Accordingly, one usually does not work with a light source integrated in the code reader here, but rather with an external light source which has to be provided separately and which illuminates the code at a very oblique angle of incidence in the sense of dark field illumination. Those regions of the carrier material having no recesses in this case generate a very flat light reflection so that the reflected light does not reach the code reader and the said regions in the code reader ultimately appear dark. The light obliquely incident onto the recesses is, in contrast, reflected to the code reader to a sufficient degree with an oblique light incidence such that the recesses ultimately appear light in the code reader and can be clearly distinguished from those regions—which appear dark—which have no recesses.
The fact is thus disadvantageous in the described known arrangements for the reading of DPM codes that the integrated light source usually present in a code reader cannot be used and an external light source additionally has to be provided which provides the described oblique illumination of the code. This external light source must furthermore be correctly adjusted relative to the code reader which signifies an additional effort.


A method of controlling a wind turbine comprising at least one rotor blade, and at least one accelerometer housed within a nacelle or a tower of the wind turbine. The method comprises: determining a whirling mode frequency for the wind turbine; measuring an acceleration signal that is indicative of the movement of the nacelle of the wind turbine; determining a frequency spectrum of the measured acceleration signal in the proximity of the determined whirling mode frequency; determining a characteristic value that is representative of the energy content of the measured acceleration signal having the determined frequency spectrum; and performing at least one control action if the characteristic value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Wind turbines are designed to operate reliably and safely under a wide range of wind conditions. However, despite careful design practices some wind conditions may result in oscillations of the wind turbine components, particularly the blades. Such oscillations can compromise the reliable operation of the wind turbine, and this is particularly the case if the oscillations coincide with resonant frequencies of the wind turbine. Since resonant oscillations can lead to damage of wind turbine components, much effort is made to measure potentially dangerous vibrations of components and to mitigate their effect.
A source of vibration that is not currently particularly well understood, measured, or managed is vibration of wind turbine blades in the edgewise direction. Edgewise vibration at certain frequencies can cause damage to the blades but also to other components of the wind turbine.
Some attempts to quantify edgewise vibration have been made using sensors incorporated into the blades. However, a large number of sensors are necessary that are often expensive and that have to be incorporated into the blade carefully so as not to be in the way of other features such as lightning protection systems. Additionally, for older wind turbines, retrofitting sensors is much more expensive and can compromise the structure of the blade.
It is the aim of the present invention to address at least some of the abovementioned issues.

Method and system for controlling a wind turbine to manage edgewise blade vibrations


An Access Point receives an encrypted data frame from a client device, and determines whether the encrypted data frame is a guest frame. If it determined that the frame is a guest frame, the Access Point transmits the encrypted data frame to a server for decryption by the server, and determines whether to transmit an ACK to the client device based on the encrypted data frame. Otherwise, the Access Point decrypts the encrypted data frame, and determines whether to transmit an ACK to the client device.

Wireless networking technology allows computers to communicate wirelessly, using network protocols such as a protocol in the IEEE 802.11 family of protocols. There are two types of wireless networks: ad-hoc wireless networks, in which each computer in the network can communicate directly with each other computer in the wireless network; and wireless networks that make use of one or more Access Point(s). An Access Point (AP) acts a bridge for wireless devices within range of the AP and to a wired network to which the AP is connected.
There are two distinct types of Access Points: thick APs and thin APs. A thick AP is a layer 2 device that performs functions, including functions such as all Media Access Control (MAC) functions locally, including authentication of clients. A thin AP is not itself a level 2 or level 3 device, but instead communicates via a low-level protocol to a controller. Frames received by the thin. AP are tunneled to the controller for processing. For thin APs, virtually all functions, such as virtually all MAC functions, are performed by the controller rather than the AP.

