The fiber optic network of the present invention is within a structure having a plurality of bulkheads. The network comprises a plurality of terminal groups, each terminal group having at least one terminal. The network includes a reflective star coupler having m ports, m corresponding to the number of terminal groups. The terminal groups (having more than one terminal) include a 1.times.n transmissive coupler having 1 input port and n output ports, the input port being connected to the reflective star coupler via one of the m fiber optic cables, such that each bulkhead has a single fiber optic cable passing through the bulkhead.

This invention relates to data transmission networks, and more particularly, to a fiber optic local area network partitioned by bulkheads.
Linear bus and reflective star architectures have been employed in autonomous fiber optic networks. (In an autonomous data bus the bus architecture is such that all terminals of the bus can hear the transmission of any other terminal, regardless of whether or not data transfer is necessary between all terminals. Thus, each terminal can independently determine the bus idle state.) The linear bus utilizes two bus fibers, one for each direction of information flow. A linear bus also can be built with a single bidirectional bus fiber at the expense of an additional power loss. The star architecture is implemented with a reflective star coupler at the heart of the network.
With the two-fiber linear bus a separate light emitter diode (LED) is used to transmit in each direction on the bus through 2.times.2 directional optical couplers. A top (or uppermost) terminal receives optical data transmitted from a center terminal through an upward flow (ie., from the terminal to the controller) bus fiber. A lower terminal receives optical data transmitted from the center terminal through a downward flow (ie., from the controller to the terminals) bus fiber. In this way all terminals on the bus hear the transmission of all other terminals.
The reflective star bus architecture, has optical power signals launched onto the bus through 1.times.2 directional couplers. A signal input at any port of the star coupler is reflected to all ports as output from the coupler. Signals are then routed to each terminal on the bus. The 1.times.2 couplers at the terminals provide the capability to launch onto and tap off of the optical bus.
The linear bus requires twice as many LED sources and about fifty percent more connectors to implement and also has a somewhat higher power budget requirement than the architecture of the present invention.
The reflective star architecture requires much more fiber than the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and oftentimes requires many more connectors than the architecture of the present invention when terminals are separated by bulkhead surfaces. Therefore, a bus architecture is desired which provides the capabilities for autonomous bus operation while maintaining power budget and component efficiency.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes a transmissive star coupler at each of the remotely located terminal groups to funnel signals onto a single fiber for a data transfer, over some relatively large distance, to a centralized reflective star coupler. Increased fiber efficiency, as well as a reduction in the number of bulkhead connectors that is required in some applications, is realized in the present invention because only a single fiber is required to carry optical power signals to each remotely located group of terminals. Also, a space and weight savings is realized with the architecture of the present invention because of the reduced fiber and connector demands.
The present invention applies to the field of fiber optic local area networks and is particularly applicable in networks which are partitioned by bulkheads (bulkheads can be walls, partitions, . . . to separate compartments). The invention finds particular application as a data bus architecture for a commercial aircraft primary flight controls system, where the relative location of terminals are generally partitioned by bulkheads.
The fiber optic network of the present invention can be utilized to link terminals in a network, independent of whether or not the network is autonomous or utilizes a centralized bus control protocol. The architecture of the present invention is particularly useful in networks where two or more similar size groups of terminals are separated by bulkheads or a large distance. The present invention provides an advantage in fiber and connector requirements over star network and also yields weight and space savings. The invention finds particular application in "fly-by-light" aircraft.

Fiber optic reflective tree architecture


A soft reduction device (1) of a round-section metal product, having liquid or partially liquid core, for reducing the thickness of said metal product coming from a continuous casting machine, the device comprising at least two soft reduction units (2, 3); in which said at least two soft reduction units (2, 3) are arranged in series; in which each soft reduction unit (2, 3) is provided with a group of only three rolls arranged at 120° from one another; and wherein the group of three rolls (7, 8, 9) of one soft reduction unit is offset by a predetermined angle with respect to the group of three rolls (10, 11, 12) of an adjacent soft reduction unit.

Various devices and methods for pressing a liquid-core cast product are known from the prior art, and this operation is called "soft reduction".
This technology is particularly common within the area of slabs, which are characterized by being much wider than they are thick.
The skin of the product begins forming in the crystallizer due to the progressive cooling to which the product is subjected. As the product travels downstream dragged by the straightening units, it is subjected to continuous direct and indirect cooling operations and this results in an increase of the thickness of the skin, resulting from the subtraction of heat from the core of the product performed by the cooling system.
The product is cast from the tundish into the crystallizer and starts its descent towards the extraction area downstream, being cooled and contained by the containment rolls. The thickness of the product skin increases as the product descends and cools off, until there is the spontaneous joining of the skin in the so-called "metallurgical cone", at which point the complete solidification of the product is achieved.
The process for forming the skin generally is influenced by various parameters, in particular by the steel grade of the cast product, by the heat exchange undergone by the cast product during casting, by the casting speed and by the dimensions of the product itself.
It is necessary that the complete solidification of the product occurs so as to preserve the inner quality thereof: indeed, as the product solidifies, there is a decrease of the volume occupied by the liquid fraction which initially occupies a larger volume with respect to the solid fraction. This volumetric difference does not affect the product very much in the first part of the casting curve, since the liquid fraction volume lost during solidification is replaced by the liquid further upstream pushed downstream by the ferrostatic pressure. However, in proximity of the vertex of the metallurgical cone, the solid component and the liquid component are no longer well distinguished from each other, thus causing the so-called "mushy zone".
From a microscopic point of view, the appearance of the skin of the product in contact with the liquid core has a series of crystalline branches called dendrites, which when the skin is about to be joined, tend to intersect with one another, thus forming a barrier for the inlet of the liquid above, preventing filling with new liquid in the areas subjected to a decrease of the volume of liquid fraction due to the solidification, and causing the formation of undesired porosity in the inner structure of the product.
A further problem generated in this solidification step is that of macro segregations: as the product solidifies, the dendrites extend and tend to bring the alloy elements (e.g. carbon, sulfur, etc.) towards the liquid core of the product. This phenomenon causes a difference in the chemical composition along the section of the product. These migrations of alloy elements cause undesired differences of the mechanical properties, thermal properties, etc. between the various areas of the product, while a product having uniform structure and properties is instead desirable.
In order to obviate these drawbacks, the soft reduction treatment was developed, which provides the controlled pressing of the cast metal products, e.g. slabs or blumes or billets, wherein the cast metal product is subjected to an action of reducing the thickness while the core is still liquid or partially liquid in an area downstream of the ingot-mold, thus obtaining a less thick product with respect to the cast one at the outlet of the continuous casting machine.
The main advantage of reducing the thickness of the liquid or partially liquid core is to obtain an improvement of the solidification structure together with an improved inner quality of the cast product.
In order to be effective, the soft reduction should occur with a continuous and controlled reduction of the thickness of the cast product up to when it contains therein a liquid or partially liquid core, which may be obtained with a substantially conical reduction profile of the stretch of cast product involved.
The most common soft reduction devices provide pressing the product by means of pairs of opposite rolls: the pressing force here is therefore applied with equal intensity and opposite direction, thus causing a decrease of the thickness of the product and an extension thereof (called "bulging").
This soft reduction treatment is commonly used in the field of continuous slab casting since the widening of the side faces is not such as to seriously affect the finished product which, once the curved sides have been conveniently trimmed, will be ready for rolling or other successive operations.
With regards instead to products having rectangular or square section, the soft reduction is to be performed more carefully, since an excessive curving would cause an excessive deformation of the products which would then be difficult to process.
This problem is felt even more for round-section products since keeping the shape is essential for processing and selling the product on the market: indeed, by using only two rolls which press the product in opposite directions to close the liquid core thereof, there is a risk of excessive oval deformation of the section of the product. In an attempt to correct this ovalization, another deformation may be generated, made with rolls shaped so as to obtain a round section with a smaller section. However, this further deformation, which requires at least two passes, does not always decrease the section of the product and at the same time keep it perfectly round. Indeed, further forming passes are often required downstream for the further definition of the round geometry.
A partial solution to this problem provides eliminating the first pressing step by directly casting an elliptical-section product which in the next soft reduction step is deformed into a round shape by two parallel shaped rolls.
However, the deformation operation to pass from the elliptical section to the round section—in particular, the more the ellipse is pressed—results in tensions in the core of the product which may damage the inner quality thereof.
Thus, the need is felt to provide a soft reduction device for round-section cast products which allows to overcome the aforesaid drawbacks.

Device for the soft reduction of round-section metal products


A rejection determination is made taking into consideration of an agreed service level for a combine workflow executed on a combine workflow system wherein a plurality of business application are collaborated with one another for business collaborations. A state is expressed which will appear when the combined workflow is hypothetically rejected, based on the progress thereof. A processing operation of the combined workflow is predicted based on the expressed state, taking into consideration the influence exerted on the plurality business application systems and the plurality of workflow systems in respect of response performance. A processing operation, which is the result of the prediction, and historical information of event information from the event information recording means are retrieved, and an evaluation value is calculated based on the result of the statistical processing of the historical information. It is determined whether or not the evaluation value satisfies a condition defined by said agreed service level. When the evaluation value does not satisfy the condition defined by the agreed service level, a rejection-target-specific progress for selecting/specifying an execution which has an arbitrary progress equal to or less than a maximum progress, is generated as a rejection target.

