A core network is provided for transmission of short messages in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) mobile communication network. The core network provides SMS over SGs functionality and includes: a Mobility Management Entity (MME); a Short Message Service Center (SMSC); and a unit providing an Interworking, Function (IWF) for handling of short messages; wherein the MME and the SMSC are in direct communication via the IWF with respect to communication of a short message with respect to a User Equipment (UE) having a data connection to the EPS mobile communication network.

In order to provide SMS functionality for User Equipment (UE) having a data connection to an Evolved Packet System (EPS) mobile telecommunication network, it has been suggested to use either so-called "native" solutions, i.e. the transport of short messages solely by using Packet Switched (PS) core network entities (or "SMS via EPS"), or a so-called Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) solution. The introduction of a native solution of a short message service in the Evolved Packet System (EPS) (SMS via EPS) has not been retained within the 3GPP standardization process. Alternative to a native Evolved Packet System (EPS) solution for the transport of short messages is to at least partly use Circuit Switched (CS) entities or components of the core network. Hereinafter, such use of Circuit Switched (CS) entities or components of the core network are also called Circuit Switched (CS) fallback solutions. One Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) solution supports not only the SMS service (Short Message Service) but also its main target, voice service. The mechanism for voice support is to fall back to a GERAN/UTRAN cell (second/third Generation network cell) that supports a circuit switched voice communication (CS voice) when the User Equipment (UE) receives or wishes to place a voice call. For Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) to work, a close alignment between the circuit switched (CS) Location Areas (LA) and the Evolved Packet System (EPS) Tracking Areas (TA) needs to be managed and configured in the network, based on the actual coverage areas of the cells that belong to the Location Areas (LAs) or Tracking Areas (TAs), respectively. Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) is considered an interim solution during the migration towards IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) voice.
There are reasons why Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB), in its original form (i.e. also involving Circuit Switched (CS) voice service), is not well-suited for SMS. For example, falling back to a circuit switched (CS) capable access every time a short message is to be sent or received, seems like overkill and could break the User Equipment's (UE) Evolved Packet System (EPS) data connection every time when the User Equipment (UE) needs to move to GERAN (second generation mobile radio access network). For this reason, it has been suggested to extend Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) to allow sending and receiving the short messages via the Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the EPS rather than falling back onto GERAN (2G) or UTRAN (3G) functionality (i.e. performing a complete fallback to Circuit Switched (CS) functionality). To this end, the SGs interface between the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and the Mobile Switching Center (MSC), that is needed in Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) in order to both create, and maintain, both the attachment of the User Equipment to the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) for a User Equipment (UE) connected to or requesting a connection to the Evolved Packet System (EPS) and to perform paging for mobile terminating call, was extended to allow also the transfer of short messages to and from the UE. According to ETSI TR 21.905 V8.8.0, the term MME stands for Mobile Management Entity; according to TS23.401, V8.6.0 this term stands for Mobility Management Entity; hereinafter, the term Mobility Management Entity is used.
With such an approach, full Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB)—i.e. including voice support—must be implemented in an operator's network even when only SMS support is desired by a User Equipment (UE). So, even an SMS-only target for Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) comes with the inherent disadvantage of having to upgrade all the MSCs, and to closely align the location areas (LAs) of the circuit switched (CS) network components with the Evolved Packet System (EPS) tracking areas (TAs), as this is necessary for proper association of the Mobility Management Entity (MME) with the Mobile Switching Center (MSC) per Circuit Switched Fallback (CSFB) User Equipment (UE). With another Circuit Switched (CS) fallback solution, the so-called "SMS via SGs" solution within 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) (as defined in document S2-094958 of the 3GPP technical working group SA2), an SGs interface is only used to establish and maintain the association between the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and the Mobile Switching Center (MSC), and, to transfer short messages. All functionality needed for voice is eliminated, and a fallback to a CS access does not take place (to provide only an SMS functionality) since the short messages are relayed between the MSC and the UE via the MME, using the SGs interface. To enable this solution, the UE may be attached to the CS system only for SMS support. Nevertheless, this solution still has the drawback that a modified MSC is needed.

Transmission of a short message in evolved packet system


A composition for producing a layer or a coating, especially a mold release layer, includes aluminum titanate and/or silicon nitride, an oxidic inorganic component and a binder comprising nanoscale particles.

In the processing of melts of inorganic materials, especially of metal and glass melts, it is customary to provide the surfaces of tools, aids and especially of molds which come directly into contact with the liquid materials with a release agent. Such a release agent (which is usually referred to as a mold release agent) has the task of preventing the reaction of a melt with the surfaces mentioned. The adhesion of the melt on these surfaces should be very low both in the liquid state and in the solid (cooled) state. For example, a casting can be removed more easily from a mold provided with a mold release layer. A mold release layer reduces the wear on a mold and correspondingly also has a positive effect on its lifetime.
Mold release layers should not adhere on the surfaces of castings and, if they are applied as antiwear sizes, also should not become too firmly bonded to the surfaces of the molds, tools or aids. In addition, a mold release layer should be noncombustible and additionally environmentally compatible, which means especially that no toxic substances should outgas at high temperatures. In general, mold release layers are produced in very homogeneous layer thicknesses by painting on or spraying on a paintable or sprayable composition. Such a composition for producing mold release layers is also referred to as a size.
The prior art discloses both purely organic and inorganic mold release layers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,339 describes, for example, an organic mold release layer based on low-melting waxes. Such organic release layers are, however, immediately decomposed thermally on contact with metal or glass melts at a temperature of several hundred degrees. Between a mold provided with the organic release layer and the melt, a gas cushion may form, which can in turn lead to the formation of pores in the casting.
Inorganic mold release layers are generally preferred for this reason in the processing of hot metal or glass melt.
Commercially available inorganic mold release layers are based usually on the following compounds: graphite (C), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and boron nitride (BN), the latter especially in its hexagonal form. Mold release layers based on these materials are notable for their exceptionally low wettability by metal melts. They have particularly low wettability with respect to aluminum and magnesium melts and with respect to melts composed of aluminum-magnesium alloys. While, however, graphite is oxidized under air even at temperatures around 500° C., and molybdenum sulfide even at as low as from 400° C., boron nitride is stable under the same conditions up to about 900° C. Accordingly, boron nitride is suitable especially as a constituent of mold release layers for high-temperature use.
However, both mold release layers based on graphite or molybdenum sulfide and those based on boron nitride are generally not very abrasion-resistant. Especially the processing of light metal melts or glass melts (melts in which high flow rates occur) places high mechanical demands which are not met in a lasting manner by the known inorganic mold release layers. The mold release layers known from the prior art are correspondingly worn very rapidly, are generally not intended for repeated use for this reason and have to be replaced regularly.
It could therefore be advantageous to provide a mold release layer which does not have the disadvantages known from the prior art. A mold release layer should be very inert and oxidation-resistant with respect to metal melts. In particular, a mold release layer should have low wettability with respect to metal and glass melts and simultaneously be abrasion-resistant. It should be able to withstand high mechanical stresses which arise, for example, in the course of processing of melts with high flow rates, and are thus suitable for repeated use (even in the case of lasting stress over several days and weeks).

Layer or coating and a composition for the production thereof


A method apparatus and computer program product is disclosed for adding instrumentation to a body of code to enable generation of code coverage data for said body of code in which used instrumentation code is arranged to be optimized out by a compiler.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method, apparatus and computer program product for adding instrumentation to a body of code to enable generation of code coverage data.
In IT systems engineering, testing is normally conducted on a software system being built. Part of the testing procedure may involve establishing code coverage data for the performed testing. Code coverage tools commonly rely on upfront modification to the code, or on-the-fly instrumentation of the code. Such procedures insert additional instructions in the code to detect when code sections such as statements, blocks, functions or methods, have been processed or executed. This approach can be computationally costly as additional code paths are inserted and additional input and output (IO) operations are required to log the collected coverage data for subsequent analysis.
The process of adding instrumentation to a body of code to gather metrics is commonly a one-off operation or performed relatively infrequently. Nevertheless, such instrumentation is a time consuming and thus costly process. Furthermore, the added instrumentation code affects the running of the program code itself because code processing timings are changed and performance impacted by the additional processing.

