A static controlled reactance device is inserted in series with an AC electric power transmission line to adjust its transfer impedance. An inductor (reactor) is serially connected with two back-to-back connected thyristors which control the conduction period and hence the effective reactance of the inductor. Additional reactive elements are provided in parallel with the thyristor controlled reactor to filter harmonics and to obtain required range of variable reactance. Alternatively, the static controlled reactance device discussed above may be connected to the secondary winding of a series transformer having its primary winding connected in series to the transmission line. In a three phase transmission system, the controlled reactance device may be connected in delta configuration on the secondary side of the series transformer to eliminate triplen harmonics.

The power transmitted between two points in an AC electric power transmission system is primarily determined by the magnitude of the voltages at the two points, the angle between the vectors related to these two voltages, and the transfer impedance between the two points. Power is proportional to the voltage magnitudes. However, voltage magnitudes are generally controlled to within relatively small range of specified limits to stay within maximum design limits and to prevent unacceptable voltage variations in the supply voltages provided the utility customer. With large fixed transfer impedances, the degree of control of power by adjustment of voltage is limited. The power transmitted is approximately proportional to the sine of the angle between the two voltage vectors. It is therefore common to control the powerflow by adjusting the angle between the respective voltage vectors. The control of powerflow by controlling this angle between the voltage vectors is generally achieved by the relatively slow adjustment of rotor angles of synchronous machines. In such a case, the maximum permissible angle, and thus the power transmitted, may be limited by considerations of system transient and dynamic stability.
A variety of methods involving shunt reactive devices have been used to increase the power transfer capability and transient and dynamic stability limits. Synchronous condensers, shunt capacitors, shunt reactors, thyristor switched and/or controlled static VAR compensators and saturable reactor compensators are shunt devices used for the purpose. These methods are sometimes referred to as Surge Impedance Compensation or Compensation by Sectioning.
Series capacitor compensation is also sometimes utilized to improve stability limits and increase transfer capability by reducing transfer impedance. This method is sometimes referred to as line length compensation and is essentially a passive compensation technique. Series capacitors have, in a limited way, been switched in and out of the line to enhance stability performance. Otherwise, as a passive device, series capacitors cannot be used for smooth control of transmitted power. Since the transmitted power is inversely proportional to the transfer impedance, the effectiveness of series capacitor compensation to reduce transfer impedance and raise power transfer limits increases with increasing levels of series capacitor compensation. For example, with other factors constant, 50 percent series capacitor compensation reduces transfer impedance to approximately half the original transfer impedance and doubles the maximum power in terms of steady state stability limits. An additional 25 percent compensation that would reduce the transfer impedance to one-fourth the original value would increase the maximum power in terms of its steady state stability limit to four times the original value.
Despite this more than proportional increase in power transfer created by increasing levels of series capacitor compensation, high levels of series capacitor compensation have not heretofore been utilized. It is generally accepted that the practical upper limit of the degree of series compensation is on the order of 80 percent.
High levels of compensation close to 100 percent could produce (1) uncontrollable variations in power or current for small changes in terminal voltages or angles; (2) potentially damaging, undamped, subsynchronous oscillations; and (3) large transient currents and voltages during disturbances due to series resonant conditions.
These large transient currents or voltages may be overcome by the use of gapless metal-oxide varistor (MOV) arresters for overvoltage protection of the series capacitors. Limiting the overvoltage across the series capacitors in such high transient current conditions to the clipping level of the MOV arrester has the effect of changing the effective capacitance value of the series capacitor during such a transient period. This temporarily detunes the series resonance circuit and prevents the transient current from reaching very high values.
The first and second problems mentioned above stem from the problem of lack of adequate controllability of power on the AC transmission system. However, this problem is solved by the present invention.
In interconnected power systems, sometimes there is the problem of unscheduled powerflow through parts of the network due to mismatch between scheduled and actual powerflows. The present invention facilitates adjustment of the relative impedances of different parts of the transmission network to make the actual powerflow closer to the scheduled powerflow.
The present invention further facilitates adjustment of the transfer impedances of various parts of the transmission system to provide powerflow conditions while minimizing losses.

Scheme for rapid adjustment of network impedance


An apparatus for aiding photographing of a medical image, including an image acquiring device for acquiring a medical image obtained by radiation-photographing of a part including a diagnosis target region of a test subject; a positioning evaluating device for analyzing the acquired medical image and evaluating positioning of the test subject at a time of the radiation-photographing; a positioning cautions creating device for creating positioning cautions based on an evaluation result by the positioning evaluating device; and a positioning cautions presenting device for presenting the positioning cautions created by the positioning cautions creating device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for aiding photographing of a medical image and a computer program product for the same, and particularly relates to the art of aiding positioning of a test subject at a time of photographing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In photographing of a medical image, it is important to perform suitable positioning (positioning the body posture of a test subject) under suitable photographing conditions in order to obtain a useful image for diagnosis.
There is conventionally proposed an apparatus which aids determination of which is a necessary part for photographing or under what photographing conditions, photographing should be performed by displaying the past image of a same patient and its accessory information (measurement processing result and the detection result of an abnormal shadow) at a time of photographing (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-34765).
Further, there is proposed an apparatus which extracts an anatomical structure from the photographed medical image, determines whether the image is a suitable image for performing diagnosis of a diagnostic region photographed in the medical image on the basis of the extracted structure, and displays the determination result (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-105264).

Apparatus for aiding photographing of medical image and computer program product for the same


A combination rake and material-spreading tool includes an elongate handle, a raking implement attached to an end of the handle, and a material-spreading implement. The material-spreading implement includes a substantially continuous plate that is moveable between a retracted position in which the material-spreading implement exposes the rake tines for normal raking operations and a fully deployed position in which the material-spreading implement is positioned with a lower edge of the substantially continuous plate positioned proximate distal free ends of the tines. An actuator is mounted on the handle, and a mechanical linkage operably connects the actuator with the material-spreading implement, whereby positioning of the material-spreading implement is achieved by manipulation of the actuator.

This invention relates to a combination rake and material-spreading tool, and more particularly to a tool having a raking implement that can be used for collecting leaves and the like, and a material-spreading implement that may be used for spreading gravel, sand, etc.
Various types of gardening, cultivating, and landscaping tools have been developed for various applications, including soil tilling, collecting leaves, weeds, pine needles, small rocks and debris, and for cutting unwanted roots, weeds and plants. Such tools include various rakes, hoes, etc. Because gardeners, cultivators and landscapers often require several different types of tools contemporaneously, many combination tools have been developed that allow a worker to quickly switch back and forth between different types of gardening, cultivating and/or landscaping implements. In addition to reducing the number of tools that must be handled and/or transported, it is also possible to reduce the number of tools that must be stored. Such combination tools include various rakes having an attached hoe or cutting implement which may be used by rotating the handle with respect to its longitudinal axis 180xc2x0 C.
In addition to the need for raking tools and cutting tools (such as hoes), there is also a need for tools that are useful for spreading various materials, such as sand, wood chips, bark, ornamental stone, top soil, peat moss and the like. Typically, rakes and/or shovels are used for spreading such materials. The known combination tools do not address the need for a tool that can be easily converted for use as a rake and/or as a material-moving tool.
In one aspect, the invention provides a combination rake and material-spreading tool that can be easily converted from a raking tool to a material-spreading tool. The tool includes an elongate handle, a raking implement attached to an end of the handle, wherein the raking implement includes a plurality of tines, and a material-spreading implement. The material-spreading implement includes a substantially continuous plate that is moveable between a retracted position in which the material-spreading implement exposes the rake tines for normal raking operations and a fully deployed position in which the material-spreading implement is positioned with a lower edge of the substantially continuous plate positioned proximate distal free ends of the tines.
In another aspect, the invention encompasses a kit for converting a rake into a combination rake and material-spreading tool. The kit includes a material-spreading implement configured for attachment to a rake and including a substantially continuous plate that is moveable between a retracted position in which the material-spreading implement exposes the rake tines for normal raking operations, and a fully deployed position in which the material-spreading implement is positioned with a lower edge of the substantially continuous plate positioned proximate distal free ends of the tines.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings.