Patent Document 1 describes the following means which is intended to employ a rejection determination device which has taken into consideration of an agreed service level. This rejection determination device employs a traffic control device installed between a particular server and a plurality of clients which monitors communication data exchange between the server and the clients, as a technical strategy for allowing the server to more stably provide services without degrading the service level. The rejection determination device estimates a waiting time associated with an exchange of communication data, and when the waiting time is predicted to be equal to or longer than a certain time, transmits an access regulation message to a client to reject an access.
In the foregoing traffic control device and a service system which employs the same, the rejection determination device, which has taken into consideration an agreed service level, suffers from the following problems because the rejection determination device is intended for simple exchanges of communication data and makes the determination of rejection only taking into consideration of an average response time related to the aforementioned data exchanges.
First, since the foregoing rejection determination device is intended for simple exchanges of communication data between a particular server and clients, the rejection determination device is incapable of identifying a combined workflow defined by a plurality of data exchanges unless appropriate means is provided, and cannot therefore be applied to the determination of rejection.
Second, in a long transaction in which a plurality of business application systems and a plurality of workflow systems are collaborated with one another, a compensation operation is performed when a rejection is exercised. When the compensation operation is performed, another transaction may be newly generated, and this transaction will affect the plurality of business application systems and the plurality of workflow systems, which are in collaboration, and also affects other combined workflows. However, the aforementioned rejection determination device does not assume the compensation operation, because it monitors only data exchanges between a server and clients, and cannot therefore apply the determination of rejection to a combined workflow.    Patent Document 1: JP2005-184165A

Method of monitoring a combined workflow with rejection determination function, device and recording medium therefor


An apparatus for treating waste water including a waste water basin and a number of wetland plants in floating containers adapted to float on the surface of waste water in the waste water basin such that the root systems of the wetland plants treat the waste water. The floating containers are constructed so that they retain soil and/or another particulate solid required to sustain and nourish the wetland plants and also so that they permit the root systems of the wetland plants to grow outwardly into the waste water to be treated. The root systems produce aerobic zones within the waster water in the waste water basin. The extent of the growth of the root systems is controlled, preferably by an adjustable platform associated with each floating container, so that the aerobic and anaerobic zones within the waste water basin are controlled and can be adjusted or varied as required.