Adding instrumentation to a body of code to enable generation of code coverage data

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention comprises compositions and methods for the treatment of psoriasis. The compositions comprise compounds of the formula: ##STR1##

Psoriasis is one of the most widespread chronic diseases. It affects about two percent of the adult white population, the most severe symptoms being shown by patients in the age groups between twenty and fifty years old.
Psoriasis is characterized by a greatly accelerated rate of epidermal turnover. Instead of the normal period of 28 days from the time of cell division in the basal layers until the cell is shed from the stratum corneum, in psoriasis this takes only about four days.
The causes and mechanism of development of psoriasis are unknown, and for this reason a completely effective treatment for this ailment does not yet exist. A great number of approaches have been tried, from the very old, based on natural tars, to the more modern using steroids, sporalene, etc. Tars are messy to apply and have only a limited effect. Their combination with sulfur and salicylic acid are not much better. This therapy is frequently supplemented by the use of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, either natural (sunshine) or artificial (lamps). Other compounds used are: steroids, azaribine, methotrexate, psoralen, and retinoic acid derivatives. All of these have a rather high toxicity and their long term use may result in noxious side effects.
A possible approach to the therapy of the disease is to try to influence cellular metabolism, which obviously is much more active in the psoriatic cells than in the normal ones.
A few years ago, a new treatment was proposed. This is based on the use of fumaric acid in the form of its simple mono- or diesters or its metal salts, based on the theory that in the psoriatic portions of the skin there exists an unbalance in the dicarboxylic-acids cycle conducive to lower levels of fumarate. This theory seems to be confirmed by the fact that some amino acids, such as glycine, are present in lower quantities in the psoriatic skin, compared to their content in normal skin. Since these amino acids are also derived from the dicarboxylic-acids cycle, their presence in lower quantities is an added corroboration to the above theory.
The treatment of psoriasis by fumaric esters and related compounds has been described with increasing interest. C. Nieboer et al., J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 20, 601-8 (1989); W. M. Nygteren-Huying et al., Fourth International Symposium on the treatment of psoriasis and psoriasis-arthritis, Jerusalem, Israel (March 1989). There are at present thousands of patients being treated with tablets containing dimethyl fumarate as the main active ingredient. Although this treatment has shown some success, there are some serious questions about the side-effects caused by the prolonged use of the fumarate esters. The short term use of these compounds can also result in the occurrence of hot flashes, nausea and irritation of the gastrointestinal system.
A number of patent applications deal with the use of fumarate esters and salts for the treatment of psoriasis. GP 2530372 (13.1.77) describes the use of fumaric acid, fumarate esters, such as monoethyl and monomethyl fumarate, dimethyl fumarate, and some salts of the monoesters such as manganese, calcium, zinc, iron, etc. All of these can be mixed with other ingredients such as tartaric acid, citric acid, sugar, and inert fillers. Some of these formulations are for internal use and some for external (topical) application. Related applications, GP 2840498 (10.4.80) and GP 2901452 (17.7.80), describe the addition of glycine, 1-methionine, and 1-cysteine to the above mixtures of fumarate esters and salts. A recent European patent, 0188749 A2 (30.7.86) claims the use of fumarate esters of alcohols having one to eight carbon atoms, esters of higher alcohols (C6-C24), metal salts of the monoesters, and esters of diols, glycerol, and other hydroxyl-containing compounds. Another patent, GP DE 3232883 A1 mentions the preparation of salts of fumaric acid with various caffein-8-ethers. The salts are crystalline and can be used for the preparation of tablets, capsules, etc., in combination with metal salts of fumaric esters, as mentioned before, and also with the optional addition of amino acids such as cysteine and methionine, and of vitamin C.
There exist serious problems as to the use of the above in the therapy of psoriasis. Short-chain fumarate esters are in general irritating materials which frequently produce an unpleasant acidosis effect upon ingestion. Metal salts of the half esters are quickly converted in the stomach into the free acid and the respective metal hydrochloride. The same happens with the caffein-ether salt. The esters are liquid at room temperature and in order to convert them to tablets they have to be adsorbed on, or mixed with, a rather large quantity of inert carrier. Furthermore, they have a strong characteristic odor and their toxicology has not been studied extensively. According to a study made with mice, monoethyl fumarate and dimethyl fumarate given per os had an LD.sub.50 above 100 mg/kg. Monoethyl fumarate, given intraperitoneally, was more toxic (W. Raab, H&G Nr. 10 (1984)). These fumarate esters are highly irritating to the skin and can produce contact urticaria (A. Lahti et al., Contact Dermatitis 12, 139-140 (1985)).
PCT International Application No. PCT/US88/02941 describes new derivatives of fumaric acid which, while retaining the effectiveness of fumarate, exhibit reduced side effects.
To summarize: mono and diesters of fumaric acid have been shown to be effective in the treatment of psoriasis, as the experience with several thousand patients indicates (see, for instance: Schafer G. Fumarsauretherapie der Psoriasis, Arztliche Praxis 30, 61 p. 1757-58 (1978); also, Selecta 15, p. 1260-61 (1984)). The esters are irritating to the digestive system and to the skin and their toxicology has not been clearly established; they are also difficult to formulate as tablets.
In biochemical terms the closest molecules to fumarate are maleate and malate.
Maleate is known to be ineffective in the treatment of psoriasis and is also more toxic than fumarate. On the other hand, malate and fumarate differ by hydrolysis of the unsaturated bond of fumarate. In the cell, fumarate is hydrated to malate by means of the enzyme fumarate hydratase (fumarase). The reaction is freely reversible with practically no energy barrier. G. Zubay, Biochemistry, 2nd Edition, p. 334, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. (Reading, Mass.) (1984).
Studies in vitro have also shown the biochemical similarity between fumarate and malate. C. Sreeramula Chetty et al., Arch. Int. Physiol. Biochem. 90(4), p. 293-6 (1982). If psoriasis is related to a defect in the tricarboxylic acid cycle which can be compensated by the accumulation of fumarate, it is quite possible that malate could also have a similar effect. Moreover, malate also converts to oxaloacetate in the energy-generating tricarboxylic acid cycle, and it might be more effective in this respect.
Recent studies have shown that in psoriatic skin the content of glycine and serine is about twenty-five percent lower than in normal skin (Thaler et al., J. Invest. Dermatol. 75, 156-158 (1980); also, Steinert et al., Biochemistry of Normal and Abnormal Epidermal Differentiation, eds. I. A. Bereinstein and M. Seiji, Tokyo University Press, p. 391-406 (1980)). This deficiency may be related to the malate or fumarate imbalance or to other unknown causes. The addition of glycine as such, to such formulations, cannot contribute much to the therapeutic effect since this water-soluble material will be quickly incorporated into the general metabolic processes, so, at best, its value will be like an added food.

Malic acid derivatives and compositions for the treatment of psoriasis


An integrated PCM-CODEC circuit including a plurality of PCM subscriber lines consisting of a SLIC for interfacing a telephone line with a switching system, an impedance conformer and a PCM-CODEC, a common bus for transferring a telephone signal into or from a subscriber according to the time division rule for the timing of telephone line use, a telemetering signal source and a (synchronization signal for controlling portion of the telephone call called by the n'th subscriber. The PCM-CODEC circuit includes a buffer, a signal selector, an applied gain controller, an anti-aliasing filter, a telemetering signal filter, a BPF, a coder, a decoder, a LPF, a received-gain controller, a smoothing filter, an operational amplifier and a telemetering gate.

