The present application relates to compounds of Formula (I) or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates and/or prodrugs thereof, to compositions comprising these compounds or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates and/or prodrugs thereof, and various uses in the treatment of diseases, disorders or conditions that are treatable by inhibiting interactions with BCL6 BTB, such as cancer.

BCL6 (B Cell Lymphoma 6) is a member of the BTB/POZ (bric-á-brac, tramtrack, broad complex/pox virus zinc finger) family of transcription factors. The BCL6 gene was initially cloned by several groups in 1993 from a translocation occurring on chromosome 3q27 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) [Histol Histopathol 2004, 19:637-650]. Targeted disruption of the BCL6 gene revealed that BCL6 during normal B-cell development is a master regulator of antibody affinity maturation in germinal centers (GCs) [Nat Rev Immunol 2008, 8:22-33]. BCL6 is almost universally expressed in GC-derived B-cell lymphomas, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphomas (FLs), regardless of translocations.
In normal lymphoid biology, BCL6 is required for naïve B cells to form GCs which are cellular compartments dedicated to the affinity maturation of antibodies. The GC is the site of two key molecular processes unique to B-cells: somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class switching recombination (CSR) [Trends Biochem Sci 2003, 28: 305-312]. Upon antigen-induced B-cell activation, B-cells proliferate and differentiate into either centroblasts or plasma cells [Annu Rev Immunol 1994 12: 117-139]. The centroblasts go through the dark zone of the GC where they rapidly proliferate, differentiate and revise their antigen receptors via SHM and CSR [Cell 1991 67: 1121-9; Nature 1991 354: 389-92; Cell 1981 27: 573-581]. SHM modulates the affinity of the antibodies to a specific antigen and, while not wishing to be limited by theory, it is believed that the mistargeting of SHM can result in the translocation of oncogenes.
BCL6 is a transcriptional repressor that reduces mRNA expression of its target genes by regulating survival and differentiation via distinct corepressor complexes [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2007. 104(9): 3207-12; Blood 2007. 110(6): 2067-74; Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 2003. 300(2): 391-6]. BCL6 has six zinc fingers at its carboxyl terminus mediating sequence-specific DNA binding to regulatory sequences [Nat Immunol, 2007. 8(7): p. 705-14]. BCL6 binds to DNA as a homo-dimer and recruits, through its N-terminal domain, class I and II histone deacetylase complexes (HDACs) either directly or through corepressor molecules such as SMRT, NCOR1 and BCOR.
Different subsets of target genes appear to be repressed depending on which corepressors are engaged by BCL6 through the BTB domain [Blood 2007. 110(6): 2067-74]. The corepressors that bind to the BTB appear to be involved in the regulation of transcription associated with early stages of the GC process. Genome-wide studies indicate that BCL6 may, for example, target as many as 500 genes [Blood 2007. 110(6): 2067-74] mainly involved in cell cycle, gene transcription, DNA damage sensing, protein ubiquitylation and chromatin structure modification.
Direct BCL6 repressed target genes include ataxia telangectasia and Rad3 related (ATR), CHK1 checkpoint homolog (S. pombe) (CHEK1), tumor protein p53 (TP53) and cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A or p21 (CDKN1A) [Nat Immunol, 2007. 8(7): 705-14]. These genes belong to survival pathways involved in DNA damage sensing and checkpoint activation. They are primarily regulated through the SMRT and NCOR corepressors. Both of these corepressors contain a highly conserved 17-residue BCL6 binding domain (BBD) that interacts with the homodimeric BTB domain [Mol Cell, 2003. 12(6): 11561-64] forming a promoter-localized protein complex. This complex represses the transcription of target genes such as ATR, TP53 and CDKN1A which in turn attenuates the DNA damage response and promote cell survival.
In addition to its role in survival, BCL6 also regulates differentiation through a specific BCL6 corepressor complex that represses B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein1 or PRDM1 (BLIMP1), a transcription factor that promotes plasmacytic differentiation [Cell, 2004. 119(1): 75-86]. Maturation of GC B cells toward memory B-cells and plasma cells usually requires the down-regulation of BCL6. Such down-regulation of BCL6 function can occur via antigen-induced B cell receptor (BCR) mediated activation that subsequently leads to rapid BCL6 proteasomal degradation [Genes Dev, 1998. 12(13): 1953-61]. Alternatively, T-cell-mediated stimulation through the CD40 pathway leads to NF-κB driven induction of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), a regulator of plasma-cell development [Science, 1997. 275(5299): 540-3]. IRF4 leads to the transcriptional repression of BCL6 and to the transactivation of BLIMP1, which drives the regulatory program associated with plasmacytic differentiation and immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion [Cell. 1994; 77:297-306].
BCL6 has also been shown to play a role in the regulation of genes involved in the B-T cell interaction by regulating the expression levels of CD80 and CD274 (alias B7-H1, PDL1) [J Exp Med. 2003, 198(2):211-2; Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2009, 106(27):11294-9]. CD80 is expressed on B cells, and its interaction with CD28 is involved in T-cell activation, GC formation, and immunoglobulin class switching [J Immunol. 1997, 159(11):5336-44]. The B-T cell interaction is a step toward successful B-cell activation. Another gene for B-cell activation that is regulated by BCL6 is CD69. CD69 (a type II transmembrane glycoprotein) is an early activation marker in lymphocytes and is also a signal transmitter in inflammatory processes [Life Sci. 2012, 90(17-18):657-65]. The global BCL6-mediated repression of target genes such as CD69 and CD80 prevent premature activation of B cells during proliferative expansion. A number of other signaling pathways are modulated by BCL6 transcriptional repression. These include multiple interferon-types (e.g. interferon regulatory factor 7 or IRF7) and interleukin receptors as well as STAT (signal transducers and activators of transcription) family members including STAT1, STAT2 and STAT3 [Adv Immunol. 2010; 105:193-210; Blood. 2010, 115(5):975-84; Blood 2008, 111(3):1515-23]. Toll-like-receptor (TLR) signaling is also modulated by BCL6 via regulation of receptor expression (e.g. TLR7) as well as transduction of Toll-derived signals. The TLR pathway has also been shown to play a major role in the development and differentiation of memory B cells [Nature. 2005, 438(7066):364-8; Adv Exp Med Biol. 2005; 560:11-8; J Exp Med. 2007, 204(13):3095-101].
Role of BCL6 in Cancers
The mechanisms that mediate the remodeling of antigen receptors in the GCs involve potentially mutagenic DNA double-strand breaks and suppression of the apoptotic machinery by BCL6. Failure to reactivate apoptosis upon exit from the GC has been established as a mechanism involved in lymphomagenesis, and has been specifically linked to diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL); an aggressive GC-derived malignancy that accounts for approximately 35% of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cases.
DLBCL is a heterogeneous disease with two major subtypes: the GC B cell-like (GCB) subtype characterized by an expression signature similar to normal GC B cells, and the activated B cell-like (ABC) subtype with gene expression pattern like in vitro BCR stimulation, which has a poorer prognosis [Nature. 2000. 403(6769): 503-11]. The most common genetic alterations in DLBCL affect the BCL6 promoter region and involve mutations in the 5′ noncoding region and chromosomal translocations. Further experimental evidence that overexpression is sufficient for lymphomagenesis was provided by the production of transgenic mice in which BCL6 was driven by the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) Iμ promoter [Cancer. Cell. 2005. 7(5): 445-55]. These mice developed a disease histologically similar to human DLBCL.
Gene rearrangements at 3q27 have been reported in 30-40% of DLBCL with a higher percentage being observed in the ABC subtype [Oncogene. 2001. 20(40): 5580-94]. These translocations place an intact BCL6 coding domain under the influence of heterologous promoter regions derived from a variety of alternative partner chromosomes (>20) including the immunoglobulin heavy and light chain genes resulting in deregulated expression of the normal BCL6 protein [EMBO J. 1995. 14(24): 6209-17]. In addition, while not wishing to be limited by theory, BCL6 may contribute to lymphomagenesis when its downregulation, which usually occurs after affinity maturation, is disrupted. One proposed mechanism for BCL6 downregulation disruption is the loss of IRF4 binding sites in the BCL6 gene. IRF4 expression is induced by sustained CD40 stimulation of the NF-κB pathway in germinal center cells. IRF4 usually binds to exon 1 and intron 1 of the BCL6 gene and represses BCL6 expression, but chromosome translocations or point mutations introduced during SHM (which commonly target the 5′ non-coding promoter region of BCL6) may prevent this repressive effect [Cancer. Cell. 2007. 12(3): 280-92]. BCL6 promoter binding and gene repression has also been shown to vary between normal and malignant cells. BCL6 dependency has no correlation to the cell of origin (COO) classification system as dependency occurs in both ABC and GCB cell lines.
Studies have integrated genomic analysis and functional screens to provide a rationale for targeted therapies within defined populations of BCL6 driven DLBCL. Personalizing treatments by identifying patients with oncogenic dependencies via genotyping and specifically targeting the responsible drivers such as BCL6 may be useful for the treatment of DLBCL [Clin. Cancer. Res, 2012. 18(17): 4538-48].
Overexpression of BCL6 has been identified as a resistance mechanism arising during the targeted treatment of BCR-ABL1-positive leukemia and suggests a potential therapeutic opportunity to overcome this resistance. The BCR-ABL1 fusion gene is found in nearly all chronic myeloid leukemia (CMLs) and in about 25% of ALLs; the resulting oncogenic protein can be targeted by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as imatinib, but the acute cellular response reveals protective feedback signaling leading to resistance. BCL6 expression appears to directly influence the response to imatinib as the authors found that modulation of BCL6 levels had the expected effects on the sensitivity of ALL cells to imatinib. A small molecule BCL6 BTB inhibitor that may have utility in, for example, TKI-resistant Ph+ ALL patients, since TKI-resistance develops in most cases of Ph+ ALL [Nature, 2011. 473(7343): 384-388].
CML is induced by the oncogenic BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase and can be treated with TKIs. However, if CML patients do not receive life-long TKI treatment, leukemia will eventually recur. Such resistance can be attributed to the failure of TKI treatment to eradicate leukemia-initiating cells (LICs). Recent studies demonstrated that forkhead box O (FoxO) transcription factors are critical for maintenance of CML-initiating cells. The BCL6 protooncogene was identified as a downstream effector of FoxO in self-renewal signaling of CML-initiating cells. BCL6 represses Arf and p53 in CML cells and is involved in colony formation and initiation of leukemia [Curr Opin Immunol, 2011. 13(2): 134-40]. Inhibition of BCL6 in human CML cells compromises colony formation and leukemia initiation in transplant recipients and selectively eradicates CD34+ CD38− LICs in patient-derived CML samples. Pharmacological inhibition of BCL6 may therefore eradicate LICs in CML, potentially limiting the duration of TKI treatment in CML patients, and/or substantially decrease the risk of blast crisis transformation.
X-ray crystallographic studies have shown that the BCL6 BTB domain forms a tight homodimer, and in solution the BCL6 BTB domain also appears to exist exclusively as a dimer, exhibiting a very low dissociation constant [Mol Cell, 2003. 12(6): 1551-64]. The BCL6 BTB domain interacts in a mutually exclusive manner with three corepressors: SMRT, NCOR1 and BCOR. Mutations that change the surface of the BCL6 lateral groove (without affecting the overall structure of the domain) no longer bind to the corepressor BBDs, and these mutations abrogate BCL6 BTB domain repressor activity. The above structural features suggest that the BCL6 BTB domain is druggable. Hence, agents that bind to the BCL6 BTB domain and compete for corepressor binding can reverse the repression activities of BCL6. Selective targeting of the BCL6 BTB domain could minimize toxicity compared to complete abrogation of BCL6 function. However, the length and complexity of the interface between the BBD and the BCL6 BTB binding groove are potential barriers toward developing effective small molecule inhibitors. Molecules such as BBD peptides, which contain many polar and charged amino acids, interact with an extended surface of the BCL6 BTB dimer, mostly through hydrogen bonds and multiple van der Waals contacts. Molecules large enough to fully occupy the lateral groove would be unlikely to readily penetrate cells as demonstrated by the peptide BPI, with potency in the micromolar range and a short half-life in vivo [Nat Med, 2004. 10(12): 1329-35]. Three articles have reported the identification of chemical ligands for the BTB domain of BCL6 (J. Med. Chem. 2017, 60, 4358-4368; J. Med. Chem. 2017, 60, 4386-4402; Cell Reports 2017, 20, 2860-2875).
Considering the challenges generally associated with targeting protein-protein interactions, and the current need that exists to treat BCL6 dependent tumor types such as DLBCL, complementary approaches, namely virtual screening, focused library screening, and focused structure activity relationship studies, were used to identify compounds of Formula I, which inhibit the BCL6 BTB protein-protein interaction.