Rake with extendable material-moving implement


A semiconductor device includes: a first semiconductor layer represented by a composition formula AlxGa1-xN (0≦x≦1); a first conductivity type or non-doped second semiconductor layer represented by a composition formula AlyGa1-yN (0≦y≦1, x<y) and formed on the first semiconductor layer; a second conductivity type third semiconductor layer represented by a composition formula AlxGa1-xN (0≦x≦1) and selectively formed on the second semiconductor layer; a gate electrode formed on the third semiconductor layer; a source electrode electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer; and a drain electrode electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer. The distance between the drain electrode and the third semiconductor layer is longer than the distance between the source electrode and the third semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, for example, to an insulating gate type field effect transistor using a nitride semiconductor.
2. Related Background Art
Since a nitride semiconductor device using gallium nitride (hereinafter referred to simply as GaN) has a large band gap as compared with a semiconductor device using silicon (Si), the semiconductor device has a high critical electric field, and from this characteristic, a small-sized device having a high breakdown voltage is easily realized. Accordingly, in a semiconductor for electric power control, a low on-resistance is achieved, and a device having a low loss can be realized. Above all, in a field effect transistor using an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure (hereinafter referred to simply as an HFET (a heterostructure field effect transistor), satisfactory characteristics can be expected with a simple device structure. A gate electrode in AN HFET has a Schottky gate structure forming a Schottky junction with an AlGaN layer. Moreover, a conventional GaN-based HFET is a normally on-type device in which a current flows between a source and a drain, when a drain voltage is applied at a gate voltage of zero.
However, in general, the Schottky gate structure has a problem that a leak current increases, when a gate leak current is large and device temperature rises. A normally-on type device has a problem that a large current flows at the moment at which a power to a circuit is turned on, and this sometimes results in destruction of the device.

Semiconductor device using a nitride semiconductor


A partition wall arrangement of a storage according to the invention comprises a wall element with a framework and a liftable wall element. The framework comprises a horizontal upper element and side element. The liftable wall element is arranged between the side elements and fastened to the upper element. The partition wall arrangement further comprises a horizontal beam in connection with both side elements. The beams are parallel to each other and transverse to the wall element.

Storage spaces are used for storing a variety of products. The products are transferred to and from the storage area of the storage by, for example, a gantry robot. The gantry robot comprises a gripper which picks up a product, or products, from the storage by gripping it and lifting it up. The product/products lifted up are transferred by the gantry robot to the edge of the storage area, for example to a conveyor which carries them further forward. In a corresponding way, a robot at the edge of the storage area may transfer products for storage. The gantry robot fetches the products to be stored and transfers them to a desired place in the storage area.
The product or products may be contained in crates or boxes. In this way, particularly products of smaller size can be stored more easily. For example, it is easier to move and store various beverage bottles or packages by using crates.
Some products require that the storage temperature is relatively low so that the products remain in good condition during the storage. Foodstuffs, such as milk products, are such products. On the other hand, some products also keep well at higher temperatures, such as at normal room temperature. For example, canned products and various preserved foods are such products. If the storage is used for storing products having different storage temperature requirements, such as milk products and foodstuffs which can be kept at normal room temperature, the whole storage space has to be cooled. Cooling increases the energy consumption and thereby the storage costs.
KR 20160090490 discloses a partition wall arrangement for an industrial working space, having a wall element and a framework. The framework comprises a horizontal upper element and side elements. The wall element is between the side elements. US 2005074310 discloses a partition wall arrangement for a container, in which the location of the wall element can be adjusted.
In many cases, the storage space is divided by a partition wall, whereby products requiring a lower storage temperature are placed on the opposite side of the partition wall with respect to products which keep well at higher temperatures. Consequently, the storage is space is divided into, for example, two compartments by a partition wall built in the storage for this purpose. The constructed partition wall requires that a separate movable gantry robot gripper is provided on each side of the partition wall, for bringing products in and taking them out of the storage. The utilization of the storage space is not always very good, if changes take place in the quantities of the products requiring different storage temperatures.


Novel herbicidal 1,5-substituted 1H-imidazole derivatives, compositions containing these compounds as active ingredients, and a method for controlling weeds, preferably selectively in crops of useful plants. Further the invention also relates to a process for making these novel compounds.

A number of 1H-imidazole-5-carboxylic acid derivatives are known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,917 as antifungal agents. Further, some of these compounds are described as active agents in a method for inhibiting bud growth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,297. EP-A-216,424, published Apr. 1, 1987, discloses a group of imidazole-5-carbonyl or oxyiminoethyl derivatives having antifungal properties.


Facilities are provider herein for predicting potentially preventable patient readmissions after discharge from a health care provider. A patient readmission prediction model is built based on received patient data for one or more health care providers. Patient attributes discernible from that patient data are extracted and analyzed, and certain attributes are selected as being meaningful in predicting likelihood of post-discharge, potentially preventable patient readmission by patients newly admitted to a health care provider. Patient data for a newly admitted patient is obtained, and the readmission prediction model is applied against that patient data for the newly admitted patient to obtain a predictive risk score that is indicative of the likelihood that the newly admitted patient will experience a potentially preventable readmission post-discharge from the health care provider.

Cost of patient care is an increasingly important consideration for health care providers. A health care provider refers generally to any provider or facilitator of health care services, and can encompass a broad range of entities, such as physician and/or non-physician health care practitioners, physician groups, facilities, health systems, and/or health care organizations, such as accountable care organizations, as examples. Identifying areas for potential savings benefits health care providers looking to cut costs. Cost cutting is a significant motivator for providers who are engaged in performance-based payment schemes, such as capitation or value-based purchasing. Accountable Care Organizations and Person Centered Medical Homes are more recent examples of value-based purchasing, where providers of care are paid on the basis of meeting certain quality targets and reducing costs of care. Accordingly, cost-cutting through the identification of areas for potential cost savings is an important task for health care providers.


An object of the present invention is to prevent hunting of a throttle in a region in which a throttle upstream pressure and a throttle downstream pressure become substantially equal to each other in an internal combustion engine with a supercharger. For this purpose, a control device for an internal combustion engine with a supercharger provided by the present invention processes a signal of a throttle opening which is calculated by using a formula of throttling when a ratio of the throttle upstream pressure and the throttle downstream pressure has a value close to 1, and controls an operation of the throttle with the throttle opening the change speed of which is lessened as a target throttle opening.

In general, an intake air quantity of an internal combustion engine can be regulated with an intake pipe pressure. An intake pipe pressure is determined by a flow rate of air which passes through a throttle. A throttle passing flow rate is determined by a differential pressure of an upstream pressure and a downstream pressure of a throttle, and an opening (that is, an opening area) of the throttle. The physical model which is derived from such a relation is formula (1) described as follows. Formula (1) is a formula of throttling which shows a relation of a throttle passing flow rate mt, a throttle opening TA, a throttle upstream pressure Pac and a throttle downstream pressure Pm. K in formula (1) is a coefficient including a flow rate coefficient, B is an opening area at the time of the throttle opening being TA, φ is a function (pressure ratio term) of a pressure ratio Pm/Pac.
                              [                      Formula                                                                          1                    ]                                                                                m          t                =                  K          *                      B                                      (              TA              )                                *                                    Φ                                            (                                                      P                    m                                                        P                                          a                                                                                c                                                                      )                                      .                                              formula                                                            (          1          )
By modifying the above described formula of throttling, formula (2) described as follows can be obtained. According to the formula (2), the throttle opening TA which is a target can be calculated from the throttle passing flow rate mt and the pressure ratio Pm/Pac. The method which calculates a target throttle opening by calculation using such a physical model is a conventionally known method as is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-205194.
                              [                      Formula                                                                          2                    ]                                                                                TA        =                              B                          -              1                                                      (                                          m                t                                            K                *                                  Φ                                                        (                                                                  P                        m                                            /                                              P                                                  a                                                                                c                                                                                )                                                                        )                                              formula                                                            (          2          )
The calculation method of the target throttle opening using formula (2) also can be applied to an internal combustion engine with a supercharger. In this case, the pressure ratio Pm/Pac, which is one of parameters, is influenced by the throttle upstream pressure Pac which is determined by the rotational speed of a compressor, that is, a supercharging pressure. As a setting method of a supercharging pressure, there are several methods, and if the highest priority is given to fuel economy, the throttle is opened to be as close to full throttle as possible, and the supercharging pressure and the throttle downstream pressure, that is the intake pipe pressure, are preferably set to be substantially equal to each other.
However, in the situation in which the difference between the upstream pressure and the downstream pressure of the throttle is small, the throttle sometimes causes hunting when the supercharging state by the supercharger changes. This is because a relation as shown in FIG. 4 is established between the pressure ratio term φ and the pressure ratio Pm/Pac of formula (2). As shown in the drawing, in the region in which the differential pressure between the upstream pressure and the downstream pressure of the throttle is small, that is, in the region in which the value of the pressure ratio Pm/Pac is close to 1, the value of the pressure ratio term φ changes sharply with respect to a very small change of the pressure ratio Pm/Pac. As a result, the calculated value of the throttle opening oscillatorily changes, and hunting of the throttle occurs. Such hunting of a throttle can occur when the throttle is not opened close to full throttle. This is because since change of a supercharging pressure has a lag, the upstream pressure and the downstream pressure of the throttle sometimes become equal to each other transiently.

Control device for internal combustion engine with supercharger


A method of treating a condition of a patient's limb is disclosed. The method may use a compression garment wrappable about the limb and a template comprising markings showing where to trim the compression garment to fit a smaller size limb. Measurements may be taken of a circumference of the limb of the patient. Next, the template may be positioned to overlay at least a portion of the compression garment. The compression garment may then be cut or trimmed proximate a marking of the markings matching the measurement.