The general feature of a conventional PCM electronic switching system, as shown in FIG. 1, consists of a plurality of subscriber lines (ICl-ICn), each of the subscriber lines including, SLIC (subscribe line interface circuits) 1, a telemetering signal eliminator 2, a telemetering signal mixer 3, an impedance conformer 4 and an integrated PCM-CODEC circuit 5 connected with a telemetering signal source 8 and a common bus 7 called a PCM highway whereby, a signal which is mixed with a telemetering signal in accordance with a synchronizing signal MSYNC from the telemetering signal source 8, is applied to the input of the SLIC 1 when call charge is counted up. And the integrated PCM-CODEC circuit 5, as shown in FIG. 2, includes a selector 11, a mixer 12, an transmitted-gain controller 13, an anti-aliasing filter (AAF) 14, a band pass filter (BPF) 15, a coder 16, a decoder 17, a low pass filter (LPF) 18, a received-gain controller 19, a power operational amplifier 20, a hybrid-balanced filter 21 and a gain controller 22.
In the conventional PCM system, the call charge is counted up by reversing the voltage of a battery between a tip T1 and a ring R1. In this case, unwanted clicking sound is generated. At this time, a sine wave of a frequency of 12 KHz or 16 KHz without a voltage reversal is used in order to remove the clicking sound. The telemetering signal (sine wave) of the frequency of 12 KHz or 16 KHz is mixed with a voice band signal; and then the mixed signal is transmitted to the tip T1 and the ring R1. But the problem is that if the mixed signal is coupled to the transmission path, the transmitter signal, as a result, will be modulated and distorted because the coupled signal is too large for processing. Accordingly, the coupled signal must be removed at the transmitting party. Considering in more detail therewith, as shown in FIG. 3, the current i1 flowing through the coil L1 is generated by a signal from the receiving terminal Rx, the terminal A0 of the integrated PCM-CODEC circuit 5, by means of a hybrid 2/4 converter. Thus, the secondary induced current i2 appears on the coil L2 coupled with a subscriber line, inducing a current i3 to flow through on the coil L3 coupled to the transmitting terminal Tx and, as a result, unwanted telemetering signal is applied to the transmitter terminal AI. Such results in that, in the conventional integrated PCM-CODEC circuit 5, the signal which is outputted from the terminal A0 whose frequency is lied on the voice frequency band is only compensated as the signal having the different polarity from the polarity of the induced current i3 which is coupled to transmitting terminal Tx by the hybrid-balanced filter 21, and the gain controller 22.
The conventional integrated PCM-CODEC circuit 5 can not eliminate a telemetering signal which is coupled from a receiving path. Consequently, additional circuit components are required for example, the telemetering signal eliminator 2 must be built around the transmission path of the integrated PCM CODEC circuit 5. In the operation of the conventional PCM system having the telemetering eliminator 2 and signal the mixer 3, the PCM-CODEC circuit 5 converts all input signals, containing even noise, into a PCM signal i.e., a pulse-code-modulation signal) in a tone frequency band. The coupled mixed signal (echo signal) from the receiving terminal Rx is evaluated to a value of the current i3 at the transmitting terminal Tx through the hybrid-balanced filter 21 and then mixed with a gain controlled signal of the gain controller 22 by the mixer 12, which results in reducing the weight of the unwanted mixed signal with the telemetering signal from the receiving terminal Rx to the transmitting Tx and enabling the applied-gain controller to adjust the variation of gain made through the telemetering signal eliminator 2 and the impedance conformer 4 as shown in FIG. 1. Sampling operation results in the replication of the spectrum of the tone signal, and (unless Nyquist's criterion is satisfied) introduces aliasing distortion which is removed by the anti-aliasing filter 14. After removing around the sampling frequency, the tone frequency signal is sampled and converted into the PCM signal through the coder 16 and then the PCM signal is transferred to the PCM highway of a common bus 7. If a telemetering signal eliminating means is not included in the PCM system, the voltage level of a signal of the telemetering signal source 8, in general, becomes more than several volts because the telemetering signal has high distortion rate in a public telephone network due to a well-known characteristic of the subscriber line and resultingly the telemetering signal induced on the transmitting terminal Tx has the voltage level of several hundred millivolts greater than that of a tone signal. And so the modulated and distorted tone signal appears in the integrated PCM-CODEC circuit 5. For this reason, it is very essential for the PCM system to employ the telemetering signal eliminator 2.
However, requirement of additional circuit elements, such as the telemetering signal eliminator 2, around the integrated PCM-CODEC circuit 5 makes the peripheral arrangement of the PCM system even more complicated. Because of the complexity of the peripheral arrangement and the increase of the number of subscriber lines on a unit board of a subscriber, the wiring of the unit board in the PCM system has been extremely difficult which often results in, a falling out in quality of the products.

Integrated PCM-CODEC circuit with telemetering noise elimination


A printer includes a plurality of cassettes and a cassette is selected from the cassettes. The printer comprises a print information memory, paper information memory, cassette information memory, cassette selector, and data editor. The print information memory stores print information contained in print data therein. The print information includes a size of the print paper and an orientation of the print paper with respect to a direction of travel of the print paper. If a size of print paper specified by the print information is different from a size of print paper accommodated in a paper cassette selected last time, a first paper cassette is selected which accommodates print paper of a size specified by the print information. If the print information specifies print paper of a same size as the print paper accommodated in a paper cassette selected last time, a second paper cassette is selected which accommodates print paper oriented in a way different from the cassette selected last time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of selecting a specified paper cassette from a plurality of paper cassettes, and further relates to a printer where a paper cassette specified by information contained in print data is selected from a plurality of cassettes and the print paper is fed from the selected paper cassette to a print engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional printer is constructed such that a plurality of paper cassettes are provided and print paper of a specified size is fed from a corresponding paper cassette in accordance with print information indicative of paper size. The printer is connected to a network so that many unspecified users can have access thereto.
In order for the users to easily pick out their print results, the paper stackers and paper-discharging mechanism of the printer are moved laterally on a job-to-job basis in order to sort stacks of print results.
The laterally movable discharge stacker and paper-discharging mechanism complicate printer operation and are further detrimental to reliable operation of the printer.

Printer having a plurality of paper cassettes and method of selecting a paper cassette from the paper cassettes


A DNA probe p79-2-23 is homologous to at least a portion of a hypervariable DNA region located on chromosome 16q22.fwdarw.q24 in the human genome. The DNA region displays a restriction fragment length polymorphism when digested with certain restriction endonucleases. Unrelated individuals display unique fragment patterns on Southern blots probed with p79-2-23. The probe can be used to produce a genetic "fingerprint" for establishing human identity, determining engraftment of bone marrow transplants, determining parentage, and otherwise mapping genes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a restriction enzyme mapping probe for human chromosome 16.
2. General Discussion of the Background Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), which are differences among individuals in the lengths of particular restriction fragments, are useful markers for mapping the human genome. Botstein, et al., Am. J. Hum. Genet., 32:314-331 (1980). As the number of known RFLPs increases, they are becoming ever more useful in the prenatal or early diagnosis of numerous hereditary diseases. RFLPs are also used in mapping a diseased gene to a specific chromosomal location, which may serve as the first step in cloning the gene.
Diseases that have been mapped by linkage studies with RFLPs include Huntington's Disease, Gusella, et al., Nature, 306:234-238, (1983); Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, Murray, et al., Nature, 300:542-544, (1982); X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa, Bhattacharya, Nature, 309:253-255 (1984); adult polycystic kidney disease, Reeders, et al., Nature, 317:542-544 (1985); and cystic fibrosis, Tsui, et al., Science, 230:1054-1056 (1985). RFLPs also have been crucial to the elucidation of mechanisms underlying hereditary cancer syndromes frequently associated with chromosome deletions such as retinoblastoma, Cavenee, Nature, 305:779-784 (1983), and Wilm's tumor, Koufos, et al., Nature, 309:170-172 (1984). In the future, RFLPs may be useful in characterizing the genetic contributions to susceptibility to common diseases which tend to cluster in families, such as colon cancer and schizophrenia, White, et al., Nature, 313:101-105 (1985). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,619 discloses a method of using a probe to determine the liability of human individuals to develop atherosclerosis.
RFLPs can also provide individual-specific "fingerprints" of human DNA which can be used for such forensic purposes as identification of corpses, paternity testing, and identification of rapists. For example, Jeffreys, et al. disclosed in Nature, 316:76-79 (1985) that simple tandem-repetitive regions of DNA ("minisatellites") which are dispersed throughout the human genome frequently show substantial length polymorphism arising from unequal exchanges which alter the number of short tandem repeats in a minisatellite. The repeat elements in a subset of human minisatellites share a common 10-15 base-pair core sequence. A hybridization probe consisting of the core repeated in tandem can detect many highly polymorphic minisatellites simultaneously to provide a set of genetic markers of general use in human linkage analysis. Certain probes can detect sets of hypervariable minisatellites to produce somatically stable DNA "fingerprints" which are completely specific to an individual (or an identical twin) and can be applied directly to problems of human identification, including parenthood testing. Unfortunately, the Jeffreys, et al., probe detects repeated sequences that occur throughout the entire human genome, and gives rise to very complex electrophoresis patterns that are sometimes difficult to interpret.
Hypervariable DNA regions have been reported near the human insulin gene (Bell, et al., Nature, 295:31-35 (1982)), in the .alpha.-globin gene cluster (Higgs, et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 9:4213-4224 (1981); Proudfoot, et al., Cell, 31:553-563 (1982); Goodbourn, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 80:5022-5026 (1983)), near the c-Ha-Ras-1 oncogene (Capon, et al., Nature, 302:33-37 (1983)) and at the telomere of the X and Y chromosomes (Cook, et al., Nature, 317, 687-692 (1985)). In all cases where DNA sequence information in these regions is available, it shows that the region consists of tandemly repeated sequences which vary in copy number among chromosomes. These hypervariable regions are hypothesized to arise by mitotic or meiotic unequal crossing over or by DNA slippage during replication (Jeffreys, et al., 1985). Hypervariable regions give rise to highly polymorphic loci at numerous genomic sites. DNA probes from such regions have been useful in paternity testing and other forensic applications as well as in human gene mapping.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a DNA probe which detects a hypervariable region of a human chromosome.
Another primary object is to provide such a probe which is specific to a single human chromosome.
Yet another primary object is to provide a probe which is easy to use and gives consistent results in forensic and medical tests.