A new technology is evolving using wetland plants to treat contaminated and/or polluted water which will be referred to hereafter as "waste water". The technology, as it has evolved to the present time, is to build a rectangular or square shaped basin, with the preferred design being a rectangular shaped basin whose length is several times its width. The basin bottom and sides are lined with a plastic, water impervious material. The basin is then filled with solid materials such as ordinary soil, clay, rock, gravel, sand, silt, fly ash or a combination of the above, to a depth of twelve inches to two and half feet. The nature of the solid materials may be any of the above or others; the nature of such solid materials is not germane to the present invention. Any wetland plant which can be found growing naturally in wet or damp environment such as ponds, rivers, marshes, and drainage ditches is then introduced and planted within the solid materials-filled basin.
The most popularly used wetland plants to date are: bulrushes, cattails, reeds and sedges. Wetland plants, as defined and referred to in this invention, are any higher order of aquatic plant which have no natural ability to float in water, but must be rooted in soil or a solid substrate. Natural floating plants such as pond weeds, hyacinths, duckweeds and water lettuce which are not required to be rooted in soil or another solid substrate are not within the purview of this invention. This list is not intended by any means to be a complete one.
The usual method is to permit sufficient soil to remain attached to the wetland plant when it is planted within the solids filled basin to function as an initial nutrient and life support system for the plant. Waste water is then admitted into the basin after having first received primary treatment. The primary treatment is performed within a separate basin or tank large enough to allow for detention time of two to three hours, during which time most of the settleable solids will have settled out of the waste water onto the bottom of the primary tank for removal and treatment elsewhere. Such treatment may consist of aerobic or anaerobic digester facilities.
The removal of the settleable solids out of the waste water stream is now absolutely essential under the present technology, as their presence in the waste water stream, if admitted directly into the wetland treatment basin, will cause the solids to be deposited and piled up at the admitting end of the basin, filling up the spaces within the solids media of the basin causing odor, treatment and flow through problems. A flow through simply means that the water stream instead of filtering its way through the media and around the wetland roots where it may be treated, is prevented entry therein by the presence of settled solids, and simply overflows across the top of the basin and exits from the system in an untreated state.
Treatment of polluted water by wetland plants is accomplished because of the ability of wetland plants to bleed or leak oxygen from its root system into the surrounding water thereby supporting bacteria colonies which ingest and feed upon the nutrients and solids in the waste water stream. The level of the waste water presently admitted into the basin does not exceed the height of the solids media. Thus, as the relatively solids-free waste water filters through the solids media, it comes into contact with the root system of the wetland plants.
Wetland plants are morphologically and anatomically adapted to growing in a water saturated substrate by the presence of internal gas spaces called aerenchymas throughout the plant's tissue. The function of the aerenchyma is to supply oxygen to the buried or submerged root and other plant parts. The root and rhizomes, however, leak oxygen into the substrate creating oxidized and anoxic zones around the roots. Rhizomes, as referred to here, are roots and those portions of the root system that can send out new growth from the plant.
The presence of these oxidized and anoxic zones around the root systems creates a good environment for aerobic and facultative microorganisms in the rhizospheres. The aerobic bacteria consume and reduce the suspended solids as well as other substances in waste water that contribute to the reduction of oxygen in water referred to in the industry as Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). The conversion of ammonia compounds to nitrate compounds is a function of these bacteria. A short distance away from the root or rhizome area lies the anoxic zone, wherein oxygen is in short supply. Still yet a further distance away lies the anaerobic zone. In these areas the facultative and anaerobic bacteria thrive, these bringing about the further reduction of suspended solids as well as the reduction of nitrate compounds to nitrogen gas and more basic substances. In short, each plant is a waste water treatment facility as it replicates in a small fashion precisely the functions of our multimillion dollar treatment plants with large concrete basins, pumps, air blowers, settling basins, chemicals, electric motors, lab facilities, etc.
Each plant is presently planted within the solids media basin with rich soil or humus around its root system to provide it with an initial support. As stated above, sometimes the solids media employed in the basin is soil itself. The presence of the soil is also important in the purification process. It removes suspended solids in the waste water, pathogenic bacteria and viruses, by filtration and sorption. Nutrients are removed from water flowing through soil in several ways ions such as NH.sub.4.sup.+, K.sup.+, and anions such as PO.sub.4.sup.+3 may be sorbed onto charged surfaces of humic substances. Organic and clay minerals have a higher exchange capability than coarsely textured mineral substances, such as gravel, and sand. This sorption process is not a permanent removal mechanism, but it buffers and stabilizes the system. However, precipitation and co-precipitation taking place within the soils is a more permanent treatment process. Heavy metals may be precipitated with sulfide and co-precipitation of phosphates with iron, aluminum and calcium can remove significant quantities of phosphorus, toxic substances such as heavy metals and radioactive materials are accumulated in the soil and this factor may determine the life of the soil as a media for the plant. Despite the aforementioned advantages, however, using a media comprised entirely of soil shares the same inherent disadvantage as using any other form of solids in the basin, as the entire basin volume becomes filled with soil, the space available to waste water therefore becomes limited and as the spaces between the soil particles become filled with waste and solids from the polluted stream, the plant is denied access to that stream until its root system expands to open up new avenues for the waste water stream. However, there is an upper limit to the growth of any plant root system, and eventually a clogging takes place within the soil media, necessitating the removal of both the plants and the entire soil media within the basin.
The wetland plants planted in the solids filled media basin are usually planted one to three feet apart. Under the best of conditions of temperature, food and plant propagation, it requires at the present time one acre of ground to treat 60,000 gallons of waste water per day. Where freezing temperatures occur seasonally, the treatment rate is reduced to approximately 40,000 gallons of polluted water per day. Removal rates fluctuate between 80% to 95%. Thus, to treat great quantities of waste water as from municipalities, and large industries, may well require treatment capability of one, two or several million gallons of waste water per day. Land demands and acreage requirements using the wetland treatment method as now developed would be quite large, and treatment effectiveness a limiting factor.
Another factor affecting the ability of the present system to treat waste water is the presence of settleable solids which normally range from 100 to 250 parts per million. Some form of pretreatment is presently utilized to remove these solids prior to the admission of waste water into the wetland treatment basin. Such pretreatment at the present time consists of building a large enough holding tank that will permit the waste water stream to be detained within the holding tank for a period of two to three hours. During that quiescent period, the settleable solids will settle to the bottom where they must then be removed for further treatment elsewhere.
Should no pretreatment be undertaken, then the solids in the waste water stream will fill the spaces between the media solids in the wetland basin, particularly at the front end of the basin, creating odor problems, restricting passage of the waste water to and around the root system of the plants, thereby limiting the effectiveness of the treatment process and causing a flow through of the waste water stream as henceforth described.
As the solids media within the basin occupies 80% to 90% of the total basin volume, in addition to limiting the quantity of waste water within the basin, also restricts the growth of the root system of the wetland plant. It is, after all, the root and rhizome area of the wetland plant that supplies oxygen to the bacteria, protozoa, and metazoa colonies that are responsible for the treatment process itself, and reduction of polluted matter within the waste water stream to gases and mineral matter. Further, the solids media presently employed is insignificant in the treatment process with the exception in those instances where soil itself is used a media throughout the basin. However, using soil as a media within the basin presents problems in itself. When soil is used to occupy the entire basin, it tends to compact and, although with the passage of time, the root system of the plants will create underground passages to permit the waste stream to interact with the rhizome area, there is still a tendency to encounter flow through problems.
Yet despite the limitations under which wetland plants presently have to function, they demonstrate a remarkable ability to treat industrial and/or municipal polluted water even in the cold climates of Canada and Northern Europe. These successes have developed despite the fact that the basins in which these wetland plants have been grown limit and restrict the plants' ability to reach and more effectively treat waste water. The effectiveness of the present technology nevertheless is brought out in the following instances.
A report by the Ontario Ministry of Environment presented in the 1981 Conference of Water Pollution Control Federation at Detroit, Mich. describes a one quarter acre open marsh in Listowel, Ontario, Canada planted in Cattail, Typha spp. The basin contained a solids media through out composed of subsoil, topsoil and 10% peat. Waste water was then allowed to flow into the marsh at a depth of 14 centimeters.
The rate of flow from Jul. 1 to Dec. 6, 1980 was at the rate of 4000 gallons per day. The results were, despite the physical limitations alluded to, impressive. In terms of mass loading and percent reduction, BOD was reduced 83% suspended solids were reduced 71% total phosphorus 89% NH.sub.3 reduced 99%, and total nitrogen is reduced 78%. This was achieved without artificial or mechanical introduction of air into the basin, in an open marsh and exposed to the rigors of a Canadian fall season. During the winter months, influent temperature of the water dropped to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, the severity of the cold caused almost total anoxia within the basin, pointing out the need of cover or hothousing of the basin area in the cold climates to keep the waste water temperature at a higher level.
Wetland treatment of waste water has been successfully employed in the U.S. at Iselin, Pa. A wetland basin using solids media of 4" stone and 16" sand with a growth of Cattails, has been successfully employed to treat waste water, at an application rate of 50,000 gallons per acre per day. An analysis and report of this facility by the Term Valley Authority, July, 1986, stated that economically marsh land treatment facility could be constructed at $2.00 per gallon per day of treatment capacity as compared to $3.00 to $15.00 per gallon per day for standard treatment facility. On page 10 of the report, the Tenn Valley Authority scientist reflecting on the removal efficiencies of fecal coliform attributed it to the effect of the root excretions of the plants. The report further added "These results are of special significance since they indicate artificial wetland system can be designed to either eliminate the need for chlorination or minimize the chlorine dosage needed to meet the permit limits." Despite the fact that the marsh facility was operated at or over its designed hydraulic load, it was able to reduce the fecal coliform count of 1,000,000 colonies per 100 ml to 720 or almost 100% per cent reduction.
A comparison on the effectiveness of the various types of wetland plants which the author refers to as the higher forms of aquatic plants was given in a report by Gersberg, Elkins, Lyon, Goldman, San Diego Region Reclamation Agency and division of Environment studies, University of California 1985. This was a qualitative assessment on primary waste water treatment at the Santee Water Reclamation facility, Santee, Calif. Four basins were constructed, each 18.5 meters long, 3.5 meters wide and 0.76 meters deep. The basins were plastic lined and filled with gravel. Three of the beds were either planted in bulrushes, reeds or cattails and the fourth served as an unvegetated control bed. Mean concentrations of the primary waste water was 27.8 mg/l total (N), 24.7 mg/l ammonia (N), BOD was 118.3 mg/l and suspended solids, 57.3 mg/l total (N), 24.7 mg/l. Inflow to each bed was 1210 gallons per day or a hydraulic load at the rate of 77,129 gallons per acre per day. Residence time was 6 days. The test period extended from August 1983 to December 1984.
The basin containing bulrushes proved the most effective of all the wetland plants employed in reducing pollutants. Ammonia (N) was reduced from 24.7 mg/l.+-.5.8 mg/l to 1.5 mg/l.+-.1.7 mg/l. The author said, on page 365 volume 20, No. 3 Wat Res, Great Britain, "that when sufficient dissolved carbon is present, the artificial wetlands are very efficient at promoting denitrification, with removal efficiencies of greater than 95% of the nitrate present in secondary waste water at application rates of 40 cm a day." This would be almost 10 times the rate applied in the instant case. The higher nitrogen removal was attributable by the researchers to the ability of the bulrushes, cattails and reeds to transport oxygen down to the roots, and 28% by cattails and only 11% by the unvegetated bed. It was felt that the extended root system of the bulrushes and reeds, greater than 60 cm. as compared to 30 cm. for the cattails, was responsible for the superior removal rates of ammonia and BOD among the former. Mean BOD removal efficiencies (relative to inflow) were 96%, 81.5%, 74% and 69% for the bulrushes, reeds, cattails and unvegetated beds, respectively. The author said, "Since the B.O.D. removal (organic compound degradation) is enhanced under aerobic degradation, it is reasonable to assume that the superior treatment afforded by the Bulrush was due to plant translocation of oxygen to an otherwise anaerobic area." It was stated further on page 367, "Other investigators, however have found artificial wetlands are well suited for waste water treatment even in moderately cold climates, such as Ontario, Canada where they can be operated year round" (Wile 1982 Reed at 1984).
In concluding, the authors reflected on the satisfactory substitution of wetland basins for standard municipal plants, stating on page 365, "The Bulrush bed at the hydraulic application rate of 4.7 meters cubed per day (77,129 gallons per day) produced an effluent with B.O.D. and Total Suspended Solids values less that 10/10 mg/l, standard for advanced secondary treatment and a total nitrogen level less than 2 mg/l. At this waste water application rate approximately 20 acres of constructed wetlands would be required to treat one million gallons per day."
The present invention is designed to eliminate practically all media from the wetland basin, thus permitting unrestricted growth of the plant root and rhizome system, greatly reducing the land area needed to treat comparable flow of waste water to approximately one fourth to one fifth the size presently required in existing systems. Thus, less land will treat more waste water, making this an attractive and cost effective means of treating municipal and industrial waste water in quantities of one million gallons per day and more. It eliminates the necessity of pretreatment as the entire floor of the basin can now be utilized as a receiver for the settleable solids, as the solids media that once occupied the entire basin, is now absent. The absence of solid media means that raw waste water can be directly admitted into the basin without the necessity of building a primary tank. The size or floor area of the wetland basin is on the order of 100 times greater than that of a primary tank. Hence, it is possible that this greatly enlarged floor area of the basin can be utilized to reduce or degrade settled solids through anaerobic and facultative bacterial action whereas by contrast, the floor area of the primary tank being smaller and not designed for treatment but only for collection purposes, is an expensive necessity when a basin for wetland basin is filled with solid media, but is not a necessity when a basin for wetland plants can be designed and operated without such a solid media. The manner in which treatment of settled solids in the wetland basin will be undertaken, shall be explored further in more detail in the Description of the Invention. As a great deal of the settled solids are treated and reduced on the wetland basin floor, further treatment and reduction facilities, such as anaerobic or aerobic digesters can be downsized to less than half in size and cost as those that would otherwise be required using the present technology.

Treatment of polluted water using wetland plants in a floating habitat


In veneered components for the body interior of motor vehicles, in particular for the interior of motor cars, the components are provided on the exposed side of the base part with a thin, decorative cover layer, firmly adhering thereto, of a peelable natural material. The cover layer consists of natural cork. Veneered components for the body interior of motor vehicles are thus provided which have a good visual appearance and the trim parts are pleasant to the touch.