1. the Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to apparatus, methods, and systems for treating medical conditions by application of controlled compression to general and specific areas of a human or animal body.
2. The Background Art
Excessive interstitial fluid accumulation, referred to as edema, may arise from a variety of illnesses and conditions, including venous valvular insufficiency, postphlebotic syndrome, and lymphedema. Compression methods and systems control edema by reducing interstitial fluid. This in turn may increase nutrient delivery to tissues, remove waste from tissues, relieve pain from swelling, increase tissue oxygenation and promote wound healing, and decrease risk of infection. However, typical compression technologies have certain drawbacks.
For example, due to considerable variation in limb shapes and sizes, custom garments may typically be required. However, typical custom garments take time to manufacture. A delay of about one month is not uncommon between the time an order for a custom garment is placed and the time the custom garment is received by the patient. Furthermore, errors in manufacturing and measurement sometimes necessitate remanufacture of the garment or alteration of the garment to obtain a proper fit. This is very inconvenient for the patient, who needs therapeutic compression immediately and must make-do with an off-the-shelf garment or bandage until a proper custom garment can be received and utilized.
In view of the foregoing, what is needed is an improved compression garment that can be quickly and easily fit to a patient.

Trim-to-fit therapeutic compression garment system and method


The systems, devices, and methods described herein provide for the estimation and monitoring of cerebrovascular system properties and intracranial pressure (ICP) from one or more measurements or measured signals. These measured signals may include central or peripheral arterial blood pressure (ABP), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) or cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV). The measured signals may be acquired noninvasively or minimally-invasively. The measured signals may be used to estimate parameters and variables of a computational model that is representative of the physiological relationships among the cerebral flows and pressures. The computational model may include at least one resistive element, at least one compliance element, and a representation of ICP.

The invention relates to the field of systems, devices and methods for noninvasive or minimally-invasive estimation of cerebrovascular parameters and variables. More particularly, this invention relates to the field of systems, devices, and methods for estimating intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebrovascular resistance, cerebrovascular compliance, and cerebrovascular autoregulation.
Stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI) rank among the top healthcare challenges faced today. About 800,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year, and strokes take 140,000 lives in the U.S. annually, making stroke the number three cause of death in the U.S., behind only heart disease and cancer [1]. (Reference numerals listed in square brackets in this application refer to citations appearing at the end of the detailed description.) Annually, about 420,000 Americans suffer a traumatic injury to the head, and about 50,000 deaths are attributed to such injuries each year; about 6 million Americans, or 2% of the US population, live with the effects of TBI [2]. Attention to traumatic head injuries has increased recently, as about 15-28% of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq report some degree of head injury that resulted in either loss of consciousness or altered mental status [3,4]. Recent evidence in animal models suggests that even low-level blast injuries raise ICP and impair cognitive function [5]. This is an important finding, as the majority of service-men and women reporting brain injury suffer from mild traumatic brain injury, in which ICP is currently not monitored [4].
Brain tissue is highly vulnerable to unbalanced oxygen supply and demand. A few seconds of oxygen deficit may trigger neurological symptoms, and sustained oxygen deprivation over a few minutes results in severe and often irreversible brain damage. Normally, brain tissue is protected from injury by its exquisite ability to modulate cerebral blood flow to match oxygen demand, primarily by modulating the resistance of the cerebrovascular bed. This autoregulatory ability, however, can be critically impaired due to brain damage (e.g., stroke or traumatic brain injury), putting such patients at great risk of serious further brain injury. The rapid dynamics coupled to the potential for severe injury necessitates continuous, and ideally non-invasive, cerebrovascular monitoring, at least in the populations at greatest risk for developing brain injury.
Monitoring the cerebrovascular state of a patient, or an animal, suffering from cerebrovascular accident or disease—such as stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, TBI or hydrocephalus—requires assessing the cerebrovascular system's ability to regulate a desired blood supply. Cerebral blood flow depends on arterial blood pressure (ABP) and ICP as well as cerebrovascular parameters, such as cerebrovascular resistance and cerebrovascular compliance. Specifically, the difference of ABP and ICP is termed cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and constitutes the driving pressure for cerebral blood flow. As a consequence, monitoring of ICP, cerebrovascular parameters and autoregulation is central to diagnosis, tracking of disease progression, and titration of therapy for a range of conditions involving cerebral pathophysiology.
Monitoring ICP in current clinical practice requires penetration of the skull and insertion of a catheter or pressure sensor into the ventricular or parenchymal space [24]. Thus current methods for monitoring ICP are significantly invasive, and are therefore reserved for only the most severe of cases. Other measurement methods based on lumbar puncture are also used in clinical practice; however, in addition to being invasive, these methods pose a risk of herniation of the brain stem in patients suffering from intracranial hypertension. The invasiveness of current methodologies for the measurement of ICP results in such measurements being taken only in patients at highest risk of developing intracranial hypertension and associated compromised cerebral blood flow. Thus, the current ICP monitoring paradigm excludes a large patient pool that can potentially benefit from such monitoring, such as those suffering from or suspected of suffering from mild traumatic brain injury. Therefore, there is a strong need for noninvasive or minimally-invasive methods and systems for estimating and monitoring ICP and cerebrovascular autoregulation.
Research and development efforts related to noninvasive or minimally-invasive estimation of ICP and autoregulation have been disclosed in the scientific literature and patent descriptions, particularly over the last decade [9-15]. None of these approaches, however, has all of the following desirable features: ability to estimate ICP, hence CPP; ability to estimate cerebrovascular resistance and compliance, thereby permitting an assessment of autoregulation; ability to estimate these variables and parameters continuously, at beat-to-beat temporal resolution, and in real time; minimally or non-invasively; at the patient's bedside; without reference to patient- or population-specific data; ability to exploit fundamental physiological relationships rather than empirical or statistical associations; without the need for any calibration; and at high fidelity.
Furthermore, the portion of the literature addressing cerebrovascular autoregulation has typically been handicapped by the lack of a noninvasive ICP estimate, and has therefore had to substitute ABP for CPP in assessing autoregulation. This presents a serious methodological deficiency for existing indices of autoregulation.
Non-invasive and continuous estimation of ICP will have impact at three levels. First, it will save patients from the associated risks and complications. Second, it will open up the possibility for use in many other scenarios where ICP monitoring would improve care, but is currently avoided because of the highly invasive nature of available methods. For instance, the somewhat arbitrary boundaries that presently distinguish between mild, moderate and severe TBI could perhaps be clarified [8]. Given the brain's sensitivity to even short disruptions in oxygen supply, continuous tracking of ICP and vascular autoregulatory capacity seem indicated for diagnosis and monitoring of mild TBI. Another example might be the monitoring and programming of CSF shunts in chronic hydrocephalus patients. Third, non-invasive ICP estimation could be informative in a still broader population where elevated ICP may be involved in the pathophysiological pathways, possibly even in such common conditions as migraine (where studies indicate a correlation between intracranial hypertension and migraine involving bilateral transverse sinus stenosis [27]) and chronic daily headache [28].

Systems, devices and methods for noninvasive or minimally-invasive estimation of intracranial pressure and cerebrovascular autoregulation


A lens for directing light from a light emitter in a preferential-side off-axial direction with respect to the emitter axis. The lens includes an emitter-adjacent base end forming an opening, an inner surface extending from the base end and forming a void, an output-end surface configured to direct light toward the preferential side, and an outer lateral surface configured for TIR to direct light toward the output-end surface, whereby substantially all light from the emitter exits the output-surface predominantly toward the preferential side. Another aspect of this invention is a recessed lighting fixture utilizing the inventive lens.

In recent years, the use of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for various common lighting purposes has increased, and this trend has accelerated as advances have been made in LEDs and in LED-array bearing devices, often referred to as "LED modules." Indeed, lighting applications which have been served by fixtures using high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, halogen lamps, compact florescent light and other light sources are now increasingly beginning to be served by LED modules. Such lighting applications include, among a good many others, interior lighting, such as for office space. Creative work continues in the field of LED module development, and also in the field of using LED modules for light fixtures in various applications, including recessed lighting fixtures.
Recessed lighting fixtures in general have certain limitations with respect to the size of the area that can be illuminated by a given fixture. A recessed lighting fixture is typically mounted into a ceiling, a wall or some other structure that has an opening through which the light is emitted onto the area to be illuminated. (Given that recessed lighting is most typically used in ceilings, discussions referring to particular building structures will refer to a ceiling; however it is to be understood that no limitation is intended by any such reference.) Lighting-industry standards require that a given light source of a recessed lighting fixture be recessed within the ceiling to a sufficient depth to conceal such light source from a viewer looking at the fixture at an angle (to the vertical axis of the fixture) of 45° or more. Compliance with such standard typically substantially reduces the size of the area below illuminated by the fixture, which in turn may require a greater number of fixtures for illuminating a particular room or large area or may require recessed fixtures with larger openings. This can become a problem when architectural design preferences tend toward fewer fixtures and smaller openings.
There have been various efforts in development of recessed lighting fixtures using LEDs as light sources. However, there is a significant need in the lighting industry for improved recessed light fixtures using LEDs, addressing the problems and concerns referred to above. More specifically, it would be highly desirable to provide an LED-based recessed lighting fixture that provides illumination of large areas while having a relatively small size, as well as improved LED lensing to serve such purposes.