DNA probe which reveals a hypervariable region on human chromosome 16

The State of Oregon acting by and through the State Board of Higher Education on behalf of Oregon Health Sciences University


An apparatus and method for removing water hyacinths. The system of the present invention utilizes a transfer mechanism and grapple to collect hyacinth material from a body of water. The collected material is then passed to a transport for delivery to a header unit and grapple. The header unit grapple then retrieves the hyacinth material and delivers it to a collection bin for processing. The chopped hyacinth material is thereafter discharged for subsequent use as a biomass.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for managing plant material. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for gathering, transporting, and processing vascular aquatic plants, particularly water hyacinths.
2. Description of the Background Art
The management and processing of vascular aquatic plants is of increasing importance in the fields of aquaculture, and aquatic plant water treatment technologies. In addition to occurring in fresh water bodies of water, vascular aquatic plants such as water hyacinth may be a component of an integrated aquaculture and bioremediation system or a cultivatable stand alone crop. The ability to effectively manage and harvest biomass associated with aquatic plant systems, or as a method of water resource management, is critical to control or mediate the potential buildup of excessive biomass and the potential leaching of stored nutrients.
Eichhornia Crassipes Solms, or water hyacinth, is a bulbous plant of the family Pontederiaceae and is native to the South America. In the United States water hyacinths can be found in warmer regions such as Florida and other southeastern states. The plant grows on water with roots that extend only slightly below the surface of the water. Consequently, hyacinths float free in fresh water lakes, rivers, and canals. The difficulty with water hyacinths, whether cultivated or xe2x80x9cnaturally occurringxe2x80x9d is twofold: first, they grow in extremely dense patches; second, under ideal growing conditions, they rapidly reproduce. Water hyacinth densities can reach 40 to 150 wet tons per acre. In terms of growth rate, the area covered by hyacinths can double every 20 days. Each of these factors may result in ecological and economic harm to regions in which hyacinths grow and can pose difficulties in management of hyacinths as a cultivatable crop. The difficulty in dealing with water hyacinths has been recognized for a long time. The need to control these plants was first acknowledged at the turn of the century, and is documented at: www.saj.usace.army.mil/conops/apc/new_folder/timeline.htm. Thus, there has been a long felt need for improved water hyacinth management.
Nonetheless, water hyacinths are proven to have some commercial benefits. For example, water hyacinths can be grown within aquaculture systems or non point or point source treatment systems to remove or reduce organic and nutrient pollutants. Additionally, water hyacinths can be processed into animal fodder or fertilizer. For these reasons, water hyacinths are often commercially grown and harvested. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,811,007 and 5,820,759 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
Whether naturally occurring or grown commercially, there have been a variety of devices designed for the removal and harvesting of water hyacinths. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,616 to Stewart et al. discloses a water craft with rotatable drums that permit the craft to float on the surface of water. The drums support ribs which condition plant materials. Plants are directed onto a conveyor by way of a rope which is paid out from a reel on the craft.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,534 to Bryant illustrates a harvesting barge with converging booms which form a throat into which plant material is collected. The barge also includes discharge nozzles for inducing flow into the throat and onto a pick up conveyor.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,258 to McNabb illustrates a barge onto which floating hyacinth material is conveyed. The barge also includes a grinder for chopping the hyacinth material into a size suitable for bailing. Thereafter, hyacinth material is bailed and passed to shore.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,204 to Harvey-Rioux et al. discloses a shredding head which is carried upon a flotation platform. The shredding head, which is suspended by a hanger from a boom, includes a rotor assembly for shredding vegetation
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,621 to Stewart, III et al. discloses a shore mounted harvesting apparatus which is adapted to gather plant material from the surface of water. The apparatus includes a series of rotating drums which are used in serrating and shredding the plant material. The shredded material is thereafter transferred to a chopping assembly that comminutes the plants into very small pieces.
Although each of the above described devices achieves its individual objective, none of them disclose the use of two vehicles working in tandem to collect, transport, and process water hyacinth material. Nor do the above described devices disclose a header mechanism capable of conveying aquatic plants to a conventional forage harvester.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement to water plant collection devices which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a system whereby water plants, such as hyacinths, can be easily and completely harvested for subsequent transport and disintegration.
It is another object of the present invention to enable large quantities of water plants to be removed with a minimum amount of machinery or user intervention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an articulated grapple which is adapted for removing plant material from the surface of water.
Still yet another objection of the present invention is to create a system whereby two vehicles, working in tandem, collect, transport, and disintegrate water plant materials.
Yet another object of the present invention is to enable materials to be quickly and efficiently transported between two collection vehicles by way of a water flume.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to enable a conventional forage harvester to be utilized in disintegrating plant materials.
Another object of the present invention is to process plant materials in a header such that the processed plant materials can be subsequently disintegrated by a conventional forage harvester.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention are provided with reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
For the purpose of summarizing this invention, the invention comprises a system for gathering and processing materials and, in particular, plant materials such as water hyacinths. The system utilizes both a transfer mechanism and a header unit. The transfer mechanism includes a rotatable boom. A grapple is positioned at a first end of the boom for use in gathering plant material. The header unit similarly includes a boom. The boom of the header unit is rotatably interconnected to a collection bin and includes a grapple at one end. The collection bin, in turn, includes means to transport plant material placed therein to a chopper. The system further includes a transport which runs along side of the transfer mechanism and header unit. The transfer mechanism grapple functioning to place collected material onto the transport for delivery to the header unit grapple. Thereafter, the header unit grapple gathers the plant material and places it in the collection bin for transport.
The grapples utilized by the system of the present invention are of identical construction. They include a pair of gathering arms having distal and proximal ends. The proximal ends are pivotally interconnected to one another, with the angular orientation of the arms being adjustable. Each of the grapples is adapted to be interconnected to a boom. Each grapple further includes a ram that is pivotally interconnected between the gathering arms. Movement of the ram causes rotation of the gathering arms. Furthermore, the ram has a fully extended orientation wherein the grapple is in an opened orientation and a fully retracted orientation wherein the grapple is in a closed orientation. The construction of the grapples makes them ideally suited for collecting water plants.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Method and apparatus for gathering, transporting, and processing aquatic plants


A device for processing a stream of video data which comprises a sequence of frames comprises an interface configured to receive the stream of video data. A processing device is configured to create a three-dimensional environment from a frame of the sequence of frames when a freeze condition is detected. The processing device is configured to generate a series of frames from the three-dimensional environment. The series of frames represents the three-dimensional environment from a plurality of points of view. The processing device is configured to insert the generated series of frames into the sequence of frames to generate a modified sequence of frames to conceal a freeze.

