The present solution can include a method for using dialog contracts for contact center interactions. The method can include a step of determining a context that applies to a caller who is communicating with a contact center. A dialog contract can be identified that corresponds to the determined context. The dialog contract can specify requirements for a real-time contact center session. The contact center can transfer the caller to a contact center agent. The real-time communication session can be conducted. A software program, referred to as an agent monitor, can analyze input of the caller and the contact center agent during the communication session and can automatically update a session file as requirements of the dialog contract are satisfied. The session file can be used as a quality measurement of the communication session.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of contact center technologies and, more particularly, to enhancing contact centers with dialog contracts.
2. Description of the Related Art
A contact center is a functional area used by one or more organizations to handle inbound/outbound communications with customers. During a contact center interaction, a caller can be transferred from an automated response component to a contact center agent, who possesses an expertise corresponding to a caller's need (i.e., skills based routing). Often a contact center agent is paid, rewarded, or penalized based upon a quantity, a quality, and a duration of their interactions with callers. Agent monitoring components of a call center are designed to acquire and record agent specific interaction metrics.
Conventional agent monitoring techniques are unable to automatically make quality determinations. At present, agent calls are often monitored by a live supervisor who subjectively determines a quality of a communication session between the caller and the agent. Alternatively, at least a portion of agent/caller interactions are recorded, where the recordings are analyzed by a live supervisor or quality assurance technician who makes subjective determinations of quality of analyzed calls. Both of these techniques are highly deficient. First, it can be expensive and time consuming to have quality assurance personnel or supervisors analyze calls. Additionally, live monitoring by supervisors is typically performed against a minute portion of overall calls handled by a call center resulting in the deficiencies of unmonitored calls remaining undetected. Recording calls for later analysis can require large amounts of storage, computing processing power, and human agent analysis time. Further, neither technique aids in the live interaction process to guide an agent to improve quality of a live interactive session.
The problem with monitoring quality is due in part to the fact that contact agent/caller interactions are free form interactions. That is, neither party is contextually constrained, as they are when interacting through Web based forms or a scripted Interactive Voice Response (IVR) dialog. Unconstrained or free form interactions between a contact center agent and a caller can be voice-based interactions (e.g., telephone interactions), text exchange interactions (e.g., chat communications, instant messaging communications, and/or text messaging communications), multimodal interactions, or video teleconferencing interactions.
What is needed is a technique to automatically evaluate quality of a free form contact center interactions. Preferably, this technique could be implemented in a preventive manner to guide a contact center agent to improve a communication session's quality while the session is active. It would also be advantageous if the technique operated without requiring communication sessions to be recorded, which could result in significant savings related to quantities of needed computing resources.

Enhancing contact centers with dialog contracts

International Business Machines Corporation


A robotic apparatus and system for cutting turbine bucket covers on a turbine rotor are provided. The robotic apparatus includes a grinding device operable to drive a grinding wheel, a robotic arm coupled to the grinding device, a base member coupled to the robotic arm, a vision system for locating the fastener on the turbine bucket cover, and a control system. The base member is mounted independently of the turbine bucket cover. The control system is coupled to the vision system, the grinding device, and the robotic apparatus, and configured to control movement of the robotic apparatus and the grinding device based upon vision system data and spatial information related to the turbine bucket cover. The system includes at least a portion of a turbine rotor including a turbine bucket cover having at least one fastener thereon, and a robotic device for cutting the turbine bucket cover.

In the construction of turbines (e.g., steam turbines), cover plates are employed for a variety of reasons and are generally secured to the tips of turbine buckets by peening fasteners formed on the buckets. To secure the bucket tips and cover plates to one another, solid fasteners on the bucket tips are peened into the bucket cover openings.
It is sometimes necessary to remove the cover plates in order to repair the buckets or to replace the cover plates. Currently, removal of the turbine bucket cover plates is a manual process that requires a repair technician to hold a pneumatic grinder with an abrasive disc and guide the grinder over the top of the cover. This process exposes the technician to dust from the abrasive wheel, noise at a close distance from the grinder, flying sparks and debris from the wheel, and fatigue from holding the tool. The depth of cut using the manual process may vary depending on the skill of the technician. If the cut is too deep the tip of the bucket vane can be damaged which could lead to an extensive repair or bucket replacement.
A method for removing bucket covers that does not require the use of manual cutting tools is accomplished by placing the turbine rotor into a rotor turning device or lathe. A tool bit is used to cut the covers up to the tenons of the buckets as the rotor is rotating at a constant speed. One drawback of this method is that a rotor turning device, tool compound, and cutting tools are needed to remove the covers. With the robotic cutting system a turning device or lathe is not required.
What is needed is a system that allows for the operator to remain at a distance from the cutting operation and reduces the possibility of inhalation of grinding dust, debris in the eyes, and operator fatigue, and to precisely control the cuts made on each bucket cover. Also needed is a programmable robotic method and apparatus for cutting bucket covers which may virtually eliminate the possibility of cutting into a vane tip, and so that a steel grinding wheel may be used repeatedly without changing.

Robotic appartus and system for removal of turbine bucket covers


An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device of the present disclosure includes a light emitting unit for providing image light, and a display unit for reflecting the image light and transmitting the reflected image light to eyes of a user. The display unit includes a lens unit and a reflective surface for reflecting the image light. The reflective surface is formed of a 3-dimensional curved surface having different curvatures in a first direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, thereby correcting astigmatism. An electronic device according to the present invention may be associated with an artificial intelligence module, robot, augmented reality (AR) device, virtual reality (VR) device, and device related to 5G services.

Virtual reality (VR) refers to a special environment or situation generated by man-made technology using computer and other devices, which is similar but not exactly equal to the real world.
Augmented reality (AR) refers to the technology that makes a virtual object or information interwoven with the real world, making the virtual object or information perceived as if exists in reality.
Mixed reality (MR) or hybrid reality refers to combining of the real world with virtual objects or information, generating a new environment or new information. In particular, mixed reality refers to the experience that physical and virtual objects interact with each other in real time.
The virtual environment or situation in a sense of mixed reality stimulates the five senses of a user, allows the user to have a spatio-temporal experience similar to the one perceived from the real world, and thereby allows the user to freely cross the boundary between reality and imagination. Also, the user may not only get immersed in such an environment but also interact with objects implemented in the environment by manipulating or giving a command to the objects through an actual device.
Recently, research into the gear specialized in the technical field above is being actively conducted.
However, an electronic device used in augmented reality or the like has a problem that a virtual image is not clearly formed because a user must simultaneously recognize the virtual image projected on a lens while looking at a reality image.
In particular, when astigmatism occurs in an off-axis optical system, it is difficult to solve a dual image problem.


The disclosure provides compositions and systems for topical ophthalmic application, which include an aqueous mixture of bromfenac and flowable mucoadhesive polymer, for treating inflammation and inflammatory conditions of the eye.

In topical administration of medicaments to the eye, a variety of factors can be important, among them: comfort, control, consistency and accuracy of dosage, type and time of any vision interference, ease of administration, and timing of delivery. Prior ophthalmic delivery systems for bromfenac have suffered drawbacks in one or more of those areas.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ophthalmic compositions


A portable grid for creating an equipotential zone that comprises at least two portable conductive elements. Each element comprises an electrically conducting platform forming a separation barrier with a working surface such as a ground surface. The elements may be joined electrically and mechanically. By joining multiple such elements, a variable size equipotential zone can be created. The portability of the zone is ensured as the zone can be disassembled to individual elements that can be carried and stored by the workers.

Electrical workers and others working nearby an electrical structure such as overhead power lines, underground cables or switching cubicles can get in contact with an electrically energized object accidentally. This object can introduce a dangerously high voltage to the body of the worker. If the worker stands on the ground, the voltage difference (i.e. voltage potential) between the contact point and the worker's foot can drive a large current flowing through his/her body, leading to electrocution. One of the effective ways to mitigate such a risk is to create an equipotential (equal-voltage-potential) zone for the worker, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Working inside this zone, the worker will not experience the voltage potential between any parts of his body and, as a result, no or little current can flow through the body. Therefore, equipotential zone is a very important means to create safe work environment for such workers.
There is a few ways to create such an equipotential zone. For example, the worksite can be covered by a metal plate for the worker to stand on. The plate is bonded to any structure that could be energized and be contacted by the worker. However, such an approach is not practical as it imposes many constraints to the workers. Furthermore, a large metal plate that can cover the worksite or a large part of it lacks portability. What industry needs is a device that is portable and can create an equipotential zone for a wide variety of worksites and working conditions.
In response to this need, U.S. Pat. No. 6,477,027B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,332 presented a portable equipotential mat. It comprises a flexible base having a conductive mesh attached to a surface of the base. A preferred material for the base is a vinyl/polyester fabric and the conductive mesh is manufactured from high ampacity tinned copper braid. In recent years, the effectiveness of such an equipotential mat has been questioned by industry. It is clear that the conductive mesh cannot create an equipotential zone since there are open spaces inside the mesh. If a worker's foot happens to step on the space instead of the conductive braid, the foot will be in ground potential which is different from the potential of the conductive braid when the mat is energized. Note that the base is not treated as an insulating material and has not been claimed as dielectric in the patents. The issue here is if the potential difference is small enough so that the area covered by the mat can still be considered as an equipotential zone for practical purposes. Unfortunately, research results have shown that the potential difference can be huge, such as 8 kilovolts when the mat is energized by a 25 kilovolt source. In addition, the mat has other problems. One of them is that the braid can be easily worn out which limits the conductiveness of the mesh. Another is that it is very difficult to inspect the integrity of the mat from maintenance perspective. As a result of these findings, industry is looking for alternative methods or devices to create portable equipotential zone.