Method, manufacture, and apparatus for centralized wifi encryption for guest


A magnetic head slider includes a magnetic recording part and/or a reproducing part. The magnetic head slider includes a resistance film having temperature dependence of electrical resistance, the resistance film being positioned in the vicinity of an air bearing surface or on the air bearing surface, separately from the magnetic recording part and the reproducing part. The magnetic head slider further includes a first protective film with a smaller milling rate than the resistance film, the first protective film contacting a lower surface of the resistance film in a lamination direction of the magnetic head slider and on the air bearing surface, and/or a second protective film with a smaller milling rate than the resistance film, the second protective film contacting an upper surface of the resistance film in the lamination direction of the magnetic head slider and on the air bearing surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head slider, and more particularly, to a magnetic head slider including a head (magnetic head)-to-medium (recording medium) spacing detecting element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a hard disk device, a magnetic head slider on which a magnetic head is mounted is arranged facing the surface of a rotating recording medium (magnetic disk) with a space therebetween, and it performs the writing of information to the recording medium and/or the reading of information from the recording medium. In recent years, a flying height from the recording medium of the magnetic head slider is extremely small to respond higher recording density of the recording medium and is set, for example, at or below 10 nm.
In the case where the flying height of the magnetic head slider is minute, when the flying height of the magnetic head slider fluctuates for some reason, or an unexpected projection exists on the surface of the recording medium, there is the potential that the magnetic head slider is made to contact the surface of the recording medium and causes damage. For this reason, the magnetic head slider is preferably controlled so as not to contact the recording medium.
The flying height of the magnetic head slider depends on the shape (rail shape, arrangement, or the like) of an air bearing surface, the relative speed of the magnetic head slider and recording medium, and the hard disk device usage environment (pressure and temperature) or the like. In the past, the flying height of the magnetic head slider has been adjusted by optimizing mainly the shape of the air bearing surface; however, the flying height cannot be controlled during operation with this technique. Accordingly, the flying height is set to make an allowance to some extent, so that the magnetic head slider does not contact the surface of the recording medium, or the contact does not frequently occur. In contrast to this, a magnetic head slider with a built-in heater has been developed in recent years, and this enables the flying height to be controlled during operation by operating the heater to expand the air bearing surface toward the recording medium.
The latter technique is effective to reduce the flying height; however, in order to adequately control the flying height, a space between the magnetic head slider and the surface of the recording medium (head-to-medium spacing (HMS)) is preferably measurable during operation. Even with the former technique, there is an occasion that the HMS is preferably measured during operation of the hard disk device or a test device for a trial objective.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,589,928 discloses a magnetic head slider that can measure the HMS. In the magnetic head, a sensor (hereinafter, refer to as HMS detecting element) for detecting HMS is provided separately from a magnetic recording part and a reproducing part. The HMS detecting element has a metallic film formed of platinum or gold. Current flows into the HMS detecting element and a voltage drop in the HMS detecting element is measured. The voltage drop is converted to HMS by the known Wallace equation. The specification also described that the HMS detecting element is covered with a tantalum film to prevent from damage by the HMS detecting element contacting the recording medium.
In a manufacturing process of the magnetic head slider, a polishing treatment and a milling treatment are conducted to form an air bearing surface. Although these treatments may be concurrently used, the air bearing surface is ultimately formed by the milling. The milling rate differs according to the material being milled, so the air bearing surface after milling is not completely flat and minute asperity is formed. Because the HMS detecting element is positioned on the air bearing surface, it is polished together with the magnetic recording part and the reproducing part. Because the HMS detecting element is a metallic film, it is generally easy to mill and there is a greater likelihood for it to be recessed compared to other portions of the air bearing surface after milling. When this occurs, there is a greater distance between the HMS detecting element and the recording medium which presents a likelihood of reducing the sensitivity of the HMS detecting element.

Magnetic head slider including protective film for head-to-medium spacing detecting element


The junction temperature of an LED is determined. This result is used to determine an initial brightness value of the LED. The initial brightness value is derated by a long-term degradation amount that is determined using a stored indication of the lifetime total on time. The derated brightness value is used to determine an exposure for a capture system. The junction temperature is determined by measuring the ambient temperature and then keeping a running junction temperature determined from the on and off times.

The invention relates generally to precision control of an exposure and more particularly to modeling the light output of a light emitting diode (LED) to maintain a constant exposure as the light output of an array of LED""s changes over temperature and the lifetime of the part.
High quality image capture such, as grayscale and color imaging, needs a precision light source. Because of their size, price, reliability, and other qualities, light emitting diodes (LED""s) may be chosen as the light source for image capture. Unfortunately, the light output of an LED changes with junction temperature and age. Because LED""s heat up when they are on, one of the factors that determines the junction temperature of an LED, and hence its light output, is the amount of time, and duty cycle, that the LED is on. One way to compensate for at least part of this variation is to use a light calibration strip. A light calibration strip may be used with a search algorithm to set the illumination levels prior to image capture. A disadvantage of this method is that part of the image capture array is used to sense the calibration strip. This decreases the width or area that is captured at any given moment. Another disadvantage is that this method does not account for changes in the junction temperature during image capture.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an illumination compensation. method and apparatus that does not utilize a light calibration strip.
An embodiment of the calculates the LED light output given a set of calibration values, the ambient temperature, the recent on-off history of the device, and the long term history of the device. Once the LED light output is calculated, an exposure can be calculated that will be nearly constant over the operating conditions and lifetime of the device. The ambient temperature is obtained from a temperature sensor. The recent on-off history of the device is timed with a counter-timer. The long-term history of the device and the calibration values are recorded in non-volatile memory. The calibration values are measured and set at the time of manufacture and ensure that each device produces nearly the same exposure under the same conditions.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

Software determination of led brightness and exposure

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A fine pattern is formed by the following steps. A prescribed mask pattern of an electrically insulative material is formed on an electroconductive surface of a base plate of a printing plate, so that the part, other than the mask pattern, of the printing plate becomes an electroconductive printing pattern part. Then, electrolysis is carried out in an electrolyte containing an electrodeposition substance as an ingredient with the printing plate as one electrode and with an opposing electrode, both immersed in the electrolyte, so that the electrodeposition substance is deposited on the electroconductive printing pattern part of the printing plate. Thereafter, the printing plate is withdrawn out from the electrolyte, washed and dried. Then, the deposited substance is transferred onto the surface of a printing object such as a plate of glass or plastic, for forming a pattern thereon. Thereafter, the surface of the printing object is etched with the electrodeposited substance thus transferred as an erosion resistant material. The transfer of the electrodeposition substance without consistency from the printing plate onto the surface of the printing object, followed by etching of the printing object surface, enables an accurate reproduction of a fine pattern on the printing object.