Digital broadcasting systems, for example digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) and digital video broadcasting (DVB) systems, are nowadays widely used. Such digital broadcasting systems may provide information and entertainment at home, while a user is travelling by car, train or ship, or while a user is walking around. In digital broadcasting systems, the video streams may be transmitted wirelessly and may pass through a radio frequency channel from a sender to a receiver. The radio frequency signals may be disturbed by environmental influences and may have a varying quality and may support varying transmission rates depending on the transmission distance and transmission environment. Poor reception quality as may have various reasons, including without limitation weather conditions, poor coverage of a radio communication network in certain regions such as tunnels, or interference with other radio sources.
The video data may be corrupted when the radio signals are disturbed. Various correction techniques, such as forward error correction (FEC) may be used to at least partially correct some of the errors, such as syntax errors. Nevertheless, there may be artifacts when the video data is processed and the video is output through an optical output device, such as a display screen or a video projector. Examples for artifacts include spatial artifacts or temporal artifacts. Examples for spatial artifacts include blocking, blurring or ringing.
Temporal artifacts include artifacts which can be seen only during video playback, such as flickering or jerkiness. Freezing is one of the most severe perceptual temporal artifacts. Freezing can be caused when a signal is not available or has been lost for a time-span. Freezing may also occur when the signal quality is so low that it is preferred to freeze the video on the last best received frame rather than showing a video of poor quality. Freezing is among the artifacts which are considered to most severely affect the perceived quality of a video.

Device and method for processing a stream of video data


An audio file processing method is provided for an electronic device. The method includes extracting at least one audio segment from a first audio file, recognizing at least one to-be-replaced audio segment representing a target role from the at least one audio segment, and determining time frame information of each to-be-replaced audio segment in the first audio file. The method also includes obtaining to-be-dubbed audio data for each to-be-replaced audio segment, and replacing data in the to-be-replaced audio segment with the to-be-dubbed audio data according to the time frame information, to obtain a second audio file. The at least one to-be-replaced audio segment is divided from the at least one audio segment based on a structure and a word count in a sentence corresponding to each to-be-replaced audio segment.

Currently, when a user watches a video, such as a movie or a TV play, or listens to an audio file, such as a book or a broadcast, a voice in the file is recorded in advance, and the user is not free to choose a voice of a leading actor or a host. Therefore, a personal preference of the user cannot be satisfied.
However, in a production or recording process of movies and television plays, dubbing is time and labor consuming. Using the movie as an example, currently, dubbing of a leading role is mainly implemented manually, and the manually recorded voice is synthesized into the movie by post processing of the movie. However, the entire process has a low degree of automation, and is time and labor consuming, resulting in high costs of manpower and time, reducing resource utilization of an audio processing device.

Audio file processing method, electronic device, and storage medium

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


When a deterioration determination apparatus determines a degree of deterioration in characteristics of an airflow meter, a driving condition of an engine is maintained at a specified condition in which intake air flow rate is greater than a specified value. A measurement error of the airflow meter is computed based on an intake air flow rate measured with the airflow meter. The degree of deterioration due to stain is determined based on the measurement error.

A thermal airflow meter, which measures an intake air flow rate to an engine, has a problem in which characteristics of the thermal airflow meter is deteriorated due to stain, such as dust, contamination, oil deposits, and the like. The thermal airflow meter will be referred to as AFM, hereinafter.
JP-4-174325A shows an AFM provided with a stain remover which removes a stain every when a vehicle travels a specified distance. However, in this AFM, deterioration in characteristics of the AFM is not diagnosed. Thus, even though the AFM is stained and its characteristics are deteriorated, it is likely that the stain is not removed. That is, it is desirable that a degree of deterioration due to stain should be determined.
Japanese Patent No. 3075877 shows a malfunction determination apparatus for an AFM. This malfunction determination apparatus has a determination means for determining whether an AFM has a malfunction according to an output level therefrom, a voltage variation obtaining function which obtains a variation in voltage applied to the AFM from a battery. After a voltage variation is obtained, the determination means starts to determine whether the AFM has a malfunction when a predetermined condition is established. In this malfunction apparatus, it is likely that the apparatus erroneously determines that the AFM has a malfunction, due to a variation in air flow rate.
JP-2000-97101A shows that a measurement error of an AFM is corrected in view of a variation in air flow rate due to pulsations when it is determined whether the AFM has a malfunction based on the measurement error. The variation in air flow rate is caused by a variation in engine speed, engine torque and driving conditions of the other relating components, such as an EGR valve, a throttle valve, a turbocharger and a variable valve timing mechanism. However, in JP-2000-97101A, such a driving condition of the other component is not considered. In order to correctly obtain the measurement error of the AFM, it is necessary to make the air flow rate more stable.

Deterioration determination apparatus for airflow meter and deterioration determination method