An intake manifold assembly for an internal combustion engine that has a modular construction and includes a base member, a runner, and a shell, wherein the base member removably attaches to the engine, and the runner and the shell each separately and independently removably attach to the base member. In another aspect, the assembly further includes a fastener for attaching the runner to the base member, wherein the shell is formed so as to retain the fastener between the shell and the base member when the shell is attached to the base member. In another aspect, the assembly further includes a bumper affixed to a surface of the base member, wherein the bumper abuts a surface of the internal combustion engine. In another aspect, the base member includes a sealing ridge that mates with a sealing groove provided on the shell.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an intake manifold for an internal combustion engine and, more particularly, to a manifold having interchangeable parts capable of disassembly and reassembly.
2. Background of the Technology
Internal combustion engines generally include an intake manifold. The intake manifold directs air or a fuel and air mixture into the cylinders of the engines where the fuel and air mixture is combusted, releasing mechanical energy to power the engine.
Intake manifolds have been traditionally made by either casting metals into a single component or by forming plastics or polymers into several different pieces that are then permanently bonded together, by, for example, friction welding. Subsequent attempts to disassemble either of the traditional types of manifolds results in severe damage to the intake manifold. Therefore, these construction types have precluded the intake manifold from being tuned to alter individual engine performance, or allowing clearing or removal of excess metal or other material, for example, without completely removing and discarding the current intake manifold and obtaining and installing a new intake manifold. Such replacement is both costly and wasteful. Additionally, removal of the traditional intake manifold destroys the seal between the intake manifold and the engine, exposing internal components of the engine to external debris and contamination. Thus, in order to tune engine performance by means of the intake manifold, e.g., adjusting runner length, a user must essentially purchase an entirely new intake manifold part and subject the engine to potential damage from external contamination, among other things.
Prior art patents disclosing multipiece intake manifolds capable of being disassembled are known, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,566 issued to Thomas and U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,224 issued to Szabo, et al., the entirety of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. However, among other things, none of these patents provides for a manifold comprising easily removed and replaced components having different characteristics, such as air inlet size and internal runner shape, to alter engine performance. U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,263 issued to Agnew et al., the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference, provides an improved intake manifold for an internal combustion engine that permits disassembly, replacement or substitution, and reassembly without detriment to the individual intake manifold components. The Agnew manifold has a multiple piece construction comprising, for example, a lower base member, a center runner section, and an upper shell, wherein the upper shell and center runner section fixably attach to the lower base member in such a way that the components can later be disassembled. The center runner section is formed with runner cavities of different shapes that work with the upper shell and the lower shell to change the airflow within the intake manifold and, hence, the way in which the air is delivered to the engine. However, among other things, Agnew does not provide for interchangeable individual runners that function independently from the manifold shell, wherein the runners can be easily removed and replaced without requiring an associated removal and replacement of an upper shell and/or a lower shell in order to alter the air intake qualities, and hence the performance, of an internal combustion engine.


An object is to provide a pointer driving motor unit which can easily control driving of a pointer of a time piece by a stepping motor, a multifunctional electronic device, and a control method of a pointer driving motor unit. A pointer driving motor unit includes: a supporting body; a stepping motor which rotates a pointer that is supported to be rotatable with respect to the supporting body; a plurality of input portions which include a first input portion into which a first instruction signal is input from a main control portion, and a second input portion into which a second instruction signal is input from the main control portion; and a control portion which is provided in the supporting body, outputs a first driving signal that drives the pointer by a first operation to the stepping motor based on a result of comparing the first instruction signal and a predetermined threshold value with each other, and outputs a second driving signal that drives the pointer by a second operation to the stepping motor based on a result of comparing the second instruction signal and a predetermined threshold value with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pointer driving motor unit, an electronic device, and a control method of a pointer driving motor unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a technology in the related art, an electronic time piece which is configured of a time display unit and an additional unit, is known (for example, refer to JP-A-2002-323577). For example, on the time display unit, a crystal resonator, a metal-oxide-semiconductor integrated circuit (MOSIC) chip, a wheel train, a motor, or a battery is loaded, and on the additional unit, a driving IC for an additional function or the like is loaded. The time piece display unit has the battery which becomes a power source that drives a main control portion (microcomputer) loaded thereon, and also has a crystal which becomes a reference clock of a system including the main control portion loaded thereon, and the entire unit is configured to be completed as a time piece. In other words, the time piece display unit is a unit made by unitizing a movement of an analogue time piece in the related art.
However, in the technology in the related art described in JP-A-2002-323577, only by simply unitizing the movement, the main control portion is also mounted in addition to the motor in the unit, and thus, a restriction on reducing the size of the unit is generated. In addition, even when the main control portion is taken out to the outside of the unit, there is a case where the driving of the pointer of the unit is controlled in accordance with the characteristics of the motor in each unit, and thus, there is a concern that the control from the main control portion on the outside becomes complicated, and there is a concern that the unit control is not appropriately performed.

Pointer driving motor unit, electronic device, and control method of pointer driving motor unit


Data packets of a flow associated with a first bearer and data packets of a flow associated with a second bearer are received in an intermediate node (140). The data packets are then transmitted from the intermediate node (140). in response to a congestion being detected on the first bearer, one of the first bearer and the second bearer is selected for notification of the congestion in the associated flow. The selection may be based on a type of the congestion, e.g. the detected congestion being in a transport network (160) or the congestion being on a radio link (250).

In mobile communication networks according to the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) technical specifications, intermediate transport networks may be used to convey data between different nodes of the mobile communication network. One example of such a scenario occurs when using a technology referred to as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA). Here, a transport network, also referred to as lub transport network, may be used in the UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN, UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) to couple a Radio Network Controller (RNC) to a radio access node (also referred to as Radio Base Station or NodeB). HSPA in the direction from the mobile communication network to a user equipment (UE) is also referred to as High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and HSPA in the direction from the UE to the mobile communication network is also referred to as High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). The main aspects of HSPA are specified in the 25 series of the 3GPP technical specifications (e.g. the 3GPP technical specification 25.308).
According to HSPA, two levels of link layer retransmission protocols are used: Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) between the UE and the NodeB, and Radio Link Control (RLC) between the UE and the Radio Network Controller (RNC). A flow control protocol, also referred to as Framing Protocol (FP), has been introduced to control the sending rate of the RNC in the downlink direction and the sending rate of the NodeB in the uplink direction. The FP needs to address congestions on the radio link between the NodeB the UE and congestions in the transport network between the NodeB and the RNC, and will try to set an optimal sending rate which is as high as possible while avoiding the above types of congestion. This means that the FP attempts to control the sending rate in such a way that the fill level of queues in subsequent nodes will not exceed a given size.
However, it has turned out that the above-mentioned optimal sending rate is typically hard to achieve using the known FP. This is in part due to the known FP being a rate-based flow control protocol. Further, typical scenarios of using HSPA involve, e.g., a rapidly changing radio capacity available to a certain RLC connection or different lub transport network deployments with different RLC round trip delays. This may in result either in the sending rate being set too low or in congestions not being avoided. Both adversely affects end-to-end performance, e.g. measured in terms of throughput. Moreover, the known FP handles all RLC connections in the same manner. This may result in the end-to-end performance experienced by a high-priority service or user suffering from congestions in the lub transport network which are caused by RLC connections related to another service or user. The FP in HSDPA may also be configured to target fair bandwidth sharing among users or the target bit rate may be coupled to a user class so that some users get e.g. twice as much throughput as other users. In order to achieve this behavior, the HSDPA FP entity in the NodeB scales the target bit rates for each flow or user so that they match the desired relative bit rates. However, this still does not solve the above-mentioned problems of adapting the sending rate.
Another example of such a scenario occurs when using a technology referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE). Here the transport network spans from the LTE base station, also referred to as E-UTRAN NodeB (eNodeB) in the Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) to the Serving Gateway (S-GW) which is part of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The main aspects of LTE are specified in the 36 series of the 3GPP technical specifications (e.g. in the 3GPP technical specification 36.300).
Unlike HSPA, LTE does not use a link layer retransmission protocol between the eNodeB and the S-GW. Furthermore, no flow control protocol has been specified between these nodes. Instead, any node detecting excessive queuing may drop packets and thereby enforce the end-to-end congestion control mechanism of the transport layer as provided by the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to reduce its congestion window. This results in a reduction of the amount of data the TCP sender injects into the system and consequently, it reduces the size of the queue.
The principle of end-to-end congestion control by means of Queue Management is well known and widely used in the Internet. It cannot be applied in the HSPA transport network due to the above-mentioned link layer retransmission protocol which would recover from all packet drops and thereby hide the congestion from the TCP protocol.
While end-to-end queue management is, when applicable, superior to flow control protocols in terms of efficiency, performance and complexity, it does not provide per-user fairness or relative fairness. This is in particular the case when the bottleneck occurs in any transport network switch or router between the eNodeB and the S-GW as these are not aware of users or desired relative bit rate shares.
Accordingly, there is a need for techniques which allow for efficiently handling congestions in a transport network.