This invention relates to methods of forming images in which the image elements (e.g., lines) are highly precise and ultraminute. More particularly, the invention concerns a method of forming fine patterns by which fine patterns such as those of fine circuits used in semiconductor elements can be formed with high reliability and moreover on a quantity production scale.
Among the numerous applications with which the present invention is concerned are the printing of electrical wirings and the formation of electrical circuits on substrates or base plates of materials such as glass and ceramics. Heretofore, such forming of image patterns have been carried out by processes such as photolithography, screen printing, and offset printing.
With the advancements in electronics, however, there has been an ever-growing demand for further improvements in the fineness and precision of image elements (lines) of patterns constituting electronic elements and components. Accordingly, methods involving the use of photolithography, by which very fine image elements can be formed, have heretofore been widely adopted. However, the throughputs of such methods relying on photolithography have been poor, whereby the production cost has been unavoidably high.
As a measure for lowering this cost, there has been a need for the development of a printing method which is adaptable to and highly effective for quantity production. The printing methods being utilized at present are the screen printing method, the offset printing method, and the like. The image elements that can be formed by these methods, however, are relatively wide, and it is extremely difficult to obtain image elements of fine widths. In fact, forming such fine elements has been impossible.
For example, the screen printing method comprises forming an ink shielding mask on a mesh-form screen so that the non-masked parts delineate the desired pattern and causing the ink to pass though the non-masked parts thereby to print the desired pattern on an object being printed (hereinafter referred to as "printing object"). By this method, an ink thickness of a number of .mu.m to 20 .mu.m can be obtained. For this reason, printing of resist patterns with excellent erosion resistance becomes possible. However, the practical image element (line) width is of the order of 0.1 to 0.2 mm. Therefore, intricate and fine patterns required for semiconductor integrated circuits and other uses cannot be printed by this method.
The offset printing method mentioned above comprises forming lipophilic parts and hydrophilic parts on a presensitized plate (PS plate), causing the hydrophilic parts to hold water and repel an oil-based ink thereby causing the ink to adhere selectively to only the lipophilic parts to form the desired ink pattern, and transferring this ink pattern onto the printing object. In order to improve the printing adaptability of this method, the general method is to first transfer the ink pattern on the PS plate once onto a rubber blanket and then to retransfer the pattern onto the printing object. By this offset printing, relatively fine image elements can be obtained, but, mainly because the ink transfer is carried out twice, the ink film thickness is thin, being of the order of 1 to 2 .mu.m. As a consequence, there arises the problem of pinholes and line breakages readily occurring in the printed image elements.
Accordingly, numerous proposals and attempts have been made by applying various improvements to the offset printing method to increase the ink film thickness and thereby obtain patterns of excellent erosion resistance. However, increasing the ink film thickness inevitably gives rise to an increase in the width of the printed image elements. As a result, the lower limit of the width of the image elements which can be attained by these printing methods in the present state of the art is said to be of the order of 0.1 to 0.2 mm.
It can therefore be said that, by the printing methods as practiced heretofore in the above described manner, highly precise and fine patterns cannot be formed. One of the major reasons for this is that a printing ink passes consistency and even fluidity in some cases.
The consistency or tackiness of a printing ink is ordinarily an indispensable property for printing but becomes a disadvantage in the case where a precise and fine printed pattern is to be formed. More specifically, in the case where the ink is soft, it becomes stretched under pressure or flows when it is being transferred onto a printing object. Consequently, the figures of ink on the printing plate cannot be maintained, and the image transferred onto the printing object differs considerably from the image initially formed on the printing plate. Moreover, the magnitude of this discrepancy fluctuates greatly with the ambient conditions, whereby it is extremely unstable. For such reasons, conventional printing methods cannot be utilized for patterning which requires fineness and, moreover, high precision.
Furthermore, together with the fluctuation of the width of printing image elements at the time of transfer, the fluctuation of the ink film thickness is also large. Consequently, the reliability of the printing with respect to requirements such as chemical resistance and absence of pinholes in the resulting pattern is also poor. These difficulties have been a great problem.


A rifamycin derivative having the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein A is a group having the formula: ##STR2## in which R.sup.1 is an alkyl group having 4 or 5 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 3 to 5 carbon atoms, or a group having the formula: in which n is 3 or 4; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The rifamycin derivative (I) exhibits a strong antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and acid-fast bacteria, and also exhibits a strong antibacterial activity against tubercle bacilli.