Tricyclic inhibitors of the BCL6 BTB domain protein-protein interaction and uses thereof

ONTARIO INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH (OICR)


An assembly includes a self-contained, adjustable shrouding for a MIMO or SISO, or combination thereof, retransmission system enclosure. The enclosure ensures proper coverage areas of small to large facilities. The proper coverage is achieved through cake layer pie designs that previously often resulted in capacity and sector overlay issues. The antenna enclosure has a directional nature that allows for dividing stadiums, arenas, tracks, (or other large groups) into manageable smaller coverage areas through controlled directional zoning.

The present invention relates to antenna enclosures and shrouds and, more particularly, to an enclosure with a self-contained, adjustable shrouding with a cover for multiple independent radio frequency panel antennas used for multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) or single-input/single-output (SISO) or combination of both MIMO and SISO retransmission systems.
Conventional systems use higher levels of RF power along with many antennas to cover one large group of cell phone coverage areas instead of dividing these groups into a certain number of groups requiring less power with control of what RF transmissions are provided to an area as well as controlled direction of that transmission in order to cover specific areas. By dividing large groups of cell phone user radio frequency (RF) circuits into manageable smaller coverage areas, capacity issues can be avoided. However, conventional systems that may attempt to do this have to deal with sector overlay issues.
As can be seen, there is a need for a method and apparatus for dividing large groups of cell phone user circuits in a building or highly concentrated population of users into smaller groups.

Enclosure with self-contained adjustable shrouding


The purpose of the present invention is to measure pH of a sample with high accuracy in a pH sensor array, without the use of a glass reference electrode. Each time that a sample is measured, the potential Vrm of the sample is identified, and the identified potential Vrm is used to calculate the pH. The outputs Voi1 and Voi2 of a first element and a second element located near one another in a sensor array are represented as follows. Voi1=Si1×pHi1+Gi1×Vrm+Ci1, Voi2=Si2×pHi2+Gi2×Vrm+Ci2. Voi is the output of the element, Si and Gi are sensitivity coefficients, and Ci is a constant, these values having been derived in advance. Here, where the potential Vrm is constant, and the elements located near one another are presumed to be at equal pH (pHi1=pHi2), the potential Vrm is identified by solving a linear equation with two unknowns.

In the patent document 1, it is disclosed that a pH sensor array is provided with plural pH sensors arranged two-dimensionally to measure the pH distribution of a sample and output the two-dimensional image of the pH distribution measured.
In such a pH sensor array, the reference electrode is placed in contact with the sample to make the potential of the sample stable, similarly in a general pH sensor.
When the exact measurement of the pH value is required in the fields of medicine, biochemistry and so forth, a glass electrode is adopted for the reference electrode.

Method for identifying pH, device for same, and method for identifying ion concentration

National University Corporation Toyohashi University of Technology


A power system for a vehicle may include at least one controller and a battery having a plurality of cells. The at least one controller may, for each of the cells, determine a capacity of the cell, determine a duration of time to supply cell load current to reduce the determined capacity of the cell to a value approximately equal to a minimum of the determined capacities, and cause the cell to supply cell load current for the determined duration of time to balance the battery.

Vehicle battery rebalancing is performed to correct cell imbalance conditions. The voltage of each of the cells is measured and the cell having the minimum voltage identified. All other cells are bled down via resistive circuitry associated with each cell until the other cells have a measured voltage approximately equal to the minimum. Continuous/periodic cell voltage measurements are taken during the bleed down process to monitor change in the cell voltages. Once all of the cell voltage readings are approximately equal, the battery is charged.

Battery cell capacity balancing system and method


A UV forming apparatus and method for roll to roll alignment is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an unrolling mechanism (101), a coating mechanism (102), a UV forming mechanism (100), a stripping mechanism (107) and a withdraw roll mechanism (110); wherein the apparatus further comprises an adjusting alignment mechanism (10) comprising a flat mold supporting apparatus (116) and an alignment probe (108), the flat mold supporting apparatus (116) is capable of adjusting the position of the flat mold at three degrees of freedom including horizontal, vertical, and angle; the mold (112) is disposed on the flat mold supporting apparatus, the UV forming mechanism (100) and the adjusting alignment mechanism (10) are fixed to the forming apparatus. The present disclosure eliminates the influence of the cumulative error and the bubbles to patterns in the alignment procedure during production.

UV embossing is a technology of disposing UV curing material between a mold and substrate, pressing the material into the undulating mold structure under pressure, and copying the mold via stripping after UV curing. Embossing and more specifically, nano-embossing plays an irreplaceable role in graphical production (e.g. optical film, anti-counterfeit labels, CD, MEMS and etc.). It is an important researching object in optical display, information storage, biological medicine and other high-tech fields. Compared to other micro-nano processing means (e.g. UV lithography, electron beam and ion beam lithography), nano-embossing has the advantages of simple operation, high resolution, and good repetition.
At present, technology of single-side embossing on a surface of substrate has been very mature. Patterns with less than 100 nm line width may be produced via single-side embossing apparatus with a flat or curved surface mold. But in some areas such as double anti-counterfeiting label, single-side embossing technology can no longer meet the requirements. In these areas, double-side embossing technology mainly comprises the following two types:
One is double-side embossing technology with 2 rollers, which is based on the principle of single-side embossing with a curved surface mold, wherein two coated curved surface mold or directly carved pattern rollers are disposed on an apparatus, for embossing on a positive and negative side respectively. The method can implement rapidly roll to roll double-side embossing. However, the alignment accuracy of the pattern on the positive and negative side in each embossing unit is one of the important factors of the embossing quality. Double-roller technology uses two rollers with the same diameter in theory, for the double-side alignment. But in fact, there is some error in the production of nip rollers, the diameter cannot be completely consistent, slight differences will be significantly enlarged after thousands of embossing, therefore the embossing pattern on the positive and negative side cannot be in counterpoint. In addition, the mold is coated on the nip roller, which will easily introduce angle error, lead to pattern rotation on one side, and lose double side counterpoint.
The other is double-side embossing technology with two flat molds, usually disposing two un-deforming flat molds on the positive and negative side of substrate, wherein the substrate is coated with embossing material on the positive and negative side, two molds and the substrate is closely attached and finish double-side embossing of a unit in vacuum. Although this method can implement the patterns alignment on the positive and negative side, but it requires the introduction of vacuum steps to remove air bubbles between the mold and the embossing material, and comprises two problems: (1) a confined space is needed to create a vacuum environment, (2) Vacuum pumping process will take long hours. These problems decide the method cannot implement rapidly roll-to-roll producing.