The present invention relates to a veneered component and method for assembly thereof for the body interior of motor vehicles, and, more particularly, to a component for motor car interiors in which the exposed side of the component base part is provided with a thin, decorative layer to which a peelable natural material is firmly adhered.
The interiors of motor vehicles contain a wide variety of trim elements such as pillar linings or dashboards. In order to provide the interior with a more visually attractive appearance, it is nowadays widely customary to line these trim elements with plastic. Their basic body is thereby no longer visible and the trim elements and equipment obtain a better visual appearance and feel more pleasant to the touch.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,276 shows, for example, instrument panels in motor vehicles coated with a decorative cover material of wood as a lining. Wood is, however, relatively expensive to process because wood veneer "leaves" tear easily on bending and because they require elaborate surface treatment.
German Patent No. 916,126 alludes to the use of cork for thermal insulation in refrigerators. An insulating-material foil is discussed in German Utility Model No. 1,989,628 in which the insulation-active use layers laminated onto the foil can consist, inter alia, of a cork felt, but requires relatively thick layers of cork or cork pieces for a completely different kind of use from that to which the present invention is directed.
An object of the present invention is based on the recognition that a component with an applied decorative layer for the body interior of motor vehicles can be provided such that the decorative layer is economical to produce, adheres firmly to the surface of the component, provides the component with a good visual appearance and itself feels pleasant to the touch.
The foregoing object has been achieved according to the present invention by providing that the thickness of the cover layer is sized such that pores in the cover layer are holes that completely penetrate the cover layer and allow a surface of the base part disposed below the cover layer to be visible, and the cover layer is adhesively bonded with a clear transparent adhesive onto the surface of the base part which has been painted in a uniform hue contrasting with the hue of the natural cork cover layer. The use of cork veneer allows simple treatment of the interior fitting part because the cork veneer is more flexible and does not require complex post-treatment.
The cover layer for the component is configured with a thickness dimension such that the pores in the cork cover layer are formed as holes which completely penetrate the cover layer and allow the surface of the base part, which has advantageously been painted in a uniform hue before application of the cover layer and is disposed below the cover layer, to become visible. The cover layer in a currently preferred embodiment is adhesively bonded onto the surface of the base part using a clear transparent adhesive.
During painting of the component, the surface thereof is provided with a hue of contrasting color to the basic hue of the cover layer. The base parts onto which the natural cork cover layer is applied consist of a natural solid wood, laminated plywood, laminated wood, sheet metal, die-cast light metal, solid plastic, foam plastic or any other suitable material. For reasons of price, the cover layer applied onto the base part can advantageously consist of pressed natural cork particles.
The veneered components are in practice usually produced by surface adhesion bonding (or laminating) a cork veneer onto a prefabricated base part. It is also possible, however, to bring the cork veneer into the desired shape and to fasten it temporarily over its full surface on a correspondingly shaped molding tool and then to apply the base part consisting of a molding compound onto the reverse side of the cork veneer. This latter approach can be suitably carried out by injection molding or foaming a backing in a closed molding tool, free-forming blowing of a backing by way of powder, granules or a particle composition, wherein the particles firmly adhere after deposition or compression-molding a backing of an initially loose filling of a particle composition in a molding/pressing tool.

Motor vehicle veneered interior trim component and method of assembly thereof


A mechanism for rocking a chair includes a frame disposed on a base and having a pair of racks, four wheels secured to the chair and engaged with the racks of the frame, a motor disposed on the base, a crank secured to the motor, and a lever having one end coupled to the crank and the other end coupled to the chair, the chair is driven to move in a rocking manner by the motor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism, and more particularly to a mechanism for rocking chair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical rocker chairs include a curved base, the users have to move by themselves in order to rock the chairs.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional mechanisms for rocking chairs.


A slideout room leveling device for supporting and leveling a slideout room floor of a recreation vehicle. The device may have a base mounted to a threshold of the trailer frame and a support arm that has a friction reducing member mounted to the support arm. A spring member may be mounted on the base to assist in supporting and leveling the slideout room floor. The support arm of the slideout room supporting and leveling device may remain in continuous contact with the floor of a slideout room during extension and retraction in order to support and level the slideout room.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 60/955,043 filed on Aug. 10, 2007 and U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 61/022,590 filed on Jan. 22, 2008, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The present disclosure relates generally to a support system for trailers and motor vehicles, including without limitation recreational vehicles, utility trailers, and the like (hereinafter collectively "trailers") that have a slideout room. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for supporting and leveling the frame of the slideout room.
Recreation vehicles ("RV's") may be used for vacationing and traveling as a substitute for living quarters. Certain recreation vehicles including motor homes, fifth wheel trailers and travel trailers may be provided with an extendable slideout unit for increasing the vehicle's living space. The slideout rooms may be retracted into the travel vehicle during transport and may be extended from the travel vehicle during use to increase the square footage of the RV. This slideout unit may be extended for use when the RV is parked and is retracted when the RV is to be moved.
Presently disclosed is a device for leveling the floor of a slideout room with the floor of a recreation vehicle. The support mechanism for supporting and leveling a slideout room of a recreation vehicle comprises a base operably mounted to a threshold, the base having an inboard end and an outboard end, a support arm having an inboard end and an outboard end; wherein the base and the support arm are cooperatively associated through a pivotable axis at the inboard end of the base and the inboard end of the support arm, and a spring member operably mounted to the base.
Presently disclosed is also a method of supporting and leveling a slideout room floor, comprising the steps of providing a slideout room leveling device comprising a base having an inboard end and an outboard end, and a support arm having an inboard end and an outboard end; wherein the base and the support arm are cooperatively associated through a pivotable axis at the inboard end of the base and the inboard end of the support arm, and a spring member operably mounted to the base, and a friction-reducing member operably mounted to the outboard end of the support arm, and mounting the base of one or more of the slideout room leveling devices to a threshold of the slideout room. The method further comprises extending the slideout room floor from an associated recreation vehicle while the slideout room floor maintains contact with the support arm; and pivoting the support arm about the pivotable axis at the inboard end of the support arm while the slideout room floor maintains contact with the outboard end of the support arm, retracting the slideout room floor from the associated recreation vehicle while the slideout room floor maintains contact with the support arm, and pivoting the support arm about the pivotable axis at the inboard end of the support arm while the slideout room floor maintains contact with the outboard end of the support arm.
The foregoing and other aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.

Slideout room support and leveling device


Disclosed is a propylene-based polymer including from 51 to 75% by weight of a propylene-ethylene random copolymer component (A) having an intrinsic viscosity [η]A, measured in tetralin at 135° C., of 5 dl/g or more and an ethylene content of not less than 8% by weight but less than 20% by weight, and from 25 to 49% by weight of a propylene-based polymer component (B) obtained by polymerizing monomers mainly including propylene, the component having an intrinsic viscosity [η]B, measured in tetralin at 135° C., of 1.2 dl/g or less, wherein said amounts of the components (A) and (B) are each based on the combined weight of these components.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a propylene-based polymer, to a polypropylene resin composition containing the polymer and to an injection-molded article comprising the composition. In particular, the present invention relates to a polypropylene resin composition having a high die swell ratio such that when being injection-molded, it is difficult for flow marks to occur. The resulting molded article has a good weld appearance, and it is difficult for sinking (facial strain) to occur in the surface of the molded article. A good injection filling property is achieved, and hard spots are inhibited to occur in the molded article. The present invention relates also to a propylene-based polymer suitable as a component of the above-mentioned polypropylene resin composition and to an injection molded article made of the composition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polypropylene resin compositions are used for a wide variety of applications such as molded articles, e.g. automotive interior or exterior materials and electric appliance housings because they are materials excellent in rigidity, impact resistance and the like.
For example, JP-A-2002-194023, which is published also as U.S. 2004/0014871 A1, discloses a random propylene polymer capable of controlling the appearance and the moldability of a polypropylene resin composition with a good balance by compounding a small amount of propylene-ethylene block copolymer, a random propylene polymer having a die swell ratio of from 1.5 to 2.5, a ratio of the weight average molecular weight Mw to the number average molecular weight Mn (i.e. Q value: Mw/Mn) determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of from 7 to 13. Specifically, JP-A-2002-194023 discloses a random propylene polymer obtained by two-stage polymerization comprising producing, in a first state, 70% by weight of a propylene homopolymer having an MFR of 150 g/10 min and then producing supplying a mixed gas of propylene and ethylene (ethylene content=6% by weight) in the presence of the polymer formed in during the first stage to produce 30% by weight portion of the whole polymer. Moreover, a polypropylene resin composition containing the random propylene polymer, and an injection-molded article made of the resin composition are also disclosed.
However, polypropylene resin compositions to be used for injection-molded articles have been required for further improvement, for example, controlling the occurrence of flow marks, in other words, increasing the die swell, improving the weld appearance, controlling the occurrence of sinking in the surface of a molded article to improve the injection filling property, and inhibiting the occurrence of hard spots. For such improvement, there is a demand for propylene-based polymer available for forming polypropylene resin compositions to be used for the production of injection-molded articles.

Propylene-based polymer, polypropylene resin composition, and injection molded article


The present invention relates to a Lactuca sativa seed designated 41-122 RZ, which may exhibit resistance to downy mildew (Bremia lactucae Regel.), and which may have leaves with a solid main vein, narrow base leaves, and thick, strongly blistered, dark green mature leaves. The present invention also relates to a Lactuca sativa plant produced by growing the 41-122 RZ seed. The invention further relates to methods for producing the lettuce cultivar, represented by lettuce variety 41-122 RZ.