The present invention relates to a novel rifamycin derivative or salts thereof, a process for preparing the same and antibacterial agents containing the same as an effective ingredient. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel rifamycin derivative having the formula (I): ##STR3## wherein A is a group having the formula: ##STR4## in which R.sup.1 is an alkyl group having 4 or 5 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having 3 to 5 carbon atoms, or a group having the formula: in which n is 3 or 4; or a salt thereof, a process for preparing the same and antibacterial agents containing the rifamycin derivative or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an effective ingredient.
The rifamycin derivative of the present invention is a novel compound which has not yet been reported in the literature.
For the purpose of developing a novel superior antibacterial agent, the present inventors have synthesized a novel rifamycin derivative having the formula (I): ##STR5## wherein A is as defined above and investigated the antibacterial activity and pharmacological characteristics thereof, and as a result, found that the novel rifamycin derivative having the formula (I) exhibits a strong antibacterial activity and excellent pharmacological characteristics.

3'-hydroxybenzoxazinorifamycin derivative, process for preparing the same and antibacterial agent containing the same

Kanegafuchi Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


A cabinet (10) that provides full access to equipment (12) mounted therein broadly comprises a housing (13) for housing the equipment (12), an access door (24) for selectively protecting the equipment (12), a rack (40) for supporting the equipment (12), and a frame (60) for rotatably and slidably supporting the rack (40). The rack (40) preferably includes two vertical members (42,44) spaced apart such that the equipment (12) mounts between the vertical members (42,44), and top and bottom crossbars (46,48) rigidly separating the vertical members (42,44). The frame (60) preferably includes a substantially vertical support (66) presenting a substantially horizontal flange (70), and a substantially horizontal shelf (68) extending from the vertical support (66) below the rack (40). The rack (40) is rotatably secured to the frame (60) through vertical axles (72,74) and rigidly fixed by a locking mechanism (80) for selectively preventing rotation of the rack (40).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical equipment cabinets. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cabinet that allows full access to equipment mounted therein.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many electrical equipment cabinets exist to protect electrical equipment. While most designs adequately protect equipment mounted therein, they do not allow sufficient access to the equipment, without removing the equipment.
Some cabinets include doors and/or removable panels that allow access to equipment's front, sides, and rear. However, such panels require significant space all around the cabinet. For example, sufficient space must be provided for a technician to remove a panel and then work on the equipment behind the panel. Such space requirements are often impracticable, or even impossible, to achieve behind and along side cabinets.
Yet other cabinets include racks that swing out of the cabinet, but the allowable equipment depth in such cabinets is limited due to the width of the cabinet. If the equipment is too deep, for example, the equipment will contact the side of the cabinet when rotated out.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved electrical equipment cabinet that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.

Equipment cabinet providing full access to equipment housed therein


Fixing method and apparatus for producing high quality fixed images includes mechanisms for transferring unfused toner particles images from an image bearing member to a transparent intermediate fixing member, for fusing the transferred images to the intermediate fixing member by irradiation, for laminating a registerd receiver or copy sheet of paper to the intermediate fixing member over the fused images thereby sandwiching such fused images therebetween, and for chilling the laminate in order to effect transfer-fixing of fused images from the intermediate fixing member onto the receiver or copy sheet of paper.

This invention relates to electrostatographic copiers and printers, and more particularly to a high quality and heat efficient method and apparatus therein for fixing images on a suitable receiver or copy sheet of paper without subjecting the receiver or copy sheet to high fusing temperatures and heat. The method and apparatus of the present invention thereby substantially prevent the occurrence of heat-related fusing and fixing defects such as curling, distortion, blistering and even charring of such a receiver or copy sheet.
Processes in electrostatographic copiers and printers for creating electrostatic latent images on an image-bearing member, developing such images with loose particles of toner, and then transferring the loose toner developed images to a suitable receiver or copy sheet of paper, are well known. In order to form a permanent copy of such images on the receiver or copy sheet, it is also well known to use heat for fusing and and/or pressure for fixing such loose particles of toner to the receiver or copy sheet. For such fusing and fixing, the loose toner particle images conventionally are transferred unfused to a heat absorbing receiver or copy sheet, and there fused by applying heat and pressure to the receiver or copy sheet.
In copiers or printers with roller fusing and fixing apparatus, the heat for fusing is supplied and applied by means of a heated roller, and in those with radiant fusing apparatus, the heat is supplied, for example, by an infrared heat source. In such conventional fusing and fixing apparatus, a substantial and extra amount of the heat generated by the heat source is unfortunately absorbed by the receiver or copy sheet. As a result, a lot more heat than is necessary to fuse such toner particles is detrimentally generated, and wasted by the apparatus. Additionally, because it takes time to produce such extra heat, conventional apparatus therefore take more time, than would otherwise be necessary, to heat fuse the loose toner images on such receiver or copy sheet.
Consequently, the quality of the fused images often is adversely affected, and the receiver or copy sheet, which is subjected to and adsorbs such a substantial amount of heat at high fusing temperatures, is likely to suffer from heat-related fusing and fixing defects such as curling, distortion, blistering and charring of such receiver or copy sheet.