Systems and methods for improved molding sand performance through use of recovered additives from the existing waste stream in a foundry. Sand, clay, and carbon-containing organic components are wet recovered from a green sand mold foundry dust recovery system. The sand and non-sand fractions may be further treated to reduce water content or adjust the levels of various components to generate a pre-mix additive for the generation of new green sand molds, that may display improved properties at ambient and high temperatures when compared to commonly employed traditional pre-mix. In some examples, pre-mixes having reduced sulfur content are obtained. In several embodiments, the non-sand fraction obtained from bag house dust or dust from mechanical reclamation includes increased levels of bentonite clay and carbon.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of sand cast molding and to improvements in the founding of iron (and other metals) more particularly to improvements in sand molding media employed in forming molds into which molten iron is poured in the production of castings as it relates to the recovering of the molding media in a foundry.
2. Description of the Background
Green sand casting is a well-known process for forming cast metal articles. In this process, a casting mold for making castings, formed from molding media that is primarily sand and bentonite clay for the production of one or multiple castings. Once the casting solidifies in the mold, the mold is broken down and the casting cycle is complete. A portion of the molding media can be recycled for another casting process, however, a substantial portion of the molding media exits the foundry as foundry waste. In the U.S. alone, foundry waste accumulates at a rate of approximately 6 to 10 million cubic yards per year. The large volume of foundry waste coupled with the increasing cost of landfill acreage and transportation is problematic.
Founding is an ancient art in which a cavity is defined in a sand mold and then molten metal poured therein. After the metal cools, the cast article is removed, with the sand mold usually being broken up in the removal process. The usual and basic procedure for forming such sand molds is to compact a sand molding medium around a pattern and then to remove the pattern, leaving a cavity having the configuration of the pattern.
In order for the sand to maintain its molded, cavity-defining configuration, a binding agent that causes the sand particles to cohere is included in the mixture. Clay has long been an accepted and suitable binding agent. Clay is a generic term and encompasses a large group of hydrous alumino-silicate minerals. Individual mineral grains vary in size down to microscopic dimensions. When dampened, clay is tenacious and plastic. When dampened and then dried clay becomes hard, particularly when dried at elevated temperatures. Wet bentonite product performs better under casting conditions.
The present invention is particularly useful in founding where so-called green sand casting is a standard practice. Green sanding casting encompasses a process wherein molten metal is poured into a sand mold while it still retains the moisture that has been added to actuate the cohesive properties of the clay. Sand molding media for iron founding comprise three basic components, namely sand, clay, and finely ground a bituminous coal, commonly known in the trade as "sea coal," In use, a sand molding medium is moistened with water to provide a medium that is capable of being compacted around a pattern to form a mold cavity. The green sand molds typically comprise by weight, from about 86% to 90% sand and multiple non-sand components, including 8% to 10% bentonite clay, 2% to 4% organic additives, and 2% to 4% moisture. After removal of the pattern, molten iron is poured into the mold cavity while the sand molding medium is still in its dampened or "green" condition. The sea coal on and immediately adjacent the mold cavity surface decomposes under the heat of the molten iron as it is poured into the mold. A product of this decomposition is elemental carbon, in the form of graphite, at the interface between the mold cavity and the poured iron. This elemental graphite serves the primary function of enabling the solidified casting to be released from the mold, free of sand particles. A secondary benefit of the elemental graphite is that it tends to level the surface of the mold cavity, thereby producing a smoother surface on the cast article.
A well-established practice of the trade is for a foundry to purchase a "pre-mix," which includes a clay component and carbon component. The foundry then mixes the pre-mix with sand from a local source to provide the sand molding media used in operations.
Sand molding media has sufficient cohesive strength of the sand molding medium is most critical in its "green" condition, that is, when it is moistened. After being compacted to define a cavity, the green molding medium preferably has sufficient strength to withstand any forces incident to removal of a pattern, so that the cavity configuration is maintained intact. Next, sand molding media, when in a green stage, preferably has sufficient strength to withstand the forces incident to the mold being moved and repositioned in various fashions in the process preparing it for the pouring of metal into the cavity. Further, the sand molding media preferably has sufficient cohesive strength to withstand the hydraulic forces incident to pouring molten iron into the cavity.
Drying of a green mold occurs extremely rapidly and can occur while the metal is still molten and continues to exert hydraulic forces on the mold structure. The dry strength of the molding medium is therefore critical in assuring that the integrity of the mold will be maintained to the end of obtaining cast articles of the proper configuration.
Another significant, objective characteristic of sand molding media is permeability. A relatively high permeability is preferred in order to prevent damage to the mold when molten iron is poured into the mold cavity. This is to point out that when molten metal is poured into the mold cavity, air is displaced though the mold medium. More importantly, because the sand molding medium is damp, steam can be generated in a rather violent, or explosive, fashion. Such steam is preferably vented through the molding medium with a minimum of gas flow resistance. As such, porous mold structures preferably have a relatively high gas permeability. Strength characteristics and permeabilities are capable of objective determination and acceptable green and dry strengths for sand molding media, as well as permeabilities, are now established.
After an item has been cast, the sand mold is broken up and then accumulated for reuse. The excess molding media, that is, foundry waste which cannot be reused for subsequent casting cycles, is generated at several locations within the foundry. The composition and particle size distribution of foundry waste can vary depending upon the areas of the foundry in which it is collected, but foundry waste can be generally classified in two broad categories, namely, "molding waste" and "bag house dust/dust from mechanical reclamation." The phrase "molding waste" refers to the excess molding media from broken-down green sand molds and cores, output stream, produced during shakeout. In many green sand foundries, the molding waste typically contains by weight from about 80% to about 90% sand, from about 6% to about 10% bentonite clay and from about 1% to about 4% organic additives. Molding waste includes sand that is coated with bond as well as individual particles of sand, bentonite, and organic additives.
Attempts have been made to reduce the accumulation of molding waste by mechanical reclamation removing the bond from the sand so that the sand is sufficiently clean to be reused in the production of cores. In such processes the sand is recovered, but the bentonite clay, which costs several times more than sand on a weight basis, and the organic additives can be recovered. A disadvantage of mechanical reclamation is that the cost of prime sand is sufficiently low in many geographic areas that the capital investment for sand recovery is economically unfeasible.
A large source of foundry waste stream includes fine particles of sand, bentonite clay, organic additives, and debris collected in the foundry's air evacuation system. This foundry waste is commonly known in foundries as "bag house dust." Bag house dust contains substantially more bentonite clay than does molding waste. Bag house dust typically comprises from about 40% to about 70% sand, from about 20% to about 50% bentonite clay, and from about 10% to about 30% organic additives. Previous efforts have disclosed hydraulic and mechanical separation processes that reclaim sand, bentonite, and organic components of bag house dust, though the utility of that recovery product is currently unknown. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,554,049 and 6,834,706.
Accordingly, there is a long-standing need to reduce the amount of foundry waste exiting a green sand foundry. There also exists a long-standing need for a process to recover sand that has sufficient quality to be used in the foundry to make cores and green sand molds and which can yield quality castings in a subsequent casting process. A process to recover sand, bentonite clay, and organic additives to decrease the amount of prime materials (pre-mix) that enter the foundry as raw material is also needed within the art. Over a period of time it becomes necessary to add fresh amounts of the clay and coal additive. Similarly, it is a common practice to also add fresh sand. This not only maintains a more or less constant ratio of the sand, clay, and coal components, but also compensates for the accumulation of ash that is a byproduct of the decomposition of the sea coal.
The pre-mix discussed above, which includes a clay component and carbon component, has found acceptance in the art because of several advantages. Primarily these advantages are found in the ability to minimize costs by the use of less pre-mix and/or by reducing the total amount of carbonaceous material in the pre-mix. Further, it was demonstrated that the amount of additional, "make-up" pre-mix used in recycling a sand molding medium was reduced.
Another factor to note is that as green sand molding medium is compacted around a pattern (in the normal case) to form a mold cavity. The characteristics of the sand molding medium can have a great impact on the "workability" of the medium and the ability to compact (i.e., densify) the medium and also the ease with which densification can be attained, which is understood as flowability. This factor is relevant to the fact that both the green strength and dry strength of a sand molding medium are directly proportionate to the density of the sand molding medium after it has been compacted to define a mold cavity. There is thus a preference within the art for sand molding media that have a workability characteristic which facilitates obtaining a desired, relatively high, and consistent density of the compacted molding medium. While the workability characteristic is subjective, it is, nonetheless, a recognized standard for sand molding media.

Method for improvement of casting quality

S&B Industrial Minerals North America, Inc.


The electrical cord organization box includes a lid that secures atop said box. The box includes an array of helical cones that have a curvature ideal for winding and unwinding cables or wires thereon, which prevents unwanted tangling or slipping. The box includes along the front surface and the rear surface a plurality of slots that are aligned adjacent each helical cone, and which have a curvature that secures the respective wire or cable to the surface of the box. The box is placed adjacent a plurality of electrical devices so as to provide a means to organize and store excess cable or wire lengths associated with the electrical devices.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electrical cord organizers, more specifically, a box that can store and organize a plurality of electrical cords.
B. Discussion of the Prior Art
As will be discussed immediately below, no prior art discloses a box that includes an array of helical cones that enable wires and cables to be manually wound or unwound in order to store and organize excess cable or wire length; wherein the box includes slits aligned along a front and rear surface that are adjacent each helical cone; wherein the slits have a curvature that enables a wire or cable to be, locked to said surface; wherein the lid includes a plurality of locking tabs for securement atop said box; wherein the lid includes a plurality of openings aligned above the helical cones, which enables viewing therein; wherein the shape of the helical cones enables each wire or cable to be wind therein without slipping or tangling; and wherein the box is placed adjacent a plurality of electrical devices so as to provide a means of storing and organizing a plurality of cables and wires having excess lengths.
The Hybiske et al. Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,491,903) discloses a cable organizer that includes a cable spool that is mountable to an underside of a support surface and is used to organize, store, and separate cables and power cables used to operate and power electrical appliances. However, the organizer is not a box that encloses a plurality of conical towers that are used to organize individual cables and wires within and adjacent electrical devices.
The Lewis Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,455) discloses a wire dispenser. Again, the dispenser dispenses a wire there from, and is not a box capable of storing a plurality of cables and wires upon helical towers located within said box.
The Solet Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,038,126) discloses a substantially rectangular storage container for organizing electronic equipment and cables. However, the storage container does not include an array of helical cones that are used to manually wind cables and wires around and which when enclosed inside of a box neatly stores and organizes said cables and wires.
The McDonald Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,846) discloses an audio wiring harness apparatus set forth to remove slack from existing coaxial-type cable utilized in the electrical association of various electronic components. However, the apparatus does not teach a box containing an array of helical cones that can be used to manually wind cables and/or wires thereon so as to store and organize said cable and/or wire adjacent a plurality of electrical devices.
The Hammonds Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,098,406) discloses a versatile modular device for organizing, shortening, and securing a plurality of cords such as cables, having a simple design that permits easy removal or addition of cords and a straightforward method for wrapping and securing an indiciaul cord to a desired length. However, the device does not use helical cones that wind a cord or wire thereon.
The Leatherman Patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,487) discloses a cable system that organizes multiple wires on spools for controlled release. However, the spools employ spring-loaded tensioners that rotate to un/wind cables thereon as opposed to a stationary helical cone upon which said cable is manually wound and enclosed within a box containing an array of said helical cones.
The Hawthorne Patent (U.S. Pat. No. Des. 376,530) illustrates an ornamenral design for a cord organizer, which fails to teach helical cones that are contained within a box including a lid that encloses the entire organizer.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective and particular objects and requirements, they do not describe a box that includes an array of helical cones that enable wires and cables to be manually wound or unwound in order to store and organize excess cable or wire length; wherein the box includes slits aligned along a front and rear surface that are adjacent each helical cone; wherein the slits have a curvature that enables a wire or cable to be locked to said surface; wherein the lid includes a plurality of locking tabs for securement atop said box; wherein the lid includes a plurality of openings aligned above the helical cones, which enables viewing therein; wherein the shape of the helical cones enables each wire or cable to be wind therein without slipping or tangling; and wherein the box is placed adjacent a plurality of electrical devices so as to provide a means of storing and organizing a plurality of cables and wires having excess lengths. In this regard, the electrical cord organization box departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art.