Romaine lettuce should provide a product at harvestable stage, which is accepted by processing industry and/or consumers. Therefore the harvestable product should not have tipburn, should have a short core, and it should have thick, strongly blistered leaves with a dark green outer leaf color. Further it should be sufficiently headed, and as a result of this heading provide sufficient yellow-colored heartleaves.
Mature romaine lettuce is mainly harvested by hand. This harvesting process is labor-intensive, and relatively laborer-unfriendly. As it getting more and more costly to hire laborers that want to work outdoor in the field, close to the ground and under all kinds of adverse weather conditions, there is strong interest of the lettuce industry to mechanize this manual harvesting process. However, until now the lack of uniform quality among mature plants is a major problem for mechanical harvest. Poor quality of basal leaves, internal breakdown of heartleaves due to tipburn, fringe burn of leaf margins and fast bolting are the main quality problems. If one would like to mechanize the harvest process, these quality problems result in additional hand sorting, which is costly, and/or a very low net yield, if the plant parts with a high risk of quality problems are mechanically discarded. The latter approach is chosen by some producers that produce romaine hearts, i.e. the intact yellow-green heart of the romaine lettuce without the green outer leaves. For producers that produce romaine lettuce for processing, i.e. pre-washed and pre-cut leaves, this is not feasible because of four major constraints.
The first is the requirement for a mix of green and yellow leaves, which requires the preservation of the undamaged green outer leaves. The second constraint is the strongly reduced net yield, which is a result of the fact that an automated knife should cut through the leaf but not through the core. Especially fast bolting lettuce varieties are unacceptable for mechanized harvest of romaine lettuce for processing purposes because of their long core.
The third constraint is caused by the use of mechanically-driven horizontal knives that easily damage the hollow main veins of romaine leaves and cut halfway through the prostrate, round-shaped, lower outer leaves, which results in wide cut surfaces. Cutting damage on a leaf with a hollow main vein is often not restricted to the cut surface but bruising extends into the leaf along the main vein.
The fourth constraint is the requirement for a leaf to have a good shelf life. This means the leaves should get through the washing and drying process in the factory without bruising or breaking. The leaves should be sufficiently thick and tough to avoid wilting. In addition, the leaves should be strongly blistered to avoid sticking to each other and to the plastic of the packaging, which increases local humidity on the leaf and reduces local respiration.
There exists a need, therefore, for a new type of romaine or cos lettuce, which is suitable for mechanical harvest with a simple horizontal knife and which exhibits resistance against downy mildew (Bremia lactucae). The harvested product is meant for processing purposes.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.


Circuits for an analog-to-digital converter and methods of operating an analog-to-digital converter. A resistor digital-to-analog converter (RDAC) has a first reference node coupled to a first current source, a second reference node coupled to a second current source, an input port configured to receive a first voltage, and an output port coupled to a buffer. The RDAC is configured to generate a second voltage including a first voltage shift from the first voltage and to supply the second voltage from the output port of the RDAC to the buffer.

The present invention generally relates to electrical circuits and, more specifically, to circuits for an analog-to-digital converter and methods of operating an analog-to-digital converter.
A successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) commonly employs a capacitive digital-to analog converter (CDAC) in which the constituent capacitors are switched between a reference voltage and ground to set an appropriate output voltage. Although an ideal CDAC outputs a reference voltage that is precisely linear, real-world CDACs are subject to influence by external factors, such as temperature, and are therefore susceptible to errors. For example, as temperature varies, the reference voltage output by the CDAC may drift and, accordingly, a gain error may be introduced.
A Time-Interleaved ADC may include a time-multiplexed parallel array of n identical successive approximation register (SAR) slices that increase the net sample rate, even though each individual slice in the array is actually sampling at a lower rate. Each SAR slice includes a buffer, such as a source follower, that has one or more transistors that provide a voltage drop relative to a stable reference voltage presented to its input. However, the output voltage may exhibit a significant temperature variation among the different SAR slices due to, for example, process variations among the transistors in the different SAR slices. The result is a temperature dependence that may cause different SAR slices to output different voltages despite receiving the same reference voltage.
Currently, the voltages of the different slices cannot be separately adjusted and calibrated. Such separate adjustments are desirable to provide a mechanism for compensating gain differences due to fabrication-related mismatches. Moreover, the separate adjustments should be enabled without adding to the temperature variations.
Accordingly, improved circuits for an analog-to-digital converter and methods of operating an analog-to-digital converter are needed.

Analog-to-digital converters with resistor digital-to-analog converters for reference voltage tuning


A crib mobile and surveillance system which communicates video data captured by a camera within a mobile member housing, and sounds received by a microphone disposed in a base, to a handheld monitor; the video data displayed and broadcast in real time on a monitor screen on the handheld monitor to remotely monitor a child lain in a crib having the present device. and to operate a plurality of modes, each of which is selectable, activated, and deactivated independently and concurrently at the base of the device and remotely by the handheld monitor.

Various types of crib mobile and surveillance systems are known in the prior art. However, what is needed is a crib mobile and surveillance system configured to communicate video data, the video data captured by a camera disposed within a mobile member housing, and sounds received by a microphone disposed in a front surface of a base, to a handheld monitor; said video data displayed in real time on a monitor screen disposed on a front side of the handheld monitor, and said sounds broadcast in real time from a second speaker disposed on a back side of the handheld monitor; whereby a caregiver is enabled to remotely monitor a child lain in a crib to which the present device is attached. The present crib mobile and surveillance system is further configured to operate a plurality of modes, including an audio mode; alternately activating selectable preprogrammed audio data, pre-recorded audio data, or extant audio data accessed from an extant MP3 player releasably connected to the device; a motion mode, and a light mode, each of which modes is configured to be selectable, activated, and deactivated independently and concurrently at the base of the device and remotely by means of the handheld monitor in wireless operational communication with the base.


Provided are a method, system, and program for processing packets of data. An available packet buffer in memory is allocated to a received packet, wherein the received packet is stored in the allocated packet buffer. A determination is made as to whether a number of available packet buffers is less than a first threshold. A further determination is made as to whether the number of available packet buffers is less than a second threshold if the number of available packet buffers is not less than the first threshold. An operation is initiated to copy the received packet from the allocated packet buffer to a copy buffer if the number of available packet buffers is less than the second threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and program for processing data packets in packet buffers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a network environment, a network adaptor card on a host computer, such as an Ethernet card, Fibre Channel card, etc., will receive Input/Output (I/O) requests or responses to I/O requests initiated from the host. Often, the host computer operating system includes a device driver to communicate with the network adaptor and make buffers in the host computer memory available to the network adaptor. Data packets received at the network adaptor would be stored in an available allocated packet buffer. The host computer further includes a transport protocol driver to process the packets received by the network adaptor that are stored in the packet buffer, and access any I/O commands or data embedded in the packet. For instance, the transport protocol driver may implement the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) to decode and access the payload data in the TCP/IP packets.
In the prior art, the packet buffers store the packets from the network adaptor, that are received from a remote network/physical media, until the transport protocol driver processes the packet and releases the packet buffers. The released packet buffers are then available to receive any further packets from the network adaptor. If there are no available packet buffers for packets received at the network adaptor, then the network adaptor would have to discard such packets. All this discarded or "dropped" packets will have to be retransmitted, which wastes network bandwidth and degrades network performance. The prior art addresses this problem by having the protocol driver copy data from packet buffers to some other host memory or storage to release packet buffers and make them available to the network adaptor if the number of available packet buffers falls below a certain minimum threshold.
Notwithstanding the prior art techniques for ensuring that packet buffers are available for packets received at the network adaptor, there is a continued need for improved techniques to process packets in packet buffers, especially as improvements in network bandwidth increases the rate at which packets are received at the network adaptor. To accommodate the increased rate at which packets are received at the network adaptor, techniques are needed to improve the rate at which the transport protocol adaptor process packets received at the network adaptor.

Method, system, and program for processing data packets in packet buffers


An improved cable end structure, including a guide member 5 comprising a plate-like portion 7 disposed between the cable end device b and the cushion 3, and a tubular portion 6 formed integrally with the plate-like portion 6 so that the guide member 5 may prevent the pull-cable a from contacting the cushion 3. The plate-like portion 7 is disposed between the cable end device b and the cushion 3 which allows the tubular portion 6 to be held in the cushion 3 and the tubular portion 6, in turn, prevents the pull-cable a from contacting and abrading the cushion 3.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cable and structure for a pull cable and particularly to such cable end structure for a rocking end such as a pedal side end of car's accelerator cable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, on the pedal side end of car's accelerator cable, the cushion is disposed between the pedal and the cable end device in order to absorb a vibration of the engine. However, a rocking movement of the pedal causes the cable end device to be obliquely pressed against the cushion.
Consequently, the accelerator cable comes in direct contact with the cushion and stretch and contraction of the cushion causes the accelerator cable to rub the cushion which is thereby abraded. These problems have made it difficult to improve a durability of the cable end structure.


A repeater system for relaying wireless communications between a base station and one or more devices having: a repeater to relay network information from a base station to one or more devices; a donor antenna configured to receive and/or transmit network information between the repeater and the base station; a power supply external to the repeater; and, a server antenna integrated with the power supply, the server antenna configured to receive and/or transmit network information between the repeater and the one or more devices.