Lens with TIR for off-axial light distribution


There is provided an imaging device, comprising differential amplifier circuitry comprising a first amplification transistor and a second amplification transistor; and a plurality of pixels including a first pixel and a second pixel, wherein the first pixel includes a first photoelectric converter, a first reset transistor, and the first amplification transistor, and wherein the second pixel includes a second photoelectric converter, a second reset transistor, and the second amplification transistor, wherein the first reset transistor is coupled to a first reset voltage, and wherein the second reset transistor is coupled to a second reset voltage different than the first reset voltage.

In recent years, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors have become widespread. For CMOS image sensors, source follower circuits are widely used as circuits that read signal charges that have been photoelectrically converted by a plurality of pixels arrayed in a pixel array unit (e.g., refer to PTL1).
In addition, there is a signal readout configuration using a source-grounded circuit or a differential amplifier circuit in addition to a source follower circuit (e.g., refer to PTL 2).

Signal processing device and solid-state imaging device

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation


A turbocharger (10) having a compressor housing (15) and a bearing housing (17). The compressor housing (15) including an elliptical shaped wall (16) extending between an air inlet (11) and a volute (13) formed by the compressor housing (15). The bearing housing (17) forms a flat bearing housing wall (14) opposing the compressor wall (16) wherein the compressor wall (16) and bearing housing wall (14) form an elliptical diffuser (12) between the air inlet (11) and the volute (13).

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a turbocharger for an internal combustion engine. More particularly, this invention relates to turbocharger having an elliptical diffuser.
Description of Related Art
A turbocharger is a type of forced induction system used with internal combustion engines. Turbochargers deliver compressed air to an engine intake, allowing more fuel to be combusted, thus boosting an engine's horsepower without significantly increasing engine weight. Thus, turbochargers permit the use of smaller engines that develop the same amount of horsepower as larger, normally aspirated engines. Using a smaller engine in a vehicle has the desired effect of decreasing the mass of the vehicle, increasing performance, and enhancing fuel economy. Moreover, the use of turbochargers permits more complete combustion of the fuel delivered to the engine, which contributes to the highly desirable goal of a cleaner environment.
Turbochargers typically include a turbine housing connected to the engine's exhaust manifold, a compressor housing connected to the engine's intake manifold, and a center bearing housing coupling the turbine and compressor housings together. A turbine wheel in the turbine housing is rotatably driven by an inflow of exhaust gas supplied from the exhaust manifold. A shaft rotatably supported in the center bearing housing connects the turbine wheel to a compressor impeller in the compressor housing so that rotation of the turbine wheel causes rotation of the compressor impeller. The shaft connecting the turbine wheel and the compressor impeller defines an axis of rotation. As the compressor impeller rotates, it increases the air mass flow rate, airflow density and air pressure delivered to the engine's cylinders via the engine's intake manifold.
The turbine wheel of a turbocharger rotates very fast. The rotation speed of a turbine wheel is size dependent, and smaller turbine wheels can rotate faster than larger wheels. A turbocharger turbine wheel used in conjunction with an internal combustion engine may reach circumferential tip speeds of 530 meters per second. The rapid rotation of the turbine wheel is directly transmitted to the compressor wheel which likewise rotates extremely rapidly. Accordingly, the gas coming off the compressor wheel is moving at a high velocity.
After being accelerated by the compressor wheel, the air proceeds into the diffuser and into the volute housing, before being exhausted at the compressor exit. The diffuser slows down the high-velocity air, largely without losses, so that both pressure and temperature rise. The diffuser accomplishes this increase by essentially forcing the air from the compressor wheel to pass through a narrow passage way. The high velocity air can't get through the narrow channel at low pressure. Thus, the pressure and temperature of the air increases. The diffuser may also have various constrictions or pinches to provide further constriction. The diffuser may have a front pinch, a rear pinch or even a double pinch. Commonly, one wall of the diffuser is formed by the compressor cover face. The other wall is formed by the wall of the compressor housing.
US 2012/0269659 relates to an exhaust-gas turbocharger having a turbine, and having a compressor which has a compressor housing, the compressor housing being fastened to a bearing housing and having a compressor spiral and a bearing-housing-side diffuser wall, wherein the compressor housing is formed as a pressure-die-cast housing, and the diffuser wall is formed as a separate component which can be connected to the compressor housing and which has an internal rounding in the transition region to the inner wall of the compressor housing spiral.
US 2010/0202877 relates to a housing for a turbocharger. The housing has an impeller chamber, diffuser and scroll in fluid communication with each other. The diffuser can have a curved shape and/or a bend in proximity to a tip of the impeller. The curved shape can be defined by one or more radii of curvature. The diffuser can extend in a radial direction that is non-orthogonal to the center line of the turbocharger. The housing can be for a compressor section of the turbocharger.
US 2008/0267765 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,287,233 relate to a centrifugal compressor with a re-circulation venture in ported shroud. An exemplary port includes a first port opening positioned at a location downstream from a compressor wheel, a second port opening positioned at a location adjacent to a blade of the compressor wheel, and a third port opening positioned at a location upstream from the compressor wheel wherein the first port opening and the third port opening define a first flow path and wherein a second flow path extending from the second port opening meets the first flow path at a confluence. The first flow path optionally includes a venturi section, for example, wherein the confluence coincides at least in part with the venturi section. Other exemplary ports, compressor shrouds, systems and methods are also disclosed.

Turbocharger compressor with an elliptical diffuser wall


An over spray gun assembly that prevents over spraying of atomized paint or vanish particles and droplets into the air and onto unwanted surfaces during a spraying operation, such as painting or staining a surface. More specifically, the over spray guard includes first shroud and a second shroud, wherein the second shroud is positioned within the first shroud thereby defining an open interior space for vacuuming unwanted or over sprayed airborne fluid droplets dispensed from a nozzle of the spray gun. In addition, an elongated sleeve or extension can be connected to the first shroud, thereby allowing a user to comfortably support, hold, position, and aim the over spray gun assembly.

Hand held and other spray systems, where a stream of fluid such as paint, stain, varnish or other fluids are atomized under pressure and then applied as a spray to a surface, suffers from some drawbacks. The first drawback is that the process of atomizing and spraying from the nozzle causes the fluid to be airborne and fall in areas other than the surface to which the fluid is to be applied, thereby causing unwanted surface areas to be splattered with droplets of paint. The second drawback is that the atomized fluid, once it is airborne, causes environmental and health concerns as it causes the air in the general vicinity to be suffused with the fluid particles.
Hence, what is needed is a device that can prevent, minimize, or eliminate the over spraying of paint, stain, or varnish from a pressurized spray system and that is easy to assemble, use, and manufacture.


A device for blanking out patterns of various letters such as Alphabet or figures in a board such as paper includes a housing having a guide groove and through holes on an upper surface thereof, an upper plate having upper pattern holes faced with the through holes, a punch member interposed between the housing and the upper plate, a lower plate combined under the upper plate and having lower pattern patterns faced with the upper pattern holes on an upper surface thereof, a guide rail provided at an upper portion of the housing, and a push handle sliding along the guide rail.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a punching device, and more particularly to a device for blanking out patterns of various letters such as Alphabet or figures in a board such as paper.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a punching device called as xe2x80x98a puncherxe2x80x99 or xe2x80x98a perforatorxe2x80x99 has configuration including a through hole of a specific pattern and a punch member passing through the through hole by vertical movement so as to cut out a corresponding area of a sheet material according to the pattern of the through hole.
There are presently manufactured and widespread various types of punching devices. However, when punching several types of patterns, a user should prepare the number of punching devices corresponding to each pattern since one punching device has only one through hole, so causing inconvenience and high costs.
The present invention is designed with the aim of solving such problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a device for selectively blanking out one of characters or figures having various patterns in one machine unit.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a device for blanking out patterns, which includes a housing in a predetermined shape having a guide groove formed along a longitudinal direction of an upper surface thereof and a plurality of through holes arranged at both sides on center of the guide groove; an upper plate positioned under the housing and having upper pattern holes of a predetermined shape faced with the through holes; a lower plate combined to the upper plate with a predetermined gap and having a plurality of lower pattern holes faced with the upper pattern holes of the upper plate respectively; a punch member having a cutting blade at a lower end along an edge thereof and interposed between the through hole of the housing and the upper pattern hole of the upper plate to be slidable through the upper pattern hole; an elastic member to give elastic force to the punch member toward any of the housing and the upper plate; a cap member combined to an upper end of the punch member, an upper surface of the cap member being partially exposed from the housing through the through hole, a marking with same shape as the upper pattern hole being formed on the upper surface of the cap member; a guide rail installed to an upper portion of the housing along a longitudinal direction thereof; and a push handle combined to the guide rail as a pivot axis to slide along the guide rail, the push handle pressing the cap member by rotation.
Preferably, a push protrusion is formed at a lower surface of the push handle to press an upper surface of the cap member by rotation.
In addition, catch grooves may be formed to an inner wall of the guide groove of the housing at a constant interval along a longitudinal direction, and the push handle may include at a lower portion thereof a protrusion of which an end is in contact with the catch groove and an elastic member to give elastic force to the protrusion.
The device for forming patterns of the present invention may further include a support plate combined to the housing with supporting the lower plate, the support plate including supports which are extended upward above the housing and have combining holes formed at both longitudinal ends thereof, and it is also preferably that both ends of the guide rail are combined to the combining holes of the support plate.