A brake caliper has a brake pad having a backplate with a friction material attached to one side and a loading face on an opposite side. The caliper further includes a piston that applies a force to the loading face. The brake pad is releasably attached to the piston, thereby eliminating a separate brake pad retaining structure in the caliper.

Brake calipers, which are known in the art, force brake pads towards a brake disc to effect braking of the disc. The brake pads comprise a brake pad backplate, typically stamped from sheet steel, onto which is fixed friction material. The friction material is forced into engagement with the brake disc to effect the braking and progressively wears out through the life of the brake pad. Once the brake pads have worn out, they are removed (with the brake disc and brake caliper in situ) by withdrawing the pads in a radially outward direction with respect to the brake disc. Various retaining features, such as pad springs and pad retainers, need to be removed before the worn brake pads can be removed.
Additionally, the brake caliper will include a housing on one side of the brake disc in which one or more pistons is mounted. A bridge is fixed to the housing (or is integral therewith) and straddles the brake disc to support a further brake pad on the opposite side of the brake disc. The housing and bridge together are known as a brake caliper frame.
The brake caliper frame is slidably mounted on a brake carrier, which in turn is non-rotatably mounted on suspension components adjacent to the brake disc.
During servicing of the caliper, the old worn brake pads are removed from the caliper in a radially outward direction. Clearly, the pads must be prevented from escaping from the caliper when the vehicle is in use. One known way of retaining the pads is to provide a pad retaining strap and bolt (as shown in FIG. 2).
UK patent application GB2303891, for example, shows a brake piston capable of applying a force to a brake pad to apply a brake. However, in this prior art structure the piston is a loosely fitted in a recess of the backplate of the brake pad. The piston is not attached to the brake pad. As such, this design will require additional features, such as a strap and/or bolt (not shown), to retain the pad in the caliper.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of brake caliper that does not require complex pad retention structures.

ArvinMeritor Light Vehicle Systems (UK) Ltd.


A method for producing a transgenic plant which is resistant to a weed control compound is disclosed. In the inventive method, a nucleotide sequence encoding a variant of plant protoporphyrinogen IX oxidase that lacks the FAD binding sequence is introduced into a plant cell. The nucleotide sequence is expressed and the plant cell is regenerated into a transgenic plant.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for giving resistance to weed control compounds to plants.
2. Disclosure of the Related Art
Weed control is very important work for improving yields and quality of cultivated plants. For this purpose, weed control compounds such as herbicides are mainly used. However, for using weed control compounds, it is not always easy to distinguish cultivated plants from weeds of allied species to selectively control only weeds. Then, production of plants having resistance to weed control compounds (hereinafter referred to as weed control compound-resistance) has been attempted and some resistant plants have been put to practical use.
Recently, gene engineering techniques have been utilized for producing plants having weed control compound-resistance. As such a technique, for example, Hinchee, M. A. W. et al. disclose a method for producing a plant having resistance to a herbicide, glyphosate, wherein 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene which is a target enzyme of glyphosate is mutagenized so that an affinity for glyphosate is reduced, and the gene is introduced into a plant [Hinchee, M. A. W. et al., BIO/TECHNOLOGY, 6: p 915 (1988)].

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for producing transgenic plants resistant to weed control compounds which disrupt the porphyrin pathways of plants


An LED illumination system includes a DC power supply, at least two LED illumination lamp sets and at least two power circuits corresponding to the LED illumination lamp sets. The DC power supply provides sufficient electric power for the LED illumination lamp sets and is connected to the LED illumination lamp sets via the power circuits. The invention supplies electric power required by the LED illumination lamp sets via a single DC power supply without an extra DC power supply, hence the cost is lower. Moreover, the DC power supply is located remote from the LED illumination lamp sets, hence high temperature generated by the DC power supply does not affect lighting and lifespan of the LED illumination lamp sets. The hazard of electric shock by inadvertently touching the AC power source while replacing lamps in the LED illumination lamp sets can also be avoided to improve safety.

LED provides characteristics such as saving electric power, higher lighting efficiency and longer lifespan, thus has become a new generation of illumination element. It employs Epitaxy as a photoelectric element to generate light via electro luminescence transformation. Because the LED has many advantages, such as environment friendly, lower power consumption, higher efficiency and longer lifespan, it gradually replaces the traditional illumination equipments.
At present the LED has been widely adopted on various types of illumination apparatus. However, for indoor illumination the luminosity of a single LED still cannot match the conventional fluorescent lamp or halogen lamp. In order to provide sufficient indoor illumination, multiple LEDs have to be clustered together. At present, the LED light bulbs on the market mostly have one power converter to mate an LED. Such a structure is more expensive and consumes more electric power, and also has a shorter lifespan.
Please refer to FIG. 1 for a conventional LED illumination lamp set 1. It includes a plurality of LEDs 2 and a DC power supply 3 which receives commercial power and converts the commercial power into DC power to supply the LEDs 2. For multiple LED illumination lamp sets 1, multiple DC power supplies 3 also must be provided in a one-on-one fashion to meet use requirement.
However, the DC power supply 3 and the LEDs 2 are positioned close to each other, and heat generated by the DC power supply 3 would cause high temperature to affect lighting efficiency of the LEDs 2. Moreover, the DC power supply 3 is located in the LED illumination lamp set 1, and air circulation is undesirable that results in heat dissipation of the DC power supply 3 difficult. Hence the lifespan of the DC power supply 3 suffers, and in the event that the DC power supply 3 is damaged, replacement is also difficult.
In addition, in the event that the DC power supply 3 is burnt out and on fire, as it is installed on a ceiling, instant alarm is not always possible, and the fire could also be spread to further result in even more serious danger. Furthermore, the DC power supply 3 usually is connected to the AC power source, users who try to replace the LEDs 2 could inadvertently suffer electric shock.