Congestion handling in a communication network


A non-therapeutic method for the inhibition of β-glucuronidase. Body odors result from the decomposition of steroid esters by β-glucuronidase. Specific β-glucuronidase-inhibiting compounds are disclosed.

The invention relates to the non-therapeutic use of selected β-glucuronidase-inhibiting substances in a cosmetic deodorant or antiperspirant composition for reducing the body odor caused by decomposition of steroid esters.
Apocrine perspiration is a complex mixture which comprises, inter alia, steroids, cholesterol and other fats as well as approx. 10% of proteins. The decomposition products of apocrine perspiration, which substantially contribute towards body odor, in particular axillary body odor, can be divided into two classes, on the one hand short-chain, in particular C4-C10-fatty acids, which can be linear, branched, saturated and unsaturated, and on the other hand various steroid hormones and degradation products thereof. The metabolism products of androgens, in particular androstenol (5α-androst-16-en-3β-ol, 5α-androst-16-en-3α-ol) and androstenone (5α-androst-16-en-3-one), for example, are involved in typical body odor, especially in men.
Steroids themselves are not water-soluble. In order to be able to be transported away with body fluids, they are usually present in the form of sulfate or glucuronide. On the skin, cleavage of these steroid esters into the volatile free steroids takes place by means of hydrolytic enzymes of the skin bacteria, in particular the coryneform bacteria. All bacterial exoesterases are in principle capable of this, but especially the enzyme β-glucuronidase.
The deodorant compositions which are active according to the invention can intervene at this point and inhibit the activity of the bacterial exoesterases. They therefore differ from the purely bacteriostatic or bactericidal compositions of the prior art, which can have the disadvantage of impairing the naturally occurring microflora of the skin.
Combating body odor caused by steroids by inhibiting β-glucuronidase is known in the prior art, for example from the publications U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,559 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,937. However, with Cu2+, zinc glycinate, hexametaphosphate, D-glucaro-δ-lactone, EDTA, NTA, ortho-phenanthroline and sodium sulfate, these documents disclose only a small number of β-glucuronidase-inhibiting active compounds.
The object of the present invention was to identify further β-glucuronidase-inhibiting active compounds in order to render possible a wider variability, flexibility and skin tolerability in the formulation of cosmetic deodorants. The identification of known cosmetic active compounds as β-glucuronidase inhibitors moreover renders possible a lowering of the dosage of these active compounds. The enzyme-inhibiting action often already manifests itself at low active compound concentrations at which no bacteriostatic or bactericidal action is yet found. It has been found, surprisingly, that the use of aryl-sulfatase inhibitors in deodorants is suitable, especially in men, for preventing the formation of body odor. It is possible here for the expert, in the context of his general technical knowledge, to coordinate the active compounds in the deodorant composition in respect of their amount and/or their nature to the particular user group in a sex-specific manner.

β-glucuronidase inhibitors for use in deodorants and antiperspirants


The invention relates to a speed-changing shearing or forming active element insert which is designed to be detachably connected to an active element receptacle of a machine tool, the speed-changing shearing or forming active element insert having a speed-changing unit which is in the form of a hydraulic force/distance transducer, the force/distance transducer comprising a housing, the housing interior of which is supplied with a hydraulic fluid, and the force/distance transducer comprising a first piston which is in oo contact with the hydraulic fluid via one piston end and a second piston which is in contact with the hydraulic fluid via one piston end and the cross-sectional area of which is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the first piston. The invention also relates to the use of the speed-changing changing shearing or forming active element insert in a machine tool.

In the mechanical machining of a workpiece with a machine tool, multiple processing steps are often performed in parallel to increase throughput of the workpiece. Thus, for example in the machining of a workpiece with active elements, several shear-cutting and forming steps are performed in one motion cycle by an active element holder of a machine tool being fitted with a plurality of active elements, which are then moved towards the workpiece in a single movement.
The guiding of various active elements towards the workpiece in one movement, however, can also involve disadvantages, in as much as different processing methods often place different requirements on the motion sequence of the respective active element, which can often lead to an unsatisfactory compromise between conflicting requirements.

Devices and method for machining a workpiece


A drug diffusion polymer system for the sustained release of drugs includes a composition comprising a polymeric matrix containing a uniform dispersion of a matrix expander and a drug. The matrix expander and drug are each present in the form of solid particulate. Upon exposure to body fluid or water, the matrix expander swells to cause the ingress of fluid into the polymeric matrix for solubilizing and diffusing the drug. Devices may incorporate such drug diffusion compositions as a coating or as a primary material of construction. Such devices may be formed by molding the compositions at room or elevated temperatures depending on the polymer used.

The present invention generally relates to drug diffusion polymer systems and more particularly, to compositions and devices incorporating such compositions for sustained release of drugs and to methods of making such compositions and devices.
Compositions and devices for the delivery of a drug to an aqueous body environment during a prolonged period of time are well known in the art. These often comprise an admixture of a physiologically acceptable polymer and a drug. In addition to the drug, other additives may be included in the composition to provide drug release. The release of the drug is typically a function of the composition; the device often having a separate utility even though the drug release may be particularly complimentary thereto. As used herein, an aqueous body environment is a subcutaneous, percutaneous or interior region of an animal or human having a body fluid or water presence sufficient for solubilizing and diffusing a drug.
One type of drug release or diffusion composition comprises an imperforate polymer matrix containing a dissolved drug which is permeable through the polymer matrix by diffusion. Such a diffusion system requires a unique matching of polymer and drug properties.
Another type of composition involves dispensing of the drug from a biodegradable polymeric material as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,887,699 and 4,148,871. The degrading polymer component in such a composition burdens the user's system.
It is also known to dispense drugs from porous polymeric compositions characterized by interconnected cells which contain the solid or liquid drug in depots as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,917. The fluid or water of the body environment dissolves the drug and forms a tortuous diffusion pathway. These compositions usually require the use of a relatively large proportion of drug in order to assure porosity. Also, they tend to have an undesirably high diffusion rate, and devices employing such compositions may become prematurely ineffective and require replacement.
Polymeric compositions containing solid drug depots are also used to provide osmotic bursting compositions as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,923,939 and 4,177,256. The water of the body environment is imbibed osmotically into the depots in a serially inward direction to dissolve the drug within the depots and to generate sufficient pressure therein to burst adjacent polymer layers. This release technique imposes particular physical properties such as tensile and modulus characteristics upon the polymer materials which are useful.
Drug diffusion polymeric systems or compositions may be used to form the device itself, especially when the device has no separate or additional utility other than delivery of the drug to the system. More often, the device has a separate utility and the composition may be applied to the device as a coating or otherwise be associated with the device in order to provide a composition or drug delivery surface of predetermined area which is exposed to the body environment. For example, the use of catheters, percutaneous access devices such as feeding devices and peritoneal dialysis devices is associated with a high risk of infection. This risk may be substantially reduced by incorporating a drug release composition into the device with a sustained release of drug to the device surface and body environment of an antibiotic.
The use of drug release compositions as the primary material of construction in such devices has been substantially hindered, if not impeded, by the adverse effects of manufacturing processes and conditions upon drugs and diffusion additives. Problems encountered include drug degradation and drug and/or additive interference with the polymerizing or curing of the primary constructional polymer by the drug and/or additive.
As used herein, the term "drug" broadly includes physiologically or pharmacologically active substances for producing a localized effect at the administration site or a systemic effect at a site remote from the administration site. Such drugs include inorganic and organic compounds, for example, drugs which act on the central nervous system such as hypnotics and sedatives, psychic energizers, tranquilizers, anticonvulsants, muscle relaxants and anti-parkinson agents, antipyretics and anti-inflammatory agents, local anesthetics, anti-spasmodics and anti-ulcer agents, prostaglandins, antibiotics, hormonal agents, estrogenic steroids, progestational steroids, such as for contraceptive purposes, sympathomimetic drugs, cardiovascular drugs, diuretics, antiparasitic agents, hypoglycemic drugs and ophthalmic drugs. The antibiotics are of particular importance and application herein. Illustrative water-soluble antibiotics include, without limitation, cephalothin, neomycin, ampicillin, tobramycin, kanamycin, tetracycline, lincomycin, nitrofurantoin, bacitracin, and nystatin. The drug should be a solid or convertible to solid form by reaction, such as salt formation and crystallization.