UV curable resin embossing apparatus and method for roll to roll alignment

SUZHOU MONS-WAY PHOTOELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY LIMITED COMPANY


The present invention provides a crosslinkable elastomer composition, in which generation of HF under high temperature conditions is reduced, the decrease in weight to both NF3 plasma treatment and O3 treatment in the semiconductor manufacturing process is small and generation of foreign substances (particles) in these treatments is suppressed significantly. Specifically, the present invention relates to a crosslinkable elastomer composition comprising a crosslinkable elastomer and a filler having a specific surface area of at least 0.5 m2/g and containing a synthetic polymer having a thermally and chemically stable aromatic ring in the main chain, a crosslinkable elastomer composition comprising a crosslinkable elastomer and nonoxide ceramics and a crosslinkable elastomer composition wherein the decrease in weight by NF3 plasma irradiation is at most 0.20%.

Fluorine-containing elastomers, particularly perfluoro elastomers composed mainly of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) units, exhibit excellent chemical resistance, solvent resistance and heat resistance and therefore are widely used as sealing material under severe conditions.
However, the desired properties have become more severe as technology advances, and in the fields of aerospace, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and chemical plant, sealing properties under high temperatures of 300° C. or higher is desired. Use under such high temperature conditions induce partial degradation of a polymer and cause generation of hydrogen fluoride (HF). Generation of HF at high temperatures not only adversely affects the members that the polymer contacts but is also presumed to adversely affect the elastomer, as HF is aggressive to molecular chains and crosslinking points of the elastomer.
Conventionally, decrease in generation of HF has been attempted by adding silicic acid anhydride (SiO2) to a fluorine-containing elastomer (JP-A-2002-515525). Generation of HF can be sufficiently reduced according to this method. However, because SiO2 contains a large amount of functional groups on the surface, the water content is difficult to control and when a large amount of SiO2 is added, delay in curing of the crosslinking reaction occurs.
In the process of manufacturing a semiconductor, CVD is employed for the step of forming insulating membrane and thin film of metal wiring. In a CVD equipment, elastomeric sealing material is used for sealing various connecting and movable parts. These sealing materials are required not only to have sealing properties, but also to be able to withstand harsh plasma treatment conditions of high-density (1012 to 1013/cm3), as semiconductors are becoming microscopic and substrate wafers are becoming large, and to not contaminate the semiconductor, in which extremely precise processing is required. As an elastomeric material of sealing material that can handle such demands, a crosslinkable fluorine elastomer and silicone elastomer have been employed. Furthermore, in order to achieve mechanical strength more sufficiently than when crosslinked by an elastomer alone, usually an organic or inorganic filler is compounded. Examples of fillers that have been conventionally used or suggested are carbon black, silica (Japanese Patent No. 2783576, Japanese Patent No. 2858198), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) powder, titanium oxide powder, clay, talc and barium sulfate.
In order to clean the chamber of CVD apparatus after the film forming process by CVD, cleaning is conducted by high-density F radical using NF3 remote plasma. As shown in FIG. 1, in a CVD apparatus, remote plasma cleaning is conducted, by connecting another F radical generating machine 1, which can generate high-density F radical, to process chamber 2, in which CVD process is conducted, supplying high-density F radical into chamber 2 and decomposing and removing substances attached to the inside of chamber 2 and sealing material 3. In FIG. 1, numerals 4, 5 and 6 respectively represent a massflow adjuster, a pressure controller and a vacuum pump.
In the process of manufacturing a semiconductor, there is the wet process step, in which the wafer is washed using O3 water. Consequently, the sealing material must be stable to not only NF3 plasma treatment but also O3 treatment.
However, of the above fillers, fillers such as silica and titanium oxide are stable to O3 treatment but are decomposed by NF3 plasma treatment, causing decrease in weight. On the other hand, fillers such as carbon black and PTFE powder are stable to NF3 plasma treatment but are decomposed by O3 treatment, causing decrease in weight. The decrease in weight of the filler that occurs due to the treatments indicates that the decreased matter adversely affects the semiconductor or liquid crystal in some way as unnecessary foreign substances.
As a filler that is stable to these treatments, alumina and an imide filler have been suggested (WO00/64980, WO01/32782). Alumina has resistance to both oxygen plasma and fluorine plasma and has the advantage that the product is not adversely affected even though dust is generated. However, there is the problem that alumina accelerates degradation of a fluorine elastomer under high-density and high temperature fluorine plasma. On the other hand, an imide filler does not generate dust as alumina and does not cause degradation of fluorine rubber as alumina.
In semiconductor equipment including CVD equipment, a switching valve called a gate valve or a slit valve is used for areas at which a wafer is inserted and taken out. The sealing material used in this valve is required to have high strength as the valve suffers mechanical abrasion when opening and closing the valve. However, an elastomer containing an imide filler having the above advantages has low strength, due to large particle size of the filler, and cannot sufficiently withstand the mechanical abrasion when opening and closing the valve. Also, there is the problem that processability of the composition is low, due to large particle size of the filler.
As described above, a fluorine-containing elastomer composition, in which the amount of HF generated under high temperature is small, heat resistance and processability are improved and plasma resistance is excellent, is not yet known.

Crosslinkable elastomer composition and formed product comprising the same


It is an object of the invention to provide a portable terminal device having an excellent operability in a voice communication.

In recent years, a portable terminal device of a folding type which becomes compact by folding two housings through a hinge portion has been popular. In contrast to the portable terminal device of a folding type, conventionally, there has been proposed a portable terminal of a folding type (a cell phone) in which one of two housings is constituted to be rotatable with respect to the other housing.
FIG. 17 shows the external shape of a conventional portable terminal, and FIG. 17(a) shows a first closing state, FIG. 17(b) shows a first opening state, FIG. 17(c) shows a second closing state and FIG. 17(d) shows a second opening state.
As shown in FIGS. 17(a) to 17(d), a first housing 201 is provided with a display portion 203, a receiver 204 and a camera 205 on a first surface 202, and a speaker 207 is provided on a second surface 206 side to be the opposite surface of the first surface 202. A second housing 208 is provided with an operating portion 209 and a microphone 210. The first housing 201 and the second housing 202 are constituted to be openable through a hinge portion 211 in the direction of an arrow G in the drawing, and the first housing 201 is constituted to be rotatable through the hinge portion 211 in the direction of an arrow H with respect to the second housing 208.
When the portable terminal device is folded in such a manner that the display portion 203 is exposed as in the first closing state of FIG. 17(a), various information displayed on the display portion 203 can also be confirmed in the closing state, which is very convenient to a user. Moreover, it is also possible to execute various functions of the portable terminal device by simply changing the positional relationship of the first housing 201 with respect to the second housing 208 (see Patent Document 1).
(Patent Document 1) JP-A-2001-169166 Publication
In the conventional portable terminal device, it is possible to execute various functions of the portable terminal device by changing the positional relationship of the first housing with respect to the second housing. However, there has not been disclosed a specific technique for switching the receiver 204 to be a voice output source to the speaker 207 when a hands-free call is to be carried out. In other words, the switching of a function in a voice communication has not been disclosed.
The invention has been made in consideration of the circumstances and has an object to provide a portable terminal device having an excellent operability in a voice communication.

Abstract: There are provided a receiver (106) provided on a surface (101g) of a first housing member (101a) which is opposed to a second housing member (101b) in a closing state, a speaker (107) provided on a surface (101i) of the second housing member (101b) which is opposed to the first housing member (101a) in the closing state and having a higher output level than the first voice output means, and a control portion (120) for deciding a positional relationship of the first housing member (101a) with the second housing member (101b) and setting an output source for a voice at the start of a voice communication to either the receiver (106) or the speaker (107) corresponding to a result of the decision.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an endoscope for facilitating a medical procedure by creating an anatomic space in or adjacent a target bodily tissue to be imaged. The endoscope can comprise a flexible, elongate tubular member defining a central lumen and an expandable dissecting member coupled to a distal end of the tubular member. The tubular member can further include at least one imaging channel extending longitudinally therethrough. The at least one imaging channel can include a visualization system for conveying an image from the distal end of the tubular member to a user. The expandable dissecting member can define a channel in fluid communication with the central lumen of the tubular member. The expandable dissecting member can extend beyond the distal end of the tubular member.