An outboard motor S has: a first drive shaft 31 interlocked with an internal combustion engine, a second drive shaft 32 interlocked with the first drive gear 31, an output gear mechanism 50 driven by the second drive shaft 32, a propeller shaft 17, and a gear case 13 holding the output gear mechanism 50 and the propeller shaft 17 and having a normally submerged gearing holding portion 21. The second drive shaft 32 is disposed rearward of the first drive shaft 31 with respect to a longitudinal direction. The gearing holding portion 21 has a tapered part 21a extending forward from a position corresponding to the second drive shaft 32 and having a front end 21c. The tapered part 21a is tapered toward the front. The disposition of the second drive shaft 32 rearward of the first drive shaft 31 enables forming the gear case 13 in a small size and reduces underwater resistance to the gear case 13.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a marine propulsion machine including a vertical drive shaft rotatively driven by an engine, an output gear mechanism driven by the drive shaft, a propeller shaft rotatively driven by the output gear mechanism, and a normally submerging gear case containing the output gear mechanism and the propeller shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Marine propulsion machines are disclosed in, for example, JP-A 5-52107 and JP-A 63-97489. The known marine propulsion machine has a gear case holding therein an output gear mechanism driven by a drive shaft rotatively driven by an engine, and a propeller shaft rotatively driven by the output gear mechanism. In this marine propulsion machine, the drive shaft has a first drive shaft interlocked with the engine, and a second drive shaft driven by the first drive shaft to transmit power to the output gear mechanism, and the second drive shaft is disposed on the rear side of the first drive shaft.
The normally submerging gear case has a gearing holding portion holding the output gear mechanism and the propeller shaft, and a support portion extending upward from the gearing holding portion and connected to a case overlying the gear case and having a cross-sectional shape resembling a cross section of a wing. The gearing holding portion has diameter gradually increasing from its front end toward its rear end. If the area of the cross section of the gearing holding portion in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal direction parallel to a direction in which water flows relative to the ship when the ship moves forward, increases sharply toward the rear, the form drug (hereinafter referred to as "underwater resistance") resulting from the shape of the gear case while the ship is cruising forward is high, a low-pressure region develops due to the disturbance of water currents when the ship cruises at high cruising speed, and cavitation is liable to occur around a propeller disposed rearward of the gear case.
When an interlocking mechanism included in an operating mechanism for reversing the rotating direction of the propeller shaft is disposed on the front side of the drive shaft in the gear case, and an operating member and an actuating member included in the interlocking mechanism are a pin and a cam eccentric to the center axis of the operating member, the eccentricity of the eccentric pin and the height of the lobe of the cam are determined so as to correspond to a necessary moving distance along the center axis of the propeller shaft. Therefore, the interlocking mechanism has a large dimension with respect to transverse directions, namely, directions perpendicular to the center axis of the propeller shaft in a plane. Consequently, the transverse dimension of a part of the gear case holding the interlocking mechanism is large and the form drag (hereinafter referred to as "underwater resistance") increases.

Marine propulsion machine having drive shaft


A system for reducing power without making users feel inconvenience and discomfort in collective housing or the like. The system includes a plurality of air conditioners and a central control unit connected with the air conditioners via a communication line. The central control unit controls the plurality of air conditioners to operate in time or alternately to prevent electric current concentration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power load control system suitable for collective housing such as apartments.
2. Description of the Related Art
A distribution system, in which power is received collectively at a high voltage, for example, at 6000 V and is distributed to individual households at low voltage (100V or 200V), is employed in collective housing such as apartments. The following differences are considered between a system in which power is received at a low voltage by each household and a system which power is received collectively at a high voltage and is distributed at low voltage to each household.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating one example that power is supplied to a house, wherein power is distributed in a house 201 through a breaker at low voltage (100 V or 200 V) from a power system 200 of a distribution company. The contract capacity is determined on the basis of a maximum power capacity. The maximum power capacity is determined by assuming a case that appliances which consume large amount of power such as a TV, an air conditioner, a rice cooker, a washing machine, and a refrigerator are used at the same time. For example, the contract capacity when these appliances are used at the same time is generally determined to be 3 kVA. Available power capacity (VA) is determined in a contract with the distribution company.
Usually, the contact is made on the basis of the power capacity (VA) when the load in the house is used at maximum, and a breaker suitable for that power capacity is equipped by the power distribution company.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating one example of a system for collectively receiving at a high voltage and distributing at a low voltage which is used for distributing from a power distribution company to collective housing such as apartments. Power is collectively received at a receiving equipment 300 equipped with collective housing at a high voltage such as 6000 V from the power distribution company and the power is distributed from the receiving equipment 300 to each household 13a, 13b . . . 13n at a low voltage (100 V or 200 V). The power is converted to a low voltage by the receiving equipment 300, and is supplied to the households 13a, 13b . . . 13n through a breaker 130 equipped with each of the households 13a, 13b . . . 13n. A load 131 in each of the households 13a, 13b. . . 13n is driven by the supplied power.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for comparing power amounts used in a month and electricity bills in a collective high voltage receiving and low voltage receiving. As shown in FIG. 3, a base rate of the low voltage receiving is small as compared with of the collective high voltage receiving and little depends on the contract capacity. On the other hand, the bill in the high voltage receiving becomes smaller as the contract capacity becomes small.
In the cases (1) and (2) of FIG. 3, the base rate is about 2000 yen and 1300 yen respectively.
An electricity bill in total is a sum of the base rate and usage-based charge in both of the cases. In the low voltage receiving, usage-based charge per kWh is large. In addition, in the bill system of the low voltage receiving, the usage-based charge per kWh increases when used amount exceeds a certain level.
On the other hand, in the high voltage collective receiving, the charge per kWh is smaller than that in the low voltage receiving, and even when the usage amount increases, the charge per kWh does not change. It is noted that the charge per kWh changes depending on seasons, and the charge per kWh changes depending on time in three levels when a time-varying charge contract is made. As shown in FIG. 3, electricity bills in the high voltage collective receiving (the case (1)) and the low voltage receiving are balanced at the A point.
In the high voltage collective receiving, the electricity bill is smaller when the contract capacity is small.
In collective housing, however, a receiving equipment for an excessive contract capacity is employed in assuming such a case that high load electrical appliances such as air conditioners are being operated at the same time.
The present invention was made to solve the above problem and provide a system for reducing receiving power capacity without user inconvenience and discomfort in collective housing or the like.
A power load control system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of high load electrical appliances and a power control unit connected with the plurality of high load electrical appliances. The power control unit controls operation of the plurality of high load electrical appliances together.
The power control unit controls the plurality of high load electrical appliances to operate in time or alternately.
As a result, concentration of operation of the high load electrical appliances can be prevented and a peak electric current can be greatly reduced.
The plurality of high load electrical appliances are divided into n groups, and the power control unit controls to prohibit the high load electrical appliances in one to nxe2x88x921 of the n groups from starting operation for a certain time and to allow the high load electrical appliances in the rest of the groups to start and continue operation, and repeats to control periodically so as to ensure that one to nxe2x88x921 of the n groups are prohibited from starting operation.
The high load electrical appliances which, once started to operate, can continue to operate even when they are in a group which is prohibited from starting operation. A high load electrical appliance generally requires a large current at starting. Thus, when the appliances are controlled at starting, a peak electric current can be greatly reduced. When taking an air conditioner as an example, an air conditioner which once started operation can continue to operate even when it is in a group which is prohibited from the starting operation. A peak electric current can be greatly reduced when an air conditioner is controlled at starting because an air conditioner requires a large current at starting. Operation after starting does not matter in order to reduce a peak current. Furthermore, when an air conditioner which once started operation stops, an user may feel uncomfortable. Therefore, it is better that an air conditioner which started operation continues to operate.
The plurality of high load electrical appliances are divided into n groups, and the power control unit controls the electrical appliances in one to nxe2x88x921 of the n groups to output 100% and the electrical appliances in the rest of the groups to output less than 100%, and changes an output percentage cycle periodically. As a result, every high load electrical appliance can be operated while total power consumption is suppressed without making users feel uncomfortable.
A power load control system according to the present invention comprises a system for collectively receiving at a high voltage by receiving equipment equipped in collective housing and distributing at a low voltage from the receiving equipment to each of households in the collective housing, high load electrical appliances equipped in the households, and a power control unit connected with each of the high load electrical appliances. The power control unit controls operation of the high load electrical appliances together.
The collective housing refers to an apartment, a dormitory, or a group of a plurality of detached houses.
The power control unit controls the high load electrical appliances to operate in time or alternately.
The households in the collective housing are divided into (n) groups, the power control unit controls to prohibit the high load electrical appliances in one to nxe2x88x921 of the n groups from starting operation for a certain time and allow the high load electrical appliances in the rest of the groups to start and continues operation, and repeats to control periodically so as to ensure that one to nxe2x88x921 of the n groups are prohibited from starting operation.
The households in the collective housing are divided into n groups, the power control unit controls the high load electrical appliances in one to nxe2x88x921 of the n groups to output 100% and the electrical appliances in the rest of the groups to output less than 100%, and changes an output percentage cycle periodically.
The high load electrical appliances are linked with the power control unit via a wired or wireless communication line.
With the above constitution, power used at a peak can be suppressed. Thus, in the collective housing or the like, a total contract capacity and a base rate can be reduced.