Drug diffusion polymer system and method


Some embodiments provide a method for a gateway datapath that executes on a gateway device to implement logical routers for a set of logical networks and process traffic between the logical networks and an external network. The method receives a data message at the gateway device. To process the data message, the method executes a set of processing stages that includes a processing stage for a particular logical router. As part of the processing stage for the particular logical router, the method (i) uses an access control list (ACL) table to determine whether the data message is subject to rate limiting controls defined for the particular logical router and (ii) only when the data message is subject to rate limiting controls, determines whether to allow the data message according to a rate limiting mechanism for the particular logical router.

Quality of service (QoS) mechanisms are important in datacenters, in order to guarantee contracted-for levels of performance. However, rate-limiting mechanisms are generally performed in hardware (e.g., at the network interface controller (NIC) level), which aggregates all tenants of a datacenter together. Traffic is typically tenant-independent at the hardware level, and therefore difficult to disaggregate. In addition, not necessarily all traffic should be rate limited. For instance, control traffic typically should not be subject to rate limiting.

Determining whether to rate limit traffic


In accordance with embodiments of the invention, at least the potential presence of Special Nuclear Material (“SNM”) is determined by the detection of prompt neutrons, prompt gamma rays, delayed neutrons, and/or delayed gamma rays from photofission, via time-of-flight (“TOF”) spectroscopic methods. Methods and systems are disclosed.

High energy (MeV) X-ray radiation is used to scan cargo containers and air shipments for contraband, verification of manifests for customs, and duty collection. The items of concern may depend on the individual customs agencies for a country, or individual ports. X-ray radiation may be used to non-intrusively examine cargo containers and other objects for illegal drugs, weapons, explosives, chemical agents, and/or biological agents. Radioactive, fissionable, fissile, and fertile materials, including Special Nuclear Material ("SNM") that may be used to manufacture atomic devices, including dirty bombs, may also be smuggled in such objects.
Fissile materials, such as uranium-235, uranium-233, and plutonium-239, may undergo fission by the capture of a photon or slow (thermal) neutron of sufficient energy. Photon-induced fission is referred to as photofission. Fission may also be induced by lower energy photons and neutrons by barrier penetration at a lower rate than photofission.
Fissionable materials include fissile materials, and materials that may undergo fission by capture of fast neutrons, such as uranium-238. Fertile materials may be converted into fissile materials by the capture of a slow (thermal) neutron. For example, uranium-238 may be converted into plutonium-239, and thorium-232 may be converted into uranium-233. Fissionable, fissile, and fertile materials are referred to herein as "nuclear material."
Special Nuclear Material ("SNMs"), which more readily undergo fission than other fissile materials, are defined by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to include plutonium, uranium-233, and uranium enriched in the isotopes of uranium-233 or -235. Radioactive materials, certain of which may have lower atomic numbers than nuclear materials (cobalt-60, for example, has an atomic number of 27), are typically shielded by high atomic number materials, such as lead (Z=82), tungsten (Z=74), and molybdenum (Z=42).
SNM may undergo fission by absorbing a photon having energy above a fission threshold of the particular SNM. SNM have fission thresholds of about 5.8 to 6.0 MeV. Photofission releases about 200 MeV of energy in the form of high energy neutrons, gamma rays, excited fission fragments, and kinetic energy transferred to fission fragments. The high energy neutrons and gamma rays are referred to herein as "prompt neutrons" and "prompt gamma rays," respectively, because they are released very soon (on the order of 10−15 to 10−12 seconds) after fission. On average, 6 to 7 prompt gamma ray photons and 2 to 3 prompt neutrons are generated in each photofission event, depending on the SNM present. For example, on average, 2.4 neutrons are emitted per fission of uranium-235, while on average 2.9 neutrons are released per fission of plutonium-239. Almost all of the fission fragments are neutron rich and decay toward a stable valley via beta decay to produce delayed gamma rays and delayed neutrons, depending on the fission fragments. These beta decays happen microseconds to hundreds of milliseconds after emission of the prompt gamma rays and neutrons. The emission rate of prompt neutrons and prompt gamma rays is about 100 times greater than the emission rate of delayed neutrons. The emission rate of delayed gamma rays is at least 10 times greater than the emission rate of delayed neutrons. While gamma rays are emitted from almost all of the nuclei subject to fission, not every nucleus will emit a beta delayed neutron. A small amount of fission may be induced by photons having energies below the fission threshold, by barrier penetration. The detection of nuclear material based, at least on part, on the detection of delayed neutrons, is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,423,273, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and is incorporated by reference herein.
Neutron detectors, to detect both prompt and delayed neutrons, typically comprise three (3) helium-filled tubes surrounded by a hydrogenous material, such as polyethylene. The hydrogenous material is covered with a layer of cadmium (Cd), which has a large capture cross-section for thermal neutrons (2500 barns). The cadmium absorbs background thermal neutrons resulting from thermalized photoneutron events, preventing their passage to and detection by the helium tubes. Other neutron detection methods are known in the art, including scintillators and silicon carbide (SiC) detectors, for example.
Gamma rays have been collected by scintillator based detectors, such as sodium iodide doped with thallium (NaI(Tl)), barium germanium oxide (BGO), high purity germanium (HPGe), germanium lithium (GeLi), and plastic scintillators. Inorganic scintillators have better efficiency than organic scintillators but may be too expensive for large solid angle arrays required when examining large objects such as cargo containers.

Detection of special nuclear material and other contraband by prompt and/or delayed signatures from photofission


A method and system of coating an implantable device, such as a stent, are provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and system for coating an implantable device, such as a stent.
2. Description of the Background
Blood vessel occlusions are commonly treated by mechanically enhancing blood flow in the affected vessels, such as by employing a stent. Stents act as scaffoldings, functioning to physically hold open and, if desired, to expand the wall of the passageway. Typically stents are capable of being compressed, so that they can be inserted through small lumens via catheters, and then expanded to a larger diameter once they are at the desired location. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional stent 10 formed from a plurality of struts 12. The plurality of struts 12 are radially expandable and interconnected by connecting elements 14 that are disposed between adjacent struts 12, leaving lateral openings or gaps 16 between adjacent struts 12. Struts 12 and connecting elements 14 define a tubular stent body having an outer, tissue-contacting surface and an inner surface.
Stents are used not only for mechanical intervention but also as vehicles for providing biological therapy. Biological therapy can be achieved by medicating the stents. Medicated stents provide for the local administration of a therapeutic substance at the diseased site. Local delivery of a therapeutic substance is a preferred method of treatment because the substance is concentrated at a specific site and thus smaller total levels of medication can be administered in comparison to systemic dosages that often produce adverse or even toxic side effects for the patient.
One method of medicating a stent involves the use of a polymeric carrier coated onto the surface of the stent. A composition including a solvent, a polymer dissolved in the solvent, and a therapeutic substance dispersed in the blend is applied to the stent by immersing the stent in the composition or by spraying the composition onto the stent. The solvent is allowed to evaporate, leaving on the stent surfaces a coating of the polymer and the therapeutic substance impregnated in the polymer.
A shortcoming of the above-described method of medicating a stent is the potential for coating defects due to the large amount of liquid composition applied to the relatively small surface area of the stent. The liquid composition can flow, wick, and collect as the amount of composition on the stent increases during the coating process. As the solvent evaporates, the excess composition hardens, leaving the excess coating as clumps or pools on the struts or webbing between the struts.
Another shortcoming of the above-described method of medicating a stent is the potential for loss of the therapeutic substance from the coating or production of a coating that does not provide for a suitable residence time of the substance at the implanted region. Initial portions of a liquid composition containing a therapeutic substance sprayed onto a stent adhere to the stent surface. However, as the liquid composition continues to be applied to the stent, layers of the composition are formed on top of one another. When exposed to the solvent in the upper layers, the therapeutic substance in the lower layers can be re-dissolved into the upper layers of the composition or extracted out from the coating. Having the therapeutic substance maintained in merely the upper regions of the coating provides for a short residence time of the substance at the implanted region, as the therapeutic substance will be quickly released. Prolonged residence times may be desirable for a more effective treatment of a patient.
The present invention addresses such problems by providing a method and system for coating implantable devices.