Fixing method and apparatus having a transfer-fixing chilling drum


Liquid crystalline compounds expressed by the following formula (1), liquid crystal compositions thereof obtained by combination with specified liquid crystal compounds, and liquid crystal display devices using them, ##STR1##. wherein, A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3 and A.sub.4 denote each independently trans-1,4-cyclohexylene group etc.; Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2 and Z.sub.3 denote each independently --(CH.sub.2).sub.2 -- etc.; Q.sub.1 and Q.sub.2 denote each independently H, F, Cl or Br; Q.sub.3 and Q.sub.4 denote each independently F, Cl or Br; 1, m and n denote each independently an integer of from 0 to 5; and p and q denote each independently an integer of 0 or 1.

There have been many display devices which utilizing a refractive anisotropy and a dielectric anisotropy, characteristics of liquid crystalline compounds. Those display devices are used widely in watches, electronic computers, word processsors, television sets etc., demands of which have been increased year by year. Liquid crystal phase is positioned between solid phase and liquid phase, and liquid crystal phase is classified roughly into nematic phase, smectic phase, and cholesteric phase, and among them, display devicesutilizing nematic phase are most widely used.
Furthermore, as display methods applied for liquid crystal displays, there are present TN (twist nematic) type, DS (dinamic scattering) type, guest-host type and DAP type etc. concerning to their electric optical effects. In particular, colorization of liquid crystal display has been recently more progressed, wherein the main currents are a thin film transistor (TFT) method and a super twist nematic (STN) method concerning to TN type, and these display devices are mass-produced.
Although a number of liquid crystalline compounds including those in study are known, there is not present any substance which is enclosed and used in display devices as a single liquid crystalline substance. The reasons thereof is that there has not been found any substance to satisfy the following conditions as a single substance: namely, that liquid crystalline compounds to be expected as materials of display devices are desired to show a liquid crystal phase within a wide temperature range as possible in nature centering around the room temperature, which is most often used for display devices, that the compounds should be sufficiently stable against environmental factors to be used, and that the compounds should have physical properties sufficient for driving display devices.
Thus, compositions having such characteristics are prepared and used practically by mixing several liquid crystalline compounds or non-liquid crystalline compounds. These liquid crystal compositions are required to be stable against moisture, light, heat, and air etc. which are generally present in the used environment. In addition, stabilities against electric field and electromagnetic radiation are necessary and also the liquid crystalline compounds mixed are required to be chemically stable each other in the used environment.
Furthermore, liquid crystal compositions are necessary to have suitable values of physical properties such as a refractive anisotropy value (.DELTA.n), a dielectric anisotropy value (.DELTA..epsilon.), a viscosity (.eta.), a conductivity and an elastic constant ratio K.sub.33 /K.sub.11 (K.sub.33 : bend constant, K.sub.11 : splay elastic constant) etc. according to display methods and device forms. Furthermore, it is important that each components in liquid crystal compositions have good solubilities mutually.
Among these physical property values, particularly a wide liquid crystal phase temperature range, a low viscosity and a high elastic constant ratio K.sub.33 /K.sub.11 are required for liquid crystal compounds to be used in a STN type display method. Recently, environments in which display devices being used are divesified so that materials having a wide liquid crystal phase temperature range are necessary from requirements caused by those environments, and a low viscosity is a necessary and indispensable characteristic for attaining a high speed response, and a high elastic constant ratio K.sub.33 /K.sub.11 makes a change in a transmittance sharply in vicinity of a threshold voltage and also makes display devices with a high contrast possible.
In general, compounds having (an) alkenyl group(s) are known to show low viscosities. However, when comparing compounds having (an) alkyl group(s) and compounds having (an) alkenyl group (s), compounds having (an) alkenyl group (s) have such tendencies that smectic properties are decreased but liquid crystal phase temperature ranges are also decreased.
Absolutely, from comparison of compounds (a-1) to (c-2) described in V. Vill, Landort-Velunstein, in bicyclohexyl derivatives (a-1) and (a-2), the clearing point of (a-2) having (an) alkenyl group(s) is about 1.degree. C. higher than (a-1) having (an) alkyl group(s), whereas the melting point of the former is about 23.degree. C. higher than the latter. Therefore, the liquid crystal phase temperature range is decreased by about 22.degree. C. The increasing tendencies of the clearing point and theme lting point are found by comparison of cyclohexylphenyl derivatives (b-1) and (b-2), wherein the liquid crystal phase temperature range is decreased by about 10.degree. C.
Furthermore, in biphenyl derivatives (c-1) and (c-2), liquid crystal phase temperature ranges are decreased by about 37.degree. C. owing to decrease in the clearing point and increase in the melting point. In both cases, the liquid crystal phase temperature ranges are eminently decreased by substituting an alkyl group with an alkenyl group.
Furthermore, as to compounds showing a high elastic constant ratio K.sub.33 /K.sub.11, there have been already known compounds having (an) alkenyl group(s) in side chains such as compound (d) described in Toku-Ko-Hei 4-30382 or compound (e) described in Toku-Ko-Hei 7-2653. These compounds have however poor appearances of liquid crystal phases, and temperature ranges thereof are very narrow even if appearances are obtained. Thus, in the case that they are used as components of liquid crystal compositions, deposition of crystals or appearance of smectic phase may be confirmed at a lower temperature range so that solubility at a lower temperature cannot be said good. ##STR2##