The existing cellular networks, such as (Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and IS95, are intended to provide a contagious and continuous coverage, so as to support the high terminal mobility expected from such systems. However, despite careful network design, indoor (in-building) coverage, or the coverage of places with high shadowing attenuation (e.g. tunnels) of such networks is often "patchy", with "coverage Holes" at best, and no coverage at worst. The reason for the impaired indoor coverage is that the cellular base stations are usually placed outside buildings, higher than the average building heights, to provide large area coverage. Although the signal may be adequate at "street-level", it is severely attenuated by the building material, reducing the signal power in-building, resulting in the poor converges. Loss of signal power (attenuation) depends on the building material and can be tens of dBs for each wall penetration. The problem is exacerbated in the 3rd generation systems such as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and cdma2000, as these new systems have the capability of high data transmission, which results in lower information bit energy (Eb), and much reduced link budget and cell foot-print.
Typical solutions for providing indoor coverage are expensive and involve extensive investment in the cellular network infrastructure and are much more complex in planning and operation. Typical repeater systems contain two antennas, a donor antenna that receives/transmits signals from/to a base station and a server antenna that receives/transmits signals from/to a handset. In typical repeater implementations, the donor and server antennas are either integrated within the repeater, or they are external to the repeater, connecting to the repeater via an RF connector such as a SMA connecter. In addition to the external antenna connections, the repeater also has a power supply input port which is used to supply power from an external source to the repeater.

Integrated power supply and antenna for repeater


A method and an apparatus for automatically feeding slider-zipper assemblies to a station where the slider-zipper assemblies can be attached to bag material such as thermoplastic film. The apparatus includes a slider guide having a channel running the length thereof. The channel has a cross section that allows passage therethrough of sliders slidably mounted to a tape of connected slider-zipper assemblies. A tape drive mechanism is located at the outlet of the slider guide. The tape drive mechanism includes a pair of rollers that form a nip therebetween. The zipper flanges of the tape are threaded through the nip. The rollers have respective grooves that form a space for passage of the sliders as the tape is advanced by the rollers.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for automated manufacture of a reclosable plastic package having a resealable closure, especially as part of a form, fill and seal process. In particular, the invention relates to methods and apparatuses for manufacturing reclosable plastic packages and bags having a slider-zipper assembly installed in the mouth of the package.
In the use of plastic bags and packages, particularly for foodstuffs, it is important that the bag be hermetically sealed until the purchaser acquires the product, takes it home, and opens the bag or package for the first time. It is then commercially attractive and useful for the consumer that the bag or package be reclosable so that its contents may be protected. Flexible plastic zippers have proven to be excellent for reclosable bags, because they may be manufactured with high-speed equipment and are reliable for repeated reuse.
A typical zipper comprises one fastener strip or member having a groove and attached to one side of the bag mouth, and another fastener strip or member having a rib and attached to the other side of the bag mouth, which rib may interlock into the groove when the sides of the mouth of the bag are pressed together. Alternatively, a fastener strip having a plurality of ribs may be on one side of the bag mouth, while a fastener strip having a plurality of grooves or channels may be on the other side, the ribs locking into the channels when the sides of the mouth of the bag are pressed together. In the latter case, there may be no difference in appearance between the two fastener strips, as the ribs may simply be the intervals between channels on a strip that may lock into another of the same kind. In general, and in short, some form of male/female interengagement is used to join the two sides of the bag mouth together. The fastener strips or members are bonded in some manner to the material from which the bags themselves are manufactured.
In the automated manufacture of plastic reclosable packages or bags, it is known to feed a zipper assembly to a position adjacent a sheet of thermoplastic film and then attach the zipper assembly to the bag by means of heat sealing. The zipper assemblies are attached at spaced intervals along the thermoplastic sheet, one zipper assembly being attached to each section of film respectively corresponding to an individual package or bag. The zipper assembly consists of two interlocking fastener strips that, in the final package, lie inside the mouth of the package. Each fastener strip preferably has a flange that extends toward the product side of the package in a direction transverse to the line of the zipper. In accordance with one known method of feeding zipper assemblies to an automated form, fill and seal machine, the zipper assembly is in the form of a tape which is unwound from a spool for automated feeding. The tape comprises a continuous length of interlocked fastener strips. The continuous tape is feed to a cutting device that cuts the tape at regular lengths to form an individual zipper. Each individual zipper is then attached to the thermoplastic film by heat sealing or other suitable means.
Prior to cutting and heat sealing, the zipper assembly must be automatically positioned correctly relative to the thermoplastic film. Moving the zipper assembly into position overlying the thermoplastic film requires a positioning device. Some prior art positioning devices comprise a channel which guides the continuous zipper tape toward its proper position relative to the direction of movement of the thermoplastic film. The zipper assembly may be positioned parallel or perpendicular to direction of movement of the thermoplastic film. Because the fastener strips of the zipper assembly have a constant profile in the lengthwise direction, it is a relatively simple matter to design a linear guide channel having a cross section which matches the profile of the interlocked fastener strips with sufficient clearance to allow the zipper tape to be pushed or pulled through the guide with minimal friction, yet not so great as to allow the zipper tape to skew, twist or move sideways in the guide channel.
Other types of reclosable plastic bags, however, contain a slider that facilitates a consumer opening and re-closing the package by disengaging and re-engaging the two sides of the zipper together. However, adding a slider to the zipper assembly requires the design of guide devices different than those used when reclosable packages having zippers without sliders are being manufactured.
In the prior art it is known to feed a continuous tape of interlocked faster strips to a shaping device which crushes the strips at regular intervals in the lengthwise direction to provide restraints or stops for the slider. At the next station, a slider insertion device inserts a respective slider onto each section of zipper tape between successive slider stops. The slider can be slid along the zipper tape between a leftmost position in abutment with the left-hand slider stop and a rightmost position in abutment with the right-hand slider stop. The resulting tape of slider-zipper assemblies must be fed automatically to a station where each slider-zipper assembly will be cut off the end of the tape and then attached to a respective section of the thermoplastic bag material, e.g., by heat sealing, such sections of thermoplastic bag material being spaced at package intervals.
There is a need for a method and an apparatus for guiding a tape of slider-zipper assemblies to a desired position overlying the thermoplastic film during automated feeding of the slider-zipper assemblies. The apparatus must take into account that the slider are intermittently placed along the continuous zipper tape and have width and height dimensions greater than the corresponding dimensions of the interlocked members of the zipper fastener strips.
The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for automatically feeding slider-zipper assemblies to a station where the slider-zipper assemblies can be attached to bag material, such as thermoplastic film. The apparatus includes a slider guide having a channel running the length thereof. The channel has a cross section that allows passage of sliders slidably mounted to a tape of connected slider-zipper assemblies. The slider guide also has an opening in and along one side that communicates with the channel in which the sliders travel. The opening is arranged so that the flanges of the zipper tape penetrate and protrude out of the opening when the corresponding sections of the zipper interlocking members and associated sliders are resident in the channel.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a slider tape drive assembly comprises a slider guide and a tape drive mechanism. The tape drive mechanism comprises a nip roller and an idler roller having faces that meet squarely to form a nip. The zipper flanges of the tape are threaded through the nip. The nip and idler rollers have respective mutually aligned grooves that form a space for passage of the sliders between the rollers as the tape is advanced by the rollers. The rollers surfaces, which form the aligned grooves also, serve to guide each slider exiting the slider guide during tape advancement. The outlet of the slider guide is generally aligned with the space formed by the aforementioned grooves in the nip and idler rollers.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the apparatus further comprises: first and second mounting plates; first and second bearings respectively mounted to the first and second mounting plates and supporting the idler roller; and a guide plate mounted to the first and second mounting plates and having a guide surface disposed to guide zipper flanges of the tape toward said nip. The slider guide preferably comprises upper and lower slider guides. The lower slider guide is mounted to the guide plate, while the upper slider guide is mounted to the lower slider guide.
Other aspects of the invention are disclosed and claimed below.

Method and apparatus for feeding slider-zipper assemblies


A delay-locked loop circuit comprising a variable voltage generator and a delay-locked loop. The variable voltage generator is configured to generate a variable bias voltage signal in response to a standby signal. The variable bias voltage signal has differing voltage levels according to operation modes. The operation modes include a standby mode and an active mode. The delay-locked loop is configured to generate an internal clock signal in response to the standby signal and the variable bias voltage signal. The internal clock signal is synchronized with an external clock signal.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a delay-locked loop circuit and a method of clock synchronization, and more particularly to a delay-locked loop circuit integrated in a semiconductor memory device and a method of clock synchronization for the semiconductor memory device.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional delay-locked loop circuit. Referring to FIG. 1, a delay-locked loop (DLL) 100 includes a phase detector 110, a charge pump 120, a variable delay line (VDL) 130, and a delay compensation circuit 140. The phase detector 110 detects a phase difference between an external clock signal CLK_IN and an internal clock signal CLK_OUT to generate an up-signal UP or a down-signal DOWN based on the phase difference. The charge pump 120 generates a delay control signal VCON in response to one of the up-signal UP and the down-signal DOWN. The variable delay line 130 generates the internal clock signal CLK_OUT that is synchronized with the external clock signal CLK_IN. The delay compensation circuit 140 compensates for a phase delay of the internal clock signal CLK_OUT due to a propagation delay through a data path (not shown), and provides the phase detector 110 with the compensated clock signal as a feedback signal SFEED.
A semiconductor memory device, such as a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), needs a much smaller current to operate in a power-down mode or a self-refresh mode than in an active mode. When the semiconductor memory device operates in the power-down mode or the self-refresh mode, the delay-locked loop of the semiconductor memory device also needs to be operated with a smaller current than in an active mode.
Therefore, there is a need for a delay-locked loop with an adjustable operation current according to operation modes of the semiconductor memory device.