System and method for coating implantable devices


The embodiment provides a buried bit line process and scheme. The buried bit line is disposed in a trench formed in a substrate. The buried bit line includes a diffusion region formed in a portion of the substrate adjacent the trench. A blocking layer is formed on a portion sidewall of the trench. A conductive plug is formed in the trench, covering sidewalls of the diffusion region and the blocking layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell process and scheme, and in particular, to buried bit line of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell process and scheme.
2. Description of the Related Art
A dynamic random access memory (DRAMs) is one type of volatile memories. The basic operation principle of the DRAM utilizes the amount electric charges stored in a capacitor to represent bit '1' or bit '0' in the binary system for data storage. For high density requirements, the most effective method for the device size reduction now is through reducing process technology node and using a unit design technology. Another method for the device size reduction is achieved by a more effective array structure. After developing for several generations, the storage technology is usually limited by some kind of the unit layout. Also, every improvement of the unit size reduction needs a great amount of work to reduce the critical size of the etching technology.
Thus, a novel a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell process and scheme are desired to overcome the aforementioned problems.


A universal attachment assembly for securing saw blades of different mounting configuration to the actuator shaft of an oscillating surgical saw. The blade is held firmly between a fixed receptor plate on the shaft and the selected surface of a selected profiled mounting disk by a locking nut. Each side of each mounting disk is differently profiled to mate with a different saw blade.

Oscillating saws for cutting bone during surgical procedures have been widely used. Such saws typically employ a replaceable saw blade securely mounted on a shaft which rapidly oscillates back and forth through an angle of about 5.degree. to 7.degree.. The rapidity and constancy of the reversal of direction of the actuating shaft necessitates an interconnection between the shaft and blade that is substantially free of mutual vibration. The requirements placed upon the surgical saw blade have caused surgical saw manufacturers to provide special configurations at the proximal end of their blades in order to mate closely with receiving structure associated with the actuating shaft of the saw.
This invention is directed to an attachment assembly for saw blades which is readily adaptable to securing the saw blades of different manufacturers, having different attachment configurations, in a fixed relationship to the actuating shaft.


A one-piece, plastic, integrally formed deflector for a motor includes a generally annularly shaped shroud portion, an axially offset generally annularly shaped mounting ring portion, and four generally axially extending webs interconnecting them. The deflector may be conveniently mounted to an end bracket with a screw placed through a mounting hole in the mounting ring located at each web such that as the end bracket is assembled to the motor, the shroud portion closely fits nearly adjacent the rotating rotor blades and the inside of the motor shell to restrict the flow of ventilating air through the motor and prevent its re-circulation past the blades.

Rotating dynamoelectric machines, such as motors and generators (hereinafter motors), have a tendency to build heat up internally during operation. One of the many techniques used to reduce this heat build-up is the circulation of air within the housing or shell thereof and past the windings wherein the heat is generated. In some designs, the rotor carries a plurality of end blades, typically die cast, which propel the air much as a fan propels the air as it is turned. Also in the prior art, there are many designs for baffles, shrouds, and the like for directing the flow of air from a series of ventilating holes in the shell, past the blades, through the windings, and out the other end of the motor. Many different designs are utilized in the prior art in order to accommodate many different air paths as might be considered desirable by the designer. However, these baffles, deflectors and the like can be constructed of multiple pieces, some of which are rotating and others of which are stationary in order to maximize the effect of the rotating blades in drawing cooling air through the shell.
As motors are generally available from a wide variety of manufacturers, and these many different devices are sometimes considered to be functionally equivalent, the cost thereof can be a significant factor in the selection of one competitor's device over another's. Therefore, there has been significant attention paid to many of the various design details, including both motors and generators, over the years.
To solve the problems associated with multi-piece deflectors, including not only the required close manufacturing tolerances of those designs as well as the increased cost thereof in both the manufacture and installation thereof, the inventors herein have succeeded in designing and developing a one-piece, integrally formed, plastic air deflector which can be conveniently mounted to an end bracket of a motor by a mounting ring. The one-piece, integral, plastic construction of the deflector greatly reduces the cost not only of the piece part, but also minimizes installation cost as the deflector is mounted with four screws into an end bracket for the motor. In addition to a generally annularly shaped mounting ring, the deflector includes an axially displaced generally annularly shaped shroud with four webs extending between the inner circumference of the shroud and the outer circumference of the mounting ring. The deflector is oriented within the shell to be adjacent the holes therein through which cooling air passes.
As the webs occupy very little of the space between the shroud and the mounting ring, little interference or blockage of air flow is caused. Thus, cooling air readily flows through the ventilating holes, through the deflector by flowing past the stationary webs, and the air is then drawn into the central portion of the motor by rotating rotor blades which fit and rotate closely against the shroud portion of the deflector. The shroud not only fits closely against the rotor blades, but extends substantially to the inner circumference of the shell, with four notches therethrough for insertion of the thru-bolts which join the end brackets to the shell, as known in the art. This positioning of the shroud prevents re-circulation of the air around the blades which would interfere with the cooling action of the air as it circulates through the motor.
While the major advantages and features of the present invention have been described above, a more complete and thorough understanding of the invention may be attained by referring to the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment which follow.

Plastic air deflector for rotating dynamoelectric machine


A system includes one or more processors and a computer storage medium storing instructions that cause a machine to perform operations including accessing an integrated circuit (IC) design including an initial clock tree. The operations include selecting a first driver to evaluate for resizing, the first driver being a first size and having a first leakage current and determining a baseline power consumption measurement of clock tree based on the first size and the first leakage current of the first driver. The operations include identifying a plurality of replacement drivers to replace the first driver and determining a power consumption measurement for a second driver. Based on determining that the power consumption measurement for the second driver is less than the baseline power consumption measurement replacing the first driver with the second driver and generating a layout instance based on the second driver.

An integrated circuit (IC) layout specifies portions of various components of an IC. An IC design can include one or more clock trees as well as one or more data path trees. A clock tree distributes a clock signal from its root (e.g., a clock source) to sinks (e.g., flip flops) within an IC through a branching network of drivers (e.g., buffers or inverters). Similarly, a data path tree distributes a data signal from its root (e.g., flip-flops or combination logic) to sinks (e.g., flip flops) within an IC through a branching network of drivers (e.g., buffers or inverters). In either case, a driver distributes a signal to a grouping of other drivers and/or sinks, referred to as a "fanout" of a driver. Connectivity between a driver and its fanout is represented by a "net" and will be physically implemented by routed wires.
Electronic design automation (EDA) software systems commonly perform driver resizing to improve transition time, delay, power and other design constraints during data path optimization processes performed on an IC design. Driving resizing involves switching a driver cell to another driver cell with identical functionality, but different physical characteristics.

Switching power aware driver resizing by considering net activity in buffering algorithm


A dual fuel, natural gas/diesel two-stroke engine includes a cylinder and a piston in the cylinder, and inlet ports around the cylinder which are uncovered by downward movement of the piston. A blower forces air through the inlet ports when the latter is uncovered, and the engine includes an exhaust port and valve for exhausting combustion gases once each cycle. Diesel injection takes place near top dead center to ignite the gaseous mixture. An injector is provided for injecting natural gas into the cylinder once each cycle, including a delivery conduit which opens into the cylinder at a location above the inlet ports for air, such that the piston when descending completely uncovers the conduit before beginning to uncover the air inlet ports.

It is well known that 80% to 90% of North American buses utilize a 2-stroke diesel engine of the kind manufactured by Detroit Diesel. However, the level of permitted emissions in North America will become more and more stringent over the next few years, and there is serious concern that many of the 2-stroke diesel engines currently in use will not be able to meet the new standards. The primary difficulties with the standard 2-stroke diesel engines relate to emitted "smoke" (unburned carbon) and NO.sub.x.
A significant prior art patent is U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,516, issued July 9, 1985 to Foster. However, this prior patent does not address the optimization of engine operation with respect to low emissions, and does not provide any means for accomplishing such optimization. Furthermore, this prior patent fails to appreciate the importance of cooling the combustion air prior to injection.

Dual fuel natural gas/diesel 2-stroke engine


A nanopillar photonic crystal laser includes a plurality of nanopillars and a support structure in contact with at least a portion of each of the nanopillars. Each nanopillar has an axial dimension and two mutually orthogonal cross dimensions. The axial dimension of each of the nanopillars is greater than the two mutually orthogonal cross dimensions, where there mutually orthogonal cross dimensions are less than about 1 μm and greater than about 1 nm. The support structure holds the plurality of nanopillars in preselected relative orientations and displacements relative to each other to form an array pattern that confines light of a preselected wavelength to a resonance region that intercepts at least one nanopillar of the plurality of nanopillars. The at least one nanopillar includes a lasing material to provide an output laser beam of light at the preselected wavelength.