Surgeons in the past have used blunt-tipped instruments as well as balloons in connection with endoscopic surgery to dissect tissue and develop a working space in the interior of the body. Typically, the development of such a working space is done blindly or under endoscopic viewing only if at least one accessory port or accessway is established. To perform a surgery in such a working space, the working space is maintained by insufflation with carbon dioxide gas, which provides room for viewing with an endoscope as well as room for manipulating accessory instruments. To introduce such accessory instruments into the working space, additional incisions typically are made by plunging a sharp-tipped trocar through the distended body wall overlying the insufflated working space.
It has been found that it may be undesirable to dissect accessways and anatomic spaces blindly. It also has been found that it may be difficult to make additional incisions into a dissected anatomic space, particularly if of limited volume or if overlying delicate anatomic structures. Additionally, it has been found that insufflation of a working space with carbon dioxide causes tissue emphysema, which may be undesirable for particular patients because of excessive carbon dioxide absorption into the blood, thus making a minimally invasive endoscopic approach unsuitable.

Endoscope for tissue dissection and visualization


A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named xe2x80x98Yowoodstockxe2x80x99, characterized by its uniform, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; strong and freely branching growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering habit; early flowering habit; large anemone-type inflorescences; white-colored ray florets with enlarged yellow green-colored disc florets; and good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yowoodstock.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Yowoodstockxe2x80x99.
The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, and good postproduction longevity.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventor in June, 1998, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-5721, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedling selection identified as code number YB-4609, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. in March, 1999. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, desirable inflorescence form and ray floret colors, fast response time, and excellent postproduction longevity.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in June, 1999. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Yowoodstock has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Yowoodstockxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Yowoodstockxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:
1. Uniform, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Strong and freely branching growth habit.
3. Dark green-colored foliage.
4. Uniform flowering habit.
5. Early flowering, 8-week response time.
6. Large anemone-type inflorescences.
7. White-colored ray florets with enlarged yellow green-colored disc florets.
8. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in ray floret coloration as plants of the new Chrysanthemum have white-colored ray florets whereas plants of the female parent selection have pink-colored ray florets. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum are not as vigorous as and flower about one week later than plants of the female parent selection.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in inflorescence form as plants of the new Chrysanthemum have anemone-type inflorescences whereas plants of the male parent selection have single daisy-type inflorescences. In addition, plants of the new Chrysanthemum do not produce pollen whereas plants of the male parent selection produce pollen.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar White Yograceland, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,508. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Salinas, Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar White Yograceland in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were not as vigorous as plants of the cultivar White Yograceland.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three or four days later than plants of the cultivar White Yograceland.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had shorter ray florets than plants of the cultivar White Yograceland.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger discs than plants of the cultivar White Yograceland.


High-Strength polypropylene fiber is obtained from polypropylene having incorporated therein from 0.05 to 10,000 ppm by weight of a vinylcycloalkane polymer. The disclosed fiber polypropylene has an intrinsic viscosity of from 0.5 to 2.5 dl/g as measured in a tetralin solution at 135.degree. C. and a ratio of weight average molecular weight to number average molecular weight of not more than 3.5/1.

The standard technique for enhancing strength of polypropylene fiber comprises increasing the draft ratio. In addition, various studies on stretching conditions, spinning conditions, molecular weight of polypropylene, and the like have been conducted for the same purpose.
For example, JP-B-54-32855 discloses a method comprising decreasing the molecular weight of polypropylene within a pelletizer. (The term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication".)
Other methods for enhancing strength include a method in which spinning is carried out by using a polypropylene resin with high crystallinity is known. There have been made some proposals to attempt to improve the crystallinity of polypropylene. For example, it that when aluminum salts or sodium salts of aromatic carboxylic acids (see JP-A-58-80329), or aromatic carboxylic acids, aromatic phosphoric acid metal salts or sorbitol derivatives (see JP-B-55-12460, JP-A-58-129036, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,207,739) are added, they function as a nucleus-generating agent (hereinafter referred to as a "nucleating agent") for crystal nuclei to thereby improve the crystallinity. (The term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application".)
However, among these nucleating agents, although the sorbitol derivatives exhibit an excellent nucleating effect, they usually bleed out of the resin and cause roll staining at spinning or generate a strong odor at processing; therefore, they are limited in terms of utility.
Moreover though the aluminum salts of aromatic carboxylic acids which have generally been used function as a nucleating agent, they generate a number of voids at molding of polypropylene or cause stretch cutting at stretching and, hence, have not always been satisfactory.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,501 discloses a process for adding a vinylcycloalkane polymer in order to improve the crystallinity of polypropylene and teaches that such a crystalline propylene polymer can be applied to fibers. However, the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,501 are very general, and this U.S. patent does not suggest any requirement for obtaining high-strength polypropylene fiber.
Besides, U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,534 discloses a method in which a crystalline propylene polymer is degraded with a peroxide to improve processability. However, this U.S. patent does not at all suggest that in the case of production of polypropylene fiber, stretchability is improved to obtain a high-stength fiber.
As described above, any of the conventional techniques has a limit in achievement of strength of polypropylene fiber strength. It has been demanded that polypropylene fiber strength be further improved.


An anti-snoring mouth guard for insertion into a mouth of a user for decreasing snoring and the effects of sleep apnea includes a mouthpiece portion having a bottom wall and a pair of upstanding side walls displaced and opposite one another and extending upwardly from the bottom wall, said mouthpiece having a hemispherical configuration that is complementary to a shape of the user's teeth. Collectively, the bottom wall and pair of side walls define a channel operable to receive teeth of a user's upper pallet. The anti-snoring mouth guard includes tongue depressor portion having a proximal end coupled to the mouthpiece and having a body extending rearwardly at a generally downward angle. A brace may extend between rear ends of the mouthpiece portion and define levels by which the tongue depressor may be inserted such that the tongue depressor may be adjusted vertically and front-to-back.

This invention relates generally to anti-snoring devices and, more particularly, to a mouthpiece for insertion into a person's mouth having a tongue depressor that suppresses or prevents the person's tongue from impeding his airway and, as a result, reducing or eliminating snoring and obstructive apnea.
Snoring is often perceived merely as "noisy breathing" when sleeping. Snoring happens when you can't move air freely through your nose and throat during sleep. However, snoring may actually be much more of a health concern, such as heart disease or another breathing dysfunction. About one-half of people who snore loudly have obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. Persons with sleep apnea often wear a CPAP mask for years to prevent the negative effects of sleep apnea, including possible death. Prevention of obstructive snoring, then, is of prime interest to persons with dangerous snoring and sleep apnea.
Various devices have been proposed for decreasing or preventing snoring. Although presumably effective for their intended purposes, there is still a need for a lightweight and simple solution for preventing a person's tongue from obstructing the person's airway and allowing snoring to occur.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a mouth guard for insertion into a mouth of a user for decreasing snoring and the effects of sleep apnea. Further, it would be desirable to have a mouth guard for insertion into a mouth of a snorer having a tongue depressor portion that is adjustable vertically, longitudinally, and angularly.


An edge emitting semiconductor laser includes a semiconductor body having a wave guide area. The wave guide area comprises a lower cover layer, a lower wave guide layer, an active layer for generating laser radiation, an upper wave guide layer and an upper cover layer. The wave guide area also includes at least one structured laser radiation scattering area in which a lateral base laser radiation mode experiences less scattering losses than the radiation of higher laser modes.

Laser diodes having high output powers are principally produced as so-called broad stripe lasers. In this case, the amplification of the optical field takes place in an active layer, which contains a quantum well structure, for example. The active layer of the semiconductor laser is typically embedded in waveguide layers in which the laser modes can propagate. The performance of the semiconductor laser is limited by the power density of the laser modes in the facet region. Excessively high peak field strengths at the side facet lead to the melting of the semiconductor material and to the destruction of the semiconductor laser. This damage to the laser is referred to as COMD (Catastrophic Optical Mirror Damage).
By virtue of a large lateral extent of the active layer, a high optical power can be coupled out from the edge emitter, without the critical power density being exceeded. As the active layer is widened, however, the number of transverse modes which can be amplified in this direction in the waveguide also increases, which results in a deterioration in the beam quality of the laser radiation coupled out.
For most applications of semiconductor lasers, operation in the transverse fundamental mode (single-mode laser) is desirable since the intensity profile of the lateral fundamental mode facilitates beam shaping and, in particular, the coupling of the laser radiation into optical waveguides. Moreover, the maximum power of the semiconductor laser can be increased in this case since the fundamental mode typically has no pronounced intensity peaks.
During the amplification of the desired lateral fundamental mode in the waveguide of the semiconductor laser, the amplification of the semiconductor material is selectively reduced locally, in particular, in a central region of the waveguide. On the other hand, the amplification still remains high in the edge regions of the waveguide. This amplification can suffice to cause higher modes to commence oscillation. Experimental investigations on broad stripe lasers show that the intensity distributions of the emitted radiation tend toward power boosting in the outer region of the active zone. This observation can be explained by the superposition of higher modes that experience a high degree of amplification in the outer region of the waveguide.
One approach for shaping the laser modes in semiconductor broad stripe lasers involves introducing so-called phase structures. This is described in the document WO 01/97349 A1.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E. V.


A water-based cosmetic including:                agar having a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 to 60,000 (component (A));        xanthan gum (component (B)); and        a water-soluble polymer excluding the component (A) or (B) (component (C)).