A phonetic system having vowel phonetic symbols separated into full sound symbols and half sound symbols, and consonant phonetic symbols. The full sounds symbols are represented by letters in the English alphabet. The half sound symbols are represented by letters in the English alphabet with a predetermined symbol. Most consonant phonetic symbols are taken from consonant letters of English vocabularies. A phonetic diagram where the vowel phonetic symbols and the consonant phonetic symbols are systematically arranged therein is provided to allow user to easily visualize the vowel and consonant phonetic symbols. The phonetics utilizes direct phonetic spelling method, so as to enable easier obtaining of correct pronunciation. It also helps avoiding the possibility of misreading by utilizing combination of letters that do not appear in the English language.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a learning tool, and more particularly to the utilization of accustomed English letters as phonetic symbols for pronunciation of the Chinese characters.
2. Description of Related Arts
The Chinese Language phonetics of the present invention is a phonetics that utilizes letters in the English alphabet as their phonetic symbols for pronunciation of the Chinese characters. The above mentioned Chinese Language is equivalent to the Guoyu (national language) in Taiwan, R.O.C. and the Putonghua (general language) in the Mainland China, P.R.C. At present, the Taiwanese utilizes the Guoyu Zhuyin symbols and the Mainland Chinese utilizes the Chinese Pinyin as phonetic symbols for learning the Chinese language. People in other countries tend to utilize the Chinese Pinyin, which symbols use the letters in English alphabet, for much easier learning.
However, rules of Chinese Pinyin are difficult to understand, since Chinese Pinyin has two characteristics, the first being pronunciations of Chinese Pinyin symbols are linked to that of Latin and the second being Chinese Pinyin utilizes phonetic spelling logics of Guoyu Zhuyin symbols, such that people with an English background but have no knowledge of Guoyu Zhuyin symbols find it difficult to adapt. An example is that the Chinese character "" (translated as "clothes") is represented by "i" in Chinese Pinyin. However, people with an English background is accustomed to pronouncing a single "i" as the Chinese character "" (translated as "dust") or a short sound that is similar to the sound of the Chinese character "" but not the same long sound of the word "" The reason is that there are certain rules as to how vowels in English vocabularies are pronounced. As a result, the linkage between Chinese Pinyin and Latin pronunciations creates the situation of learners having an English background cannot get used to the Chinese Pinyin. Also, Chinese Pinyin phonetically spell the word "" as "tian" () but not the direct phonetic spelling of "tien", this is the result of the utilization of phonetic spelling logics of Guoyu Zhuyin with Chinese Pinyin causing confusions to learners without any knowledge of Guoyu Zhuyin.
To improve the above situations, the Chinese Phonetic symbols has to be linked with the English language, such as the Chinese character "" (translated as "ladder") should be pronounced as "tee" to replace the pronunciation of "ti" in Chinese Pinyin, which is more suitable for learners with an English background. As a result, with the above settings of Chinese Language phonetics, which is a linkage with English, the entire population of Chinese learners with English background can accept easier when learning the Chinese Language. The above reasons are the reasons for the present invention of Chinese Language Phonetics.

Language phonetic system and method thereof


A PAA nanoparticle containing a covalently linked fluorescent dye and a post-loaded tetrapyrrolic photosensitizer.

Nanoscience is being developed in conjunction with advanced medical science for further precision in diagnosis and treatment. Nanoplatforms and nanovectors that deliver a therapeutic or imaging agent for biomedical applications show promise for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Therapeutic examples include nanoparticle containing PDT agents, folate receptor-targeted, boron containing dendrimers for neutron capture and nanoparticle-directed thermal therapy.
Nanoparticles have had disadvantages when considered for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT). In particular, certain nanoparticles have no relatively large knowledge base on cancer imaging, PDT, chemical sensing, stability and biodegradation. (2) have in in-vivo toxicity. (3) Have short plasma circulation time without surface modification and unstable or uncontrollable biodegradation and bioelimination rates (4) Have problems associated with scale-up and are not storage stabile over extended periods. And (5) have additional limitations including relative difficulty in incorporating hydrophobic compounds, leaching of small hydrophilic components unless they are "anchored", and unknown limitation on bulk tumor permeability because of hydrogel swelling.
A major challenge of cancer therapy is preferential destruction of malignant cells with sparing of normal tissue. Critical for successful eradication of malignant disease are early detection and selective ablation of the malignancy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically effective and still evolving locally selective therapy for cancers. The utility of PDT has been demonstrated with various photosensitizers for multiple types of disease. It is FDA approved for early and late stage lung cancer, obstructive esophageal cancer, high-grade dysplasia associated with Barrett's esophagus, age-related macular degeneration and actinic keratoses. PDT employs tumor localizing photosensitizers that produce reactive singlet oxygen upon absorption of light which is believed to be responsible for the destruction of the tumor. Subsequent oxidation-reduction reactions also can produce superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals which contribute to tumor ablation4. Photosensitizers have been designed which localize relatively specifically to certain subcellular structures such as mitochondria, which are highly sensitive targets. On the tumor tissue level, direct photodynamic tumor cell kill, destruction of the tumor supporting vasculature and possibly activation of the innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune system interact to destroy the malignant tissue6. The preferential killing of the targeted cells (e.g. tumor), rather than adjacent normal tissues, is essential for PDT, and the preferential target damage achieved in clinical applications is a major driving force behind the use of the modality. The success of PDT relies on development of tumor-avid molecules that are preferentially retained in malignant cells but cleared from normal tissues.
Malignant brain tumors (gliomas) are generally resistant to conventional aggressive treatments by surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Over 80% of recurrences are within 2 cm of the original tumor margin. The prognosis after glioma surgery is partly determined by the precision of surgical resection, which may be sub-optimal since the intra-operative identification of tumor margins or small foci of cancer cells depends on visual inspection. Given the potent nature of brain tumors, better treatments are essential to improve response. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of a variety of brain tumors, in particular gliomas have been investigated in laboratory studies and clinical trials. The main advantage of PDT lies in its ability to select out tumor cells that are infiltrating brain parenchyma and that are responsible for local tumor recurrence, which is the main therapeutic dilemma in the treatment of gliomas.
In efforts to develop effective photosensitizers with the required photophysical characteristics, compounds having a tetrapyrrolic core ring were used. Usually, chlorophyll-a and bacteriochlorophyll-a were used as intermediates in synthesis. Extensive QSAR studies on a series of the alkyl ether derivatives of pyropheophorbide-a (660 nm) led to selection of HPPH (hexyl ether derivative), now in promising Phase II clinical trials. Photosensitizer development now extends to purpurinimide (700 nm) and bacteriopurpurinimde (780-800 nm) series with high singlet oxygen producing capability. Long wavelength absorption is important for treating large deep seated tumors, because longer wavelength light increases penetration and minimizes the number of optical fibers needed for light delivery within the tumor.
Various efforts have been made to target tumor cells so that an agent may destroy the tumor cells while sparing normal cells. Such systems are reliant upon specific receptors and as such must reach receptor location. This is a disadvantage since even though the agent may reach the targeted cell, it may not be effective unless the particular receptor is reached and bound.
Multiple, complementary techniques for tumor detection, including magnetic resonance, scintigraphic and optical imaging are under active development. Each approach has particular strengths and advantages. Optical imaging includes measurement of absorption of endogenous molecules (e.g. hemoglobin) or administered dyes, detection of bioluminescence in preclinical models, and detection of fluorescence from endogenous fluorophores or from targeted exogenous molecules. Fluorescence, the mission of absorbed light at a longer wavelength, can be highly sensitive: a typical cyanine dye with a lifetime of 0.6 nsec can emit up to 1032 photons/second/mole. A sensitive optical detector can image <103 photons/second. Thus even with low excitation power, low levels of fluorescent molecular beacons can be detected. A challenge is to deliver the dyes selectively and in high enough concentration to detect small tumors. Use of ICG alone to image hypervascular or "leaky" angiogenic vessels around tumors has been disappointing, due to its limited intrinsic tumor selectivity. Multiple approaches have been employed to improve optical probe-localization, including administering it in a quenched form that is activated within tumors, or coupling it to antibodies or small molecules such as receptor ligands. Recent studies have focused on developing dye conjugates of small bioactive molecules, to improve rapid diffusion to target tissue and use combinatorial and high throughput strategies to identify, optimize, and enhance in vivo stability of the new probes. Some peptide analogs of ICG derivatives have moderate tumor specificity and are entering pre-clinical studies. However, none of these compounds are designed for both tumor detection and therapy. It is important to develop targeting strategies that cope with the heterogeneity of tumors in vivo, where there are inconsistent and varying expressions of targetable sites.
Photosensitizers (photosensitizer) generally fluoresce and their fluorescence properties in vivo has been exploited for the detection of early-stage cancers in the lung, bladder and other sites. For treatment of early disease or for deep seated tumors the fluorescence can be used to guide the activating light. However, photosensitizers are not optimal fluorophores for tumor detection for several reasons: (i) They have low fluorescence quantum yields (especially the long wavelength photosensitizers related to bacteriochlorins). Efficient photosensitizer tend to have lower fluorescence efficiency (quantum yield) than compounds designed to be fluorophores, such as cyanine dyes because the excited singlet state energy emitted as fluorescence is instead transferred to the triplet state and then to molecular oxygen. (ii) They have small Stokes shifts. Porphyrin-based photosensitizer have a relatively small difference between the long wavelength absorption band and the fluorescence wavelength (Stokes shift), which makes it technically difficult to separate the fluorescence from the excitation wavelength. (iii) Most photosensitizers have relatively short fluorescent wavelengths, <800 nm, which are not optimal for detection deep in tissues.
Attempts have been made to develop bifunctional conjugates that use tumor-avid photosensitizer to target the NIR fluorophores to the tumor. The function of the fluorophore is to visualize the tumor location and treatment site. The presence of the photosensitizer allows subsequent tumor ablation. The optical imaging allows the clinician performing PDT to continuously acquire and display patient data in real-time. This "see and treat" approach may determine where to treat superficial carcinomas and how to reach deep-seated tumors in sites such as the breast, lung and brain with optical fibers delivering the photo-activating light. A similar approach was also used for developing potential PDT/MRI conjugates in which HPPH was conjugated with Gd(III)DTPA Due to a significant difference between imaging and therapeutic doses, the use of a single molecule that includes both modalities is problematic.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a technique that permits non-invasive use of radioisotope labeled molecular imaging probes to image and assay biochemical processes at the level of cellular function in living subjects20. PET predominately has been used as a metabolic marker, without specific targeting to malignancies. Recently, there has been growing use of radiolabeled peptide ligands to target malignancies. Currently, PET is important in clinical care and is a critical component in biomedical research, supporting a wide range of applications, including studies of tumor hypoxia, apoptosis and angiogenesis21. For targeting, a long circulation time may be desirable, as it can increase delivery of the agent into tumors. HPPH and the iodobenzyl pheophorbide-a have plasma half lives ˜25 h. The long radiological half life of 124I is well matched to the pheophorbides; it permits sequential imaging with time for clearance from normal tissue. Labeling techniques with radioiodine are well defined with good yield and radiochemical purity22. Despite the complex decay scheme of 124I which results in only 25% abundance of positron (compared with 100% positron emission of 18F), in vivo quantitative imaging with 124I labeled antibodies has been successfully carried out under realistic conditions using a PET/CT scanner A variety of biomolecules have been labeled with 124I. We have devised a coupling reaction which rapidly and efficiently links 124I to a tumor-avid photosensitizer23-25, and used the conjugate to target and image murine breast tumor and its metastasis to lung Acquisition of clinical PET images can be slow, but combination PET-CT scanners allow real time guidance of therapeutic interventions. Also, new developments in tracking may permit real time interventions guided by PET data sets.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