In the past decade, intense research has been performed in the area of nanowires and nanopillars. These semiconductor nanostructures can be synthesized with specific material compositions, axial and radial heterostructures, and on large lattice-mismatched substrates, including silicon. Such attributes, combined with their small cross sections, promise new device architectures and pathways to on-chip photonic integration.
An essential component for a viable photonic circuit, for example, is a high-performance nanowire-based laser. Thus, the current state of the art optical microcavity design and fabrication method for nanowires or nanopillars is for laser applications. Researchers have sought to make efficient nanowire-based lasers by a number of methods, including top-down photonic crystal cavities, micro-stadium resonators, plasmonic waveguides, and nanowires that support whispering gallery modes. These designs and methods often involve multiple material deposition and fabrication steps, including precision alignment since nanowires grown by this method also have random placement.
So far, these demonstrations have largely been limited to single nanowires due to lack of control over position and diameter, thus inhibiting low-loss optical cavity design with sufficient material gain, while avoiding highly detrimental surface recombination. In some cases, the resonant cavity and the nanowire active region require separate lithography and processing steps. In other cases, the cavity is simply limited by optical losses at the facets.
The nanowire-laser demonstrations to date are less efficient at trapping light than some embodiments of the current invention, and consequently the threshold power of these may be larger by a factor of 1000 or more. The large threshold power densities and awkward external coupling schemes make them impractical for large-scale integration. Typical reported values of threshold power density range from approximately 100 kW/cm2 to greater than 1 MW/cm2 and require femtosecond pulses. Furthermore, most reported nanowire-based lasers are multimode, which can limit their utility for communications and multiplexing applications. Lasers such as vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and "top-down" photonic-crystal lasers have similar performance to some embodiments of the current invention, but require growth of thick semiconductor films and cannot be integrated on silicon without extensive and low yield process steps such as wafer bonding.
In order to overcome problems in existing devices and methods, including some of the above problems, and to realize a practical nanowire-based laser solution, a high-Q cavity with effective surface passivation is necessary. Of the different possible candidates for high-Q optical cavities, photonic crystal nano-cavity resonators are an attractive choice due to small mode volume, high spontaneous emission coupling factor, and low threshold power.

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA


The embodiments herein relate to methods and routers. One method includes: receiving a data packet from a source host router connected to a source host, said packet comprising a source IP address of the source host and a destination IP address of a destination host, the data packet being received on an interface of the source edge router identified by a virtual private network identity, VRF-ID; extracting, from a configuration information on said interface, of the source edge router, a zone-identity, zone-ID, of a destination edge router to which a destination host router is associated, wherein the destination host router is connected to the destination host, adding the zone-ID and the VRF-ID at Layer 2.5 of the data packet; and sending the data packet towards the destination edge router having the assigned zone-ID.

There exist hundreds of different network protocols created for supporting communication between computers and other types of electronic devices. Routing protocols are the family of network protocols that enable computer routers to communicate with each other and in turn to intelligently forward traffic between respective networks. In general, a network routing protocol performs functions which include: discovery which means identifying other routers on the network; routing management for keeping track of all possible destinations (for network messages or data packets) along with some data describing the pathway; and path determination for making dynamic decisions for where to send each network message or data packet.
Examples of routing protocols include Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) and Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP).
IGP is a routing protocol which is used to find network path information within an autonomous system, for example a system of corporate local area networks. The gateways (hosts with routers) use this protocol for exchanging routing information in-between. The routing information can then be used by the Internet protocol (IP) or other network protocols to specify how to route transmissions (or data packets). Known IGPs are Routing Information protocol (RIP); Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) and Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS). There is also an Enhanced IGRP (EIGRP) which supports classless IP subnets and improves the efficiency of the routing algorithms compared to IGRP.
EGP is a routing protocol which is used to find network path information between different autonomous systems. EGP is commonly used in the Internet to exchange routing table information. The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is an example of EGP. BGP detects modifications to routing tables and selectively communicates those changes to other routers over TCP/IP. Internet providers commonly use BGP to join their networks together.
Another way to route packets is by using Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) which uses labels attached to packets to forward them through the network. The MPLS labels are advertised between routers. The IP packets are prefixed by these labels and forwarding is done on the basis of these labels and not by a destination IP address, which means forwarding of packets is based on lookup of labels rather than a lookup of the IP addresses, hence speeding up the routing procedure. For example, if Router A wishes to send a data packet to Router E, Router A will insert a header in the data packet with a label stack that contains information about the data packet, where it came from, and where it is going. Router A will then send the data packet to Router B, Router B will send the data packet to Router C, Router C will send the data packet to Router D, and Router D will send the data packet to Router E. Each Router strips away past labels and adds new ones in order to keep forwarding the data packet to where it needs to go. Hence, within each router, the incoming label is examined and its next hop is matched with a new label. The old label is replaced with the new label for the packet's next destination, and then the freshly labeled packet is sent to the next router. Each router repeats the process until the packet reaches an egress router.
MPLS is often referred to as the Layer 2.5 in between the Data Link layer (Layer 2) and Network layer (Layer 3) of the seven-layer OSI model (Open Systems Interconnection model) because of where it operates.
There are, however, several problems with current routing protocols. For instance, they require a long list of entries in routing tables, and need to be updated whenever there are changes in the network. Label switching using MPLS achieves faster routing but MPLS needs to be run over another routing protocol for it to work. This means that two protocols need to run in parallel in each router and due to that, the required resources are doubled. Further, in MPLS, each router needs to generate a new label to replace the old label as explained above.
MPLS may also be used with Virtual Private Network (VPN) to allow several sites to interconnect transparently through a service provider's network. An MPLS VPN comprises a customer network and a service provider network. MPLS VPN service provider edge (PE) routers store customer routing information enabling the PE routers to route traffic belonging to respective customers for inter-site traffic. That traffic is delivered to the customer sites via respective customer edge (CE) routers.
In a MPLS VPN implementation, a PE router performs multiple functions. For example, the PE router isolates customer traffic if more than one customer is connected to the PE router. Each customer is, accordingly, assigned an independent routing table. The PE router shares theses routing tables with other deployed PE routers so that customer traffic can flow between customer sites via the service provider's own network or backbone.
A drawback with MPLS VPN is that it requires at least three different routing protocols to run simultaneously inside the service provider's network: (i) IGP routing protocol (e.g., EIGRP or OSPF) to provide internal routing; (ii) MPLS to support label switching used for VPN in each PE router and in each transit router of the SP (with the drawback that each PE and each transit router needs to generate a new label to replace the old one); and (iii) Internal BGP (or iBGP) to support Virtual Route Forwarding (VRF) features when there are many transit routers in-between, use extended community features to support VRF and to enable connectivity between PEs.
Considering the complexity of such MPLS VPN implementations, a continuing challenge for service providers is to efficiently manage their networks on behalf of their customers. There is therefore a need for a new solution for routing packets in a network topology that is easy to implement and to configure and that requires less consumption of resources, achieves fast routing of packets through fast decision making at each router and provides reduction in size of routing tables.

Methods and apparatuses for routing data packets in a network topology


In one embodiment, a system is configured to generate a time reference where the system includes a bi-directional loop configured to have a first propagation speed in a first direction and a second propagation speed in a second direction, wherein the first propagation speed is substantially equal to the second propagation speed. In one embodiment, the system further includes a plurality of system elements coupled to the bi-directional loop, wherein each respective system element of the plurality of system elements is configured to determine a time reference common to each as an average arrival time at the respective system element of a first signal transmitted in the first direction over the bi-directional loop and a second signal transmitted in the second direction over the bi-directional loop.