Delay-locked loop circuit with variable bias voltages and method of clock synchronization for a semiconductor memory device


A memory system comprises an SRAM array and a NVM array. The SRAM array and NVM array are both organized in rows and columns. The NVM array is directly coupled to the SRAM array. The memory system may also be coupled to a system bus of a data processing system. The number of columns of the NVM array is an integer multiple of the number of columns of the SRAM array, where the integer multiple is greater than one. Column logic is coupled to the SRAM array and to the NVM array. The column logic controls accesses to the SRAM and to the NVM array, and the column logic controls direct data transfers between the SRAM array and the NVM array.

Field
This disclosure relates generally to electronic circuits and more specifically to a circuit to directly interface a static random access memory (SRAM) with a non-volatile memory.
Related Art
Some data processing systems include a volatile memory, such as SRAM, and a type of non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory may be, for example, a flash memory, or a resistive non-volatile memory such as a resistive random access memory (RRAM) or a magnetic random access memory (MRAM). Volatile memory types lose their stored states when powered down while non-volatile memory types retain their stored states. Because SRAM is faster than most types of memory, normal operations may be carried out using the SRAM and then, when the system is to be powered down, information that is to be retained while the power is off is stored in the non-volatile memory. When power is restored, the data stored in non-volatile memory is reloaded in the SRAM. Thus, normal operations are achieved with the SRAM with the attendant benefits thereof and the non-volatile function is present when power is removed. However, in a data processing system such as a system-on-a-chip (SoC), typically the SRAM and non-volatile memory are each coupled to a system bus using a bus interface circuit. The bus interface circuit may involve using a processor or direct memory access (DMA) controller to access the memory. Anytime a memory is accessed, or when data is transferred between components coupled to the bus, the bus cannot be used by another component of the data processing system while the transfer is taking place. Also, most SRAM cells include at least six transistors and therefore an SRAM array occupies a much larger surface area of an integrated circuit than a correspondingly sized non-volatile memory array.
Therefore, a need exists for a memory system that solves the above problems.

Direct interface between SRAM and non-volatile memory providing space efficiency by matching pitch in both memories


The disclosure provides systems and methods for monitoring and managing crops. Crop selection, planting, growth, and harvest are monitored based on sensor input as well as contextual information, allowing automated decisions and actions that increase efficiency at every stage of the farming process. Contextual information includes historical crop information and other statistics pertaining to a specific location under cultivation. Improved farm output and efficient use of resources are key results using the systems and methods.

In emerging markets such as those across sub-Saharan Africa, 80% of the food is grown on small-scale farms. Many of these farms are between 1 to 5 acres in size, are rain fed and have the lowest productivity among developing economies. Due to small size and significant involvement on manual labor, innovative approaches are required to boost agricultural productivity of farming in sub-Saharan Africa. There is ample evidence to suggest that the low productivity in rain-fed agriculture is due more to suboptimal performance related to management aspects rather than to low physical potential of agricultural lands.
Farming on Small Scale Typically Involves Three Steps:
(1) Land and crop selection. The typical small-scale farmer has two or more different types of crops on his farm with different water and nutritional requirements. The distribution of soil, water, mineral and pH varies given how the land is divided. S/he must ensure the best crops are selected for that location, and that water is optimally applied.
(2) Growth monitoring and maintenance. After selecting the crop, the farmer needs to ensure optimal growth conditions are maintained. Ensuring reliable water supply is essential. The farmer needs to be alerted if the supply is low or if the water delivery to the root zone of the plant is sub-optimal. The farmer also needs to know how inputs, especially, translate to knowing the health status of a certain crop in the farm. In developing countries, simple, low cost and intuitive monitoring approaches are needed to deliver these insights. Remote sensing approaches will often not work for the small-scale farm given size relative to what can be inferred from remote imagery.
(3) Harvesting. When the crops are ready for harvest the farmer faces weather, pest and market access constraints. S/he would benefit by receiving early warning on these potential pitfalls.

Predicting crop productivity via intervention planning on small-scale farms

International Business Machines Corporation


A cancer therapeutic agent according to an embodiment of the present invention contains, as active ingredients, IL-18 and one or more antibodies selected from the group consisting of an anti-PD-L1 antibody, an anti-PD-1 antibody, an anti-PD-L2 antibody, an anti-CTLA-4 antibody, an anti-CD25 antibody, an anti-CD33 antibody, and an anti-CD52 antibody.

It is known that peritoneal metastasis of tumor cells is easily induced, accompanied with cancers such as a gastric cancer, a large intestine cancer, and an ovarian cancer, and is very difficult to treat because the peritoneal metastasis may develop despite surgical removal of the tumors. Several therapeutic approaches to the peritoneal metastasis have been attempted so far, including a treatment with a chemotherapeutic agent, a treatment that targets a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and a sensitization therapy using bisphosphonic acid.
Further, antibodies targeting a CTLA-4 antigen or a PD-1/PD-L1 antigen, which are antigens expressed on lymphocytes (regulatory cells) that suppress immune reaction and/or inflammatory response and on macrophages in order to reduce the above lymphocytes (regulatory lymphocytes) have recently begun to be put to clinical practice (Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
While reducing the regulatory lymphocytes, the above antibodies enhance effector lymphocytes expressing, for example, CD28 and NKG2D, so that the effector lymphocytes eliminate tumor cells and pathogen-infected cells.
Thus the treatment with the above antibodies aims at regression or disappearance of tumors by activating innate immunity and acquired immunity, continuously increasing tumor cell-breaking lymphocytes (also referred to effector lymphocytes or effector cells), and, in turn, enhancing migration to tumors. The above antibodies have been proven to be effective against malignant tumors, such as melanoma, which have been difficult to be treated by known treatment techniques. Thus, the above antibodies have been expected to enhance their effectiveness and expand their application to many tumor cells.
In addition, an attempt has also been made to confirm an antitumor effect by using GM-CSF, IL-15, and an anti-CTLA-4 antibody (Non-patent Literature 1). Further, it is disclosed that a combination of IL-18 and rituximab or HERCEPTIN (registered trademark) exhibits a more excellent therapeutic effect in comparison with the use of a single agent (Patent Literature 3). Furthermore, there is disclosed a cancer immunotherapy using a composition containing a combination of a compound represented by a predetermined formula, one or more molecular-targeted antibody, and an immunostimulating compound (Patent Literature 4).

Therapeutic agent for cancer which comprises combination of IL-18 and molecule-targeting antibody

Medical Research and Development Corporation

Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation


A field bus distribution unit (VE) designed for use in process automation technology involving several field devices. The unit is equipped with a microcontroller μC, which is connected to a field bus (FB) and transmits device-specific information of the field devices that are connected to the field bus distribution unit (VE).

In process automation technology, field devices are often used, which are connected with superordinated units via a field bus.
Field devices serve generally for registering and/or influencing process variables.
Examples of such field devices are fill level meters, mass flow meters, pressure and temperature measuring devices, pH-redox measuring devices, conductivity measuring devices, etc., which, as measuring devices, register the corresponding process variables fill level, flow, pressure, temperature, pH-value, and conductivity. A large number of such field devices are manufactured and sold by the firm Endress+Hauser®.
The superordinated units serve for process visualization, process control, as well as for interacting with the field devices attached to the field bus.
Examples of field bus systems are Profibus®, Foundation® Fieldbus, etc.
Via the field bus, not only measured values but also a multiplicity of different kinds of information can be exchanged between the field device and a superordinated unit. Thus, for instance, device specific information can be stored in the field device and called-up as required. Such device-specific information can include location information, start-up information, service information, etc. A storing of device-specific information in the field device is, however, only possible, once the field device has been installed on the field bus and is ready for operation. The input of this information can, on the one hand, be done at the device itself, with the help of a display and keyboard, or, on the other hand, such can be done from a superordinated unit.
As a rule, device-specific information (location information and start-up information) arises at the installation of the field device of concern. In this case, a technician must cumbersomely input this information via the keyboard at the field device or e.g. forward such to appropriate operating personnel, in the case of the superordinated unit (control room). As a rule, the devices are not yet operational at the installation, i.e. they first have to be initialized. This means, however, that the mentioned information can only be stored in the field device after a delay. Because of this delay, it becomes possible that erroneous information becomes stored in the field device.
Likewise problematic is the storing of service information, when the relevant field device is malfunctioning.
Furthermore, in the case of a device replacement, all information stored in the device is lost.


In an atomic absorption spectrometer with an atomizing device (190) and a line emitting light source (16), an optical system (22,28 . . . ) for generating a measuring light beam (18), and a photo-electrical detector (38), which are arranged in a housing (10) which forms a sample cavity (12) accessible from the outside and which is passed through by a measuring light beam (18) and into which different atomizing devices can be optionally inserted, the atomizing device (190) with the specific components (104,124,126) is assembled to form an insert unit (100) in which the atomizing device (190) in the form of a graphite furnace has a well-defined position relatively to the insert unit (100) and which in turn can be inserted into the sample cavity (12) in a well-defined position to provide an entirely functioning atomic absorption spectrometer.