In water-based cosmetics such as aqueous cosmetics and oil-in-water emulsified cosmetics, water-soluble thickeners have been conventionally used for the purpose of enhancing the storage stability and the purpose of adjusting the tactile sensation. Examples of the water-soluble thickener include natural plant polymers such as agar, guar gum, carrageenan and glucomannan, natural microbial polymers such as xanthan gum, succinoglycan and gellan gum, and semi-synthetic/synthetic polymers such as carboxyvinyl polymers, alkyl-modified carboxyvinyl polymers, hydroxyethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and studies for reforming cosmetics by combining these thickeners have been conventionally conducted.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an external composition for skin obtained by combining agar having a weight average molecular weight (weight average molecular weight of 10,000 to 60,000) smaller than that of ordinary agar with xanthan gum at a specific ratio that is excellent in storage stability, extensibility to the skin and compatibility with the skin, can eliminate the sliminess originating from xanthan gum, does not generate scum-like residues, and can reduce the lubricity when moisture readheres to the fingers used for application.
In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses an emulsion-type external preparation for skin obtained by using a polysaccharide-based polymer and an acrylic polymer in combination that exhibits favorable storage stability even when carnitine or a salt thereof is blended, has no stickiness, and provides the skin with an excellent tactile sensation.
Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a cosmetic obtained by dispersing agar gel particles containing a powder in an aqueous medium containing one or two or more selected from carboxyvinyl polymers and alkyl-modified carboxyvinyl polymers and natural gums in which the agar gel particles easily disintegrate while leaving no residues, combine with the aqueous medium and uniformly spread onto the skin, and exhibit excellent compatibility with the skin.


Disclosed is a wearable terminal. The terminal may comprise: a detection circuit; a first electrode and a second electrode which are connected to the detection circuit to form open loop circuits, respectively, and are spaced apart from each other; and a control unit for controlling the wearable terminal to perform a pre-configured function when the first electrode and the second electrode simultaneously come into contact with a part of a user's body, and the detection circuit, the first electrode, and the second electrode then form a signal pathway through the part of the user's body.

The description provided in this section merely provides background information related to the embodiments and does not constitute the related art.
A computing device requires a device to receive an instruction from a user. A wearable terminal needs to minimize its volume and weight, and thus an area or a position for an input device of the wearable terminal are limited.
The input device includes, for example, a push button. The push button is typically positioned on a side of a main body of the wearable terminal. When viewed from a front of a wearable terminal designed for the right-handed, a push button is positioned on the right side of a main body thereof. This type of button is inconvenient to the left-handed when pushing the button. Further, the main body is formed in a bilaterally asymmetric shape due to the button.
To normally operate the button positioned on the side of the main body without a singer slipping, the main body should be supported with another finger on the opposite side of the button. When the supporting finger is not in alignment with a direction of force of the finger pushing the button, a torque occurs, and the main body rotates.
Meanwhile, a user may operate the wearable terminal by pushing the button unintentionally during a daily life or a sporting activity. With an increase in the number of button pushes, mechanical failure may occur. There is a difficulty in implementing a waterproof function in view of a trajectory of the button which is pushed and returned.

Wearable terminal and method for operating same


A platform for electronic components has a temperature sensing array, a vibration sensing array, a programmable logic device, and one or more cooling fans. The programmable logic device receives temperature data from the temperature sensing array and structure-borne noise data from the vibration sensing array. The programmable logic device analyzes the data, and based on this analysis, maintains the temperature and low level noise requirements of the system by activating, deactivating, speeding up, or slowing down one or more cooling fans.

Virtually all commercial and military industries are dependent on integrated processors, computing, and the electronic components associated therewith to carry out their businesses and missions. It is well known that these electronic components, when they are energized and consuming power, produce heat that in most instances must be actively removed by means other than simple radiation-dissipation to the surrounding environment. To accomplish this heat removal, many industrial and military applications use fans and/or blowers to convectively remove the heat produced by energy consuming electronic components.
To be most effective, these fans are normally mounted onto the chassis, housing, enclosure or platform that contains the electronic components. Mounting the fans in this manner however can create low level noise problems, since the vibration or structure-borne noise generated by the operating fans may be transmitted to the electronic components, the platform for the electronic components, and the surrounding environment.
In some applications, such as military submarine platforms in which stealth is required, it is critical to limit low level noise. Indeed, military standards such as MIL-STD 740-2 detail the measurement and limits of structure-borne low level vibratory noise. One way to limit such noise is to slow down the speed of the fans used to cool the electronic components, or to deactivate one or more of those fans.
The cooling of electronic components and the reduction of low level structure-borne noise are, on most if not all platforms, competing critical parameters. They are critical because an elevated temperature within an electronic enclosure may lead to failure of electronic components, and elevated structure-borne noise may lead to a military vehicle such as a submarine becoming detectable by hostile forces. They are competing because to attain or maintain a lower temperature, more fans must be run at greater speeds. However, operating more fans at greater speeds will increase the low level noise associated with the enclosure. Despite the dynamics and interrelatedness between temperature control and noise control, prior art systems are single point solutions—i.e. they address either temperature or noise independently, but not the effect of one on the other. Consequently, the art is in need of a system that can simultaneously and logically control both convective cooling and low level noise reduction so that the two competing interests can be simultaneously addressed.


A polymer composition includes a conductive polymer and at least one stretchability and electrical conductivity (STEC) enhancer, wherein a content of the STEC enhancer in the composition is at least about 1 wt. % of the composition.

Recent advancements in stretchable electronics have blurred the interfaces between human and machine. Devices such as epidermal electronics, implantable sensors, and hemispherical eye cameras rely on the intimate contact between devices and curvilinear surfaces of various biological systems, while operating with stability under up to about 100% strain. The most successful concept leading to such devices builds upon linking rigid islands of active components (e.g., transistors, LEDs, photovoltaics) with stretchable interconnects. Hence, developing conductors that can retain good electrical performance under high mechanical strain is desired.
Stretchable conductors have been fabricated via two main routes: strain engineering and nanocomposites. In the first approach, non-stretchable inorganic materials, such as metals, are geometrically patterned into wavy lines that can be extended when an underneath elastomer substrate is stretched. Alternatively, depositing a thin layer of conducting materials such as metals, carbon nanotubes, or graphene on a pre-strained substrate leads to the formation of periodic buckles upon releasing of the strain, which allows the materials to accommodate further cycles of stretching up to the initial pre-strained value. A kirigami design or microcracks have also been applied to sheets of flexible materials to allow macroscopic stretching motion. These methods demonstrate the possibility of transforming rigid materials into stretchable materials while maintaining their electrical properties. However, the fabrication methods involved are usually complicated, and it is challenging to achieve high device density due to large geometric patterns involved for high stretchability. In addition, the buckling and kirigami methods lead to out-of-plane patterns, which can be difficult to encapsulate and disadvantageous for devices that specify planar interfaces or lower profiles.
Embedding a conductive filler in an insulating elastomeric matrix to form a nanocomposite is the second major route towards stretchable conductors. Typically, one-dimensional (1-D) materials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or silver nanowires (AgNWs) are chosen as conductive fillers due to their high aspect ratios. Metal nanoparticles or flakes have also been shown to be good filler materials under specific conditions due to their ability to self-organize upon stretching. Despite the versatility and large number of material choices, the percolation-dependent conductivity is highly strain sensitive and remains a hurdle for device miniaturization and cycling stability.
It is against this background that a need arose to develop embodiments of this disclosure.

Highly stretchable, transparent, and conductive polymer

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


According to one embodiment, a method for compensating for inadequate bit resolution in a light processing system includes receiving a plurality of values each indicative of an intensity level for a pixel to be displayed. Each of the values is represented by a plurality of bits of data. The method also includes determining a quantization step size for the plurality of bits of data. For at least one particular pixel of the pixels, a set of consecutive pixels including the particular pixel is selected. The method also includes determining a difference between the value associated with the particular pixel in the set and each value associated with the other pixels in the set, and also determining that all of the determined differences are less than or equal to the quantization step size. In response, a filtered value for the particular pixel in the set is generated based at least on some of the pixels in the set in addition to the particular pixel.

Television displays and other types of displays often receive a data stream that is decoded by a decoder. For cost reasons, such decoders often possess inadequate resolution for high resolution displays. For example, eight bit decoders may be utilized where twelve or fourteen bit decoders would be more desirable.
This problem of inadequate bit resolution is exacerbated by other processing steps used in digital light processing systems. For example, to account for the non-linear response of a cathode ray tube, television signal images traditionally have a non-linear transfer function applied, and the non-linear response is provided as the input signal. This non-linear function is referred to as a gamma correction curve. In linear devices such as Digital Light Processing (DLP) Systems available from Texas Instruments, however, a de-gamma function must be applied to the incoming pixel stream to correct the unneeded gamma correction. The de-gamma function requires high input and output precision to prevent contouring. Contouring is a quantization artifact that appears as discreet jumps in smoothly varying images.
Other processing steps further exacerbate the problem of inadequate bit resolution. For example, a dynamic aperture approach has been suggested to reduce dither noise in DLP systems. With dynamic aperture, dark scenes are detected, lamp light output is reduced using an aperture, and incoming data is gained according to the amount of lamp light attenuation. The dynamic aperture approach dynamically adjusts the precision of the DLP System. More precision is added for dark scenes, where dither noises are more perceptible than for bright scenes. The dynamic aperture approach also dynamically adjusts the contrast of the projector. When the lamp light output is reduced, the black level is also decreased. This increase in DMD™ precision and projector contrast further exacerbates contours resulting in inadequate input bit precision.