1. Field of Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to apparatus and methods of generating a time reference. In particular, one embodiment of the invention relates to establishing a time reference for use in a test system.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Time references are employed in a wide variety of systems to provide a reference from which events may be generated and measured. Some examples of systems that employ time references include test systems, computer systems, control systems and distributed systems generally where the distributed system may need to synchronize functions across some distance (e.g., for data collection). Often, computers and other electronic systems distribute a clock signal to various system elements to provide a common time reference. Further, in synchronous systems a synchronous clock is employed as a time reference. For such systems to be effective, the clock must be received at the same time at each of the system elements which employ the clock signal. In practice, however, propagation delays inherent in the transmission medium that is employed (e.g., electrical conductors, optical fibers, etc.) make it difficult to achieve the preceding objective. Further, the propagation delays become an increasing problem for applications that require the measurement and/or timing of relatively fast signals and events (e.g., where events are measured in nanoseconds, picoseconds, etc). That is, ever smaller differences or changes in the transmission time of signals can have a significant impact on system accuracy and performance as measurement speeds increase.
Automatic Test Equipment ("ATE") that is used to test electronics including electronic circuitry, devices, etc. provides one example where a high degree of precision is required when triggering and measuring the occurrence of events in the system. For example, ATE is often used to test the operation of semiconductors. Generally, during the course of such testing one or more known test signals are applied to stimulate the electronics while one or more measurements are recorded concerning the performance and/or response of the electronics to the test signals at various points in time. The testing of modern circuitry which can operate at very high speeds requires a high degree of resolution and speed in capturing the timing of events, e.g., time measurements in nanoseconds are often required.
Often, the electronics that are undergoing test are connected to one or more instruments included in the ATE system. The instruments may provide a set of connections by which test signals may be applied to an electronics device under test ("DUT") and response signals may be received from the DUT. An ATE includes multiple signal paths that interconnect the DUT to the various instruments and system controllers. In addition, multiple signal paths also exist between the various instruments. Often, the signal paths between different instruments are routed through a central controller or other device. These signal paths may be of varying lengths.
The plurality of different signal path lengths may effect the accuracy of test measurements because the latency of transmittal signals will vary depending upon the length of the signal path. This problem, is particularly relevant in ATE because of the high resolution of the timing measurements and their relevance to one another.
To date, a variety of approaches have been attempted to reduce or eliminate errors created by signal latency described above. These approaches generally attempt to carefully control and distribute a clock signal throughout the ATE system. Some approaches attempt to do so by more precisely controlling the length of the communication paths. For example, where the ATE includes a plurality of instruments that are connected to a control unit via cables, the length of the cables can be controlled to provide precisely matching cable lengths in an effort to equalize any latency caused as a result of the communication paths. Attempts have also been made to equalize the length of solder traces in systems that employ traces. These approaches, however, may increase system costs significantly, for example, by substantially increasing the cost of the signal cabling and/or associated labor.
Other approaches have attempted to adjust the propagation delay during ATE operation in an attempt to have multiple signals arrive at their destinations at the same time. However, these systems may suffer from too much error. Further, some systems that attempt to control propagation delay do so in a manner that limits the maximum propagation delay that may be compensated for.
Still another approach includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) at each instrument and employs each ASIC to provide a timing reference at each instrument. Sometimes referred to as distributed pattern control, such an approach results in ATE that is more expensive and requires system-wide calibration to confirm that the timing references provided by the various ASICs are synchronized.
In addition, some of the preceding approaches require special fixtures to calibrate the system components to a common time reference, and as a result, require that test heads be undocked to perform such a calibration.

Apparatus for and method of generating a time reference


A method for real-time disparity estimation of stereo video data receives sequence of frames of stereo video data. Image-based disparity estimation is initially conducted to produce initial disparity estimates, and the disparity estimates are refined in a space-time volume. The algorithm produces disparity via multi-thread process in which an output is independent of the input for each step of the process.

Disparity estimation is a necessary component in stereo video processing. Video disparity is used for 3D video processing. In a two-camera imaging system, disparity is defined as the vector difference between the imaged object point in each image relative to the focal point. It is this disparity that allows for depth estimation of objects in the scene via triangulation of the point in each image. In rectified stereo, where both camera images are in the same plane, only horizontal disparity exists. In this case, multiview geometry shows that disparity is inversely proportional to actual depth in the scene.
However, existing disparity estimation methods are largely limited to stereo images and have been shown effective or tailored for specific datasets such as Middlebury Stereo Vision Database. These methods are typically slow, and usually can only be applied to high quality images with high contrast, rich color and low noise. These methods typically require off-line processing and cannot be implemented in real time. Therefore, simply extending existing image-based methods to estimate video disparities is insufficient because video disparity does not only require spatial quality, but also temporal consistency. Additionally, real-time processing is required in many practical video systems.
Estimating disparity has been extensively studied for images. The existing image-based methods are ill-suited to video disparity estimation on a frame-by-frame basis because temporal consistency is not guaranteed. Using these methods for video disparity estimation often leads to poor spatial and temporal consistency. Temporal consistency is the smoothness of the disparity in time. If a video disparity is temporally consistent, then an observer will see flickering artifacts. Temporally inconsistent disparity degrades the performance of view synthesis and 3D video coding.
Existing disparity estimation methods are also tuned for specific datasets such as Middlebury stereo database. See, D. Scharstein and R. Szeliski, "A Taxonomy and Evaluation of Dense Two-Frame Stereo Correspondence Algorithms" International Journal of Computer Vision Proceedings, 47:7-42 (April 2002). Such methods tend to perform poorly when applied to real video sequences. Many common real video sequences have lighting conditions, color distributions and object shapes that can be very different from the images on Middlebury stereo database. For methods that require training, applying such methods to real videos is almost impossible and at least is highly impractical from a perspective of speed of execution and complexity of computation.
Existing image-based disparity estimation techniques may be categorized into one of two groups: local or global methods. Local methods treat each pixel (or an aggregated region of pixels) in the reference image independently and seek to infer the optimal horizontal displacement to match it with the corresponding pixel/region. Global methods incorporate assumptions about depth discontinuities and estimate disparity values by minimizing an energy function over all pixels using techniques such as Graph Cuts or Hierarchical Belief Propagation. Y. Boykov et al, "Fast Approximate Energy Minimization via Graph Cuts," IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, vol. 23, no. 11, pp. 1222-1239 (February 2004); V. Kolmogorov and R. Zabih, "Computing Visual Correspondence with Occlusions via Graph Cuts," International Conference on Computer Vision Proceedings, pp. 508-515 (2001). Local methods tend to be very fast but global methods tend to be more accurate. Most implementations of global methods tend to be unacceptably slow. See, D. Scharstein and R. Szeliski, "A Taxonomy and Evaluation of Dense Two-Frame Stereo Correspondence Algorithms," International Conference on Computer Vision Proceedings, vol. 47, pp. 7-42 (April 2002).
Attempts to solve stereo-matching problems for video have had limited success. Difficulties encountered have included the computational bottleneck of dealing with multidimensional data, lack of any real datasets with ground-truth, and the unclear relationship between optimal spatial and temporal processing for correspondence matching Most have attempted to extend existing image-methods to video and have produced computational burdens that are impractical for most applications.
One attempt to extend the Hierarchical Belief Propagation method to video extends the matching cost representation to video by a 3-dimensional Markov Random Field (MRF). O. Williams, M. Isard, and J. MacCormick, "Estimating Disparity and Occlusions in Stereo Video Sequences," in Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Proceedings (2005). Reported algorithmic run times were as high as 947.5 seconds for a single 320×240 frame on a powerful computer, which is highly impractical.
Other approaches have used motion flow fields to attempt to enforce temporal coherence. One motion flow field technique makes use of a motion vector field. F. Huguet and F. Devernay, "A Variational Method for Scene Flow Estimation from Stereo Sequences," in International Conference on Computer Vision Proceedings pp. 1-7 (2007). Another makes use of See, M. Bleyer and M. Gelautz, "Temporally Consistent Disparity Maps from Uncalibrated Stereo Videos," in Proceeings of the 6th International Symposium on Image and Signal Processing (2009).
One computationally practical method is a graphics processing unit (GPU) implementation of Hierarchical Belief Propagation that relies upon locally adaptive support weights. See, C. Richardt et al, "Realtime Spatiotemporal Stereo Matching Using the Dual-Cross-Bilateral Grid," in European Conference on Computer Vision Proceedings (2010); K. J. Yoon and I. S. Kweon, "Locally Adaptive Support-Weight Approach for Visual Correspondence Search," in Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Proceedings (2005). This method integrates temporal coherence in a similar way to Williams et al. (O. Williams, M. Isard, and J. MacCormick, "Estimating Disparity and Occlusions in Stereo Video Sequences," in Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Proceedings (2005)) and also provides a synthetic dataset with ground-truth disparity maps. Other methods that are practical require specific hardware or place data constraints. See, J. Zhu et al, "Fusion of Time-of-Flight Depth and Stereo for High Accuracy Depth Maps," in Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Proceedings (2008) pp. 1-8; G. Zhang, J. Jia, T. T. Wong, and H. Bao, "Consistent Depth Maps Recovery from a Video Sequence," PAMI, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 974-988 (2009).

Independent thread video disparity estimation method and codec

The Regents of the University of California


A pixel structure and its fabrication method are provided. The pixel structure includes a channel layer, a first patterned metal layer, a first insulation layer, a second patterned metal layer, a second insulation layer, and a pixel electrode. The first patterned metal layer includes a data line, a source, and a drain. The first insulation layer has a first opening exposing the drain. The second patterned metal layer includes a scan line and a capacitor electrode. The capacitor electrode has at least one first portion overlapping the data line. The second insulation layer has a second opening communicating with the first opening to expose the drain. The pixel electrode is connected to the drain through the first opening and the second opening and at least overlaps the first portion of the capacitor electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pixel structure and a fabrication method of the pixel structure. More particularly, the invention relates to both a pixel structure that has a high aperture ratio and can be easily fabricated and a fabrication method of the pixel structure.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a pixel structure of a liquid crystal display (LCD) includes active devices and pixel electrodes. The active devices serve as switches of LCD display units. To control each pixel structure, a certain pixel is usually selected by a corresponding scan line and a corresponding data line, and display information corresponding to the pixel is displayed through providing an appropriate operating voltage. The pixel structure further includes storage capacitors, such that the pixel structure can be provided with a voltage-retaining function. Namely, the storage capacitors can store the applied operating voltages to stabilize the display image of the pixel structure.
To form the storage capacitors in the pixel structure, capacitor electrodes are often required in the pixel structure. However, in order to increase the capacitance of the storage capacitors, the area occupied by the capacitor electrodes need be expanded. In general, the capacitor electrodes are made of non-transparent conductive materials including metal, and the expansion of area of the capacitor electrodes results in the expansion of the non-transparent area; namely, the aperture ratio of the pixel structure is reduced. Besides, there is no other conductive element between the pixel electrodes and the data lines in the pixel structure, and thus the coupling effects between the pixel electrodes and the data lines pose an impact on the display quality of the pixel structure. Therefore, the pixel electrodes and the data lines must have a certain distance therebetween, which further limits the display aperture ratio. As a result, the existing pixel structures are not apt to be characterized by both the high image quality and the ideal display aperture ratio.