Bisalkenyl derivatives, liquid crystalline compounds and liquid crystal compositions


A PIP system stores data indicative of the location of the center point of an inset picture with respect to a display screen center point in a memory area of a first size. The inset image data is read out of the memory area beginning with the data stored in a memory location known as the "read address". When a ZOOM-IN or ZOOM-OUT command is received, data representing a new video image of a different size is stored for display in an unused memory area of a different size, a new inset center point is computed, and a new read address is computed, so that the displayed centers of the new inset area of a different size, and the old inset area are substantially the same.

The term "television receiver" as used herein includes television receivers having a display device (commonly known as television sets), and television receivers without a display device, such as videocassette recorders (VCR's).
The term "television receiver" as used herein also includes television monitor/receivers having an RF tuner and baseband signal input circuitry.
Many modern television receivers have picture-in-picture (PIP, or PIX-IN-PIX) capability, that is, the capability to receive video signals from two different sources and combine them to produce a signal which when displayed includes a first program in a main viewing area, and a second program in a secondary (inset) viewing area of the same display screen.
A PIP or PIX-IN-PIX unit is an IC developed to produce digital features in a television receiver. While the PIP is useful in producing a variety of special effects, perhaps the most common or obvious use of the PIP is to produce a single moving picture in picture feature in a television receiver.

Inset picture centering in a pix-in-pix system


The invention relates to lipid formulated double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) targeting a transthyretin (TTR) gene, and methods of using the dsRNA to inhibit expression of TTR.

Transthyretin (TTR) is a secreted thyroid hormone-binding protein. TTR binds and transports retinol binding protein (RBP)/Vitamin A, and serum thyroxine (T4) in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid.
Both normal-sequence TTR and variant-sequence TTR cause amyloidosis. Normal-sequence TTR causes cardiac amyloidosis in people who are elderly and is termed senile systemic amyloidosis (SSA) (also called senile cardiac amyloidosis (SCA)). SSA often is accompanied by microscopic deposits in many other organs. TTR mutations accelerate the process of TTR amyloid formation and are the most important risk factor for the development of clinically significant TTR amyloidosis (also called ATTR (amyloidosis-transthyretin type)). More than 85 amyloidogenic TTR variants are known to cause systemic familial amyloidosis. The liver is the major site of TTR expression. Other significant sites of expression include the choroid plexus, retina and pancreas.
TTR amyloidosis manifests in various forms. When the peripheral nervous system is affected more prominently, the disease is termed familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP). When the heart is primarily involved but the nervous system is not, the disease is called familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy (FAC). A third major type of TTR amyloidosis is called leptomeningeal/CNS (Central Nervous System) amyloidosis.
Double-stranded RNA molecules (dsRNA) have been shown to block gene expression in a highly conserved regulatory mechanism known as RNA interference (RNAi). WO 99/32619 (Fire et al.) disclosed the use of a dsRNA of at least 25 nucleotides in length to inhibit the expression of genes in C. elegans. dsRNA has also been shown to degrade target RNA in other organisms, including plants (see, e.g., WO 99/53050, Waterhouse et al.; and WO 99/61631, Heifetz et al.), Drosophila (see, e.g., Yang, D., et al., Curr. Biol. (2000) 10:1191-1200), and mammals (see WO 00/44895, Limmer; and DE 101 00 586.5, Kreutzer et al.).
U.S. Publication No. 20070207974 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/095,383, filed Mar. 30, 2005) discloses functional and hyperfunctional siRNAs. U.S. Publication No. 20090082300 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/273,731, filed Nov. 19, 2008) discloses antisense molecules targeting transthyretin (TTR). U.S. Pat. No. 7,250,496 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/310,914, filed Dec. 6, 2002) discloses microRNAs targeting transthyretin (TTR). WO 2010/048228 (International application no. PCT/US2009/061381, filed Oct. 20, 2009) and U.S. publication no. 20100120893 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/582,669, filed Oct. 20, 2009) disclose compositions (e.g., siRNA) and methods for inhibiting expression of transthyretin (TTR).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Lipid formulated compositions and methods for inhibiting expression of transthyretin (TTR)