PAA nanoplatforms containing fluorophores and targeted moieties covalently linked and photosensitizer post-loaded

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


A method of deploying a business application and generating a business intelligence semantic model corresponding to the business application comprises retrieving application metadata. The method also comprises deploying the business application using the application metadata to write a definition of the business application to an application database. The method also comprises automatically generating the business intelligence semantic model using the application metadata.

The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Enterprise resource planning (or ERP) is a phrase used to describe a broad set of activities supported by multi-module application software that helps a manufacturer or other business manage the important parts of its business, including product planning, parts purchasing, maintaining inventories, order tracking, interacting with suppliers, providing customer service, finance, human resources, etc. An example of an ERP system is Microsoft® Business Solutions-Axapta®. Axapta provides functionality to support many needs of a business, for example including: manufacturing; distribution, supply chain management, project management, financial management, human resource management, business analysis, enterprise portal, commerce gateway, etc.
Frequently, in business applications such as ERP systems, complicated data schema are used to store the application metadata. The metadata could include, for example, tables and fields containing information relating to customer sales orders, information relating to inventory, etc. Separate business intelligence metadata, in the form of a "semantic model" is also created. The semantic model contains data such as information concerning the relationships between the stored application metadata, information about how the stored application metadata is analyzed (e.g., does it make sense to aggregate the application metadata by rolling up many transactions all related to the same customer, does it make sense to group on certain types of fields like phone number, etc.), and information about how to navigate the data. Other information can also be stored in the semantic model. The semantic model in effect places a layer on top of the business application metadata so that it can be properly understood, navigated, analyzed, etc. For example, it wouldn't be beneficial to aggregate on phone numbers when doing an analysis of business application metadata, so a semantic model might include some knowledge or information to indicate that fact. Semantic models also refer to items using "friendly names" rather than by their possibly cryptic and/or hard to understand real names.
Typically, in business applications, the creation of business intelligence metadata is accomplished "after the fact", frequently involving a completely different infrastructure. That is, after the business application database has been designed, a separate effort is undertaken to create an additional set of metadata that describes a "user friendly" business model on that same schema. Often times this semantic model is created by one or more persons other than the developers of the business application, thus potentially losing the benefit of the expertise of the developer(s) in the particular business area. It is this latter "semantic model" that users interact with when performing business intelligence scenarios: performing ad-hoc queries against the data stored in the relational database, or conducting analysis against an OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) database that has been created for that purpose.

Semantic model development and deployment


A disclosed semiconductor laser device includes a distributed feedback portion serving as a light-emittable active region the distributed feedback portion having a diffraction grating; and a distributed reflective portion serving as a passive reflective mirror, the distributed reflective portion having a diffraction grating, wherein the distributed feedback portion includes a first region adjacent to the distributed reflective portion and having a diffraction grating having a predetermined standard period, a phase shift region adjacent to the first region, the phase shift region being longer by twice or more than the standard period, and a second region adjacent to an opposite side to the first region of the phase shift region and having a diffraction grating with the standard period, and the phase shift region optically changes a phase of laser beam between the first region and the second region.

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor laser device.
In recent years, multilevel modulation optical communication that can increase the communication speed has been frequently used in an optical communication field. As a representative method of the multilevel modulation system, a coherent communication system using a phase-shift keying (PSK) system has been known. In the coherent communication, a local oscillator light source is required on a reception side, in addition to a signal light source on a transmission side.
In the coherent communication, because an optical phase is modulated according to a signal, reduced phase fluctuation is required for the signal light source and the local oscillator light source. As a characteristic value that is an index of the size of phase fluctuation, a spectral linewidth of laser emission light has been generally used. As the spectral linewidth of a light source used in the coherent communication is exemplified by using the index, the spectral linewidth is 500 kHz in 25-Gbaud quadrature phase-shift-keying (QPSK), and to achieve further multilevel modulation, the spectral linewidth of 300 kHz or less is desired. Further, the spectral linewidth changes with advancement of the multilevel modulation system, and in a modulation system having a high multilevel degree such as quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), a narrower spectral linewidth is required.
It has been known that the spectral linewidth of the laser light emitted by a semiconductor laser device theoretically depends on optical power, threshold gain, linewidth-enhancement factor, and internal loss. In order to decrease the spectral linewidth of laser emission, it is important to design a resonator that decreases the threshold gain in an emission mode.
As a structure of a single-mode emission semiconductor laser device, a distributed reflector (DR) semiconductor laser device has been generalized in addition to a distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser device, which has been frequently used in the past. In a simple term, the DR semiconductor laser device has a structure in which a DBR mirror is provided at the rear of the DFB semiconductor laser device, to reduce the threshold gain in the emission mode by reflection from the rear DBR mirror. The low threshold gain in the DR semiconductor laser device is preferable for a semiconductor laser device for coherent communication in which a narrow spectral linewidth is required (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication No. 5795126).
On the other hand, even in the case of the DR semiconductor laser device, it is preferable to introduce a phase shift structure for the single-mode emission, as in the DFB semiconductor laser device. The structure is referred to as "λ/4 shift" or "π shift", which is for obtaining laser emission in the wavelength at the center of a stopband by inserting a phase shift of a length half the period of a diffraction grating into near the center of the semiconductor laser device. By introducing the phase shift structure, laser power is distributed so as to attenuate in an exponential manner in directions away from the phase shift position.
In the case of the DR semiconductor laser device, the exponential distribution exhibits sharp attenuation as a coupling coefficient in the DFB portion becomes large, as in the DFB semiconductor laser device. If the exponential distribution is sharp, light is strongly confined in the laser resonator, and thus the threshold gain decreases. Therefore, it is preferable that the coupling coefficient is high in order to narrow the spectral linewidth. However, in the DR semiconductor laser device, it becomes difficult to obtain the single-mode emission when the coupling coefficient is designed to be larger in order to narrow the linewidth.