From German patent application No. 1,964,469 an atomic absorption spectrometer is known wherein the radiation originates from a single light source designed as a line emitter, the radiation of which passing through the sample is frequency modulated by use of the longitudinal Zeeman effect. In this prior atomic absorption spectrometer a hollow cathode lamp is arranged between the pole pieces of a solenoid. One of the pole pieces has a bore through which the measuring light beam passes. Then the measuring light beam is directed through a flame serving as atomizing device and a monochromator and impinges upon a photo-electrical detector. The solenoid is arranged to be switched on and off, whereby the atomic absorption of the sample atoms compensated with respect to the background absorption can be determined from the difference of the signals with the solenoid switched off and switched on.
In this prior art atomic absorption spectrometer the emission lines of the line emitting light source are periodically shifted by the Zeeman effect and thus the emitted light frequency is modulated and not the absorption lines of the sample. This may cause problems when a hollow cathode lamp is used as light source because the discharge of the hollow cathode lamp is influenced by the magnetic field, as already mentioned in German Patent Application No. 1,964,469.
From German patent application No. 2,165,106 it is known to apply the magnetic field of a solenoid arranged to be switched on and off to the atomizing device, i.e. to the sample which is to be atomized, instead to the light source. Therein the atomizing device is a flame. The magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the measuring light beam. A splitting of the absorption lines due to the "transverse" Zeeman effect is effected, which again effects a relative shift of the emission lines of the measuring light beam and the absorption lines of the sample. Again it can be discriminated between atomic absorption by the atoms of the element looked for and non-specific background absorption by switching the magnetic field on and off.
From German patent application No. 2,165,106 an atomic absorption spectrometer is known in which a sample cavity is formed by a housing which sample cavity is passed through by a measuring light beam. An atomizing device is arranged in the sample cavity. A measuring vessel in which hydrides are decomposed which were formed from a sample by chemical reactions, a burner or a furnace for electrothermal atomization (graphite tube vessel) can be optionally provided as atomizing device.
With respect to the prior art German patent application No. 29 50 105 describes a construction in which depending on the kind of atomization the suitable atomizing device is individually built into the sample cavity and is adjusted in the sample cavity. After building in and after adjustment the connections for the supply of current, inert gas and cooling liquid or for fuel gas and oxidant agent have to be installed.
Compared thereto German patent application No. 29 50 105 describes an atomic absorption spectrometer in which at least two of the above mentioned atomizing devices, hydride measuring vessel, burner or furnace are composed to a componentry which is fixedly installed in the sample cavity. The measuring light beam can be optionally passed through a respective atomization device being in operation.
German patent application No. 29 50 105 relates only to the installation of the atomizing device in a narrow sense that means the burner or the furnace. Each mode of operation however requires additional apparatus. A burner requires control devices for controlling or regulating the fuel gas or oxydant agent supplies. A power unit which supplies the high and adjustable currents required belongs to a furnace for the electrothermal atomization. These additional apparatus are generally designed as separate components which are arranged beside the atomic absorption spectrometer and generally are quite clumsy. The atomic absorption spectrometer according to German patent application No. 29,50,105 allows no compensation of the background absorption in that the atomic absorption of the atoms of the sample is "eliminated" by the Zeeman effect by means of a magnetic field applied.
In the atomic absorption spectrometer of German patent application No. 29 50 105 discussed before all atomizing devices which can be optionally used are permanently installed in the apparatus. Also the signal processing has to be provided for the different modes of atomization. Thereby the atomic absorption spectrometer becomes clumsy and expensive.
From German patent application No. 35 28 300 an atomic absorption spectrometer with a burner is known in which the burner is adjustably arranged on a carriage. The carriage is movable between a first and a second position by a servomotor. In a first position the cloud of atoms is generated by the burner in the area of the measuring light beam extending stationary. In the second position the burner with its flame is arranged outside the measuring light beam extending stationary, such that a measurement is made which is not influenced by the atomized sample. Here the compensation of the drift of the zero line is the subject matter.
A further atomic absorption spectrometer is known in which compensation of the background absorption is permitted by periodically generating a strong magnetic field at the location of the sample in a furnace for electrothermal atomization, whereby the absorption lines of the sample are shifted relative to the lines of the measuring light beam by the Zeeman effect. In this prior atomic absorption spectrometer an atomic absorption spectrometer arranged for operating without "Zeeman effect" is used as basic instrument. A "Zeeman auxiliary apparatus" is attached to this basic apparatus, this auxiliary apparatus comprising a furnace in an additional sample cavity and a solenoid for generating the Zeeman effect.


A method for operating a camshaft adjuster, which includes an adjusting transmission with an input shaft, an output shaft connected in a non-rotatable manner with a camshaft, and an adjusting shaft, whereby the adjusting shaft is driven by an actuator, characterized by the fact that the actuator drives the adjusting shaft by overcoming a torque that is dependent on its angular position.

From DE 102 48 355 A1, we know of an electrically driven camshaft adjuster with an adjusting transmission which can be designed as a double eccentric transmission or a double planetary transmission. The adjusting transmission has low friction as well as a high reduction ratio of, for instance, 1:250.
From DE 10 2004 038 695 A1, we know of another camshaft adjuster which has an inner eccentric transmission or a planetary transmission as the adjusting transmission. A planetary transmission is also a part of a camshaft adjuster known from DE 100 54 797 A1, whereby in this case the adjustment can be done hydraulically or electrically. DE 10 2011 004 077 A1 discloses a shaft transmission that is suitable for a camshaft adjuster. In general, shaft transmissions for camshaft adjusters can be designed as pot type gears or flat gears. For a shaft transmission this is a three-shaft-transmission.

Camshaft adjuster and method for operating a camshaft adjuster


A tire holding apparatus is provided with a first support part for supporting a tire, a second support part for supporting the tire, and an air supply and removal part for supplying and removing air from the inside of the tire. The second support part has a protrusion that protrudes toward the first support part. The air supply and removal part has a first flow path for allowing air to flow, a second flow path for allowing air to flow from an opening formed at the leading end of the protrusion to the inside of the tire, and a collection part that is attached to the opening and collects foreign matter that has been mixed into the second flow path from the inside of the tire.

In a manufacturing process of a tire, various tests are performed on a vulcanized tire for quality inspection. As a system for testing a tire, there is a tire uniformity machine for measuring uniformity of a tire, or a tire balance measurement apparatus for measuring the balance of a tire. In the system for testing a tire, a tire holding apparatus which holds a tire which is a test object is used.
For example, a tire holding apparatus is disclosed in PTL 1 to PTL 3. In the tire holding apparatuses disclosed in PTL 1 to PTL 3, a lower rim and an upper rim which are attachable to and detachable from each other are used so as to hold a tire with a desired width dimension. In the tire holding apparatus, inflation processing is performed in which a tire is held so as to be interposed between the lower rim and the upper rim and air is fed into the inside of the tire. Accordingly, in the tire holding apparatus, a pressure inside the tire increases to a value close to that in a use state so as to simulate a use state in which a wheel is actually mounted.

Tire holding apparatus and tire inspection system provided with said tire holding apparatus

MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY SYSTEMS, LTD.


A medical device includes a device housing and a door mounted to the device housing. The device also includes a first magnet mounted to the door, wherein magnetic force applied to the door exerts a moment on the door, and a second magnet mounted in the housing and positioned to hold the door shut by magnetic interaction with the first magnet. In addition, the device includes a user-movable mode-changing mechanism attached to a third magnet, and arranged to hold the third magnet out of proximity with the first and second magnets when the device is in a first mode, and to move the third magnet into proximity with the first and second magnets when the device is in a second mode so as to expel the first magnet away from the housing and open the door to expose items positioned behind the door.

Sudden cardiac arrest (colloquially "a heart attack") is a serious condition that frequently results in death. The speed with which life saving personnel can respond to a sudden cardiac arrest is one of the most important, if not the most important, determinant of a successful outcome for a victim of sudden cardiac arrest. For example, it is said that likelihood of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest falls ten percent for every minute in which assistance (e.g., defibrillation or chest compressions) is delayed. As a result, speed of response can be very important to a heart attack victim.
One typical mode of treatment for sudden cardiac arrest is to "shock" the heart back into a steady beating pattern using an external defibrillator. Such a defibrillator commonly includes a pair of electrodes that are placed on the victim's chest and are connected electrically to a power unit. In hospitals, such a defibrillator is typically used by a "code team" that responds to "codes" issued by attending caregivers. Such teams use advanced defibrillators that they can control for a number of parameters, such as by displaying a patient's ECG and blood oxygen level, and by letting caregivers set the power level to be delivered to the victim and provide pacing inputs.
Such professional defibrillators, known as Advanced Life Support, or ALS, defibrillators, can be intimidating for other staff, including medically-trained staff such as shift nurses. As a result, a patient may have to wait for a code team to arrive even though an otherwise-competent caregiver is nearby.

Dual-mode defibrillator with latched panel