Method and system for adaptive bit depth enhancement for displays


Systems, methods, and apparatuses including computer program products for segmenting words using scaled probabilities. In one implementation, a method is provided. The method includes receiving a probability of a n-gram identifying a word, determining a number of atomic units in the corresponding n-gram, identifying a scaling weight depending on the number of atomic units in the n-gram, and applying the scaling weight to the probability of the n-gram identifying a word to determine a scaled probability of the n-gram identifying a word.

This specification relates to segmenting words using scaled probabilities.
A n-gram is a sequence of n consecutive tokens, e.g. words or characters. A n-gram has an order, which is the number of tokens in the n-gram. For example, a 1-gram (or unigram) includes one token; a 2-gram (or bi-gram) includes two tokens.
Each n-gram has an associated probability estimate that is calculated as a function of n-gram relative frequency in training data. For example, a string of L tokens is represented as C1L=(c1, c2, . . . , cL). A probability can be assigned to the string C1L as:
            P                    (                  c          1          L                )              =                            ∏                      i            =            1                    L                                  P                                (                                          c                i                            ❘                              c                1                                  i                  -                  1                                                      )                              ≈                        ∏                      i            =            1                    L                                              P            ^                                          (                                          c                i                            ❘                              c                                  i                  -                  n                  +                  1                                                  i                  -                  1                                                      )                                ,where the approximation is based on a Markov assumption that only the most recent (n−1) tokens are relevant when predicting a next token in the string, and the "^" notation for P indicates that it is an approximation of the probability function.
Traditional techniques of word segmentation assume that the probabilities of n-grams identifying words are independent. Therefore, the traditional techniques use a product of probabilities of lesser order n-grams to determine a probability of the n-gram identifying a particular word. Lesser order n-grams are derived from the n-gram. For example, suppose a n-gram is "abc". Then, lesser order n-grams of the n-gram "abc" include: "a", "b", "c", "ab", and "bc". The probability of the n-gram (e.g., "abc") identifying more than one word is the product of the individual probabilities of each lesser order n-gram identifying a word (e.g., "a", "b", and "c"; "a" and "bc"; or "ab" and "c").
Because the traditional techniques follow the principle of independent probabilities, the traditional techniques strongly favor segmenting n-grams into words including a greater number of atomic units than words including a lesser number of atomic units. An atomic unit is a smallest ideographic unit that can be derived from a n-gram (e.g., English characters for the English language). For example, suppose a n-gram is "abc". Further assume that "a", "b", "c", and "abc" each have a probability of identifying a word equal to 0.1, or:P("a")=P("b")=P("c")=P("abc")=0.1.
Although the probabilities of "a", "b", and "c" each identifying a word; and the probability of "abc" identifying a word are equally likely, the traditional techniques strongly favor segmenting the n-gram into the longer word "abc". Using traditional techniques, the probability of "abc" identifying three separate words (i.e., "a", "b", and "c") equals the probability of "a" identifying a word multiplied by the probability of "b" identifying a word multiplied by the probability of "c" identifying a word, or:P("a","b","c")=P("a")P("b")P("c")=0.001
Therefore, the probability that "abc" identifies a single word is far greater than the probability that "abc" identifies the three words "a", "b", and "c", or:P("abc")>P("a","b","c").As a result, the traditional techniques are biased toward segmenting the n-gram into "abc" since it has a higher probability of identifying a word.
In practice, probabilities of n-grams identifying words are much lower, increasing the problem of the traditional techniques favoring segmentations that include longer words over segmentations that include shorter words even though, in particular situations, segmentations that include shorter words can be more accurate.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Segmenting words using scaled probabilities


A double-sided cutting insert for milling has a first cutting edge formed at a transition from a top side to a circumferential lateral surface and a second cutting edge formed at a transition from a bottom side to the circumferential lateral surface. A reference plane (R) runs normal to an axis of symmetry (S). The cutting edges have main cutting edge portions and face cutting edge portions arranged in alternation, which extend between raised cutting corners and lowered cutting corners. The circumferential lateral surface has face free surfaces, which extend along the face cutting edge portion and which approach the axis of symmetry (S) with increasing distance from the associated face cutting edge portion. The circumferential lateral surface has main free surfaces, which extend along the main cutting edge portion and which move farther away from the axis of symmetry with increasing distance from the associated main cutting edge portion.

The present invention concerns a double-sided cutting insert for milling, and a milling tool with at least one cutting insert arranged thereon.
For machining in particular metallic materials by material removal, often milling tools are used which have a carrier body provided with a cutting insert or a plurality of cutting inserts. The cutting inserts are usually exchangeable, and must be exchanged at more or less regular intervals because of wear. It is known to form the cutting inserts as so-called indexable cutting inserts with a plurality of identically formed cutting edge portions which can be brought successively, one after the other, into an active position by changing the orientation (indexing) of the cutting insert relative to the carrier body of the milling tool, in which position they can remove material from the workpiece to be machined. Here, the respective inactive cutting edge portions do not come into engagement with the workpiece, and can be brought into the active position for example after wear on the previously active cutting edge portion. In this manner, several cutting edge portions can be provided independently of one another, to allow an efficient use of the cutting insert. In the present case, when arranged on the milling tool, the main cutter present in an active cutting position is known as the active main cutter, and the face cutter present in an active cutting position is known as the active face cutter. The respective other main cutters and face cutters, which can be used via indexing, are known as the inactive main cutters or inactive face cutters.
The exchangeable cutting inserts are normally made of a hard, wear-resistant material, such as in particular cemented carbide, Cermet or a cutting ceramic, and may also be provided with a further wear-resistant hard material coating. The carrier body is typically made of a tougher material such as in particular steel, wherein partially for example a tougher hard metal or other materials are used.
To achieve as efficient a use of the cutting insert as possible, it is known to use double-sided cutting inserts which are provided with a cutting edge both at the transition between a top side and a circumferential lateral surface, and also at the transition between a bottom side and the circumferential lateral surface, said cutting edge having a plurality of cutting edge portions which can be used independently of one another.
For face milling in particular, often indexable inserts of the so-called S type (square) are used which have a square base form with four main cutters, running substantially along the sides of a square, per cutting edge. The face cutters are arranged between the adjacent main cutters, adjoining these via raised and lowered cutting corners, and may typically extend at an angle of around 135° relative to the main cutters. In fitted state of the cutting insert in a milling tool, a face cutter is usually arranged substantially perpendicularly to a rotational axis of the milling tool and serves as a face cutter for smoothing the surface. The main cutter adjoining the face cutter on the radial outside relative to the milling tool, via a raised cutting corner, serves primarily as a material-removal cutter.
In order to avoid wear or damage of the cutting edge of the double-sided cutting insert situated at the rear relative to the rotation of the milling tool, the cutting insert must be arranged sloping in the milling tool, such that it is both tilted forward with respect to the axial direction at a negative axial installation angle, in order to be able to protect the inactive face cutter of the other cutting edge situated behind the active face cutter engaging in the workpiece, and also tilted with respect to the radial direction at a negative radial installation angle, in order to protect the inactive main cutter of the other cutting edge situated behind the active main cutter engaging in the workpiece. Great tilting in the axial and/or radial direction can lead to problems both with respect to the effective cutting forces and also in respect to chip formation.
It must be noted that in the present technical field, certain terms such as e.g. "clearance angle", "rake angle" etc. may be defined firstly "nominally" in relation to the cutting insert, and secondly also (by deviation) "effectively" in relation to the installation position of the cutting insert on a milling tool relative to the workpiece. In the context of the present description, nominal angular data are used in of the description of the cutting insert, whereas effective angular data are used in relation to the milling tool with the cutting inserts installed therein.
In particular in milling tools equipped with double-sided cutting inserts, the stability of the milling process is extremely sensitively dependent on the effective raking angles and effective clearance angles achieved, wherein the double-sided form of the cutting insert imposes great restrictions on the freedom of design.
EP 2 747 925 A1 describes a double-sided cutting insert for face milling, and a milling tool for face milling with a plurality of such cutting inserts.


Systems and methods for mitigating exhaust gas emissions via cylinder deactivation are provided. A system includes a controller coupled to an internal combustion engine and an electric motive device. The controller includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instruction that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to: command the internal combustion engine to operate in a cylinder deactivation mode whereby at least one cylinder of a plurality of cylinders of the internal combustion engine is deactivated; receive a power request exceeding a current power output from the internal combustion engine; command the electric motive device to provide a supplemental power output based on the received power request; and, subsequent to commanding the electric motive device to provide the supplemental power out, activate the at least one cylinder of the plurality of cylinders of the internal combustion engine.