An improved clocking circuit is provided for generating a half swing clock. Previous circuit operations required an additional supply voltage rail (Vdd/2), but the preferred embodiment exploits charge sharing to generate a half swing clock with less power and without the additional supply voltage rail. To drive clock nodes to Vdd/2, a shunt transistor is opened, and the fully charged clock node shares its charge with the fully discharged clock node. When capacitances have been properly matched, both nodes will settle at Vdd/2.

This invention relates to local clock distribution and low power circuit design.
Trademarks: IBM(copyright) is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., U.S.A. Other names may be registered trademarks or product names of International Business Machines Corporation or other companies.
In modern CMOS microprocessors, an important new design obstacle has begun to emerge. Circuits cannot simply be optimized for delayxe2x80x94power consumption is now an additional critical parameter. In modern CMOS microprocessors, a significant portion of the power is dissipated in the clock distribution network, specifically in the local clock nets which drive the latches. With feature sizes decreasing and scale of integration increasing, this problem will continue to worsen. Thus, it can be concluded that improvements in clock distribution techniques, especially local clock distribution, have the potential to lead to major power savings in CMOS microprocessors.
This invention exploits the direct proportionality of power consumption to the square of the voltage swing and locally distributing a half swing clock to the latches, thereby yielding a 75% decrease in local clock power. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention an improved circuit is provided for generating a half swing clock. Previous circuit operations required an additional supply voltage rail (Vdd/2), but in accordance with the invention, the preferred embodiment exploits charge sharing to generate the half swing clock with less power and without the additional supply voltage rail. To drive clock nodes to Vdd/2, a shunt transistor is opened, and the fully charged clock node shares its charge with the fully discharged clock node. If capacitances have been properly matched, both nodes will settle at Vdd/2.
These and other improvements are set forth in the following detailed description. For a better understanding of the invention with advantages and features, refer to the description and to the drawings.


A fuel delivery system for delivering fuel to a gas turbine engine includes a fixed critical flow nozzle, a first fuel nozzle and a second fuel nozzle. The fixed critical flow nozzle and the variable critical flow nozzle are connected to a fuel source in parallel. The fixed critical flow nozzle has an orifice throat with a fixed effective cross-sectional area. The variable critical flow nozzle has an orifice throat with a variable effective cross-sectional area. The first fuel nozzle is connected to the fixed critical flow nozzle for delivering fuel to the gas turbine engine, and the second fuel nozzle is connected to the variable critical flow nozzle for delivering fuel to the gas turbine engine.

Fuel delivery systems for gas turbine engines typically contain many complex components. For example, a fuel delivery system can include a flowmeter that provides fuel to a shut off valve, which controls delivery of fuel to flow divider circuitry. The flow divider circuitry adjusts the distribution of fuel to the fuel nozzles while the total fuel flow is measured by the flowmeter. Gas turbine engines on aircrafts are generally operated under two conditions: low flow and high flow. Low flow conditions include for example ground idle and descent, and high flow operations include take off and cruise.
The flow divider valve enables unequal fuel flow to the fuel nozzles during specific conditions and equal fuel flow during other conditions. For example, equal flow may be provided to the fuel nozzles during high flow operations and unequal flow may be provided during low flow operations. The unequal flow to fuel nozzles of the combustor provides for some quadrants of the combustor to be at a higher pressure than other quadrants. This creates a fixed standing pressure wave in the combustor plenum and prevents a rotating pressure wave from occurring. A rotating wave is undesirable because it creates an intense acoustic tone known as howling.
Current fuel delivery systems are expensive and heavy. Additionally, the current fuel flow delivery systems are complex and typically require complex control systems.

Critical flow nozzle for controlling fuel distribution and burner stability


Dual purpose lavatory units are disclosed. In one embodiment, a lavatory unit includes a first section, a second section, and a divider wall separating the first and second sections. The first section includes a commode and the second section includes at least one of a urinal and a sink. The dual-purpose lavatory may be constructed as a unit that is mountable in a vehicle such as an aircraft.

Lavatories, especially aircraft lavatories, provide a private space where users can perform daily functions or just freshen up. Many single occupant lavatories include a toilet and a sink. Thus, if a person just wants to brush their teeth or just freshen up they are occupying total lavatory time. As such, waiting times or queues may be present because the cycle time through the lavatories may be lengthy. Therefore, there exists a need to speed up cycles through the lavatories, thus shortening users' waits and reducing queues.
Also, many large commercial passenger planes include a 2-5-2 seat layout. Because of this layout, the depth of a lavatory is typically about 41″ to ensure that aisle width meets regulatory compliance. However, in some recent large commercial passenger plane designs a 3-3-3 seat layout was introduced. These new designs include the lavatories designed for the 2-5-2 seat layout, thereby resulting in unused space between the lavatory and the aisle. Therefore, there is another unmet need to more efficiently use space allowable for a lavatory in a vehicle such as an aircraft.


A system for producing carbon nanotubes includes a reaction chamber in which a process is performed for producing a carbon nanotube on a synthetic substrate; a station part disposed at one side of the reaction chamber and provided with a first transporter for loading/unloading the synthetic substrate to/from the reaction chamber; a first transporter installed inside the station part for loading/unloading synthetic substrates to/from the reaction chamber; a substrate accommodating part in which a substrate to be loaded to the reaction chamber is accommodated or a synthetic substrate unloaded from the reaction chamber waits; a retrieve part for drawing out a synthetic substrate from the substrate accommodating part to retrieve a carbon nanotube produced on the synthetic substrate; a catalyst coating unit configured for coating a synthetic substrate with a catalyst before the synthetic substrate is accommodated in the substrate accommodating part of the station part; and a second transporter for transporting a synthetic substrate between the retrieve part and the substrate accommodating part and between the catalyst coating unit and the substrate accommodating part.

Carbon nanotubes are hollow cylinders of carbon atoms. Their appearance is that of rolled tubes of graphite, such that their walls are hexagonal carbon rings, and they are often formed in large bundles.
With the possession of metallic conductivity and semiconductor conductivity according to structures, carbon nanotubes are now top candidate to be applied to various technological fields such as, for example, electrodes of electrochemical storage devices (e.g., secondary cells or supercapacitors), electromagnetic shielding, field emission displays or gas sensors.

System and method for producing carbon nanotubes


Devices for anchoring spinal implants in an intervertebral disc space are provided. Spinal implants are also provided that are resistant to lateral deformation. The implants may include a flexible peripheral supporting band disposed circumferentially about an elastic body. Methods for anchoring spinal implants and methods for reducing deformation of spinal implants are also provided.