Systems and methods according to the present invention provide techniques which adjust the sampling scheme associated with an image sensor in order to provide high quality renditions, e.g., printed or displayed outputs. The sampling scheme can be varied on a frame by frame basis (or less frequently) to output more samples from the image sensor for regions which are predicted to contain more perceptually significant information and to output fewer samples for regions which are predicted to be less perceptually significant. Various parameters can be used as proxies for perceptual significance. For example, in images which contain people, faces can be characterized as more perceptually significant and regions which are predicted to contain faces can be sampled more densely than regions which are not predicted to contain faces. Alternatively, the spatial frequency content of data captured by an image sensor can be measured to identify regions of higher and lower spatial frequency content. Regions with higher spatial frequency content will typically contain perceptually more significant image features, e.g., edges and textures, than regions having lower spatial frequency content. Accordingly, the image sensor can be programmed to sample the former more densely.

The present invention relates generally to image processing systems and, more particularly, to methods and systems for sampling an image sensor.
Many different types of image capture devices are available for consumer and business use today. Examples of image capture devices include scanners, digital still cameras, digital video cameras and hybrid devices. All of these devices include image sensors which capture pixel data associated with images to be processed. Today, most image sensors are created using one of three different technologies: self-scanned diode technology, charge injection device (CID) technology and charge-coupled device (CCD) technology. Each of these three technologies employ a semiconductor fabrication process that has inherent limitations with respect to the ability to integrate the image sensors with other circuits on the same chip. However, more recently, it has become possible to use CMOS processes to produce image sensors which allows for a higher level of integration between e.g., image sensors and other digital circuitry.
Referring to FIG. 1, one challenge confronted by designers of image sensors, as well as designers of devices and systems which employ image sensors, is to provide a data transfer mechanism 10 (e.g., a data bus) which transfers the image data from the image sensor 12 to another device, e.g., an image processor 14, sufficiently quickly to satisfy a particular application's need for raw image data. For high speed image applications, e.g., high frame rate video recording applications, bandwidth limitations associated with the data transfer mechanism 10 require the image sensor 12 to be sampled for each captured image frame, i.e., the image sensor 10 does not transfer data associated with each and every available image sensor pixel for each captured image frame. For example, the image sensor 12 can be sampled at VGA resolution (640×480) and the resulting sampled data can be transferred over the data transfer mechanism 10 at a rate which is less than or equal to the bandwidth limitations associated with that device. Conventional image sampling techniques do not vary from frame to frame, e.g., sampling the image sensor uniformly from frame to frame to reduce the sample size to VGA resolution. However, CMOS image sensors (as well as potentially other types of sensors) have the capability to be randomly accessed, therefore allowing variable sampling from frame to frame.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide techniques and devices which intelligently sample image sensor arrays in a manner which may vary from frame to frame to produce high quality renditions of the images in an output medium.

Systems and methods for sampling an image sensor

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A disk tray for a disk drive that slides in and out of the disk drive, one or more resonators mounted on a lower surface of the disk tray to selectively reduce noise of a predetermined frequency band. According to the present invention, the dominant resonance noise frequency band, which occurs at the peak sound pressure level, is reduced or removed from the noise generated in the disk drive. Also, by filling a resonance container of the resonator with a porous member, the high frequency noise band and the overall noise level can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk drive, and, more particularly, to a disk tray with a resonator to reduce noise and vibration, such as noise generated during rotation of a disk.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional disk drive. In general, disk drives are apparatuses for either recording information on a recording surface of a disk having concentric tracks, or reading information from the recording surface. Referring to FIG. 1, the disk drive records data on the recording surface of a disk 60 rotating with a linear velocity, or reads data from the recording surface of the disk 60, by using a data recording/reproducing unit, such as optical pickup device 40, that slides in a radial direction with respect to the disk 60.
The conventional disk drive typically includes a disk tray 10 on which a disk is mounted and loaded, a disk driving portion 20 to rotate the disk 60, a disk chucking apparatus 30 with a chuck plate 31 and a disk chuck 32, and an optical pickup device driving portion 50. The disk tray 10 has a window 11 penetrating the disk tray 10 to facilitate operation of the disk chucking apparatus 30 and the optical pickup device 40.
To accurately record or read data on or from the recording surface of the disk 60, the light beam emitted from the optical pickup device 40 must be accurately incident on a track of the recording surface of the disk 60, and a predetermined angle is always maintained between the recording surface and the optical axis of the light beam emitted from the optical pickup device 40. However, vibration is generated due to the rotating disk 60 that deteriorates the recording and reproduction feature of the disk drive. Further, as the rotation speed of the disk drive increases, the vibration generated during the rotation of the disk 60 impacts reliability in recording and reproduction of data. Also, noise generated during the rotation of the disk 60 is unpleasant to users. Accordingly, reducing or removing the noise and vibration is very important.
The noise and vibration generated during the rotation of the disk 60 result from friction between a surface of the disk 60 and surrounding air, a difference in pressure around the disk 60, collision of air with the rotating disk 60 and the disk tray 10 and an inner surface of the disk drive, and turbulence formed around the disk 60.
The conventional technologies to reduce noise and vibration in disk drives are described below.
Korean Patent Publication No. 2000-75152 discloses technologies to reduce noise and vibration by filling gaps, which contribute to the generation of noise, between constituent elements in a disk drive with a sound shield or a sound absorbing member so that the noise is not discharged to the outside, or by forming grooves at predetermined intervals in a portion of a chucking plate of a disk chucking apparatus corresponding to the outer circumferential surface of a disk (i.e., at the outer circumference of the chucking plate), using the muffler effect technology of the automobile industry.
Also, Korean Patent Publication No. 2001-16753 discloses a technology to reduce noise and vibration that uses an auto-balancing method of inserting balls in a plurality of races provided in a turntable of a disk and moving the balls in a radial direction by the centrifugal force generated during rotation of the turntable to compensate for eccentricity of the turntable.
Also, Korean Patent Publication No. 1999-80545 discloses a noise reduction apparatus to reduce, during rotation of the disk, air resistance due to the shape of the profile of a disk, air friction on the upper and lower surfaces of the disk, collision of air with a wall surface due to a separation phenomenon at an outer edge of the disk, and noise due to the flow of turbulence at a high speed. In the noise reduction apparatus, a plurality of blades are installed on the upper surface of the disk tray that are separated a predetermined distance, or a groove or dimple having a screw or vortex shape is formed thereon. Thus, the speed gradient at a boundary surface on the upper and lower surface of the disk is removed and collision of the high speed air flow at the leading end of the disk is prevented so that noise and vibration due to the flow of the high speed turbulence are reduced.
However, the conventional technologies focus only on the reduction of a level of the overall noise. Thus, a highly effective noise reduction effect can be obtained by not only reducing the level of the overall noise, but also by reducing or removing the most dominant noise frequency of the disk drive.