Cylinder deactivation for a vehicle (e.g., cars and/or trucks) is an operating mode used to deactivate one or more cylinders (i.e., disable combustion in) of an engine of the vehicle while the engine is operating. While operating in the cylinder deactivation mode, the engine generally produces less power than when all of the engine's cylinders are utilized. For example, a truck may require the use of all cylinders when accelerating from a stop, but may need fewer cylinders when cruising at a constant or relatively constant speed on a highway. Cylinder deactivation operating mode is typically utilized to conserve fuel (e.g., during idle). However, the fuel conservation advantages may be offset with certain emissions characteristics of cylinder deactivation operating mode. For example, reactivating cylinders can produce nitrous oxide (NOx) spikes in systems with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Thus, cylinder deactivation may lead to certain benefits while also creating certain undesired consequences.

Systems and methods to minimize emissions spikes when reactivating or deactivating a combustion cylinder


Automated, closed loop method and system for monitor and control of semiconductor fabrication processing are described. Optical emissions spectrometer (OES) data readings from a fabrication plasma chamber are statistically analyzed and a novel pattern model (based on Markov random fields) is used in combination with a selective stochastic relaxation technique to identify gaseous species within the chamber from the OES readings. Wavelength and intensity information is also employed to accurately estimate relative concentration levels of identified gases within the chamber. The unique statistical analysis approach described allows real-time monitor and control of physical processing within the fabrication chamber. Several practical algorithms are set forth, including techniques for OES peak identification, peak sharpening, gas identification, and physical processing control.

The quality of a semiconductor is directly dependent on the consistency of the fabrication process by which it is created. Specifically, production of state-of-the-art semiconductor components requires reproducible plasma processes for etching and deposition. Controls on chemical composition and impurity levels within the fabrication chamber are crucial to the success of these processes, particularly at today's increasingly high levels of circuit density.
Certain analytical techniques have been demonstrated as potential monitors of chemical species in a plasma process. These techniques include optical emission spectroscopy (OES), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and laser induced fluorescence (LIF). Each technique offers unique information about a processing environment. However, each of these analytical approaches characterizes gaseous species by determining an intensity for one or more electromagnetic wavelengths occurring at the same point in time within the plasma chamber.
In the specific inventive embodiments of semiconductor fabrication described herein, an optical emission spectrometer (OES) is utilized as the sensor of choice. An OES is a commercially available device which is used to detect the presence and relative concentrations of various gases in a plasma chamber. This spectrometer works by detecting light emitted from electron transitions occurring in atoms and molecules within the chamber. Currently, optical emission spectrometers are used in open-ended processing whereby an expert attempts to characterize the chemistry of a plasma environment during wafer manufacturing, e.g., to identify a processing end-point based on the resultant data. Existing OES processing is discussed further herein below. Also, additional information thereon is available in an article by G. Gifford, entitled "Applications of Optical Emissions Spectroscopy in Plasma Manufacturing Systems," SPIE Microelectronic Integrated Processing Symposium (1990).
It is important to note that currently each of the above-listed spectroscopic techniques for possible use in semiconductor manufacturing requires an expert to analyze an initial spectra and to train manufacturing personnel in the meaning of the spectra and that of deviations from base line spectra measurements. Such an inherently subjective method of analysis can often be inadequate due to the complexity of the spectra involved. Also, these open-ended analysis techniques cannot be used to effectively execute real-time monitoring and control of the manufacturing process. In fact, there are few real-time, closed loop monitoring and control methods/systems presently employed in the semiconductor manufacturing environment.
Thus, to summarize, there is a need in the art for a more effective technique for monitoring and controlling semiconductor fabrication. The present invention addresses this deficiency by providing an automated, closed loop, real-time method and system for monitoring and controlling semiconductor fabrication processing within a plasma chamber.

Method and system employing optical emission spectroscopy for monitoring and controlling semiconductor fabrication

International Business Machines Corporation


This invention provides a novel, rapid method and device for determining the relative phase retardation of different layers of a multi-layered specimen, which is related to the thicknesses of its layers and walls, and the orientations of its optical axes. An intact wood pulp fibre is a typical multi-layered birefringent specimen. This new method is based on the change of polarization of polarized light that passes through a specimen composed of birefringent layers with different optical axis orientations, such as directions of cellulosic microfibrils oriented differently in various layers of wood fibres. In particular, a novel solution is found to relate the emerging light intensity from an intact wood fibre to the incident light intensity, the wavelength of the light, and the relative phase retardations of various layers and orientations of their cellulosic microfibrils, such as fibril angle, in a circularly polarized light system. This new method evaluates the transmitted light intensities of multiple predetermined wavelengths simultaneously to determine the optical and physical properties of a multi-layered specimen being measured. A device for determining the relative phase retardation (retardance) of fibre walls and the fibril angle of intact wood fibres in accordance with the presented invention comprises a light source with well defined multi-wavelengths, an achromatic circularly polarized light system, appropriate imaging optics, a multi-channel camera such as a digital color camera that has two or more wavelength (color) detection channels, and an image processing and data analysis system. The measurements take advantage of the birefringence of cellulosic microfibrils, and thus require neither sample preparation nor high resolution optics. Specimen alignment is not required as specimens such as wood fibres are evaluated under circularly polarized light. Compared with other methods, this invention is more rapid, accurate, and robust. This method can be automated, and implemented in a fibre flow-through system, thus allowing a rapid assessment of wood pulp fibre properties (on-line in real time).

i) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polarized light, optical and all related physical properties of a birefringent specimen, and in particular, to a polarized light method and device for determining the relative phase retardations, and the orientations of the optical axes of different layers in a multi-layered birefringent specimen, preferably, the relative phase retardation, which is related to the wall thickness, and the fibril angle of intact wood pulp fibres.
ii) Description of the Prior Art
A wood fibre, an example of a cellulosic fibre, is a biological material consisting of four principal layers: the primary wall P1, and the three secondary wall layers S1, S2 and S3 as shown in FIG. 1(a) [1]. All three secondary layers are composed of long crystalline cellulosic microfibrils, embedded in an amorphous matrix of hemicelluloses and lignin. The outer S1 and the inner S3 layers are very thin and their microfibrils are wound almost transversely to the fibre axis. The middle S2 layer, comprising 80-90% of the fibre-wall material, has cellulosic microfibrils wound in a helix at an angle, termed the fibril angle (θ), to the longitudinal fibre axis. The crystalline microfibrils are aligned in these layers, and are birefringent, making wood fibres birefringent. The magnitude of the birefringence depends on the thickness of the layers S1, S2 and S3, the orientations of their microfibrils, and the birefringence of each layer.
The fibre wall thickness and the fibril angle in the dominant S2 layer control the physical and mechanical properties of wood pulp fibres, and therefore strongly influence the response of pulps to papermaking treatments and the end-use properties of paper and board products. For instance, fibre wall thickness affects virtually all physical properties of paper including structural, strength and optical characteristics [2, 3]. Fibril angle, on the other hand, controls swelling/shrinkage properties [4], stress-strain behaviour [5] and dimensional stability of paper [6]. It has been shown that the S2 fibril angle strongly affects the collapsibility of fibres. The knowledge of important fibre properties such as fibre wall thickness and fibril angle is, therefore, critical for identifying and selecting resources that are optimal for a given end use. Unfortunately, due to the microscopic size of fibres, both fibre wall thickness and fibril angle are difficult to measure. Moreover, all fibre properties are heterogeneous in nature. The information on the distributions of fibre properties is considered to be very important in controlling pulp quality as it maps the extent of heterogeneity in a pulp, and allows identification of the amount of fibres with certain properties [2]. Thus, it is critically important to devise rapid techniques for quantifying individual fibre properties such as wall thickness and fibril angle in pulps.
Recently, a new instrument, the Kajaani FibreLab fibre analyzer, has provided measurements for fibre width and cell wall thickness of fibres flowing through a capillary tube [P1]. The principle of this instrument is based on the projected two-dimensional image of a fibre. This measurement technique is quite adequate for fibre width, which has dimensions in the range of tens of microns. However, this direct imaging technique faces many difficulties for accurate measurements of fibre wall thickness, which varies greatly from less than one μm to several μm. Recent investigation has shown that fibre wall thickness measurements from the Kajaani FibreLab are grossly incorrect [7].
The most reliable current techniques for determining wall thicknesses of wood pulp fibres are based on the fibre cross-sectional images, which can be generated by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) on prepared fibre sections [8], or generated non-destructively by using the optical sectioning ability of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) [9]. When combined with image analysis, these techniques are capable of accurately measuring individual fibre transverse dimensions, such as wall thickness [4]. Although this technique provides valuable information on fibre transverse dimensions and is a good research tool, it is too slow for most practical industrial purposes. Thus, a rapid and accurate technique for measuring the wall thickness of individual wood pulp fibres is still lacking.
As mentioned earlier, fibril angle is another important fibre property. Several methods have been developed to measure fibril angle in wood pulp fibres: polarized-light microscopy [10], direct observation [11], micro-Raman spectroscopy [12], orientation of the elongated pit apertures [13], and most recently polarization confocal microscopy [13]. Although these techniques can provide measurements on fibril angles, they are also very slow.
Techniques based on polarized-light microscopy have been used for many years for measuring fibril angle in wood pulp fibres. These techniques make use of the natural birefringence of cellulose fibrils, and unequal retardations/refractive indexes in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the micofibrils. The direction of the fibrils in a single layer of the fibre wall can be readily obtained by examining the wall between crossed polars. However, this procedure requires a single wall; it cannot be used for intact fibres, as the opposite wall of the helically wound fibre interferes. This difficulty has been overcome, for example, by observing a single wall through a bordered pit, or by examining a single wall obtained by longitudinal microtome sectioning. A method for pulp fibres was developed by Page [10] in which a single wall is observed by reflecting light from mercury inserted into the fibre lumen. The fibril angle of the S2 layer is determined from the extinction positions for the (single) wall observed between crossed polars. Though simple in principle, this technique is tedious and hazardous, and is subject to errors from the S1 and S3 layers [14].
Most recently, developments based on transmission polarimetry techniques by Ye et al. [15, 16, 18] and Ye [P2, 17] claimed to be able to determine non-destructively the phase retardation Δ, and the fibril angle θ of the S2 layer on intact wood pulp fibres. There are many limitations on their methods. One major shortcoming of the above methods is that the influence of the S1 and S3 layers are neglected. In fact, the effects of the transversely wound S1 and S3 layers on the birefringence of intact softwood fibres are significant, particularly for thin-walled fibres, as shown by Page et al. [19]. It has also been shown by El-Hosseiny et al. [14] that the birefringent S1 and S3 layers, although thin, cannot be ignored in fibril angle measurements based on the polarized light method. Therefore, neglecting the effects of the birefringent S1 and S3 layers creates serious errors for measurements of both wall thickness and fibril angle. Moreover, as discussed in Ye's paper [17], the method based on a polarizer-sample-analyzer arrangement and the mathematical analysis by Ye at al. [15, 16] and Ye [P2] has many limitations. For example, the fibre sample in Ye's method [P2] has to be aligned to a certain orientation relative to the polarizer. Moreover, at least four intensity measurements at various analyzer orientations with the polarizer orientation fixed are required for calculating Δ and θ. Because the derived expressions for Δ and θ are in quadratic form, the results for Δ and θ are ambiguous. To avoid the ambiguity, the measurement has to be carried out for at least two wavelengths, and the user needs to distinguish the physically relevant results from two groups of intermediate ones. This method is not reliable, and can lead to misinterpretation of the data. Because of all these limitations, it will not work in an automatic, and definitely not in an on-line system. A new improved technique based on Muller matrix polarimetry was proposed by Ye [17]. Ye claimed that the newer method permits quantitative and non-destructive determinations of Δ and θ from measurements at one wavelength, and one advantage of his newer method is the feasibility of simultaneous measurements of several fibres at different orientations as the fibre orientation can also be obtained from the measurements. However, the method still needs many measurements obtained with the analyzer, polarizer and/or the retarders oriented at different angles, and it takes a very long time to make measurements on stationary fibres. Both of these techniques are very time consuming, and unsuitable for on-line type instruments.
The use of polarizing filters to generate a visual contrast for imaging birefringent fibres is not new. Many commercial fibre length analyser such as the Kajaani fibre length analyser (Kajaani Electronics Ltd, Finland), and the Fibre Quality Analyser (OpTest, Canada) [P3] have adopted such optical techniques for wood fibre length or/and shape measurements; individual fibres are imaged while they are flowing through a capillary tube or a flow-through cell. Although these instruments can measure fibre length rapidly, they cannot provide measurements on either fibre wall thickness or fibril angle. Therefore, there is still a need to develop a rapid and accurate technique for measuring fibre wall thickness and fibril angle of individual fibres in a way that is similar to the fibre length measurements.
The present invention aims at developing a new, rapid technique for measuring fibre wall thickness and fibril angle using a non-destructive optical technique that is based on circularly polarized light microscopy. The new invention provides a means to determine distributions of fibre properties because it is based on single fibre measurements. Properties of fibres are determined by analyzing the intensities of multi-wavelength light emerging from the system. This new invention can be automated, and implemented in a fibre flow-through system, thus allowing a rapid assessment of wood fibre properties (on-line in real time).