The present invention relates to spinal implants, devices for anchoring, and methods for implantation of, such implants in an intervertebral disc space.
The intervertebral disc functions to stabilize the spine and to distribute forces between vertebral bodies. A normal disc includes a gelatinous nucleus pulposus, an annulus fibrosis and two vertebral end plates. The nucleus pulposus is surrounded and confined by the annulus fibrosis.
Intervertebral discs may be displaced or damaged due to trauma or disease. Disruption of the annulus fibrosis allows the nucleus pulposus to protrude into the spinal canal, a condition commonly referred to as a herniated or ruptured disc. The extruded nucleus pulposus may press on the spinal nerve, which may result in nerve damage, pain, numbness, muscle weakness and paralysis. Intervertebral discs may also deteriorate due to the normal aging process. As a disc dehydrates and hardens, the disc space height will be reduced, leading to instability of the spine, decreased mobility and pain.
One way to relieve the symptoms of these conditions is by surgical removal of a portion or all of the intervertebral disc. The removal of the damaged or unhealthy disc may allow the disc space to collapse, which could lead to instability of the spine, abnormal joint mechanics, nerve damage, as well as severe pain. Therefore, after removal of the disc, adjacent vertebrae are typically fused to preserve the disc space.
Several devices exist to fill an intervertebral space following removal of all or part of the intervertebral disc in order to prevent disc space collapse and to promote fusion of adjacent vertebrae surrounding the disc space. Even though a certain degree of success with these devices has been achieved, full motion is typically never regained after such intervertebral fusions. Attempts to overcome these problems has led to the development of disc replacements. Many of these devices are complicated, bulky and made of a combination of metallic and elastomeric components and thus never fully return the full range of motion desired. More recently, efforts have been directed to replacing the nucleus pulposus of the disc with a similar gelatinous material, such as a hydrogel. However, once positioned in the disc space, many hydrogel implants may migrate in the disc space and/or may be expelled from the disc space through an annular defect. Closure of the annular defect, or other opening, using surgical sutures or staples following implantion is typically difficult and, in some cases, ineffective. Moreover, such hydrogel implants may be subject to extensive deformation. Additionally, such hydrogel implants typically lack mechanical strength at high water content and are therefore more prone to excessive deformation, creep, cracking, tearing or other damage under fatigue loading conditions.
A need therefore exists for more durable nucleus pulposus or other spinal implants, including implants that are less resistant to deformation, as well as devices and methods that anchor the implants so that the implants are more resistant to migration and/or expulsion through an opening in the annulus fibrosis. The present invention addresses these needs.
Devices for anchoring a spinal implant in an intervertebral disc space are provided. In one form of the invention, a device includes an elongated anchoring body, such as an anchoring rod, and at least one securing member attached to the anchoring rod. The anchoring body or rod is configured to anchor, hold, or otherwise retain a spinal implant. In certain forms of the invention wherein more than one securing member is included, the securing members are spaced apart along the length of the anchoring rod and may define a region for disposing an implant therebetween. The anchoring rod has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is securable to an adjacent vertebra. The anchoring devices may be made from metallic materials, non-metallic materials and combinations thereof.
Spinal implant systems are also provided that include the anchoring device described above and an elastic spinal implant. In certain forms of the invention, the anchoring devices include an anchoring rod and at least one securing member attached to the anchoring rod. The anchoring rod includes a first end, a second end, a longitudinal axis and extends at least partially through the implant. The anchoring component is securable to an adjacent vertebra. In one form of the invention, the securing members may be external to the implant, while in other forms of the invention the securing members may be internal to the implant or may be both internal and external to the implant.
Spinal implants are also provided that are resistant to lateral deformation as they are restrained, or otherwise reinforced, by a flexible, peripheral supporting band. In one form of the invention, the implant includes an elastic body sized for introduction into the intervertebral disc space. The elastic body includes an upper surface and a lower surface for contacting adjacent vertebral endplates. A flexible peripheral supporting band is disposed circumferentially about the elastic body to reduce deformation of the body. At least a portion of the upper and lower surfaces of the elastic body are free of the supporting band. The implant, including the band, is sized to fit within an intervertebral disc space which is at least partially defined by an annulus fibrosis.
Methods of anchoring a spinal implant are also provided. A preferred method includes providing an elastic spinal implant and an anchoring component that includes the anchoring devices described above, extending the anchoring rod of the device at least partially through the implant, and securing the anchoring component to an adjacent vertebra.
Methods of reducing deformation of a spinal implant are also provided. In one embodiment, a method includes disposing a flexible peripheral supporting band circumferentially about the implants described above.
One object of the present invention is to provide devices for anchoring spinal implants so they will be resistant to excessive migration in, and/or expulsion from, the intervertebral disc space.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide spinal implant systems including an elastic spinal implant and an anchoring component for anchoring the implant.
A further object of the invention is to provide spinal implants that are more resistant to lateral deformation.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the descriptions herein.

Anchoring devices and implants for intervertebral disc augmentation


A process for designing spacecraft structural elements (20, 30) that increases spacecraft structure intrinsic damping to relax stiffness design constraints that are necessary for precision pointing requirements. The process includes specifically designing the spacecraft structural elements (20, 30) to have a stiffness that is intrinsically not suitable to meet mission pointing performance requirements in order to reduce weight and volume. To overcome this deficiency, the structural elements (20, 30) are equipped with strain energy control elements (44) that sense strain in the structural elements (20, 30) from on-board and external disturbances, and provide actuation of the structural elements (20, 30) to counteract the sensed strain. The strain energy control elements (44) can be any suitable control element that senses strain and actuates the structural element (20, 30), such as piezoelectric electric or electrostrictive control elements. By reducing the stiffness requirements of the structural elements (20, 30), the control elements (44) can more readily provide a desired actuation for damping purposes in order to meet pointing performance requirements, and thus the weight and volume of the structural elements (20, 30) can be reduced over those known in the art. Relaxing the stiffness requirements of the structural elements (20, 30) allows the structural element (20, 30) to be made of materials having higher strength properties, instead of higher stiffness properties, thus allowing the structural element (20, 30) to meet the strength requirements to survive launch and deployment loads.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to spacecraft structural elements and, more particularly, to a process of augmenting a spacecraft structure""s intrinsic damping to relax stiffness design constraints that arise due to precision pointing requirements and lead to excessive spacecraft structural weight and volume.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The design of spacecraft structural elements is based on certain criteria. Particularly, certain spacecraft structural elements must be designed to have the strength necessary to survive launch and deployment loads, and to meet the stiffness requirements that provide accurate and stable pointing performance of spacecraft components to meet mission requirements in the presence of on-board and external disturbances. Modern spacecraft structures are generally composite structures that are light weight and are not able to easily dissipate mechanical energy from vibrations. The stiffness requirements for spacecraft structures are determined by many factors, such as jitter suppression of payload that is forced by on-board drive motors such as stepper motors. These motors provide many functions, such as antenna pointing, IR and visible light sensor pointing, solar array drives, as well as many other applications. When the drive motor disturbance frequencies align and couple with spacecraft structural modes, large response amplitudes can result that effect the pointing performance.
The conventional practice to design and develop spacecraft structural elements to meet required mission performance generally focuses on detailed analysis and tests to verify that the structural modes and disturbance sources do not adversely couple. This is especially true in the absence of significant spacecraft structural damping, which is typically the case for modern composite and aluminum honeycomb sandwich spacecraft panel construction, and for graphite or aluminum booms and tubes.
Much of a spacecraft""s weight and physical volume is in its structure. Excessive weight and volume limits the ability to store payload and drives the spacecraft to larger, more expensive launch vehicles with larger fairings and throw-weight capacities. Reductions in weight and volume can be-provided by relaxing stiffness design requirements of certain structural elements, while insuring that the necessary strength requirements are met. This typically cannot be accomplished without compromising precision pointing performance because the reduction in stiffness increases the DC (low frequency) disturbance-to-response transfer function magnitudes so that for a given disturbance magnitude, greater pointing and stability errors are produced. These peak responses are the pointing performance design drivers.
The disturbance-to-response peak transfer function magnitude may be reduced by augmenting a spacecraft structure""s intrinsic damping. Certain spacecraft structural designs begin by attempting to meet pointing performance by a stiffness driven design initially, and then by adding damping to meet more stringent requirements. By reducing the disturbance peaks, structural load and strain is reduced, helping to meet strength design requirements. Providing piezoelectric sensor and actuator elements embedded within the composite spacecraft structure is an example of an effective way to dampen movements of the structure. Damping can be applied to compensate for vibrational or other loading forces on the structures. U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,596 issued to Mendenhall et al., titled xe2x80x9cActivated Structurexe2x80x9d, and assigned to the assignee of this application, discloses the use of piezoelectric actuator/sensor elements disposed on a spacecraft structural element that provides this type of damping. Actuator performance is typically reduced in conjunction with stiff structural host members that reduce actuation strain capability and achievable damping performance. Incorporation of actuator elements in structural elements with high stiffness thus prevents the actuators from having a significant effect on reducing peak response levels of the structure. The strength design is then compromised by the increased response level.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for an integrated design of a precision pointing spacecraft structure that relaxes the intrinsic stiffness of the structure necessary to meet strength and mission pointing requirements.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a process for designing spacecraft structural elements is disclosed that includes increasing the spacecraft structure intrinsic damping to relax stiffness design constraints that are necessary for precision pointing requirements. The process includes specifically designing the spacecraft structural elements to have an intrinsic stiffness optimal for damping augmentation but does not meet mission pointing performance requirements. To overcome this deficiency, the structural elements are equipped with strain energy control elements that sense strain in the structural elements from on-board and external disturbances, and provide actuation of the structural elements to counteract the sensed strain. The strain energy control elements can be any suitable control element that senses strain and actuates the structural element, such as piezoelectric or electrostrictive control elements. By reducing the stiffness requirements of the structural elements, the control elements can more readily provide the desired actuation for damping purposes, and thus the weight and volume of the structural elements can be reduced over those known in the art. Controlling the strain energy in the structural elements allows the structural element to be made of materials having higher strength properties, instead of higher stiffness properties, thus allowing the structural element to meet the strength requirements to survive launch and deployment loads.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Optimized strain energy actuated structures