Disk tray for disk drive adopting resonator and disk drive having the same


An information presentation apparatus for a vehicle includes an indicator mounted on the vehicle for indicating a target direction and a control unit for controlling the indicator. The control unit includes a function for acquiring a current position of the vehicle and a reference direction of the vehicle, a function for specifying a target and acquiring a target position, a function for calculating a target angle that indicates a target direction against the reference direction based on the target position, the current position and the reference direction, and a function for generating a presentation command based on the calculated target angle so as to indicate the target direction by the indicator. According to the apparatus, information for specifying the target position can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information presentation apparatus and method for a vehicle that indicate a direction toward a target such as a facility or the like to an occupant of a vehicle using a three-dimensional indicator such as a robot.
2. Related Background of the Invention
There is known an auxiliary display device for a navigation device that keeps facing, in conjunction with a route guide of the navigation device, toward a course guiding direction from a predefined position before a crossing so as to inform an occupant of a guiding direction, and then faces forward after transfer to the guiding direction (right turn/left turn) has completed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-304899).
However, such a conventional auxiliary display device keeps facing toward the guiding direction for the vehicle when it tries to provide the occupant with position information of a target. Therefore, there has been a problem that the occupant of the vehicle can only know a rough direction toward the target but cannot specify its position while a relative position to the target is changing under the vehicle running.

Information presentation apparatus for vehicle and information presentation method for vehicle


Disclosed is a system and method for treating nitrogen-rich effluent water utilizing a partially aerobic bioreactor. The bioreactor comprises a first housing having a plurality of openings and a second housing positioned within the first housing, the second housing directing a flow of effluent against the openings. When the effluent is circulated through the bioreactor it contacts aerobic microorganisms carried within the first housing for metabolizing nitrogenous compounds.

Traditional home septic systems are effective at reduction of solid waste and converting nitrogenous compounds to stable nitrates. A liquid nitrate stream moves unimpeded through the soil substrate resurfacing as groundwater bearing pollutants that facilitate algal blooms, disrupts biological cycles, and when consumed by humans, may constitute a direct health threat.
Septic systems are typically relegated to single user rural areas where central treatment systems are impractical due to the low population density and long distances from a centralized location for treatment. The millions of these systems constitute a real environmental contaminant threat.
While large municipal treatment plants are capable of removing nitrates through a complicated series of aerobic and anaerobic processes which convert the nitrate into nitrogen gas through oxidative and reductive action, their remote locations confound the transport of waste to and from the facility, limiting the practicality of utilizing reclaimed water to serve remote customers.
Until recently small, 500 gallon per day, treatment systems have not been able to provide discharge waters low enough in nitrate to be considered non-polluters. The discharge waters from these systems has not been considered to be of high enough quality to be available for reuse in irrigation systems, or surface water recharge.
There is a need for small single user systems that are capable of producing discharge water that is devoid of typical contaminants present in septic systems such as nitrates, phosphorus, and heavy metals.