Circularly polarized light method and device for determining wall thickness and orientations of fibrils of cellulosic fibres


A method of recovering humic acids from a material such as oxidised coal is provided. This method includes the steps of mixing the material with aqueous alkali, particularly aqueous sodium hydroxide, heating the mixture to a temperature above 100.degree. C. and below 180.degree. C. under sufficient pressure to prevent evaporation of the water, and maintaining the elevated temperature for a time, generally less than 2 hours, sufficient to extract a substantial amount of the available humic acids from the material.

This invention relates to the recovery of humic acids, particularly from oxidised coal.
Various processes are known for producing a solid oxidised coal containing humic acids. One such process involves mixing coal with an aqueous medium to produce a slurry having a pH in the range 4 to 9, reacting the slurry with a gaseous oxidant selected from oxygen, air and mixtures thereof under conditions of temperature and pressure, and for a time, sufficient to cause the oxidation of the coal thereby producing oxidised coal containing humic acids, and separating the oxidised coal containing humic acids from the aqueous medium. This process is described in South African Patent Application No. 88/4770.
Another process is that described in South African Patent No. 87/9232 which involves oxidation of coal in the dry phase with oxygen or mixtures of oxygen and nitrogen in a fluidised bed reactor. The coal with a particle size in the range 100 microns to 3 mm is heated to a temperature of 150.degree. to 300.degree. C. under a partial pressure of oxygen for a time of 30 to 600 minutes.
The traditional way of extracting humic acids from oxidised coal is to slurry sodium hydroxide with the oxidised coal in water in equal amounts to give a concentration of 5 to 10 percent (m/v). For example, 20 grams of oxidised coal and 20 grams of sodium hydroxide are slurried in 300 ml of water.
The slurry is refluxed for 5 hours after which it is worked up to obtain humic acid according to the following scheme: ##STR1##


Methods and apparatus for real-time security monitoring on a computing device are presented. A system may define privileges to access hardware interfaces for each process of a plurality of processes executing on a computing device. The privileges may be defined in a privileged operating system level that controls root access to an operating system. In response to a determination that a process is attempting to access a hardware interface, the system may determine whether the process is privileged to access the hardware interface by checking the privileges. In response to determining that the process is not privileged to access the hardware interface, the intrusion detection agent may terminate the process.

With the proliferation of Internet connected devices and cloud computing, device security has become a major challenge. With such proliferation of Internet connected devices, more and more users conduct various types of business transactions and access sensitive data on such devices. With various malicious agents attempting to breach user devices, there remains an ever-present need to improve security monitoring of user devices to prevent such security breaches. Security breaches are often undetected for long periods of time after the breach has occurred.

Security monitoring at operating system kernel level


A system and method for implementing an online service for accelerating an online transaction includes implementing an intelligent subscriber interface; automatically creating API calls based on the plurality of distinct portions of data inputs; composing corpora of subscriber data based on a return of subscriber data by each respective API; implementing a machine learning-based classifier that: infers a first classification label for a first subset of data; and infers a second classification label for a second subset of data; computing a transaction success score that indicates a likelihood of successfully completing a prospective transaction between the subscriber and prospective transacting parties; and presenting one or more distinct product routes based on the transaction success score; creating, via a distributed ledger system, a distributed ledger record of details of the prospective transaction and cryptographic token based on a mutual engagement of the subscriber and a prospective transacting party.

Modern transacting systems include various inefficiencies due to various information asymmetries resulting from a lack of transparency and a lack of general access to transaction-relevant information by all transacting parties. Unfortunately, these various inefficiencies increase the resources and time required for completing a successful transaction thereby increasing the cost of these types of transactions and the transaction timelines.
Thus, there is a need in the online transacting field to create improved methods and systems for intelligently accelerating transactions performed partly or fully online by improving the technical capabilities of the parties involved in an online transaction to transaction-relevant data, data-derived intelligence, and immutable assurance of data accuracy.
The embodiments of the present application described herein provide technical solutions that address, at least, the need described above.

Integrated machine learning and blockchain systems and methods for implementing an online platform for accelerating online transacting


A composition for external use which contains xyloglucan. It preferably further contains an ultraviolet shielding agent, a thickening polysaccharide, a thickening polysaccharide and sericin, a carboxyvinylpolymer, or an alkyl-modified carboxyvinylpolymer.

Conventionally, a variety of ingredients have been incorporated into a composition for external use, (hereinafter called an "external-use composition") such as a cosmetic composition, in accordance with the function to be realized in the external-use composition.
For example, an ultraviolet shielding agent is incorporated into an external-use composition in order to protect the skin from exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight, so as to prevent generation of age spots or freckles and skin aging, as well as to prevent generation of skin diseases such as skin cancer. When an external-use composition is processed into an emulsion such as milky lotion or cream or is stabilized, a surfactant is incorporated into the composition so as to emulsify or stabilize the composition.
Incorporation into an external-use composition of an ingredient suited for achieving an object enables provision of products matching a wide range of consumer needs; however, the incorporation may cause adverse effects.
Of the above examples, an external-use composition incorporated with an ultraviolet shielding agent tends to involve deteriorated sensation in use. Also, an external-use composition containing a surfactant in a large amount has been known to cause problems in safety and sensation in use.
A variety of measures have been investigated in attempts to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a higher quality, more reliable external-use composition.
Thus, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to find a key ingredient for effectively coping with the above problems, and to provide various external-use compositions in which the ingredient is used.