Pixel structure and fabrication method of pixel structure


A nick breaking device includes: a conveyor forming a transfer path on which a plate-shaped element having nicks formed thereon is transferred; and one or more pressing rollers provided on the transfer path of the nicks of the plate-shaped element so as to press the plate-shaped element such that the plate-shaped element is transferred while having a continuous wave shape and to break the nicks formed on the plate-shaped element.

In order to obtain a folded box for packaging by using a plate-shaped element that is a paper plate or a black in a general packaging machine, the plate-shaped element is carried via several stations and undergoes a process of being folded or pasted.
An embodiment of such a plate-shaped element having a nick 6 is illustrated in FIG. 5.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, a partially cut flap is formed in the plate-shaped element according to the form of the packaging state, and opposite ends of the cutting line of the flap are partially connected to a plate surface of the plate-shaped element by the nick 6.
In particular, when a specific plate-shaped element that is folded along the cutting line for forming a box is cut, it is useful to connect opposite ends of the cutting line of at least some flaps to the plate surface of the plate-shaped element such that the plate-shaped elements are not bonded to each other.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the nicks 6 may be spaced apart from each other along the cutting line of the flap, and the nick 6 has to be broken before an operation of folding the plate-shaped element is performed when the nick 6 is introduced into a process of folding and pasting the plate-shaped element.
Meanwhile, as a prior technology of a device for breaking the nick, a device for breaking a nick connecting two edges of a cutting line is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0390559.
As disclosed in the prior technology, the conventional device for breaking a nick has a structure in which a parallel shaft is coupled onto a planar path of a blank as a plate-shaped element to be rotatable and a tool support part that causes a shear force between adjacent edges of a cutting line such that the nick of the blank is broken is coupled to the parallel shaft to be rotatable. A tool that breaks the nick while rotating along a rotation locus of the tool support part is disposed at an outer periphery of the tool support part.
However, in the conventional device for breaking a nick, because the length and the transfer speed of the blank that is a plate-shaped element that moves on the planar path and the rotational speed of the parallel shaft have to be adjusted to break a nick that is a plate-shaped element as the tool support part that breaks the nick is coupled to a parallel shaft to be rotatable, the control of the device is complex and the overall structure of the device is also complex.
Further, in the conventional device for breaking a nick, the tool support part that breaks a nick according to the length of the blank and the form of the nick formed in the blank has to be replaced, productivity deteriorates.
(Prior patent document 1) Korean Patent No. 10-0390559 (entitled: Device for Breaking Nick Connecting Two Edges of Cutting Line, Published on Jun. 26, 2003)


A lock includes a cylinder with a locking tab extending axially from a distal end, a rod movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. At least one protrusion on the rod, and a pair of blocking elements positioned adjacent to the locking tab. A marked wheel is rotatably mounted on the rod and cylinder, and includes an inner wheel including a ridge extending from an inner surface and a slot extending through the ridge. The rod slides relative to the cylinder when the slot is aligned with the protrusion on the rod.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to a combination type lock with a reduced axial length. More specifically, the present application is related a combination type lock that has a reduced axial length while providing sufficient digits in the combination to provide security.
2. Related Art
With the increased use of portable electronic devices, such as laptops, for example, there is an increasing need to be able to secure such devices. There are a variety of locking systems on the market that are used to secure laptop computers, many of which utilize a lock that engages a slot formed in the body of the laptop. The lock include a T-shape locking tab that is received in the slot and then rotated 90 degrees to prevent its removal. The tab is then locked into this position to ensure that the lock remains connected to the laptop. A cable may connected to the lock to secure the lock and laptop to an immovable, or at least difficult to move object, and thus prevent removal of the laptop.
Some locks are configured to be opened by a key. Other locks are combination type locks that are unlocked by entry of a combination, typically using a number of rotatable wheels. One of the drawbacks of these combination locks is that they tend to be rather large. The wheels in such locks are typically separated from each other to accommodate connectors that connect the outer wheel to an inner wheel including a notch that may be aligned with protrusions on the locking rod to unlock the lock, that is allow for movement of the rod to release the lock from the laptop. This required separation tends to elongate the lock. The more wheels there are in the lock, the more axial length is needed. Generally, it is desirable to have at least four wheels, that is, a four digit combination, to ensure that the total number of possible combinations is sufficiently large to provide security. The use of four number wheels, however, leads to a relatively large length of the lock which is unwieldly.
In addition, conventional combination locks are typically housed in a two piece housing that is connected via rivets. This rivet connection is relatively weak, and thus, easily defeated.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a combination lock suitable for use in securing electronic devices such as laptops that has a reduced length and increased durability.

Combination lock with reduced axial length


An improved medication dispenser station is provided for controlled access storage of medications and other pharmaceuticals in a medical facility, such as a hospital or the like. The dispenser station comprises a housing with a plurality of normally locked drawers which have been preloaded with selected pharmaceutical items. A control unit on the housing is programmed to unlock the drawers one at a time to permit access to the contents thereof, with such access being contingent upon keyboard entry of a predetermined access code and other selected information sufficient to generate an access record. In a preferred form, each drawer includes multiple compartments containing multiple pharmaceutical items in a presorted array. One or more of the drawers desirably includes a multicompartment carousel tray which rotates in response to appropriate data entry via the keyboard to align and lock a designated compartment for access through an access opening in an overlying cover plate, thereby restricting access to a single compartment of the rotatable tray.

This invention relates generally to devices and systems for controlled dispensing of medications and other pharmaceutical items in a hospital environment or nursing home or the like. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved medication dispenser station and related method of operation for providing relatively simple yet controlled access to a wide range of pharmaceutical items, concurrently with generation and maintenance of an accurate, detailed access record.
In a hospital environment or the like, a large number of pharmaceutical items such as medications, syringes, dressings, etc. are used in the course of individualized medical treatment provided to multiple patients. Such pharmaceutical items are normally stocked at a centralized location in a hospital pharmacy for periodic distribution to nursing stations or the like located throughout the hospital facility. Such distribution of pharmaceutical items is tailored to the specific needs of each nursing station, particularly with respect to the individual medical treatment requirements for patients assigned to each nursing station. For example, many medications are typically prescribed by physicians for administration to specific patients according to a particular time schedule. Other medications and pharmaceutical items are normally stocked at the nursing station for use on an as needed basis.
At each nursing station, the pharmaceutical items are stored for access by nursing personnel in accordance with individual patient requirements. In this regard, many items are normally maintained in unlocked storage for easy and substantially unrestricted access, while other items such as narcotic medications are normally retained in locked storage to prevent unauthorized access and theft. For all pharmaceutical items, however, withdrawal of pharmaceutical items from inventory is accompanied by updating of the medication administration record (MAR) for the appropriate patient. In this regard, such record maintenance is an important function of nursing personnel to confirm the treatment regimen for each patient, to insure proper charging of patient accounts, and to permit accurate tracking of the pharmaceutical inventory. Unfortunately, due to the exigencies of a typical nursing environment, the medication records are often incomplete and/or inaccurate. As a result, the inventory of some or all of the pharmaceutical items is regularly checked, such as at the conclusion of each nursing shift, in an effort to reduce recording and/or treatment errors and further to minimize pilferage losses.
In recent years, a variety of devices and systems have been proposed in attempts to provide improved inventory control for pharmaceutical items in a hospital environment or the like. Many such devices have contemplated individual medication dispensers located at bedside in association with individual patients. However, the use of multiple bedside dispensers can be relatively costly and further requires regular manual attention to ensure proper loading and individualized programming for each patient. Other systems have envisioned centralized units at a nursing station or the like for maintaining different medications and related pharmaceutical items under locked storage. While such centralized units have provided improved safety and enhanced record keeping for narcotic substances, such units have unduly restricted access to many routine pharmaceutical items. Accordingly, prior centralized medication units have not met with commercial acceptance on any significant scale.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved medication dispenser station designed for storage of a wide range of pharmaceutical items at a centralized location in a medical facility, wherein those pharmaceutical items are relatively easily accessed by authorized personnel in a manner which generates and maintains accurate access records. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.